Xena

Heroine of a New Zealand television series, Xena: Warrior Princess, a spin-off of an earlier action/adventure series, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.

The series was notable in many ways, not least of which was that Xena started her series life as a villainess, a murderous conqueror intent on killing and destruction, exacting terrible revenge for the murder of her brother, Lyceus, by the army of another warlord, Cortese. In a series of interactions, including one in which she is severely beaten and cast out by the army she commanded for preventing a child from being murdered, Xena is convinced by the good Hercules to renouce her evil ways and fight the good fight for truth, justice, and the Ancient Greek way. Xena's ferocity was thus revealed as a tragic reaction to her own abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder, as evidenced by her instinctive protection of the child even though this act of mercy resulted in terrible consequences for herself.

But the spin-off quickly eclipsed its parent because it drew in a new audience, women.

The series became much more complex as it dealt with issues of warfare versus pacifism, whether fighting for "the good" can lead to evil results, the power of love, and a strong subtext of lesbian attraction between Xena and Gabrielle, her putative sidekick.