Growing up, I rarely saw women superheroes on screen. The ratio was something like one for every fifty men on screen. So, seeing a strong girl swoop in to save the day was an electrifying feeling. Especially if she wasn’t obsessed with a man or forced to center her life around one. She was free and powerful.
Queer and lesbian superheroes have given us inspirational representation to look up to, showing us that it’s okay to wield strength, resilience, and defiance. It’s okay to stand out for our unique qualities and to refuse to be erased.
Some of these women were also relegated to villains at some point because they challenged power, reacted to being beaten down, and refused to submit. Some, with that rare multidimensionality, complex history, and/or dichotomous actions like helping others while tearing down systems. Those were my favorites!
These are 14 of the most iconic queer women superheroes from lesbian comics to tv and movies!
Queer Women & Lesbian Superheroes
Batwoman (Kate Kane)
Kate Kane, a wealthy socialite, was trained to be a soldier like her father but when the military forced her to choose between her career and her lesbian identity, she refused. After surviving a brutal kidnapping, she struggled to find direction until she saw Batman in action and realized she could fight for justice on her own terms. She spent years training in combat, strategy, and detective work until she was ready to take on Gotham’s criminals. When Batman disappeared, Batwoman stepped in to protect the city.
Batwoman’s queerness has always been central to her story, shaping her relationships with Maggie Sawyer and Renee Montoya in the DC Comics and Batwoman (2019-2022) TV series.
Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers)
Carol Danvers was a top Air Force pilot, a NASA security officer; a woman who never needed superpowers to prove her strength. A Kree explosion changed everything, rewriting her DNA and giving her super strength, energy manipulation, flight, and near invulnerability. Captain Marvel became Earth’s most powerful defender, leading intergalactic battles and tearing through Thanos’ warships in Avengers: Endgame. Her story in the Marvel Comics and MCU is about identity and belonging, caught between her human past and her cosmic future.
She has appeared in Captain Marvel (2019), The Marvels (2023), Avengers: Endgame (2019), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Ms. Marvel (2022), always carrying visible queer energy, not just in her first movie (2019) with Maria Rambeau, but in the most recent one (2022) with her flirtations with Valkyrie and her lavender marriage to Prince Yan of Aladna. The MCU has never confirmed her queer sexuality, but it’s pretty obvious in many culturally lesbian ways (IYKYK).
America Chavez
America Chavez was raised in the Utopian Parallel universe, where her lesbian mothers sacrificed themselves to save their world. Rather than stay in the ruins of what was lost, she tore through the multiverse, determined to find her own path. With super strength, flight, and the power to open portals between dimensions, she has saved entire realities and fought alongside the Young Avengers in the comics.
The MCU introduced her in the floppy disgrace of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), giving her a pride pin and confirming her two moms. In Marvel Comics, she is Puerto Rican, proud, and undeniably a lesbian heroine, making her one of Marvel’s first queer Latina heroes. With the multiverse unraveling and the Young Avengers forming on the big screen, America Chavez will definitely be back!
Karma (Xi’an Coy Manh)
Xi’an Coy Manh is a Vietnamese refugee living in the United States who lost her parents to Thai pirates and took on the weight of raising her younger siblings while navigating a country that saw her as other. When her X-Men mutation manifested, it gave her the ability to possess and control minds. She first joined the X-Men in the 1980 Marvel Team-Up #100 (1972) comic and then in The New Mutants Marvel Graphic Novel (1982), the latter a group of next-generation teenage mutants who were taught to find their place in a world that fears them. Karma has battled some of the X-Men’s most dangerous enemies, including the Shadow King.
Karolina Dean
Karolina Dean spent her childhood in the California sunshine, unaware that her perfect life was a lie. Her parents were not just celebrities but supervillains, members of a secret cult that sacrificed innocent lives. When she ran from their legacy, she discovered an even bigger truth. She was not human but an alien with the power to absorb and manipulate solar energy and fly. Instead of following in her parent’s footsteps, she chose her own path, fighting for good alongside the Runaways, six teenagers who discover that their parents are part of a notorious criminal organization known as “the Pride,” and aim to stop them.
