19 Strong Female Characters From Movies And TV That Aren't Appreciated Enough

From Star Wars Rebels characters to Hermione Granger.

From Olivia Pope to Dana Scully and more, there are so many fierce female leads onscreen and in books.

ABC / Via giphy.com

When Reddit user u/23bscoville asked, "What is a good example of a strong female character?" a lively discussion ensued.

So, without further ado, here are a few of the oft-mentioned strong female characters...

1. Minerva McGonagall from Harry Potter:

Warner Bros / Via giphy.com

"And the actress, Dame Maggie Smith, is really badass too. It takes a lot of strength and courage to continue to film Half-Blood Prince while she had cancer and was receiving treatment."

—u/FinitoHere

2. Buffy Summers from Buffy the Vampire Slayer:

The WB / Via giphy.com

"Here's what I love about Buffy: She's an imperfect character. She may be the slayer, but she's human in that she makes mistakes. She's awkward at times, she sticks her foot in her mouth, she makes bad decisions, she's not always the best daughter or best friend. But in the end, she saved the world. A lot."

—u/DruSparro

3. Moana from Moana:

Disney / Via giphy.com

"Brave kid on a mission who stands up to anyone in her way. And she has a goofy chicken that she cares for wholeheartedly. Strength and compassion."

—u/Grand_Arugula

4. Morticia A. Addams from The Addams Family:

Orion Pictures / Via giphy.com

"Long and loving marriage, loves her kids but lets them grow and pursue their own interests, protective of the people she loves, AND has an awesome house. What's not to love?"

—u/wheezy_runner

5. Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada:

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment / Via giphy.com

"She never raised her voice and was able to command a room effortlessly."

—u/Ice_Business

6. Azula from Avatar: The Last Airbender:

Nickelodeon / Via giphy.com

"Azula has to be one of the best villains in TV history."

—u/Aloeplant9

"Most of the female leads in Avatar: The Last Airbender, including Azula, even though she was the villain."

—u/Appledarling

"Pretty much every main female character in Avatar: The Last Airbender."

—u/jakesaysknee

"Definition of strong female characters without forcing it."

—u/jonsnowKITN

7. Ripley from Aliens:

Twentieth Century Fox / Via giphy.com

"She's the perfect role model because ANYONE can look up to her. Her strength comes from keeping cool and making smart decisions. Something that any person can internalize and try to emulate."

—u/LoneMantiss

8. Kimiko from The Boys:

Amazon Studios / Via moviesandchill.com

"I love the 'Eat my shit, Nazi bitch' scene because it shows how you can have strong female characters kicking ass without force-feeding us."

—u/zedress

9. Hermione Granger from Harry Potter:

Warner Bros. Pictures / Harry Potter / Via giphy.com

"Hermione, especially in the books. She blackmails Rita Skeeter, punches Malfoy for being a dick, solves every problem that comes her way no matter how long it might take. She creates S.P.E.W. to stop house-elf slavery despite people ridiculing her for it, and much more."

—u/Agrochain920

10. Mulan from Mulan:

Disney

"Mulan (from the original Disney movie). She sucked but trained hard to be a better soldier, all while doing so to protect her father."

—u/Appledarling

11. Octavia from The 100:

The CW / Via giphy.com

"She starts out as someone who was sheltered their whole life, ends up becoming the most feared ruthless ruler ever, and eventually grows into a morally respectful person."

—u/anamewithnonumbers

12. Kim Wexler from Better Call Saul:

Netflix / AMC / Via giphy.com

"She’s a queen."

—u/tangerine-ice

13. Chrisjen Avasarala and Naomi Nagata from The Expanse:

Syfy / Via giphy.com

"They’re some of the best-written female characters in the entire genre of science fiction."

—u/livongwaters

14. Demona from Gargoyles:

Disney / Via tenor.com

"Demona from Gargoyles. Actually, Greg Weisman does a pretty good job writing strong female characters in general."

—u/hatsnatcher23

15. Cersei Lannister, Lady Olenna and Margaery Tyrell, and Arya and Sansa Stark from Game of Thrones:

HBO / Game of Thrones / Via giphy.com

"Cersei, Lady Olenna and her granddaughter, and Arya and Sansa Stark. You don't have to punch things to be a strong character."

—u/Foxsay

16. Ahsoka Tano from Star Wars:

CGCG / Via giphy.com

"Survived a mass genocide of her religion and played a significant role in collapsing a fascist, oppressive regime. Pretty badass, if you ask me."

—u/SlyCoopersButt

17. Hera and Sabine from Star Wars Rebels:

CGCG / Via giphy.com

"I just started watching Rebels and want to add Hera and Sabine to the list."

—u/bluecatcollege

18. Molly Weasley from Harry Potter:

Warner Bros. / Via giphy.com

"Molly Weasley because she’s a housewife and mom of a whole buncha kids, but she’s also brave and powerful and righteous and firm in her morals."

—Damn_Dog_Inappropes

19. Gwen from Ben 10:

Cartoon Network EMEA / Via giphy.com

"Since nobody said her, I'll say Gwen from the original Ben 10 franchise. She gets overlooked and is underrated by too many people. She's this girl who always stands by her cousin Ben and is willing to help him no matter the consequences, and before anyone says that she isn't badass at all, I'd recommend watching this."

—u/Snoo79382

"I love how, in the original Ben 10, she was a kid who just picked a spell book one day, but by the time they get to their teenage years, she’s probably just as powerful as Ben."

—Brave2512

Note: Some responses have been lightly edited for length and/or clarity.