Bam! Wack! Pow! These DC Female Characters Are Totally Tough (And Cool)

While everyone is incredibly familiar with Marvel’s female characters, it might be a little harder for some of us to name DC female characters. Real talk: It’s probably because DC hasn’t created quite as many wildly fun and universally popular movie franchises as we’ve witnessed from the MCU. That doesn’t mean they haven’t had a few megahits, though. From Wonder Woman to Aquaman (the husband of Mera, who isn’t nearly as popular as she should be), DC’s beginning to come up the ladder in popularity.

Of course, one easy way to come up with female DC characters is to simply think about the Batman universe. Thanks to Bruce Wayne, we’ve been gifted with a whole slew of female superheroes and villains. Just consider the gals in Suicide Squad, for instance. Below, you’ll find a look at our favorite of DC’s female characters, as well as a fairly complete list of all of them.

Popular DC Female Characters

1. Wonder Woman

We obviously have to include Wonder Woman — the lasso-wielding superheroine has long been a favorite of comic readers. Who doesn’t want bullet-deflecting bracelets? For a better look at Diana Prince and her Wonder Woman alter-ego, check out the new Wonder Woman 1984 movie and/or the nostalgic circa ’70s Wonder Woman show.

2. Super Girl (and Power Girl)

There’s basically a ton of different versions of Super Girl. In this instance, Super Girl and Power Girl are from different storylines and have the same alter-ego, Kara Zor-El. Power Girl is from Earth 2, however, alongside Huntress. (We’ll get to her later.) Interestingly enough, when Power Girl eventually finds herself back on OG Earth, she’s older than Super Girl. And while she’s often specialized in art, she still finds a way to be one of DC’s more feminist characters.

3. Hawkgirl

Hawkgirl has a pretty cool backstory. She’s a reincarnated Ancient Egyptian princess who pops in and out of various time periods in various places, seemingly chasing her lover and male counterpart, Hawkman. Unlike many superheroes, she has healing capabilities, which we think is pretty baller.

4. Catwoman

Thanks to the Batman movies from the ’90s, there’s not a guy on the planet who hasn’t had a crush on one of the many versions of Selena Kyle’s Catwoman. While she was originally a supervillain and one of Batman’s enemies, newer versions show Catwoman stuck in a spot where she often does “the wrong thing for the right reasons.”

5. Zatanna

Zatanna is a magician, but there’s no sleight of hand here: She legitimately knows magic. Zatanna was raised by her magician father, so she has a knack for pizazz and showmanship. Our favorite thing about Zatanna? It’s often hard to tell if she’s a “good guy” or a “bad guy,” as she often struggles with abusing her power. We’re not magical, but we can still relate.

6. Harley Quinn

Here’s the scoop with Harley Quinn. While she’s certainly wildly popular, she’s also insanely problematic. Her relationship with The Joker is nothing short of abusive and dysfunctional. But, but… she’s so damn interesting! (Exhibit B: She’s also been known to have a relationship with fellow Gotham City Siren, Poison Ivy.) It’s nearly impossible not to gravitate toward this dynamic character.

7. Batgirl

Why do we love Batgirl? In her newest iteration, she’s young and spunky. Her character is almost always seen with a cellphone, clunky yellow boots, and a much more practical outfit. In another version of Batgirl’s story from The Killing Joke, she’s wounded and left wheelchair-bound. From there, she becomes Oracle. And, you guys, representation matters. Having a superhero in a wheelchair is one of the coolest things DC has done if you ask us.

8. Isis

Isis is part superhero and part Egyptian goddess. She often pops up in the Wonder Woman stories but is a character in her own series of comics, too. She even once had her own show and has appeared on the live-action series Smallville and Legends of Tomorrow. She has literally every imaginable superpower you could think of — as if writers simply gave her whatever she needed to save the day each time it was necessary.

9. Raven

While Raven has appeared in comics for quite some time, it’s the Teen Titans Go! version on the superhero that most comic fans know and like best. Raven is the daughter of a demon and, when she lets her powers get out of control, she often turns into a demon, too. One of her greatest powers, though? Being able to sense and possibly manipulate other people’s emotions.

10. Huntress

In case it’s not obvious yet, the world of Batman and Gotham City are DC’s true money makers. Enter Huntress. She’s a superhero on Earth II, an alternate universe for Earth, and (perhaps more importantly) the daughter of Batman and Catwoman. At least in one version. There’s another version of Huntress that DC brought back after killing the original. She lacks the famous parents but makes up for it character-development-wise with a truly tragic backstory.

Other DC Female Characters

Curious what other badass ladies live in the DC universe? Peruse the following comprehensive list (sorted alphabetically) at your leisure.

