Heroine spotlight: Princess Leia from Star Wars (1977-1983)

If we are talking about breakthrough female characters in mainstream American media then Princess Leia can't be ignored. People might forget nowadays, but Leia's feisty and somewhat aggressive personality was sort of a subversion of the typical damsel in distress trope. 

Leia Organa was aptly played by Carrie Fisher, she was the princess of Alderaan and helped the Rebel Alliance fight against the evil Empire. Her father was Darth Vader and her mother, Padme Amidala, died at childbirth. Her two children, Luke and Leia, were then taken to different planets and the identities of their real parents were hidden. In the first movie her role is mostly that of a captured princess waiting to be rescued, but her actions and attitude are everything but submissive.

Even before she is freed, Leia isn't afraid to talk back at Darth Vader and in her first appearance we see her defending herself from the stormtroopers before she gets captured. She often has quips and a few snarky comments for her companions and enemies alike. She also isn't afraid of grabbing a blaster and shooting her way out of situations. In older reviews for Star Wars some reviewers called her tomboyish, something that today seems weird but at the time, this type of spunky personality in a female character from a fantasy film was unheard of.

All of this helps to instill more of a personality to her, and is very much in line with the type of woman Leia is supposed to represent: a post-women's liberation girl who wants to see herself in the movies as the old models were expiring. Although Leia has to fulfill her role as a princess to be rescued because Star Wars follows into a specific tradition in story tropes (being a princess rescued by a knight) and to be faithful to Flash Gordon (Leia playing basically the same role as Dale Arden did in the comics and serials), Lucas still had to adapt her character to more modern sensibilities, ones that would have been more fitting to it's time.

However, Leia's duties are not related to combat but to leadership, that's what she truly is at the end of the day, a woman who can help the rebels win the fight. In Empire we see a far more personal and intimate side of the princess as we see her juggling her affection between Luke and Han. Eventually, she confesses her love to Han and escapes the claws of Vader at Bespin along with her friends and Lando.

In Return of the Jedi, however, she becomes more active, dropping into the battlefield and fighting alongside her troops in Endor. Not to mention, dressing up as a bounty hunter, infiltrating Jabba's palace and killing him. Some people have complained about the metal bikini, which is fair, as it's not really necessary, but it's also somewhat faithful to the pulpy fantasy roots of the franchise. Also, the imagery of a warrior woman rejecting the sexualization of a hideous and chauvinistic creature that chained her and strangling him with her chains is quite interesting. 

In this movie we get to see both her personal relationships (her love for Han and her sisterly affection for Luke) and her loyalty to the rebellion. All perfectly balanced and conveyed with small moments within the film's rather busy but well told storyline.

Leia was a very tridimensional female character with agency and more dimensions than usual, her role wasn't just to scream and faint anymore, serving as another fighter and as a more developed human than her trope would suggest. Her importance to Star Wars was fundamental but it was only a first step. Since she comes from an era when feminism was barely gaining importance in media, her role isn't as active as it could have been and her representation still fell under the restrictive femininity of Hollywood, there was a lot of ground left to cover (and there still is) but we can all agree that she was a great first step for American big budget cinema, one that would define franchises of it's genre forever.

A point of interest was that originally Leia was supposed to be the protagonist of some sort. It's no secret that Star Wars was originally going to have a female protagonist who saves her brother, but after some rewrites and after developing the idea further, Lucas decided to change the sexes, add another storyline about brothers and turn one of them into a girl, leaving us with the films we know today. I can't help but to wonder how this early draft of the story would have played out. Perhaps we would be flooded with female protagonists after its success? Who knows.

Leia became one of the most revered women in sci-fi and a feminist icon in cinema. Being able to stand up to the men that surrounded her in the story. Funny how nowadays her attitude would be considered too angry and too aggressively feminist for people to handle, but this was more than necessary and fitting for the character's situation.