Karolina Dean’s queerness as a lesbian superhero was fully embraced in both the Marvel Comics and Runaways (2017-2019) TV series, where her relationship with Nico Minoru became one of Marvel’s most visible sapphic love stories.
Renee Montoya (aka The Question)
Renee Montoya believed in the law until she saw what it protected. Gotham’s police force was corrupt, and justice was an illusion designed to serve the powerful. Walking away from her badge was not a surrender but a choice to fight on her own terms. She became The Question, a faceless vigilante armed with sharp detective instincts, combat training, and an unrelenting drive to expose the truth. She has dismantled entire crime syndicates, leading real justice outside the system.
Renee Montoya’s queerness has never been a side note, fully explored in the DC Comics and Birds of Prey (2020), where her lesbian identity shapes her struggles and relationships. She has also appeared in Batman: The Animated Series (1992), Batwoman (2019-2022), and Harley Quinn (2019-present).
Thunder (Anissa Pierce)
Anissa Pierce, the daughter of Black Lightning (a metahuman with the ability to generate and control electricity) grew up knowing that power, whether physical or political, meant nothing if it was not used to protect others. When she discovered she could manipulate her body’s density, making herself nearly invulnerable and stronger than most metahumans, she trained with her father and became Thunder. She fought to defend Freeland, a city struggling with crime, corruption, and social injustice, from metahuman attacks while working on her medical career and activism.
Thunder’s queerness as a lesbian is fully explored in both the DC Comics and Black Lightning (2018-2021) TV series, where her relationships and lesbian identity are part of her journey, not a side plot.
Valkyrie (Brunnhilde)
In the MCU movies, Valkyrie first appears in Thor 2: Ragnarok (2017). She was chosen by Odin to lead the Valkyrior, Asgard’s fiercest warriors, until Hela (goddess of death) wiped them out, leaving her the last one standing. Drowning in grief, she exiled herself to the Planet Sakaar, numbing herself with alcohol and meaningless battles. But when Thor accidentally lands on the planet as Asgard is falling, she chooses to go back and fight, leading Asgard’s survivors.
She becomes New Asgard’s new King in Thor 3: Love and Thunder (2022). Dressing in masc clothing and giving us a lot of queer hints. Until we see her chemistry with Captain Marvel in The Marvels (2023) movie.
With super strength, elite combat skills, immortality, and the ability to command a pegasus in battle, she remains one of Asgard’s greatest warriors.
In the Marvel comics, it is canon that she is bisexual with a similar origin story. She faithfully served Asgard for centuries, guiding fallen warriors to Valhalla.
While the MCU has only given us breadcrumbs, queer actress Tessa Thompson has made it clear in interviews that Valkyrie is queer.
Wonder Woman (Diana Prince / Diana of Themyscira)
Diana of Themyscira, an Amazonian princess and demi-goddess, was trained from childhood in combat, strategy, and leadership. She was destined to be a warrior long before she set foot in the world of men. When war threatened humanity, she left Themyscira, and defeated Ares (the god of war). She has super strength, flight, unmatched combat skills, and the Lasso of Truth, making her one of the most formidable heroes in the DC universe. She has fought alongside the Justice League, battled gods, and shown that peace is not a weakness but a choice.
Wonder Woman’s queerness as bisexual is confirmed in DC Comics by writer Greg Rucka, who stated that love between Amazons is a natural part of their immortal society. She has also appeared in Wonder Woman (2017), Wonder Woman 1984 (2020), Justice League (2017), and the Justice League 1970s TV series, though her live-action adaptations have yet to embrace her bisexuality.
Sailor Neptune (Michiru Kaioh) & Sailor Uranus (Haruka Tenoh)
Michiru Kaioh, a violinist with the elegance of a goddess, commands the oceans with lethal precision. Haruka Tenoh, a race car driver with a rebel’s heart, moves with the speed and force of the wind itself. As members of the Outer Senshi (Saturn, Neptune, Uranus, and Pluto), an elite group of Sailor Guardians tasked with defending the solar system from cosmic threats, they fight not just for survival but for each other.
First introduced in Sailor Moon, their relationship was clear in the original manga (1991-1997) and Japanese anime (1992-1997), making them one of the earliest and most visible lesbian couples in mainstream media! When the series hit American television in the 1990s, censors tried to pass them off as “cousins.” Ugh. Time continues to correct that erasure, and today they stand as one of our first queer cartoon icons.
