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. We’re highlighting the very best from a slate of fantastic heroines, with characteristics to learn from and root for. Determined, decisive, loyal, brave, smart, fierce, strong, 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. Over the years we have expanded the list to include any tough, savvy, gritty character played by a woman, so villains are welcome here, too. (Want to see previous years’ kickass genre heroines to see how 2021 compares? Here are 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, and 2015). Some may be frazzled, put-upon, war-weary, or human, but all have fought, some against difficult circumstances, others against personal demons (literally, figuratively, or both), and some against gun and laser fire. And they all showed what a tough, kick-ass, and often badass, character is about.
This year we add three superheroines, an amnesiac bounty hunter, four police detectives, a thief, a grifter, a hacker, 13 martial arts experts, three soldiers, a god, a duchess, two college students, three Russian assassins, a spy, an actress, a cyborg, a bartender, a forensics expert, a hitman, and a helicopter pilot, with eight characters we’ve seen in past years and 13 all-new characters we’ve never seen in any medium before–all in a roster split between 21 television and 13 movie characters. Credit goes to both the writers, costumers, and other creators of the characters and the actors and performers that brought them all to life.
These are the Best Kick-Ass Genre Heroines of 2021:
Antonia Dreykov aka Taskmaster(Black Widow). Was there a more intriguing, surprising, gut-wrenching character this year than Olga Kurylenko’s super-powered cyborg? She was one of the best costumed villains this year and certainly the most sympathetic, leaving the question: Where does she go from here? (Disney)
Faye Valentine(Cowboy Bebop). Daniella Pineda’s spin on this classic sci-fi character couldn’t have been better. Always eager, always excitable, always refreshing, as she pursued the dramatic journey to discover who she really is. (Netflix)
The modern G.I. Joes you know well meet a member of the classic G.I. Joe Adventure Team and the original Joe–General Joe Colton–in IDW Publishing’s G.I. Joe–Snakes Eyes: Deadgame, first previewed here at borg last year in single issue form, and it’s now coming your way in a collected trade edition Tuesday. And although it has all the story elements Snake Eyes fans will be familiar with, this story is all about Rob Liefeld’s penciled artwork and a string of artistic talent that stepped in to ink Liefeld’s action-filled pages, including the likes of Neal Adams, Philip Tan, Kevin Eastman, Ed Piskor, Jerry Ordway, and Dan Panosian. You can look behind the scenes at the process for this pencil-ink partnership in a 48-page tie-in book, Snake Eyes: Deadgames Declassified, also available at comic shops and online here at Amazon. Diehard comic art fans will have fun identifying the inkers, although Eastman’s inked pages are particularly hard to miss.
Both The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and The Mummy were good reboots of franchises, one of a 1960s television series, the other intended to bring forward the Universal Studios Monsters for another generation, but the lack of attention by audiences brought the franchises to a standstill. Snake Eyes–G.I. Joe Origins, which premiered in theaters in July after a 16 month pandemic delay, is another good re-start of a franchise, and hopefully nothing stands in the way of Hasbro moving ahead with the planned G.I. Joe–Ever Vigilant, originally slated for a 2020 release.
Especially if you’re a fan of the comics and animated series versions of G.I. Joe, you won’t want to miss the home release of Snake Eyes–G.I. Joe Origins. It’s a solid film, faithfully explaining–as the titles states–the origin of G.I. Joe ace operative Snake Eyes. If you know the helmeted, silent ninja from the comics or animated show, you also know he is inextricably linked to that COBRA ninja in white garb, Storm Shadow; audiences will get the story of why each of these sworn brothers finds his way to opposing sides in the ongoing battle of good guys vs. bad guys. You won’t see any “kung fu grip,” although the Japanese martial arts choreographed fight scenes are well done, if toned down from more serious martial arts films. You also won’t yet learn why Snake Eyes goes silent–much is left for one or more sequels. But everyone does have “life-like hair.” And it may just leave you shouting, “Yo, Joe!” (That’s a good thing). Continue reading →
Normally this would be the kind of news you’d find at San Diego Comic-Con, which was canceled this year again because of the pandemic. Hasbro is farming out to action figure and pop culture collectible company Super7 to deliver two new action figure lines, rebooting the classic small-scale action figures based on the 1980s G.I. Joe animated series. One line will he a step down from the original articulated figures from the 1980s, and the other will be a step up. The step up is the Ultimates line, articulated 7-inch scale figures with extra arms, heads, and a variety of other accessories. The step down is the Kenner-style 3.75-inch ReAction line, with less articulation than the original line, but with more series-accurate designs and still more variety–including new figures–to come.