1. Acrata (Andrea Rojas)
2. Amethyst (Princess of Gemworld)
3. Antiope
4. Aquagirl
5. Argent
6. Arisia Rrab
7. Arrowette
8. Artemis Crock
9. Artemis of Bana-Mighdall
10. Ayla Ranzz
11. Barbara Gordon
12. Batgirl
13. Batwoman
14. Bekka
15. Beth Chapel
16. Bette Kane
17. Betty Clawman
18. Big Barda
19. Black Alice
20. Black Canary (Dinah Drake)
21. Black Orchid
22. Black Thorn
23. Bleez
24. Bombshell
25. Boodikka
26. Bulleteer
27. Bulletgirl
28. Bumblebee
29. Carol Ferris
30. Carrie Kelley
31. Cassandra Cain
32. Catwoman
33. Celsius
34. Comet Queen
35. Courtney Whitmore
36. Crazy Jane
37. Crimson Fox
38. Cyclone
39. Dawnstar
40. Doctor Fate
41. Doctor Light (Kimiyo Hoshi)
42. Doctor Mid-Nite
43. Doll Girl
44. Dolphin
45. Donna Troy
46. Dorothy Spinner
47. Drusilla
48. Duela Dent
49. Elasti-Girl
50. Element Girl
51. Emiko Queen
52. Empress
53. Enchantress
54. Fire
55. Firebrand
56. Francine Langstrom
57. Fury
58. Gloss
59. Godiva
60. Grace Choi
61. Gypsy
62. Halo
63. Harbinger
64. Harlequin
65. Hawk and Dove
66. Hawkwoman
67. Hippolyta
68. Holly Robinson
69. Ice
70. Icemaiden
71. Inferno
72. Insect Queen
73. Jade
74. Jenny Sparks
75. Jesse Chambers
76. Jessica Cruz
77. Jet
78. Jezebelle
79. Judomaster
80. Katana
81. Katma Tui
82. Kid Flash (Iris West)
83. Kid Quantum
84. Killer Frost
85. Kinetix
86. Knight
87. Kole
88. Kono
89. Lady Blackhawk
90. Lady Luck (comics)
91. Lady Quark
92. Lady Shiva
93. Lana Lang
94. Lara
95. Laurel Gand
96. Laurel Kent
97. Laurel Lance
98. Liberty Belle
99. Lightning
100. Lilith Clay
101. Looker
102. Lori Morning
103. Luornu Durgo
104. Madame Xanadu
105. Madame Zodiac
106. Mala
107. Manhunter (Kate Spencer)
108. Manitou Dawn
109. Mary Marvel
110. Maxima
111. Maya
112. Mera
113. Merry Pemberton
114. Mirage
115. Misfit
116. Miss America
117. Miss Fear
118. Miss Martian
119. Miss X
120. Mother Panic
121. Natasha Irons
122. Night Girl
123. Nightshade
124. Nightstar
125. Nubia
126. Nura Nal
127. Nyssa Raatko
128. Orana
129. Pandora
130. Pantha
131. Paula Brooks
132. Phantom Girl
133. Phantom Lady
134. Philippus
135. Plastique
136. Poison Ivy
137. Princess Projectra
138. Rampage
139. Red Bee
140. Red Tornado (Ma Hunkel)
141. Renee Montoya
142. Rima
143. Rocket
144. Rose and Thorn
145. Rose Wilson
146. Salu Digby
147. Sapphire
148. Sasha Bordeaux
149. Saturn Girl
150. Sayd
151. Scandal Savage
152. Secret (Greta Hayes)
153. Sensor
154. Shadow Lass
155. Shayera Hol
156. Shiera Sanders Hall
157. Silk Spectre
158. Silver Banshee
159. Silver Sorceress
160. Skyrocket
161. Solstice
162. Soranik Natu
163. Sparx
164. Speedy (Mia Dearden)
165. Spider Girl
166. Squire
167. Starfire
168. Star Sapphire
169. Stephanie Brown
170. Superwoman
171. Swift
172. Terra
173. Thara Ak-Var
174. Thunder
175. Tigress
176. Tomorrow Woman
177. Traci Thirteen
178. Valentina Vostok
179. Vigilante
180. Vixen
181. Voodoo (Wildstorm)
182. Warlock’s Daughter
183. White Witch
184. Wildcat (Yolanda Montez)
185. Wildfire (Carol Vance Martin)
186. Wildstar
187. Wonder Girl (Cassie Sandsmark)
188. Wonder Twins
189. XS
190. Yellow Peri
191. Yera Allon
192. Zari Tomaz

Fun Facts About DC Female Characters

• Would Wonder Woman by any other name be the same? Well, fans almost found out. In a first draft about the character, she was called “Suprema.”
• These days, Harley Quinn is one of the most popular DC characters. But she was actually created as a throwaway character for an episode in Batman: The Animated Series.
• Lois Lane was the first character to be given the L.L. initials — kicking off what has become a running joke in the DC universe. Many others have since gone on to share the alliterated letters: Lex Luthor, Lucy Lane, Linda Lee, Lionel and Lena Luthor, Lewis Lang, etc.
• At one point, DC Comics planned to make Wonder Woman and The Green Lantern a romantic item. You might say the plan had gotten the, ahem, green light. However, a fan wrote a letter suggesting the same pairing and, due to legal reasons, this prohibiting DC from creating the couple.
• Director Ava DuVernay says Big Barda, a character created in 1971, is her favorite superhero.