Fisher hanging out with stuntwoman Tracey Eddon

Her role in the sequel trilogy was diminished, not because the writers and filmmakers had a gripe against her but Carrie Fisher's age was a determining factor in making Leia be more in the background but still provide some emotional and moral support for the main characters in the narrative. Something appreciated but that we will touch upon when we take a look at each entry in the sequel trilogy.

A legacy that can't be denied. Princess Leia is an immortal character that is now one with the force forever.

Nimona (2023) Delightful punk romp of a movie

At this point, Nimona's messy production is the stuff of legends. Pushed back, canceled, caught in the middle of a studio sale and closure, only to be brought back once more. Finally we got to see it this year and... IT'S GREAT!

In a world that's a mix between medieval fantasy and modern day technology, Nimona's plot deals with a newly appointed knight, named Ballister, who is framed and accused of a crime he did not commit. He is persecuted but manages to find an unexpected and unwanted sidekick, the energetic and chaotic Nimona, who looks like a teen girl and has the power to transform into all kinds of living beings, from animals to other humans. The two will fight to make things right and save the kingdom from an unseen menace.

Nimona's first transformation scene.

Perhaps some people might think it's a rather typical rehash of fairy tale comedy but it doesn't really come across that way, in fact, this odd little movie is everything but what I expected it to be. For starters, the first trailer seemed to focus more on Nimona, introducing us to her powers and personality. I expected her to be the main protagonist of the film dealing with her issues of trying to fit in or causing a mess around town. Instead, the movie is primarily about Ballister trying to regain his honor and the trust of the Elite Knights and his superiors. Not a bad plot but kind of takes away the spotlight from Nimona.

Nimona in the first trailer.

They have good interactions.

The crazy Riot grrrl is everything but neglected here though, she is a focal point of the movie and in some ways she´s the central element of everything surrounding their world. She also has a lot of chemistry with Ballister, she cracks jokes frequently, is always ready for action and has zero tact when dealing with others, something that creates a lot of potential for comedy as well. 

She might seem sinister but shes also cute and charming.

Kind of feels like a story that could have benefited from being a TV show, the first few episodes would have served as a way to introduce Nimona and strengthen the relationship between her and Ballister, the mid point would have served as a good few episodes dealing with them finding out who framed the main knight and the final few episodes would have been perfect for the last few downer chapters followed by the tear jerking resolution. Without filler, they could have done a great miniseries as the movie feels like it goes a little too fast at times. 

Having said that, the pace is nothing to worry about, it's entertaining and fun from start to finish. The characters are all likable, there's very good representation and the subtext regarding Nimona is very significant. 

This is a pretty iconic image now.

The film doesn't hold back in any way, not only with its LGBT themes but also with its comedy, as it features some overtly adult jokes and even slightly more violence and blood than the usual cartoon for kids and teens.

"Cold in here?"

Have you not seen it? Go ahead! It's a great time! We need more transgressive female characters in media like the one we see here. A lovely film with a punk rock and anarchist energy.

Jentorra from Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2022)

New modern female warrior for the MCU?

While the MCU doesn't have the best reputation with female characters, they have gotten better over the years but they still don't include that many interesting action women. However, the recent Ant-Man movie features a very cool strong lady named Jentorra.

She was originally a character from the series Realm of Kings: Son of Hulk released in 2010. I might look into that one some other time but for now let's stick to the movie version of the character, a character so different from the comic counterpart it might as well be brand new. 

Katy O'Brian.

Martial artist and former police officer Katy M. O'Brian plays this original rendition of Jentorra, who goes from being a sorceress in the comics to the leader of The Freedom Fighters who oppose the tyrannical Kang in this movie. 

Jentorra is shown to be a strict and tough boss, whose astounding physical abilities and fighting strategies prove to be useful. Her determination and frustration with the state of her world fuel her constant battle against the forces of the already mentioned bad guy, who ends up being defeated by the end, but mostly by work done by Ant-Man and his companions. 

Jentorra behind the scenes.

Very rarely does Hollywood employ women with less normative body types, as they are often neglected or type casted as the butt of a joke regarding their "femininity" (I am looking at you, Grown Ups 2) but thankfully, this movie treats Jentorra with the utmost respect and manages to give us a rather compelling supporting character. 

