I really hate those origin stories that have the hero hating her powers because she doesn’t want to be different, I mean I understand why and all but I often find the reluctant hero archetype a little frustrating.  I think I liked the movie Jumper because the main character just accepted the fact and embraced the powers.

There is an exception to every rule and this is no different.  I am entirely fine with the idea of Liz Sherman from the Hellboy/BPRD franchise rejecting her abilities.

Liz has the ability to generate and to a lessor degree control fire, she’s pyrokinetic.  Her powers didn’t appear from birth, they manifested themselves around her eleventh birthday.  The result of that initial manifestation of her fire powers left 32 dead and a city block flattened.  Amongst those dead was Liz’s family and I suggest any chance at a ‘normal’ life.

So I can see why she resents her powers and is reluctant to use them since they have cost her so much.

I think what makes this work is the commitment to the character, she doesn’t just get over it, embrace the powers and pop on a smile.  Far from it, there is a sadness around her, she is reminded of her loss whenever she lights ups.  In fact she often quits the BPRD only to eventually sullenly return.  I suspect that being at the BPRD only reinforces her difference from ‘normalcy’ being surrounded by ‘freaks’, the demonic Hellboy, aquatic Abe Sapian, lifeless Roger and bodiless Johann.

Of course the message here is that it is what is on the inside that counts, admirable message indeed but it’s still a fairly strong visual re-enforcement.

I haven’t seen Hellboy 2 yet but I really liked the way she was portrayed in the first one, I can only hope that she doesn’t smile (too much at least) in the sequel!

Lee is a a huge popular culture freak, loves comic books, science fiction, soundtracks and writes for Quit Your Day Job.

In the original Donkey Kong game you play a character named Jumpman (who later became known as Mario) whose job it is to rescue ‘the Lady’ (later known as Pauline). This is one of the early if not first example of the now classic damsel in distress scenarios, Pauline (I’m not going to continue referring to her as ‘the Lady’) dressed in her pink dress calls out to her hero to rescue her with the word HELP appearing next to her periodically.

Flash forward ten years and a lot can happen in a decade! In the Capcom game Street Fighter II one of the very first playable female characters that I remember from the gaming world was introduced.

Chun-Li, the International Criminal Police Organization agent who receives an invitation to the World Warrior tournament and enters in the hopes of reaching its host M. Bison who killed Chun-Li’s father.

Chun-Li’s signature move was the Hyakuretsu Kyaku which is quick series of kicks performed whilst standing on one leg. Not too bad considering up to this point most female characters in video games were relegated to the sidelines or the dreaded damsel-in-distress position.

I don’t know any female gamers of my age group so I’m hoping some of you might leave a comment or even write a piece on your own experience with characters like Chun-Li. I imagine though that Chun-Li was quite popular as she appears in the later Street Fighter games. It could also be said that she led the way for female characters to make more than just appearances in future fighting games. The women of Mortal Kombat come to mind for example.

The other thing that comes to mind as I remember her character is that you are not limited in any way, she isn’t weaker because she’s a woman, she doesn’t have lessor moves or less effective strikes. You have just as much chance to beat M. Bison as any of the male characters and if I remember correctly I’ve completed Street Fighter II with Chun Li (I’m reasonably sure I’ve completed it with all the characters actually).

So I’m interested, all you gaming heroines out there, do you prefer playing female characters when playing fighter games or does it not really matter?

Lee is a a huge popular culture freak, loves comic books, science fiction, soundtracks and writes for Quit Your Day Job.

Since time immemorial, or rather the 1950’s B-movies have entertained popcorn-chomping audiences all over the world. In America, these movies are usually dismissed by the more highhanded members of the public and enjoyed ravenously by the rest of us. In the 1970s, the post feminist era if you will, the female action hero was first conceived. She’s sexy, smart (ish) and takes absolutely zero crap from anybody! The first that comes to my mind is Foxy Brown, Pam Grier’s tough as nails, female crime fighter. The others are more recent: Milla Jovovich and Michelle Rodriguez in Resident Evil, the Girls from Grindhouse and a slew of others, bequeathed upon this earth by the Sci-Fi Channel, a B-movie powerhouse, if there is such a thing

The B-movie heroine is usually gorgeous and can handle any weapon handed to her. If she’s in the right kind of B-movie, she can also be part zombie or demon or even bear. At first she seems like she’d be impossible to crack, but her love for people/the environment/fluffy kittens/her man, make her human in a vague sort of Momish way. Obviously, even if she is tormented, tortured or a mutant of woman and fish, she is somehow the perfect woman.

The exception to all of this rigmarole is Michelle Rodriguez’s character in Resident Evil: Rain. She does not overplay her sexuality, she does not have special powers or even a weakness other then her basic humanity. When watching this particular film (or schlock-fest, which ever noun you prefer), she is one of the only believable characters. Though she is in the military, she wavers from her mission. She is self-sufficient, even when her best friend is killed, and when, he returns as a zombie, she must kill him again. Throughout most of the film, she is dying and forcing herself to be strong. She refuses help from everyone around her, never denying what she feels to be inevitable.

This may sound like a normal B-movie heroine, but that is only when one takes a quick and dismissive look. Miss Rodriguez plays this script to the best of her abilities and she shines. She is tough but human, bitchy yet flirtatious and independent but not sexist in it. In fact, she may be what all of those other films were looking to have, but not really achieving: a real person.

Julia is an avid over-thinker of pop culture and the b-movie. You can find her online journal here