Whether they’re heroes, anti-heroes or the supportive partners of a hero, the ladies of DC have a few things in common. They’re complete badasses who lead with bravery and are unapologetically themselves. Watching the journey that each woman below has gone through made me love them even more. Each one had to travel down a path of self-discovery.
These women had to find their purpose on their terms, no matter what that meant for others. They had to learn what it meant to be a hero or anti-hero. This is why these five characters are by far my favorite DC ladies.
Harley Quinn
Harley Quinn (Kaley Cuoco) from HBO Max’s Harley Quinn is one of my favorite iterations of her. We watch Harley go through a breakup with the Joker and learn to stand on her own two feet. She has to form her own crew and gain notoriety among Gotham’s other villains. While her goal was to get into the Legion of Doom, she even came to terms with not needing their approval to be one of Gotham’s noteworthy villains. We watch her go from wanting to make a name for herself with the L.O.D. to struggling to take New Gotham back from the Injustice League and, finally, to deciding what she truly stands for. Despite what it could mean for her relationship with Ivy, she became an anti-hero.
RELATED: Read our Harley Quinn recaps here!
Starfire (Koriand’r/Kory Anders)
I absolutely love Starfire (Anna Diop) from HBO Max’s Titans. The crown princess of Tamaran went through a journey of self-discovery after sustaining amnesia. She struggled to contend with her past and her present self. That meant she had to decide whether to continue with her mission of destroying Rachel or protect her. Her arc spoke volumes about finding her way versus what her family expected. She came into her own not just as a hero but also as co-leader of the Titans. She learned to work with a team and to serve as a hero others could look to for help.
Sara Lance
For years, I have admired Sara Lance’s (Caity Lotz) arc from Arrow‘s Black Canary to a Legend in Legends of Tomorrow. Sara went from simply on the Legends team as the Canary to the captain of the Waverider. I loved watching her journey of responsibility for a team and making the right calls to keep everyone safe while saving the world in the process. Early on, she also had to contend with the darker part of her past and the assassin she was trained to be. Sara had to set out on her own path of self-discovery to determine her future.
RELATED: Read our Titans recaps here!
Iris West-Allen
While Iris West-Allen (Candice Patton) from The CW’s The Flash may not be a superhero or anti-hero like the other ladies listed, I absolutely love her story and journey on The Flash. We see her come into her own as a journalist and eventually Editor-in-Chief of the Central City Citizen in later seasons. I loved watching her go from feeling a lack of purpose to discovering where she fit in with a superhero best friend-turned-husband and an everyday hero in her father. Iris becomes part of Team Flash, Barry’s lightning rod, and, at one time, even the leader of Team Flash. We watch her find her bravery and herself throughout the series to truly stand on her own in the world of Central City and Team Flash.
Ryan Wilder
I often revisit Ryan Wilder’s (Javicia Leslie) journey to becoming Batwoman on The CW’s Batwoman. Early on, Ryan had big shoes to fill. As she took on the mantle of Batwoman, she had to find herself and what the cowl meant to her. Ryan also had to find her place with the Bat Team and what it meant to be a hero. Watching that arc captivated me to no end. I also loved watching her contend with the morality of situations versus her wanting to take revenge for her adoptive mother’s death. Ryan truly became Gotham’s masked hero.
RELATED: Read our Batwoman recaps here!
Who are your favorite DC ladies?
This article was originally published on 3/8/23.
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