She delivers some exposition as she kind of introduces the main protagonist and his daughter to the world they now find themselves in. 

The tough warrior has some issues with Ant-Man and especially his daughter, Cassie. However, while she holds a grudge against Cassie for the first half of the movie (because the girl and her father got her men jailed), the two begin some sort of friendship after Cassie rescues Jentorra and her people.

Jentorra meditating in her cell.

Cassie saves Jentorra.

Jentorra is also seen often during the battle sequences at the last act and manages to come out alive of the huge battle that takes place at the climax. Her world is free from Kang and they celebrate.

The mighty warrior leads her people.

This leads me to wonder if perhaps Jentorra could become a recurring character in future MCU projects or if perhaps we will see more of her story in the form of comics or in a TV series. After all, the actress said that a lot of the characters' motivations and backstory wasn't seen or discussed in the picture. You can tell because Jentorra only has about five minutes of screentime and is merely a secondary character.  

Let's hope we can see more of this great new woman warrior!

Jentorra's fight scenes in the movie: 

You can see all of her scenes HERE!

Marian Delario from Double Dragon (1994)

Marian Delario, an original character created for the film.

The Double Dragon movie adaptation from 1994 wasn't very well liked but it's entertaining in a Power Rangers style of cheesy fun that could have only been done in the nineties. One of the few stand out characters was Marian Delario, the action chick of the movie, played by the talented Alyssa Milano.

Publicity photo of Alyssa Milano.

The movie is set in a dystopian part of California named New Angeles, after an earthquake destroys part of the state it becomes inhabited mostly by gangs and criminals who take advantage of the mess the natural disaster created. We follow two teen brothers that battle a megalomaniac millionaire who is after the titular double dragon medallion in order to gain power.

Two guys and a girl. A common trope in media from the nineties.

Marian is a supporting character, while she is the daughter of a police officer, she also sneaks up at night in order to lead the Power Corps, a sort of resistance group that fights against the thugs and thieves that rule the streets. She's very skilled as a martial artist and dresses in a very tomboyish and punk-like outfit. 

Marian torturing Abobo.

She has a good introduction, the main trio of characters are cornered by Abobo and his lackeys but Marian comes out with her people and outnumbers them, giving us the information that we need to understand her status of leader and how much manpower she managed to recruit over the typical gang.

We also see her struggles at home as she worries about the crime rate being so rampant and the ineffectiveness of the police, praising the rebel groups, her father disapproves of the Power Corps, unaware that his daughter is leading them. 

She keeps a lot of secrets from her father.

As a typical female secondary character from the time, she has a few sexualized moments, sure, they are mostly played for laughs but it is still very juvenile and rather uncomfortable because it comes out of nowhere and the payoff isn't very funny. Not to mention, it makes the male leads seem like perverts. They try pairing her with the blue brother, but they have no chemistry and it doesn't matter much to the film.  

Really?

Other than that, she is featured in some fight scenes all throughout the movie, she even manages to defeat Linda Lash, the villain´s main henchwoman, in an awkwardly choreographed battle but still entertaining. Marian defeats Linda with the help of Billy and she ties her up with her own lash. 

Marian tying Lash with her... lash.

The rebel girl also helps the boys in the final battle and goes along with them for the rest of the movie, maybe they were hoping for a sequel with the three of them but that never happened.

Overall, she's a fun character with a lot of potential. Her adventurous personality, the conflict with her dad's beliefs and her willingness to fight against what she considers to be unjust would have made for a great main character instead of the sometimes annoying male duo who lack the dramatic charge and freshness that Marian has, therefore, I think the film suffers in its storytelling for not choosing the main character correctly. 

With this look, I am thinking she could have been a good Tank Girl.

I guess a female lead on a teen boy movie was too much to ask for back then. If you are gonna change that much from Double Dragon, then don't make a Double Dragon movie.

See all of her scenes here: