Over the last decade, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has become an expansive and multifaceted entity. Avengers: Infinity War, alone, took in more than $2 billion at the international box office (not counting Blu-ray sales and merchandise tie-ins). That worldwide gross was helped, in large part, by the incredible characters that filled the screen. More specifically, Marvel casts touted some of the best actresses in Hollywood. And it’s not just the Avengers films that showcase strong, memorable female leads—nearly every Marvel film features a woman that is ready to kick just as much ass as her male counterpart.
Here, we’ve highlighted some of the best women Marvel has to offer. Take a look through to see some of the franchise’s showstoppers, in no particular order.
Brie Larson was the first woman to have her own solo movie in the MCU when Captain Marvel finally debuted. Less than a month after it’s release, the film has already crossed the $1 billion mark globally. It’s safe to say, we can expect more female-led MCU movies in the near future.
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Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch (Avengers series)
Elizabeth Olsen entered the MCU during the last movie of the Phase 2 films, Avengers: Age of Ultron. She began the films as an adversary to the band of heroes, but switched sides and has played a pivotal role to the team moving forward. Olsen’s character was given even more depth when she was forced to remove the mind crystal from Vision’s head. Tune in to the next Avengers flick to see our favorite redhead.
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Evangeline Lilly as the Wasp (Ant-Man)
We were introduced to Evangeline Lilly in Ant-Man back in 2015, but she really got a chance to spread her wings in the sequel Ant-Man and the Wasp in 2018. Prior to the MCU, Lilly was most know for her work on the TV series Lost.
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Laura Harrier as Liz Allan (Spider-Man: Homecoming)
Laura Harrier is another newcomer to the franchise. She plays Liz Allan, the apple of Peter Parker’s eye in the new Spider-Man series. She may be relatively unknown to a casual moviegoer, but she has made appearance in both BlacKkKlansman, and Fahrenheit 451 in 2018.
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Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia (Black Panther)
Lupita Nyong’o burst onto the MCU scene in the blockbuster hit Black Panther and was a large part of the movie’s success. Her character, Nakia, is strong, intelligent, and an expert at playing hard to get when it comes to T’Challa. She also made an appearance in Avengers: Infinity War. Nyong’o recently starred in the Jordan Peele-directed horror film Us.
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Marisa Tomei as May Parker (Spider-Man: Homecoming)
Marisa Tomei made her first appearance in the superhero flicks in Captain America Civil War as a much younger version of Aunt May. Tomei has been featured on the big screen for decades; her most notable movie early in her career was the 1992 classic My Cousin Vinny.
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Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow (Avengers series)
At this point, Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow has entered legendary status. She burst onto the scene in Iron Man 2 as the mysterious and sexy S.H.I.E.L.D. employee, and it’s inevitable that she’ll soon get her own solo film.
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Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie (Thor: Ragnarok)
Coming into Thor: Raganrock, Valkyrie was a lesser known character, but she earned her place in the franchise by the time the credits rolled. Tessa Thompson did an excellent job with Valkyrie’s fearless bravado, and following her absence in Avengers: Infinity Wars he confirmed that Valkyrie is still alive and could possibly make another appearance later down the line.
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Zendaya as Michelle Jones (Spider-Man: Homecoming)
Michelle Jones, played by Zendaya, may only be one movie in, but it’s inevitable that we’ll be seeing her in the Spider-Man flicks moving forward.
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Zoe Saldana as Gamora (Guardians of the Galaxy)
Zoe Saldana came into the MCU with a proven track record of being a bad-ass chick capable of carrying any movie on her shoulders. So when she appeared as Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy, she was right in her wheelhouse. Although Thanos did toss her off a cliff during the last Avengers, we’re still holding out faith that Doctor Strange can somehow bring her back into the picture.
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Zazie Beetz as Domino (Deadpool 2)
Deadpool may not be in the MCU, but she is somewhere in the Marvel Universe, which allows us to sneak Zazie Beetz on this list. Beetz played the extremely fortunate character Domino, who was a welcome addition to Deadpool 2. She will also switch comic book lanes soon since she’s set to appear in Joker.
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Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts (Iron Man series)
The first lady of the MCU is Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts. Her character arc has seen her start as a Stark Industries assistant, then to the CEO, all while being forcefully turned into a molten-hot regenerating human (it’s complex). Hopefully, Tony Stark has fixed that by now.
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Pom Klementieff as Mantis (Guardians of the Galaxy)
Pom Klementieff may be relatively new to the franchise, but her character, Mantis, has had a few big moments already, most notably when the Avengers were literally inches from removing the Infinity Gauntlet off of Thanos before Peter Quill went all lone wolf. Mantis will return in the next Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
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Florence Kasumba as Ayo (Black Panther)
We got a glimpse of Florence Kasumba as Ayo in Captain America: Civil War when she threatened to put down the Black Widow. Since then, she has appeared in both Black Panther and the latest Avengers film.
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Karen Gillan as Nebula (Guardians of the Galaxy)
You’re probably thinking you don’t remember seeing her in any of the MCU movies, but in reality, the rather dangerous and ornery Nebula is played by Karen Gillan. Unlike many of the other characters, she has a personal relationship with Thanos, which makes her story particularly personal.
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Emily VanCamp as Sharon Carter (Captain America series)
Hailing from the Peggy Carter family tree, Sharon Carter is the great niece of the founder of S.H.I.E.L.D. VanCamp is only two movies into the MCU, but she may appear in the next Avengers and other films in the future.
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Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter (Agent Carter)
Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter may not have had a ton of screen time following Captain America: The First Avenger, but her character still resonates with Steve Rogers. Atwell also appeared in the show Agent Carter, which lasted two seasons.
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Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill (Avengers series)
Cobie Smulders does an excellent job at being a serious and effective S.H.I.E.L.D. agent on her own, in addition to being #2 to Nick Furry. While she’s only made appearances in the Avengers movies, she is scheduled to appear in the upcoming Spider-Man Far From Home.
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Natalie Portman as Jane Foster (Thor series)
Natalie made her first appearance as Jane Foster in Thor back in 2011 and 2014’s Thor: The Dark World. The brainy scientist introduced the God of Thunder to Earth to kick-off their short-lived relationship. Since the Thor sequel, Portman has been absent from the flicks, but is open to returning.
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Danai Gurira as Okoye (Black Panther)
Danai Gurira did an excellent job at portraying the no-nonsense military leader of Wakanda. She followed up her inaugural appearance in Black Panther with a role Avengers: Infinity War and is scheduled to be in the sequel. In addition to the MCU, Gurira also is a mainstay in The Walking Dead.
