List of female superheroes
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Superheroes are most associated with comic books & manga. However, the superhero genre spawns virtually all media: movies, TV series, text novels, games, and other works may all be spawned from comic books or created originally in some other media.
Female superheroes, sometimes called superheroines, are individual women granted with extranormal powers, usually by cosmic rays, or mutations, or freakish accidents. Superheroes use their powers for good; see also Female supervillains.
Merely being extraordinarily skilled, trained, or talented, does not make one a superhero; only supernatural or superhuman powers make a superhero. Compare Brenda Starr to Wonder Woman, or Ellen Ripley to Supergirl. Xena and Gabrielle are also examples: Xena has some deific intervention, some magical artifacts, and a lot of training and natural gifts.
Common superhero power sources include:
- mutation
- magical or alien artifacts
- intervention by the gods - curses, gifts, gods watching over the person, etc.
- destiny
- alien or lost race powers - People with alien or lost race powers, such as Wonder woman or Superman, look human and may be normal among their own people, but have -- relative to humans -- superpowers.
- accidental superpowers - People who get electrified just as some phenomena is happening, or people who fall into vats of toxic substances, and so on, have accidental superpowers.
These may be combined: Someone may accidentally stumble upon a holy relic, or some accident may cause them to "mutate", or mutation or whatever might be the instrument of some god or gods or destiny.
Books
- Character name missing -Camarin Grae, Paz (Blazon Books, 1984) (A woman has an accident and finds that she now has the power to change what people believe.)
- Character name missing - from Lindsay Welsh. Second Sight (Masquerade Books, 1997) - lesbian superhero! after a gay-bashing she gets super-powers (not just the usual superpowers, but also sexual superpowers!)
TV
- Xena from "Xena: Warrior Princess" (1990s)
- Wonder Woman from "Wonder Woman" (1970s)
- The Bionic Woman from "The Bionic Woman" (1970s / 2000s)
- Powerpuff Girls (1990s)
- Andrea Thomas in The Secrets of Isis (1970s)
Graphic novels & comics
- Characters in SubGurlz by Jennifer Camper. (Cleis)
- Batwoman
- Catwoman
- Duck-Girl & Crane
- Jean Grey (Phoenix)
- Mystique
- Power Girl
- Kitty Pryde (Shadowcat, etc.)
- Monica Rambeau
- Rogue
- Scarlet Witch
- She-Hulk
- Storm
- Supergirl
- Wonder Woman