It's an incredible time for badass heroines, with 2021's Gunpowder Milkshake, and 2022's Interceptor, Prey, and Wakanda Forever all featuring female leads. This is a continuation of the trends of the 2010s, which featured terrific female-led action spectacles.

The 2010s offered a lineup of some of the most brutal action movies of all time, which led into some stellar female-led action movies in the 2020s. The last decade also gave audiences some of the toughest female action stars of all time including Gina Carano, Charlize Theron, and Scarlett Johannson. However, with such strong characters, there's only one female action hero that really stands on top.

Harley Quinn

An image of Harley Quinn holding two guns in The Suicide Squad

Harley Quinn debuted in the groundbreaking cartoon Batman: The Animated Series in 1992. Since then she has been one of DC Comics' most popular characters and a frequent choice for cosplaying fans. She was finally brought to the screen in 2016's Suicide Squad, portrayed by Margot Robbie.

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While the final edit of that film left fans disappointed, Robbie was highly praised for capturing Quinn's psychotic brutality and unpredictability. Quinn proved herself to be bigger than Joker's shadow with her spinoff, Birds of Prey. She then returned to The Suicide Squad and was the only member to survive both films.

Katniss Everdeen

Katniss dressed in her armor in Mockingjay - Part 2

Set in a dystopian future where regions must send children to compete in a deadly battle royale, The Hunger Games launched Jennifer Larence into stardom as Katniss Everdeen. An expert with a bow, she volunteers for the games to spare her little sister.

Armed with only a knife, she cuts a tracker jacker hive from a tree and makes her first kill while being hunted by a group of combatants. She of course uses her bow vitally against many opponents. Most importantly, she makes a stand against the games and politicians and becomes an inspirational figure for the people of Panem.

Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman fighting in World War I.

The most iconic female badass ever, DC comics' Wonder Woman finally appeared on the big screen in the DC Extended Universe. Gal Gadot debuted the character, also known as Diana Prince, in 2015's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. An Amazon of Greek mythology, Diana possessed superhuman strength and toughness.

Wonder Woman kicks some serious butt in the films. Since her 2017 solo movie, she has surpassed Superman and Batman as the most frequently appearing character in the franchise. She also possesses incredible items such as her powerful armor and bracelets, an invisible jet, and the iconic lasso of truth.

Furiosa

Furiosa lifts rifle in Mad Max: Fury Road

Charlize Theron portrayed Furiosa in Max Mad Fury Road and is the central protagonist of the movie. As Immortan Joe's top Imperator, she was in charge of driving his war rigs and even lost an arm in his service.

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She eventually betrayed Joe, by smuggling his five wives onto a war rig and making a break for The Green Land. She endures plenty of pain in the film by being stabbed and also fighting Max himself in a fierce action scene. Since the film's release, George Miller has been preparing to make a Furiosa spinoff.

Mallory Kane

Haywire Gina Carano Channing Tatum

Venerable mixed martial artist Gina Carano burst onto the scene in the 2011 film Haywire. Her character Mallory Kane was a black ops agent who was betrayed and targeted for assassination. She was extremely tough and kicked some major butt in the film.

Often the victim of cheap shots, her quick recoveries, and expert brutality saw her turn around many fights. Carano would continue her rise as an action star with roles in Fast & Furious 6, Deadpool, The Mandalorian, and 2022's Terror on the Prairie.

Cataleya Restrepo

Zoe Saldana in Colombiana firing an assault rifle

Zoe Saldana is one of the biggest female action stars after having appeared in the science fiction franchises Star Trek, Avatar, and Guardians of the Galaxy. In 2011, she portrayed Cataleya Restrepo, a woman out to avenger her family in the film Colombiana. From nine years old, she trains with her uncle to become an assassin.

She completes many assassinations, always leaving a cattleya flower as a calling card. She commits a brutal assault on Don Luis' compound where she kills all his men with machine guns and a rocket launcher. Her bathroom fight with Marco is incredibly fast-paced and a must-see scene.

Lorraine Broughton

Charlize Theron's starring character in Atomic Blonde is an MI6 agent sent to Berlin just before the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989. Her badassness is only amplified by the incredible creativity and cinematography of Atomic Blonde's filmmakers.

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One such moment is the film's incredible 10-minute long single-take action scene. The action in the scene is absolutely brutal as she defeats numerous KGB agents, never relenting despite taking despite being thrown downstairs and into multiple furnishings. There's also a great apartment fight scene where she fights enemies in unexpected ways using household objects.

Hanna

Saoirse Ronan using a bow and arrow in Hanna

2011's Hanna set the bar high for action movie women in the 2010s. Genetically enhanced to become a super-soldier, she spends 14 years training with her former CIA father figure Erik.

When it comes to unarmed combat, she is absolutely brutal and unrelenting as she kicks a lot of butts. Her prison escape is a sight to see, as she snaps a neck and dispatches several foes in a matter of seconds. Her composed final kill of Marissa after being shot herself is another highlight. Hanna would return with a TV show in 2019.

Sofia Al-Azwar

Halle Berry joined Keanu Reeves in 2019's John Wick 3, helping her old friend Wick after he is excommunicated. A badass ex-assassin, she also had a pair of combat-trained Belgian Malinois who are seen mauling baddies and even running up a wall.

But when one of her dogs is shot, Sofia lets loose. With masterful dance-like gunplay, she massacres dozens of assassins and proves a terrific on-screen pairing for Wick. Also proficient in unarmed combat, she beats up several men who are bigger and stronger than her.

Black Widow

The only female member of the original Avenger cinematic lineup, Natasha Romanov was a Russian-trained spy and assassin. Unlike most of the other heroes, she relied on her wit and skill rather than superpowers and technology. Sometimes she made her enemies think she was weak but was tricking them into revealing vital information.

Whether armed or unarmed, her fast and athletic fights were some of the franchise's most badass scenes. Perhaps most badass of all, she got the better of Hawkeye and sacrificed herself to save half of the universe. Thankfully, Scarlett Johansson was finally given her own Black Widow film in 2021.

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