Xena

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

The series was notable in many ways, not least of whixh 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.

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.