You thought I would stop at just anime? Nope! The list goes on for badass female characters, and this article will dive into the badass women in the MCU
Nebula and Gamora – Daughters of Thanos:
I feel for this first one, I have to do it as a pair because they both faced hardships together. Gamora and Nebula were both raised in horrible situations by Thanos and forced to battle one another. Both kidnapped from their home planet after mass genocide, they were raised to be the galaxy’s hardened assassins, hardly making mistakes. But slowly, they began to see that their “family” was not a family at all, but an unhealthy, dangerous, and lethal group of killers. They wanted out, sure for different reasons. Gamora, seeing how crazy Thanos was, and Nebula for revenge against both her sister and father for her tormented life.
Gamora had her character arc with the Guardians of the Galaxy realizing she could do more than kill, but Nebula had a change of heart halfway through their second movie and made a huge difference in Infinity War and Endgame. They rose above what they were “raised” to do and overcame it. Proving that it doesn’t matter how you were raised, everyone can change their situation.
Natasha Romanov – The Black Widow:
Natasha Romanov, what more can I say about this character that hasn’t already been said online? She came from violence and hate, and if it wasn’t for a friend to pull her from the abyss, she either would have been assassinated by S.H.I.E.L.D. or continued her killing spree for the KGB. She dedicated her life to making amends in S.H.I.E.L.D., and when she became a part of the Avengers, she had found her true family. One that would support her, trust her, help her, and love her. She fought to help Stark when he was sick, Barton when he was mind-controlled, Rogers when HYDRA infiltrated, and Banner to calm the Hulk down.
And after Thanos snapped his fingers, she did everything she could to keep her family together while the remaining members tried to move forward. Pointing out that if she didn’t try to keep the team together no one would, and the team is the one thing that helped her be better, and that she was still trying to do better for everyone. And her sacrifice, in the end, is what helped her accomplish that very mission. “Last five years, I’ve been trying to do everything to get to right here. That’s all it’s been about, bringing everybody back.” She knew that she had to do “whatever it takes” to bring everyone back. And she did, she succeeded.
Hope Van Dyne – The Wasp:
Hope van Dyne or The Wasp was a late addition to the MCU, but we welcomed her with open arms when we saw how strong and quick she was in a fight. Teaching Scott Lang how to handle the Ant-Man suit as she was already familiar with the tech and as an additional bonus, really smart. Upon first meeting, we found her cold and strict, and slightly unpleasant due to her constantly putting Lang down, but we grew to love her.
Her relationship with her father was strained after her mother’s apparent death, but after her father told the entire story, she worked to rebuild the relationship and even found a romantic interest with Lang. She has proven herself an asset in any mission with her skillset of fighting, technology, acrobatics, and insect manipulation. A tad standoffish with the Avengers since her father’s trust was broken with Stark Industries but learned to push that aside during the Endgame battle.
Shuri – Black Panther:
Shuri, Princess of Wakanda, led the Wakandan Design Group, and head of the Science and Information Exchange, Shuri’s level of genius is second to none in the MCU. She meets scientific problems with ease and excitement, finding the challenge invigorating and refreshing. “Just because something works doesn’t mean it cannot be improved.” She knows what she is about and is not shy about her intellect, often sarcastic and witty, it makes us love her all the more.
As the younger child, she is silly, but never once questioned about her intellect. Though being young she has a slight annoyance of old traditions but respects them when it matters most. Sadly snapped away during Infinity War, I’m sure Shuri would have done most of the technological heavy lifting with the Time Heist. During the siege of Wakanda and the Endgame battle, she proved herself a warrior princess with her Vibranium Gauntlets.
Pepper Potts – The Infinity Saga:
Virginia “Pepper” Potts, Tony Stark’s personal assistant turned love interest to Head of Stark Industries, she dealt with a lot of Tony’s chaotic lifestyle and turned him into an almost functioning human being. Often taking care of his one-night stands and his schedule, Pepper has always remained professional at her job, even helped Tony defeat Obadiah. Only stopping and near hesitation when Tony put his life on the line. Even in the face of danger against Ivan Vanko, she does whatever she can to help Tony, showing the attitude of her disdain for his behavior, she isn’t shy about telling her opinion.
And when Tony hands the company over to Pepper, she takes up the mantle and runs it pretty well. At one moment her life was in jeopardy, Tony saves her, but then returns the favor by saving him in one of the Iron Man suits, thus paving the way for the live-action debut of the Rescue Armor we see in Avengers: Endgame. Going through hell and back in her relationship with Tony, she loved him because of what he stood for and knew she could never stop him from putting down the need to save the world.
And in the Endgame battle, seeing her in action was extremely satisfying to watch. Even when he sacrificed his life for all of existence, she knew she couldn’t do anything to change his mind or actions. Like the old saying goes: behind every strong man, is a stronger woman.
These are but a few of the hundreds of badass women in the MCU, and with the Black Widow movie coming out soon, we are all waiting with anticipation to see how badass they are and how they develop in the future.
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