Lesbian & Queer Antiheroes (Hero/Villain)
Some women do not fit neatly into 100% hero or villain, and that is exactly what makes them unforgettable. They will kill and betray but also save and protect, existing in the gray space where justice is personal and morality is a luxury. Honestly, these are our favorite queer women heroes because they are the most realistic and relatable, often written with real-life complexities and multidimensionality.
Mystique (Raven Darkhölme)
Mystique is a shapeshifter, a spy, a ghost slipping through the cracks of history. She has infiltrated governments, toppled regimes, and rewritten the future before anyone realized she was there. With the ability to alter her appearance at will, paired with regeneration and enhanced agility, she is nearly impossible to track or defeat. While Professor X dreams of peace, Mystique plays a different game, shifting alliances between Magneto, the X-Men, and her best interests, always one step ahead. Yes, she’s a villain but she’s a sensible character that often steps in to help out and has expressed reason and empathy in nuanced situations. She does not seek power for power’s sake, but she will tear down anyone who stands in the way of mutant survival.
Mystique’s queerness was confirmed in the Marvel Comics through her long, passionate relationship with Destiny.
The X-Men movies (2000-2019) soften her into an antihero when they flesh out her multidimensional backstory and she steps in several times to form meaningful friendships with many of the other X-Men heroes.
Scandal Savage
Scandal Savage was born into power. As the daughter of the immortal villain Vandal Savage, she was trained from birth to be a ruthless, efficient warrior, ready to carry on his empire. With enhanced durability, rapid healing, and lethal combat skills, she was built to be unstoppable, but the real fight was breaking free from the man who shaped her. She turned against her father, carving her own path with the Secret Six, a team of mercenaries and misfits who blurred the lines between hero and villain.
Scandal Savage’s queerness as a lesbian was confirmed in the DC Comics (Prime Earth and New Earth) and Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay (2018), with her love for Knockout standing as one of the strongest relationships in her life.
Xena: Warrior Princess
Xena is a master of many combat skills, including acrobatics, pressure points, a deadly chakram, and more. She rode across the ancient world on her loyal horse, Argo. Once a ruthless warlord, she had led armies, invaded villages, and left destruction in her wake after the traumatic loss of her loved ones. But an encounter with Hercules from Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, the show that led to her spinoff, set her on a path to redemption. Though she vowed to leave her violent past behind, the struggle between her darker instincts and her newfound purpose made her one of the most relatable, complex, and compelling characters on TV.
Her journey took her across a vast world filled with ancient history fiction, different mythologies, and cultures. Xena: Warrior Princess (1995-2001) became a massive hit, especially in the U.S. during the ‘90s, at a time when a female warrior leading her own show was groundbreaking. The blend of fantasy, history, and adventure made it one of the most unique and beloved series of its era.
At her side was Gabrielle, a bard who became her closest companion, her lover, and the heart of her transformation. Their bond was undeniable, and while the show never outright confirmed their romance (it was the ‘90s), their queerness was beyond obvious to most viewers. They shared deeply intimate moments, made out more than once, and dropped plenty of innuendos, making their relationship one of the most iconic sapphic romances in television history. Writer Liz Feldman, a lesbian herself, later acknowledged the subtext, but by then, fans had already embraced them as an enduring sapphic couple.
Catwoman (Selina Kyle)
Selina Kyle grew up on Gotham’s streets, learning that survival was not about luck but about knowing when to fight and when to run. A master thief with razor-sharp instincts, expert combat skills, and a whip that can snap bones, she moves through the city like a ghost, taking what she wants and vanishing before anyone knows she is there.
She has often walked the line between hero and outlaw, stealing from the corrupt, protecting those the system fails, and deciding for herself where justice begins and ends. She has saved Gotham more times than she will ever take credit for, including during the Hush storyline, where she helped Batman, proving that sometimes the city’s best protector is the one willing to break the rules.
Catwoman’s queerness as bisexual is fully confirmed in the DC comics, with relationships spanning both men and women, such as Batman and Eiko Hasigawa.
She has appeared in the Batman movies, Catwoman solo series, Batman: The Animated Series (1992-1995), Gotham (2014-2019), The Batman (2022), and countless animated films and video games.
Poison Ivy (Pamela Isley)
Once a brilliant botanist, Pamela Isley was transformed by a failed experiment, gaining the power to control plant life, immunity to toxins, and super strength. She has toppled corporations, turned cities into jungles, and forced the world to confront the destruction it ignores.
To Gotham, she is a villain because she does not hesitate to eliminate those who harm the Earth, whether they are corrupt CEOs or collateral damage. Over time, she evolved from eco-terrorist to antihero, fighting against Gotham’s heroes as often as she fights alongside them.
Poison Ivy’s queerness as bisexual is fully confirmed in both DC Comics and the Harley Quinn (2019-present) TV series, where her love for Harley Quinn is central to her story. She has also appeared in Batman: The Animated Series (1992-1995), Batman & Robin (1997), Gotham (2014-2019), and numerous animated films and video games.
Knockout
Knockout was built to conquer. Raised among the Female Furies of Apokolips, an all-women elite strike force and honor guard, she was trained to be a weapon, crushing enemies without hesitation in the name of Darkseid. With super strength, invulnerability, and elite combat skills, she was designed for war.
Rejecting the world that made her, she fled to Earth, searching for something more than endless bloodshed. Joining the Secret Six, she fought battles that blurred the lines between hero and mercenary, testing whether she could be more than the monster Apokolips had forged.
Knockout’s sapphic love for Scandal Savage, seen in the Secret Six comics and the animated film Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay (2018), burned brighter than any fight she had ever won. She has defeated Apokolips’ strongest warriors, defied the gods who made her, and carved out a life on her own terms.
Lexa (The 100)
Lexa was not handed power. She took it, blade in hand, rising through war and strategy to become the Commander of the Grounders, the descendants of humans who endured and survived the nuclear apocalypse. A master strategist and combat expert, she united warring clans under her rule, accomplishing what no leader before her had managed. She led with calculated brutality, making decisions that blurred the line between savior and tyrant. To lead, she had to be feared. To survive, she had to be ruthless. But with Clarke Griffin, she allowed herself something dangerous: vulnerability.
(MASSIVE SPOILER ALERT!) Her death became one of the most infamous cases of the “Bury Your Gays” trope. Her death sparked real-world backlash, igniting important conversations and furthering our movement. And honestly, I’m still recovering from how they killed her off, too. Whew.
Harley Quinn (Harleen Quinzel)
Dr. Harleen Quinzel, a brilliant psychiatrist, walked into Arkham Asylum thinking she could fix Gotham’s most broken minds. Then she met the Joker, and the woman who once studied madness became its most devoted accomplice. With acrobatics, hand-to-hand combat skills, and a knack for psychological warfare, she turned chaos into an art form, committing crimes for the man who made her forget who she was. But Harley isn’t a victim. She has taken the Joker down in multiple storylines, proving that she was never just his sidekick, but a force of her own.
Harley Quinn’s queerness as bisexual is confirmed in both the DC Comics and the Harley Quinn (2019-present) TV series, where her relationship with Poison Ivy is as wild and electric as she is. She has also appeared in the Suicide Squad movies (2016, 2021) and Birds of Prey (2020) evolving from villain to antihero without losing her bite.
White Canary (Sara Lance)
Sara Lance has died twice, and both times the universe made the mistake of letting her come back. Trained by the League of Assassins, she was lethal, precise, and built to kill, following orders without hesitation because survival left no room for doubt. But surviving is not the same as living, and breaking free from that life meant facing the weight of every life she had taken.
She rebuilt herself as the leader of the Legends of Tomorrow, protecting the timeline while fighting the instincts of a woman who once believed violence was the only solution.
The White Canary’s queerness as bisexual was fully realized in the TV shows Arrow (2012-2020), where she is a recurring character, and Legends of Tomorrow (2016-2020), where she’s the main character but not in the DC comics. Her sapphic relationships included her long-term relationship with Nyssa al Ghul and marriage to Ava Sharpe. She has saved the multiverse, defied fate, and rewritten her own story more times than she can count.
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