Some of the craziest women in cinema are superheroes. From the Warner Bros./DC and Marvel films of old to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Extended Universe, Hollywood has brought classic comic book characters to life. It’s no secret that many of the women depicted throughout the story on the page have been accompanied by curves, sensuality, and scantily clad costumes. When translated to the big screen, many actresses have made their characters more than just an object to watch; gradually redefining what it means to be a sexy heroine. Having said that, they are still extremely beautiful: If Wonder Woman or Black Widow walked past you on the street, you would stop paying attention to what you were doing and stare (even if that meant walking in traffic). Including badass mutants, meta-humans and the super assassin, here are our top picks for the sexiest superheroes in movie history.
Warning: Margot Robbie is not on this list because Harley Quinn, although she looks heroic on screen, is a supervillain, not a superhero. My apologies to the fanboys.
Cover photo: Marvel Studios / Warner Bros.
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16. Jennifer Garner as Elektra
If ever there was a failure, it’s the one of 2003 daredevil. In this film, Jennifer Garner played Marvel’s international warrior princess / assassin Elektra, whose “punch” earned an eponymous spin-off in 2005. Garner displayed some truly impressive skills in sai, bringing out natural martial arts. and sexy film whose script was unworthy of his style.
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15. Amber Heard as Mera
Probably not the most controversial actress on this list (hold back your rage), Amber Heard’s stock has certainly grown since playing Mera in the DCEU. No matter what you think of the artist, Aquaman and Justice League‘s (Snyder Cut) Mera embodies what it means to be royal … with or without a British accent. Plus, she knows how to wear those suits to scale (or whatever they’re wearing in Atlantis).
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14. Olivia Munn as Psylocke
Olivia Munn. That’s really all there is to say about X-Men: Apocalypseit’s Psylocke. She doesn’t have a lot of lines and hardly any character development …
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13. Gwyneth Paltrow as the Iron Woman
Since 2008 Iron Man, everyone loved Pepper Potts; in particular, Tony Stark Aka Iron Man. She is beautiful, intelligent, witty, determined and loyal. In the same way that Robert Downey Jr. made Tony his own (forever), Gwyneth Paltrow owns Pepper. His manipulation of the latter making him his equal. In Avengers: Endgame, she eventually (albeit briefly) dressed as her comic book alter-ego, Iron Woman.
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12. Malin Akerman as the Silk Specter
Malin Akerman played Laurie Juspeczyk Aka Slik Specter, daughter of Sally Jupiter (played by the always charming Carla Gugino) in Zack Snyder’s Watchmen (2009) and we were as enamored as Patrick Wilson’s Nite Owl. Akerman added a much needed femininity to a movie plagued by Doctor Manhattan’s big blue dong.
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11. Evangeline Lilly as the Wasp
The ant Man‘s Hope van Dyne (played by the charming Evangeline Lilly) is as sharp and powerful as it gets. She treated all men with tact; including his ex-father, the boss of batshit and Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang. Although she never donned the Ant-Man costume in the first film, she was arguably her most capable character. That said, she disguises herself as a Wasp in her suite, Avengers: Endgame, and future films.
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10. Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie
Tessa Thompson played Brunnhilde Aka Valkyrie in Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers: Endgame. When we met her in Sakaar, she passed by Scrapper 142, a drunken bounty hunter who delivered new fighters to the Grandmaster. We didn’t know she was (and would continue to be) a “Valkyrie” in Asgard’s service, flying in combat on horseback… or on the back of a pegasus. Thompson is so hilarious and endearing as a character that it’s no wonder Thor ultimately chose her to lead his people in End of Game.
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9. Sophie Turner as Dark Phoenix
From Sansa Stark to Jean Gray, Sophie Turner has a knack for portraying dangerous women. After debuting as an X-Men character in X-Men: Apocalypse, Turner played the main character in Dark phoenix. While this movie certainly wasn’t the best way for the Fox franchise to get to sunset, Turner shone as one of the most powerful, terrifying, and hottest (literally) mutants of all time.
