HitFix
Girl Power: 10 female superheroes who deserve their own movie
Why do boys get to have all the fun?
Admittedly, comic-books don't have the greatest track record when it comes to representations of female characters, with even the fiercest and most powerful of superheroines depicted as busty, scantily-clad sexpots blessed with the proportions of a Victoria's Secret model.
Given the predominantly-male fanbase of the medium, there are also very few female crime-fighters who boast the kind of name value that would make them an obvious fit for a standalone movie - though it bears pointing out that not even Wonder Woman, arguably the most famous of all female superheroes, has become the subject of a feature film despite numerous aborted attempts. Instead the Amazonian warrior princess has been relegated to the small-screen, where budgets are smaller and production values inevitably chintzier.
So what will it take to get a solo female superhero movie greenlit in this town that isn't either unbearably cheesy ("Supergirl") or just plain bad ("Elektra")? We haven't the slightest, but in the meantime, here are a few suggestions for characters who deserve consideration should someone decide to give it a go.
Batwoman (Kate Kane)
Debuted: "52" #7 (2006)
Previous Movie or TV appearances: None
Why: The current incarnation of Kathy or Kate Kane as Batwoman has become one of DC Comics' most critically acclaimed characters of the past decade. One of the few out lesbian heroes, Kane was inspired to become Batwoman after fighting off a mugger and a brief encounter with Batman. Unlike the many and former Robins or Batgirl, however, Batwoman is mostly patrolling Gotham City on her own without Batman's assistance. In her current series (gorgeously drawn and painted by J.H. Williams III) Batwoman's story lines have found the heroine dealing with more supernatural forces than the Caped Crusader usually does - a nice distinction from the other Bat-family titles. As DC looks for new easy to differentiate its characters from Marvel in theaters, Batwoman is a prime example of a compelling character that could become a solid franchise because of how fresh and different it is from the previous Batman films.
- Gregory Ellwood
Check out all our picks in the gallery at HitFix , then vote in the poll further down the page to let us know which of these characters you'd most like to see in a standalone feature (and/or sound off with your own ideas in the comments).
Previous Movie or TV appearances: None
Why: The current incarnation of Kathy or Kate Kane as Batwoman has become one of DC Comics' most critically acclaimed characters of the past decade. One of the few out lesbian heroes, Kane was inspired to become Batwoman after fighting off a mugger and a brief encounter with Batman. Unlike the many and former Robins or Batgirl, however, Batwoman is mostly patrolling Gotham City on her own without Batman's assistance. In her current series (gorgeously drawn and painted by J.H. Williams III) Batwoman's story lines have found the heroine dealing with more supernatural forces than the Caped Crusader usually does - a nice distinction from the other Bat-family titles. As DC looks for new easy to differentiate its characters from Marvel in theaters, Batwoman is a prime example of a compelling character that could become a solid franchise because of how fresh and different it is from the previous Batman films.
- Gregory Ellwood
Check out all our picks in the gallery at HitFix , then vote in the poll further down the page to let us know which of these characters you'd most like to see in a standalone feature (and/or sound off with your own ideas in the comments).
