As many superhero movies as there have been, there have only been a shockingly low 11 that have actually had women at the forefront (it would be 12 including Thunderbolts*, but that is more of a multi-gender ensemble piece). It’s been a boy’s club for a long time, even if movies like Batman Returns did succeed in making a female character just as important and compelling as the male characters. Today we’re looking at the nine superhero movies out there where the focus is predominately held on one single female character. So, while Birds of Prey has Harley Quinn as its main character, it didn’t count because we also spend a good chunk of time on Huntress, Cassandra Cain, Black Canary, and Renee Montoya. By the same token, The Marvels was out because it splits its focus amongst three female characters.
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So, of the nine female superhero solo adventures, which one ranks the highest? Which ranks the lowest? Let’s find out.
9) Madame Web
If ever you need to see the textbook example of how to take $100 million dollars and turn that into something doesn’t have a single exciting moment, Madame Web is the choice. Worse yet, it takes a horrendous script and doesn’t even put it to screen well. There are editing and ADR mishaps abound.
This is a disjointed mess with a leading lady who looks like she knows she made a big mistake signing on whenever she has to cough out any of the movie’s ridiculous dialogue. Then there’s Tahar Rahim’s Ezekiel Sims, perhaps the least interesting villain in superhero movie history. One must give Madame Web this: it made Morbius look a little better in comparison. All this really amounts to is an especially dull babysitting movie.
Stream Madame Web on Disney+.
8) Catwoman
Why does Catwoman rank higher than Madame Web? Because at least it’s so bad it’s good.
Though, while Madame Web‘s Ezekiel is an impressively awful and bland villain, Catwoman‘s beauty product pusher Laurel Hedare (Sharon Stone) comes pretty close to matching him. The film is entirely skippable, and it’s odd that a chance to be a feminist movie instead wants to serve as a perpetual display of Halle Berry’s body, but it’s worth a curiosity watch. You can ask yourself why anyone thought it was a good idea to make a Catwoman movie and have her be absolutely nothing like the Catwoman of the source material. You won’t get an answer to that question, but you can ask yourself it.
7) Elektra
Elektra‘s biggest crime is being exceptionally dull. One of the few highlights of Daredevil (2003) was the chemistry between Elektra and the title character. And because we lose Elektra before film’s end, we feel as though we didn’t get to know her enough. But if Elektra serves as a testament to anything, it’s that sometimes what little we do get is enough.
The film is nearly as dull as Madame Web and lacks the ludicrous so bad it’s good charm of Catwoman, but it is still slightly easier to take seriously. It at least feels like those behind it were trying to make a good movie. But, at the end of the day, if you want more of Jennifer Garner’s Elektra, just watch Deadpool & Wolverine.
Stream Elektra on Disney+.
6) Supergirl (1984)
Melodramatic and cheap-looking, Supergirl was a pretty poor attempt at replicating the success of the Christopher Reeve movies. It’s far more Superman IV: The Quest for Peace than Superman or Superman II.
It’s not without its charms, though. Mostly, Helen Slater was a wonderful choice for the title character and Peter O’Toole was the only one who could make his laugh-riot dialogue at least somewhat palatable. Even still, the 2026 DCU movie has only a basement level bar to clear.
Stream Supergirl on HBO Max.
5) Wonder Woman 1984
Oh, how the mighty fell with Wonder Woman 1984. Even if this weren’t a COVID era release there is no chance it would have experience the repeat business and word of mouth buoying that made the original film such a hit.
While Patty Jenkins’ first movie found the right balance between heavy wartime heroics and playful, silly scenes, Wonder Woman 1984 perpetually walks both of those roads simultaneously. We watch a woman who feels neglected by the world become almost cartoonishly confident only to then become a fully cartoonish cheetah woman. We watch Pedro Pascal act as a costly wish-granting genie who no one thinks to arrest. 1984 is all just too ludicrous for its own good. Furthermore, while Gal Gadot and Chris Pine are still solid in their roles, it was a very questionable decision to bring the latter’s Steve Trevor back in the way they did. It’s understandable to want to repeat the two performers’ chemistry, but doing so by having its hero allow her love to take over the body of a living person? That’s not particularly heroic, it’s more just the theft of a soul.
Stream Wonder Woman 1984 on HBO Max.
4) Captain Marvel
The underrated The Marvels may not have counted because it’s an ensemble piece, but its predecessor does. And, overall, it’s an enjoyable enough love letter to the ’90s.
It’s nice to see Brie Larson having fun in a big budget adventure just as it’s incredibly enjoyable seeing her razor-sharp chemistry with Samuel L. Jackson (they previously worked together on Larson’s directorial debut, Unicorn Store, and it shows). But the real highlight of Captain Marvel is the engrossing story surrounding the false narrative pushed out about the Skrulls. It turns bland villains into some of the MCU’s most heartbreakingly tragic characters. Captain Marvel was right around the time the MCU started to reveal itself as a property losing its luster, but it has its upsides.
Stream Captain Marvel on Disney+.
3) Black Widow
There are a few MCU movies that haven’t received quite as much love as they deserve. The aforementioned The Marvels, the original Ant-Man, Iron Man 2, but the queen of that particular mountain is Black Widow. It may get understandably ripped on for some “Oh, come on” moments of poor CGI, but it’s a pretty rock-solid espionage thriller.
And, while the MCU has had a mighty hard time replacing the original six Avengers (save for Thor and Hulk, anyway), they nailed it with Black Widow. In her very first scene in this film, Florence Pugh established her Yelena Belova as one of the easiest characters to root for. Like her sister she’s strong, driven, and empathic. Here’s hoping Pugh remains a presence in the MCU for a long time. Lastly, the messed-up family dynamic is an asset to this movie’s narrative. We get a group of four characters who all truly love each other, but we understand all of the complications within that four-way interpersonal dynamic.
Stream Black Widow on Disney+.
2) Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
The pressure must have been immense to suitably follow-up Black Panther, the MCU’s first Oscar winner and the first superhero movie ever to nab a Best Picture nomination. Not to mention, it was a massive box office success. Then Chadwick Boseman tragically passed away, and people were wondering if there even would be a second film.
And, all told, it’s hard to imagine Black Panther: Wakanda Forever being any better than it is given that heartbreaking situation. Much to the film’s credit it pays homage to the actor, genuinely morning him throughout the first third instead of dashing him off with quick exposition. This is a moving film, and it’s admirable just how well Ryan Coogler was able to pick up the pieces after the death of his lead star. And, in Boseman’s place is Letitia Wright, who delivers a layered, impressive performance that her late co-star would be proud of.
Stream Black Panther: Wakanda Forever on Disney+.
1) Wonder Woman
Not all superhero movies do a great job of making the audience genuinely feel how heroic the superhero really is. Wonder Woman does. We believe her altruism, we believe her selflessness, and we believe she could walk across No Man’s Land with hardly a scratch (one of superhero cinema’s most hair-raising scenes, be it DC or Marvel).
And, as mentioned in the 1984 entry, the romance that is a major part of this movie is an endearing one. Gadot and Pine have obvious chemistry all throughout, and that’s what makes his tragic, also-heroic end such a gut punch. Granted, the movie gets 1984 levels of silly when CGI Ares pops up for the climactic battle, but up until then Jenkins’ movie is firing on all cylinders.
Stream Wonder Woman on HBO Max.
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