See detailed views of each figure below. You can order the Ultimates line now and pre-order all the ReAction figures from the first wave via the above links.
With a release date only a month away, Snake Eyes–G.I. Joe Origins offers up two new trailers this week, a U.S preview focusing on Storm Shadow and a more action-packed look at the plot in an international trailer.Snake Eyes–G.I. Joe: Origins stars Henry Golding (The Gentlemen) as Snake Eyes, Andrew Koji (Fast & Furious 6) as Storm Shadow, Samara Weaving (Ready Or Not) as Scarlett, Úrsula Corberó (The Broken Crown) as Baroness, and Iko Uwais (Wu Assassins) as Hard Master. Paramount released the official movie poster plus first looks at Snake Eyes, Baroness, Scarlett, and more just last month (check that out here). Now you can take a look at all the key characters in action, and behind the scenes look with original comic book writer of G.I. Joe, Larry Hama:
With a release date a little more than 2 months away, Snake Eyes–G.I. Joe Origins is the next reboot of the Hasbro G.I. Joe movie series (after 2009’s G.I. Joe: The Rise of COBRA and 2013’s G.I. Joe: Retaliation), intended to be part of a shared universe of features based on Hasbro properties including a host of familiar characters and toys, all coming to the big screen: G.I. Joe: Ever Vigilant, Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light, M.A.S.K.: Mobile Armored Strike Kommand, ROM: Spaceknight, and Micronauts. Snake Eyes–G.I. Joe: Origins will star Henry Golding (The Gentlemen) as Snake Eyes, Andrew Koji (Fast & Furious 6) as Storm Shadow, Samara Weaving (Ready Or Not) as Scarlett, Úrsula Corberó (The Broken Crown) as Baroness, and Iko Uwais (Wu Assassins) as Hard Master. Paramount released the official movie poster plus first looks at Snake Eyes, Baroness, Scarlett, and more. Check out images from the movie below.
With a tentative release date in October 2021, Snake Eyes–G.I. Joe Origins is a reboot of the Hasbro G.I. Joe movie series (including 2009’s G.I. Joe: The Rise of COBRA and 2013’s G.I. Joe: Retaliation), intended to be part of a shared universe of features based on Hasbro properties including a host of familiar characters and toys, all coming to the big screen: G.I. Joe: Ever Vigilant, Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light, M.A.S.K.: Mobile Armored Strike Kommand, ROM: Spaceknight, and Micronauts. Snake Eyes–G.I. Joe: Origins will star Henry Golding (The Gentlemen) as Snake Eyes, Andrew Koji (Fast & Furious 6) as Storm Shadow, Samara Weaving (Ready Or Not) as Scarlett, Úrsula Corberó (The Broken Crown) as Baroness, and Iko Uwais (Wu Assassins) as Hard Master. While we’re waiting for the next movie, a new one-shot story from IDW Publishing called G.I. Joe: Castle Fall continues with characters drawn to conjure the casting of G.I. Joe: Retaliation.
Snake Eyes–G.I. Joe Origins is a reboot of the Hasbro G.I. Joe movie series (2009’s G.I. Joe: The Rise of COBRA and 2013’s G.I. Joe: Retaliation), intended to be part of a shared universe of features based on Hasbro properties including a host of familiar characters and toys, all coming to the big screen: G.I. Joe: Ever Vigilant, Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light, M.A.S.K.: Mobile Armored Strike Kommand, ROM: Spaceknight, and Micronauts. Snake Eyes–G.I. Joe: Origins will star Henry Golding (The Gentlemen) as Snake Eyes, Andrew Koji (Fast & Furious 6) as Storm Shadow, Samara Weaving (Ready Or Not) as Scarlett, Úrsula Corberó (The Broken Crown) as Baroness, Iko Uwais (Wu Assassins) as Hard Master, and Peter Mensah (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) as Blind Master. Unfortunately most of these films are still in pre-production, but Snake Eyes–G.I. Joe Origins currently has a tentative release date of October 22, 2021.
But while you’re waiting for your Snake Eyes fix, check out this preview for G.I. Joe–Snake Eyes: Deadgame, a new IDW series by Rob Liefeld.
