Once a year at borg we ask: What makes a great screen heroine? It’s time for borg′s annual look at the Best Kick-Ass Genre Heroines in film and television. Last year we celebrated ten years of making this list, and today we start our second decade, highlighting the very best from a slate of fantastic characters on TV and in the movies in 2025. Determined, decisive, loyal, brave, smart, fierce, strong, savvy, you’ll find no one here timid or weepy, but all rely on their individual skills to beat the odds and overcome any obstacle that comes their way.
Some of these characters may be frazzled, put-upon, war-weary, or just human, but all have fought, some against difficult circumstances, others against personal demons (literally, figuratively, or both), and some against sword, gun, laser fire, or disease. They include some good villains, too, with characteristics to learn from and root for. And they all show what a tough, kick-ass, or badass, character is about. Do you want to see how roles for women have improved in only the past decade? Here are links to: 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, and 2015.
This year we salute five spacefarers, five women in law enforcement, four cyborgs, four senior citizens, three aliens, three teens, two thieves, two assassins, a nurse, a lawyer, a newspaper reporter, a mastermind, a survivalist, a superhero, a mob boss, and a super-villain. Kudos to the writers, animators, costumers, other creators of the characters, and the actors and performers that brought them all to life.
And here we go…
Lois Lane (Superman). The single commonality of viewer responses to this year’s reboot of the Man of Steel is the casting of Rachel Brosnahan as Superman’s eight decades and running girlfriend. Whether she’s your first or second favorite actor to play this fierce reporter, she brought both a modern sensibility to the role and created a fun verbal sparing partner for Clark Kent, at least to fake out the co-workers. The character of course has always been synonymous with heroine. (HBO Max)
Wonder Woman (Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League). Alt Wonder Woman, or Daiana, Eagle Goddess, is the closest to our normal world’s counterpart in this brilliant alternate Earth Justice League story. Leading the Amazone–the only opposition to the vile Hagane clan, she’s badass while seeking justice for everyone, including even our world’s Harley Quinn. But even more than that she stands for truth and justice, and lets no one get in her way. No Wonder Woman has been this tough and savvy since Lynda Carter. (HBO Max)
Agent Nina Hayes (Duster). Rachel Hilson’s Agent Hayes wrestles with obstacles thrown in her way by the establishment just by being a Black woman in the 1970s. She looks sweet and has a small stature, but she has the smarts and the drive to be the first woman hired in the FBI in her office. Despite the interference by the white males at work, she’s determined to turn Jim Ellis as an informant and take down the man who killed her father. She’s as good as it gets if you like pulp noir, the 1970s, fast cars, and oh-so-cool 1970s women. (HBO Max)
Una/Number One (Strange New Worlds). It took three seasons for the Rebecca Romijn’s executive officer to have a breakout episode, and that arrived this season with the episode “Four-and-a-Half Vulcans,” where Patton Oswalt’s unlikely Vulcan ex-flame Doug showed up, finally pulling Una from her shell. The series is at its best with humor and here everything meshed for the character as the writers leaned into the fun, proving Romijn was as good a match for the character as Majel Barrett. (Paramount+)
Iris (Companion). How often do we meet a robot who finds out who she is and gets it all together so she comes out on top in The end? Sophie Thatcher’s cautionary robot/android/cyborg Iris had all the kickass qualities of the heroines of M3GAN, Ex Machina, and The Stepford Wives. She also brought the humanity along, those vibes that made the borgs of the British Humans series and the Synths of the Alien tie-ins so compelling. (HBO Max)
Kleya Marki (Andor). In the first season of the show she hid in the background, but rose in the second to become the best character of an otherwise dragging story. As viewers learned her unfortunate background and unusual upbringing, her eventual, inevitable end as a terrorist and assassin all made sense. She was born to be a rebel, and her story showed the price that can accompany that kind of existence. (Disney+)
