Captain Marvel and the 25 most empowering female superheroes of all-time

11. Valkyrie – Thor 3

Who plays her: Tessa Thompson

Powers/Abilities: Superhuman strength, speed, abilities

Why she’s so empowering: I’ll get her downfall out of the way and that’s her drinking habits. One of the reason the character doesn’t quite make it into the top 10 is her initial portrayal in Thor 3. However, there’s so much overlooked from the comics and the potential future (remember, we never saw her death in Avengers: Infinity War).

Valkyrie goes by a number of aliases throughout her time, but one thing has remained consistent: she’s a warrior. Her physical strength is something to love, but she’s also someone who has a lot of physical strength.

The character has changed considerably over the years, which is why I’m focusing on the Thor 3 version of her for this entry. She was the last of her kind, full of survivor’s guilt and baggage, that gives her an element of humanity that we wouldn’t usually see in such a character.

In a sense, she wants family and acceptance again. At the same time, she wants forgiveness for surviving when everyone else died; for her weakness not to go out with all the rest. And while that initially leads to her drinking, it also plays a part in her redemption afterward.

She realizes that there is an inner strength. This is a woman who finds comfort with someone bigger and scarier than her, but not necessarily on a relationship level. We get that sense of friendship and comradery that she’s needed since the deaths of her kind.

Initially standoffish, she becomes someone willing to protect others. She finds that Asguardians do need her and there’s a way to make up for everything she believes she did in the past. The inner strength and willingness to grow as a person is certainly the empowering trait for this female superhero.