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8. Jessica Alba as an invisible woman
Jessica Alba is one of the greatest sex symbols of all time; she was considered the “sexiest woman in the world” by FHM in 2007 and many other publications have paid tribute to her as well. In 2005 (and 2007), she played Susan Storm of the Fantastic Four, aka the “Invisible Woman”, someone you can’t help but see. Until Marvel inevitably reboots the character, she is the best invisible woman to date.
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7. Jennifer Lawrence as a mystic
Rebecca Romijn appeared in seven of X Men movies like the older, very villainous version of Mystique. In 2011, Jennifer Lawrence premiered as a younger version of the character in X-Men: First Class. This version of Mystique aka Raven looked just as good for doing blue backflips (if not better) and was a lot more complex; struggling against his desire to fight for some sort of mutant and moral compass. Thanks to alternate timelines (among others) and Lawrence’s eternal responsibility, she ultimately becomes an X-Men leader … before dying in Dark phoenix.
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6. Zoe Saldana as Gamora
Alien (green, blue, you name it), Zoe Saldana is a knockout. Literally. Thanos called Gamora “the deadliest woman in the galaxy,” which makes her all the more attractive. Despite her stoicism and ferocity, she is almost instantly sympathetic in guardians of the galaxy and it’s easy to see why Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) falls in love with the deadly assassin at first sight. U.S. too.
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5. Halle Berry as Catwoman
Before I say anything, no, Anne Hathaway didn’t make this list. Not because she isn’t gorgeous (she is) or her Catwoman wasn’t better than Halle Berry’s, but because Berry’s character was almost entirely concerned with sex appeal. There’s no denying Berry’s next level ability to strut around in that tight cat outfit… and purr. Having said that, the Patience Phillips story is a terrible movie; Berry even won the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress in 2005. However, she accepted this award in person, which no one does.
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4. Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman
Some might argue that Anne Hathaway’s Selina Kyle is superior to Michelle Pfeiffer’s, but they would be wrong. In the same way that Michael Keaton really took his caped crusader to the big screen, Pfeiffer did the same for Catwoman in at Tim Burton Batman Returns (1992). The actress trained in martial arts and kickboxing for the role and is considered by many to be one of the best female superheroes / anti-heroes of all time.
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3. Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman
Gal Gadot has only been playing Diana Prince Aka Wonder Woman since 2016 Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice but she is already an OG. Patty jenkins Wonder woman (2017) was a huge leap forward for female superheroes; from the formidable Amazonians to Diana’s no man’s land, through the triumph of Arès, women wanted to be her and men wanted to be with her or rather adore her. The Snyder cut only heightened our appreciation for the killer of God.
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2. Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow
Come on, it’s Scarlett Johannsson, universally hailed not only as one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood but the world. She first appeared in the MCU as Tony Stark’s assistant Natalie Rushman (who basically hires who because of her lingerie shots and in-ring prowess) in Iron man 2. We then find out that she is secretly the alluring, mysterious and sexy Black Widow / Natasha Romanoff. When it comes to hand-to-hand combat, she’s one of the most dangerous women in the MCU. The super spy with a twisted past is also one of his best characters (post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier and excluding Avengers: Age of Ultron).
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1. Elizabeth Olsen as the Scarlet Witch
When Elizabeth Olsen made her debut as Wanda Maximoff aka Scarlet Witch in Avengers: Age of Ultron, who would have thought that she would become the sexiest superheroine in the business? All along, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame and WandaVision (she’s single again!) Scarlet Witch has gotten more emphatic, complex, sultry, and downright terrifying with her otherworldly chaos magic, which is only appealing when Olsen waves her hands. In the comics, Scarlet Witch wears what’s essentially a one-piece swimsuit, something that’s been upgraded to black, and now red leather pants and a coat. We’re cool with it. Roll on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
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