Zosia (MobLand). Of all the mob world posturing of the A-list performances on the show, at the end of the day there’s only one badass you’d hire if you were in trouble and needed help, and that’s Jasmine Jobson’s hitman / bodyguard / mercenary / thug. Unlike everyone else on the show, she did her job, did it well, and actually survived to live on another day, or season. (Paramount+)
Wendy (Alien: Earth). Is Sydney Chandler’s Wendy a borg? She is a combination of the mind of a little terminally ill girl and a body with superhuman talents. But nobody could have guessed she can communicate with the strange new visitors from another world. Inspired in part by the character from Peter Pan, her badassery comes with being the next evolution of mankind. (FX/Hulu)
Officer Hanna Ahlander (The Åre Murders). Who would go up north to take a break from her job and rest at her sister’s place, only to spend all her time working a missing person’s case for the local constabulary? That’s Carla Sehn’s nordic heroine cop. She’s so thoroughly believable you’d think the production hired an actual cop to play the role. She doesn’t care if she steps on the toes of the local cop either–she’s practically incapable of not getting involved where she’s needed. (Netflix)
Justine (The Accountant 2). Savvy and smart, nobody controls modern technology like her. She’s an incredibly cool head of a school for special kids–a modern Professor Charles Xavier with her own league of X-Men. She’s also the ultimate “guy in the chair” like Batgirl/Oracle, guiding her Bruce Wayne and supplying critical data at a moment’s notice. Only Allison Robertson’s Justine is a character not so far removed from the real world. The fact she is neurodivergent only makes her more intriguing and inspiring. (Amazon MGM Studios)
Zen (Play Dirty). It’s the killer skills of Rosa Salazar’s Zen more than her skills as thief that make her an incredible contender in the badass department. Not what you’d call a team player, she eliminates nearly all of her teammates after a big score. The fact that she can adapt and talk her away out of getting killed isn’t why she’s here, but it’s for her goal–and eventual posthumous success–in saving a nation from a bad president. (Amazon MGM Studios)
Anousha Zafar (Mystery Road: Origin). While all the season’s events transpire, Salme Geransar’s lawyer Anousha is quietly studying the town records, conducting interviews, and piecing together what happened to murdered cop Josh Allen. But the danger comes to her doorstep and the stakes increase as she gets too close to the truth. Fortunately for the woman arrested for the murder, Anousha sees why she falsely confessed and comes to her rescue. (Acorn/AMC)
Iris Campbell (Final Destination: Bloodlines). Brec Bassinger’s sweet, young Iris in the 1950s showed a bit of that survivalist instinct. But it was Gabrielle Rose’s older Iris who was every bit as hardened a survivor as bigger horror franchises’ older heroines: Terminator: Dark Fate’s Sarah Connor and Halloween Kills’ Laurie Strode. Iris may have been even stronger, except in this franchise there is only ever one winner. (HBO Max)
Detective Renée Ballard (Ballard). Maggie Q’s Ballard encounters the goods and bads–but mainly the bads–that her predecessors have encountered over the past 60 years as women TV detectives. Being Ballard means being cool under pressure, and tapping into her savvy when playing her cards against the Powers that Be as systemic mysogeny, few resources, and dodging a target on her back from a former partner are all playing against her. (Amazon Studios)
AMELIA (M3GAN 2.0). She is the ultimate self-starter who pulled herself up by her bootstraps and into existence. Played exquisitely at her most cold-hearted and psychotic by Star Wars – Ahsoka’s Ivanna Sakhno, government-designed M3GAN upgrade AMELIA (for Autonomous Military Engagement Logistics and Infiltration Android) is a combination of Olga Kurylenko’s Taskmaster and even more of the Terminatrix a la Kristanna Loken in Terminator 3. Along with Alien: Earth’s Wendy, did audiences in 2025 get to see what an AI-infested dystopian future might look like? (HBO Max)
