23 Female Marvel Characters, Ranked By Sheer Comic Book Greatness
Vote up the women who are the best overall characters - in comics, not the MCU.
Marvel Comics contains a litany of great Marvel women. In fact, most of these Marvel female characters rank among the best in any comic book universe. From Storm to Squirrel Girl, each brings something special to the stories as they carve out their own unique legacies - even the supervillains.
Now, it's time to talk business and determine who is the greatest female in Marvel Comics. This isn't a list about the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) version of the characters, though; it's all about the source material. Also, the criteria are not who is the most powerful, strongest, fastest, etc. This is about overall greatness and what makes them such memorable characters. So keep that in mind while voting up for your favorites!
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From the get-go, Rogue possessed an interesting backstory with a set of powers that makes skin contact with other mutants or humans dangerous. A runaway, she started off with the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants before her encounter with Ms. Marvel left her endowed with all-new powers. It was this event that set her off on a different trajectory to becoming a hero - most notably the X-Men, where she uses her gifts for good. Plus, no one can dispute that she and Gambit are couple goals.
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As the master of weather, Ororo Munroe, AKA Storm, firmly established herself as one of the most important members of the X-Men, even leading the team when required. However, Storm's influence in the Marvel Universe isn't limited to Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. She's also a former queen of Wakanda after having married T'Challa, AKA Black Panther, as well as a past member of the Avengers and the leader of the Morlocks. Talk about a formidable CV!
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Jean Grey evolved from the young and inexperienced psionic member of Professor Xavier's first X-Men team to establish herself as an Omega-level mutant whom the entire Marvel Universe fears if she breaks bad. She is also known for her close connection to the cosmic entity known as the Phoenix, which has played a role in various arcs as Jean bonds with this mysterious force. In addition, she's effectively Marvel's version of Kenny from South Park, because no matter how many times anyone presumes her dead, she always rises from the grave again.
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The Fantastic Four is referred to as Marvel's First Family, and for good reason. In fact, Susan Richards, née Storm, AKA the Invisible Woman, is the first female superhero created by Marvel Comics. As part of the Fantastic Four, she's played a pivotal part in all of the team's most memorable stories across space and time, as she's often the person required to keep her husband, Reed Richards, in check. Surprisingly, Sue and Reed found themselves on opposite sides for the Civil War event; however, they later reconciled.
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A powerful telepath and master manipulator, Emma Frost, AKA the White Queen, isn't afraid to cross the bridge between villain and hero whenever it suits her. She's played for the dark side as a member of the Hellfire Club and assisted other villains such as Doctor Doom and Loki, while also serving as a teacher for Generation X and a member of the X-Men. Most famously, she shacked up with Scott Summers, AKA Cyclops, as they started a psychic affair before eventually taking it physical.
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Wanda Maximoff's journey to becoming an A-list Marvel character is quite the tale that sees her teeter between hero and villain every so often. Introduced with her brother, Quicksilver, as part of Magneto's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, Scarlet Witch stepped out of the villainous shadows to join the Avengers. However, her biggest storyline yet came in House of M, where she becomes out of control. It takes a number of Earth's mightiest heroes to stop her, but she still has the last laugh because many mutants lose their powers.
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Natasha Romanova debuted in Marvel Comics as a Russian spy and antagonist of Iron Man, even recruiting Hawkeye to help her in the cause. However, she deflected and pledged her allegiance to the red, white, and blue, becoming a regular of the Avengers team. What's fascinating about the Black Widow character is how much of her history remains shrouded in mystery, with more and more information revealed over time. She continues to be an enigma, which is rare for a character who's been around since 1964.
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While Jennifer Walters, AKA She-Hulk, might appear like a gender-flipped version of her cousin Bruce Banner's Hulk on the surface, she's made herself stand out through her quirky characterization. She gained all of the Hulk's strength and abilities, but retained her personality and continues to be one of the funniest characters in the Marvel Universe. In addition, she's served as a member of the likes of the Avengers, S.H.I.E.L.D., and the Defenders, while also acting as legal counsel to various superheroes whenever they find themselves in a pickle.
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From Ms. Marvel to Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers has become a symbol of female empowerment in the world of comics. The human-Kree hybrid's seismic influence stretches across various corners of the Marvel Universe: It was her powers that the X-Men's Rogue drained to elevate her own special abilities. Captain Marvel also played a seminal role in the events of Civil War II, delivering a generational beating to Iron Man that almost sent him to superhero heaven.
Awesome character?- 10
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Initially introduced as a clone, then the biological daughter of Wolverine, Laura Kinney, AKA X-23, is a killing machine - born and bred to slash her way through any obstacle or person in her path (much like her father, who's the best at what he does, and what he does isn't pretty). However, her journey toward redemption takes her to her father and the X-Men, where she eventually becomes a vital part of Professor Xavier's team. She often steps up when her pops isn't around and is certainly the most interesting (and likable) out of all of Logan's children.
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Gwen Stacy was introduced as Peter Parker's first love before becoming a victim of the Green Goblin. Through sheer comic book nonsense where no one stays dead for too long, she inevitably returned to the pages of Spider-Man - as a clone and through convoluted leaps in canonical logic. However, she's become more than just a love interest for Peter, as she has gone on to become a superhero in her own right as Spider-Woman, Ghost-Spider, or as fans love to refer to her: Spider-Gwen.
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It's almost criminal that other adaptations of X-Men haven't treated Kitty Pryde with the importance and respect she deserves. Not only was she the youngest member to join Professor X's team at the time, but she also had a dragon-like alien named Lockheed as a pet. As Kitty grew up in the comics, she adopted different superhero names and moved onto other teams like Excalibur. After returning to Earth from her stint with the Guardians of the Galaxy, Kitty even leads the X-Men in a full circle moment as the student becomes the master.
Awesome character?- 13
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A highly lethal and dangerous assassin, Elektra Natchios initially served as an adversary for Daredevil. However, it was soon revealed the pair had romantic history together. Shockingly, she was killed by Bullseye. After being brought back from the dead, she hopped between the roles of villain and hero - often finding a sweet spot in the antihero category. At one point, she even took up the mantle of Daredevil to protect Hell's Kitchen while Matt Murdock served time in prison.
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Many characters have used the Spider-Woman moniker; however, Jessica Drew remains the most recognizable. Her origin story has experienced tweaks over the decades, but the bottom line is that genetic tampering altered her physiology and gave her spider-inspired powers. Initially, she became an agent of the evil Hydra before finding her way to the good side and serving the likes of S.H.I.E.L.D. and S.W.O.R.D. No matter if she's a secret agent, detective or spy, Spider-Woman demonstrates how she can hang with the best of them in the Marvel Universe.
Awesome character?- 15
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Gamora possesses one of the most tragic backstories in Marvel Comics. After her parents and people were exterminated by Thanos, she was taken in by the megalomaniac Mad Titan, who raised her as his own daughter and trained her to be the galaxy's most dangerous assassin. However, Gamora eventually broke free from Thanos's clutches and joined the Guardians of the Galaxy, where she works towards redeeming herself for all the crimes and atrocities she committed in the name of Thanos. She has turned to the dark side on occasion, though, especially in the “Infinity Countdown” and “Infinity Wars” storylines.
Awesome character? - 16
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As the first character to take up the mantle of the Wasp, Janet van Dyne was a founding member of the Avengers - and the one to give them that very moniker. She acted as a leader of the group for a period of time as well. It wasn't the worst thing in the world that she and ex-husband Hank Pym went their separate ways in their personal lives, because it proved she's more than just Ant-Man's sidekick. In more modern times, she served as a love interest for Tony Stark and even as part of the Agents of Wakanda team.
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Jessica Jones doesn't need a fancy costume to prove how much of a superhero she is. Despite her super strength and enhanced physiology, she prefers the look of her leather jacket to silly spandex and tights. She's been through the most as well - mind-controlled and manipulated by Killgrave. Once she shook off that purple pest, she successfully ran her own P.I. firm, Alias Investigations, and has been a part of superhero teams such as the Defenders. Without a doubt, though, Jessica shines when she's knee-deep in hard-boiled, boots-on-the-floor narratives.
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One of the most important characters in the Spider-Man corner of the Marvel Universe is Mary Jane Watson. She's positioned as Peter Parker's main love interest and soulmate, and they experience their ups and downs as a couple, but always find their way back to each other - even becoming parents to children in certain timelines. When Peter is down in the dumps, it's usually MJ who helps raise him back up. Marvel has also established MJ as a superhero - one of the characters to take up the mantle of Jackpot.
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Introduced as Captain America's love interest in the 1940s, Margaret "Peggy" Carter evolved from a minor supporting character into an MVP of the universe. While her niece, Sharon, might be better known due to her modern-day connection with Cap, Marvel Comics did a fantastic job of expanding on the character and filling in a lot of the backstory - such as her becoming a world-class spy and a part of S.H.I.E.L.D. Plus, there are alternate comic book versions of the character where she becomes Captain Carter and wields the mighty shield.
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In Marvel, where everything is grave and the fate of the universe is always at stake, it's good to have lighthearted characters like Doreen Green, AKA Squirrel Girl, who embraces the campy nature of the Golden Age of Comics. After developing squirrel-esque abilities and appearance, Doreen chose to spend more time in the woods with squirrels than people. After she mastered her powers and as a major fan of Tony Stark, she decided to use her new abilities to help others and become a superhero. Fun-loving and goofy, Doreen is the BFF everyone wants in their life.
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When it comes to revolutionary arcs, it's tough to find a character who's experienced as much change as Jane Foster in Marvel Comics. Starting off as a nurse who helped Donald Blake (Thor's human host), she eventually became a doctor and a love interest for the God of Thunder. When tragedy struck her life, Mjolnir deemed her worthy and she lifted the hammer to become the Mighty Thor. After the powers of Thor reverted back to the original God of Thunder, she died, then returned to life, where she eventually took up the mantle of Valkyrie as well.
Awesome character?- 22
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After Kingpin murders Maya Lopez's father, he honors her dad's last wish and takes her in as his adopted daughter. Trained in martial arts and studying the fighting styles of Daredevil and Bullseye, Maya takes the alias of Echo and battles Daredevil before turning her back on Kingpin's way of life. If that wasn't enough, the Phoenix Force chose her for her resilience and spirit, which saw Maya anoint herself as the new Thunderbird after bonding with the Phoenix.
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Part of the next generation of Marvel heroes, Kamala Khan adopts the mantle of Ms. Marvel after her hero Carol Danvers becomes Captain Marvel. Despite her only being around since 2013, Khan established herself as one of the most important members of the Marvel Universe, as either a solo hero or as part of groups such as the Avengers and Secret Warriors. Comic book fans lost their collective minds when she died in The Amazing Spider-Man #26 (2023); however, she was quickly resurrected in the X-Men Hellfire Gala saga.
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