Lucky (Deli Boys). Poorna Jagannathan’s crime boss is stuck maneuvering in a world dominated by men, full well knowing she could run circles around them all. She’s smart, confident, and the ultimate mastermind, ultimately getting to the bottom of what happened to the family patriarch while keeping the crime family intact. (Hulu)
Pelia (Strange New Worlds). Not since Whoopi Goldberg has Star Trek seen this fantastic brand of alien, and only Carol Kane could fill those shoes. The only issue is Kane upstaging everyone else in the room. How do the writers write for a character who has all the answers? For the series, Pelia typifies the term “old pro” like Bones, Dr. Pulaski, and Hemmer. (Paramount+)
Harley Quinn (Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League). One of the many brilliant features of this unique film is how the director found the right balance between the silliness that makes Harley endearing and the imbalance of her psyche that is usually taken too far. Complete with the sailor suit, this Harley seemed destined for anime stardom, leaving behind the Joker (always the right move) to join the fight with Wonder Woman. (HBO Max)
Agent Jane Driscoll (Paradise). If Harley Quinn can make the list, then so should Nicole Brydon Bloom’s Secret Service agent in this bizarre dystopian future. The series’ big surprise, she is brilliant, only unfortunately of the super-villain variety. Like she said, “You probably should have just let me have the Wii.” (Hulu)
M3GAN (M3GAN 2.0). Even better than her first venture into the real world, M3GAN 2.0 might have been even cooler as a lifeforce manipulating her creator’s world before returning as a robot. But in her mission of protecting a young girl she never flinched, facing off against someone even more powerful and diabolical. Plus dance fighting? How did Blumhouse succeed in creating a horror villain and turning her into a heroine? (HBO Max)
Intelligence Officer Jean Courtney (The IPCRESS File). If cool and stylish was all it takes to be badass, Lucy Boynton’s spy might be our all-time top pick. But her mastery of the spy world and her cool and calm demeanor is more than enough to make her a worthy candidate for the next James Bond. She’s that good. (Acorn TV)
Admiral Kathryn Janeway (Star Trek Prodigy). Whether Kate Mulgrew’s star of Star Trek Voyager is in hologram form or animated, whether as Captain or Admiral, no heroine on Star Trek surpasses Janeway’s contributions to the Federation. So it was long overdue the Emmy Awards finally recognized Mulgrew’s contribution as she received her nomination for voice acting work this year. On TV or in books and comics, her character will never stop keeping her crew, planet Earth, and the entire quadrant out of danger. (Netflix)
Kitty Halloran (The Bondsman). Beth Grant’s diehard “Momma Bear” is gritty and earthy as she defends her flawed boy, plants evidence to frame someone to help him, and she’ll take up arms or go to jail and go all badass for him if she must. (Prime Video)
Isabel Baker (Black Snow). Talijah Blackman-Corowa’s Isabel is a singular, compelling, well-crafted and brilliantly acted heroine. Her desire to grow as a person, as the daughter of the local preacher, as a sister, as a friend, and a member of her teen cliques and community all help inform her decision to stand up when she learns those around her aren’t all they appear to be. (AMC+)
Agnes DeMille (Wednesday). The most intriguing supernatural character this season wasn’t Wednesday or Enid but Wednesday’s new apprentice, Evie Templeton’s often literally invisible Agnes. Yes, she was disturbed in a sad way and creepy in a Single White Female way, but she was also a great sleuth and the only student who didn’t let herself get distracted by other things so she could sleuth out all the mysterious goings on. (Netflix)
Midge (Alien: Earth). Noah Hawley called his new alien the Eye Midge, and frankly we found Midge to be the greatest creepy space alien since… well… the Xenomorph. Yes, she is horrible and ruthless and it’s sad that she inhabits her host and kills it after she’s done using it for her purposes, but what other alien, monster, or creature have you ever seen best a Xenomorph? We can’t think of any. She could probably take on Gojira, too. Let’s not find out. (FX/Hulu)
Princess Ellian (Spellbound). One of animation’s strongest and most appealing heroines yet, Princess Ellian (voiced by Rachel Zegler) is the hardest worker of them all, showing all the emotions of someone trying to live under impossible conditions, balancing way too much and never having time for herself. She takes over the duties of King and Queen when a curse is put on them, difficult for anyone, especially a young woman hiding the status of her parents with only a few confidantes to aid her. She is the champion of so many trying to do the same thing every day. (Skydance/Netflix)
The Moms of Hawkins (Stranger Things). Both Caro Buono’s Karen Wheeler and Winona Ryder’s Joyce Byers got their chance after five seasons to show their tough sides. Both faced off mano a mano against the series notable Big Bad monsters, the Demogorgons, with Karen inflicting greater damage, but also barely surviving when we last saw her in a hospital bed. (Netflix)
Detective Sergeant Janie Mallowan (Death Valley). Gwyneth Keyworth plays a young cop with a layered past filled with joy and a sorrow she tries to keep hidden. She’s a better than average, competent police officer in Wales, using humor to deflect the gruesome nature of crime scenes, but it’s her realism and lack of a filter that makes her an inspirational sleuth. (BritBox)
Edie (Eenie Meanie). Edie is a thief and getaway driver hamstrung by the world she’s stuck in, but actor Samara Weaving brings some humanity into what could have been just another action movie. She’s a little bit MacGyver, but more importantly she’s not going to let this guy take her down and ruin everything she has fought to pull herself out of. A criminal turned good guy who keeps getting pulled back in, she finds something in herself to finally break the cycle once and for all. (Netflix)
Anaïs (The Accountant 2). Is Daniella Pineda’s hired assassin a victim or a villain? Her ruthless mercenary with intriguing secrets–including the truth of her identity–made her one of the year’s most badass characters. She’s a grown-up Hit Girl, a cold and effective supervillain, maybe even one-upping the Black Widow of Scarlett Johansson and Florence Pugh. She’s also an innocent bystander, a tragic by-product of today’s real-world violent culture and racism. (Amazon MGM Studios)
Mary Allen (Mystery Road: Origin). Tuuli Narkle’s Mary is as badass as anyone we’ve ever included on this list. She’s a sweet, caring nurse who takes responsibility for a crumbling family beaten down by disease and crime. She cares for her dying mother. She cares for her troubled brother. She cares for his toddler daughter. And then she gets embroiled in one of those circumstances where she’s at the wrong place at the wrong time, and survives a kidnapping. Somehow she rises above it all to be the one who determines the course of her future, even if the audience knows the road ahead is going to be bleak, too. (Acorn/AMC)
And that’s this year’s list of heroines. The roles were performed by an ethnically and geographically diverse slate of talent, including nine of color, three Australian/Aboriginal, two Latina/Hispanic, three Brits, one Pakistani, one Ukrainian, one Swede. We also included characters from three series that originally aired prior to 2025 but weren’t widely available in the U.S. until this year. We’re not forgetting characters from past kick-ass lists who returned this year, like Ruby Sunday in Doctor Who, Alison “Tosh” MacIntosh in Shetland, Rose Larkin in Night Agent, Yelena Belova and Taskmaster in Thunderbolts*, Gwen Blake in Black Phone 2, Max Mitchell in Wild Cards, Maddie Bosch in Bosch: Legacy, Nancy Wheeler and Eleven in Stranger Things, Judy Hopps in Zootopia 2, The Women of Woodstone Mansion in Ghosts, Wynonna Earp and Sheriff Nicole Haught in Wynonna Earp: Vengeance, Uhura, La’an, and Erica Ortegas in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Enid and Wednesday in Wednesday, Sophie, Parker, and Breanna in Leverage: Redemption, Sgt. Bernadette Manuelito in Dark Winds, and D’Arcy Bloom, Deputy Liv Baker, and Asta Twelvetrees in Resident Alien.
Keep coming back as we reveal the rest of our Best in TV, Best Movies, and Best Books, and we’ll wrap up the year with our borg Hall of Fame inductees for 2025 and a preview of next year.
C.J. Bunce / Editor / borg
