The 14 Most Kick-Ass TV Superheroines

Pundits are suggesting that the age of the TV superheroine has finally arrived. Here are some of the powerful women who've broken the glass ceiling for Supergirl and her peers.

Aeon Flux

Animator Peter Chung's heroine, an Elektra-like assassin and acrobat, began life in a series of experimental shorts on MTV's "Liquid Television" in 1991 and had expanded into a series by 1995. Dressed in black dominatrix-wear, she seldom spoke (in fact, the early shorts were dialogue-free), expressing herself through movement, grunts, and combat. Which was probably good, since dialogue didn't really do justice to the series' complex mythology, its anarchy-vs.-police-state politics, or Aeon's tricky relationship with lover/nemesis Trevor Goodchild. It also worked best in two dimensions, as the failure of the 2005 live-action movie starring Charlize Theron made clear.

Batgirl

Like her idol Batman, Batgirl had no superpowers, just fighting skills and a great costume. (It was a purple and yellow variation on Batman's suit.) She also had a connection to the Gotham City police, since she was actually Commissioner James Gordon's daughter, librarian Barbara Gordon. On the old 1960s live-action "Batman," she was played with flair by the recently departed Yvonne Craig, who made memorable entrances on her purple motorcycle. She was only on the show during its final season in 1967, but she made a big impression on generations of Bat-fans as a pioneer among live-action TV superheroines.

Claire Bennet

The early catchphrase from NBC's "Heroes" (2006-10) was "Save the cheerleader, save the world," but it turned out Claire Bennet (Heroes"' busiest, most active character, and after four seasons, she was weary of hiding her abilities to protect herself and her fellow "evos" from uncomprehending standard humans. Her decision at the end of the series to reveal her powers to the world has had serious, even lethal repercussions for the superpowered evos on the current NBC mini-series "Heroes Reborn."

The Bionic Woman

This 1976-78 spinoff of "The Six Million Dollar Man" made Lindsay Wagner's Jaime Sommers an equally popular hero. Like pal Steve Austin (Lee Majors), she was rebuilt with robotic parts after a horrific accident, gaining superhuman speed, strength, and hearing. Wagner played her with low-key charm -- no flashy costume, thanks, just practical casual wear -- but she was still capable of incredible feats (frequently shown in slow motion) in the name of justice. (Oh, and let's all pretend the 2007 reboot didn't happen.)

'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' (1997 - 2003)

Adolescence is terrifying enough, but it was even more so for Buffy Summers (Buffy the Vampire Slayer" she saved the world... a lot.

Birds of Prey

The short-lived "Birds of Prey" series was one of the early attempts to spin off some popular DC characters into a superheroine show of their own. The Birds were a trio of badasses. Helena Kyle, known as the Huntress (played by Ashley Scott) was the daughter of Batman and Catwoman and had catlike vision and speed. Barbara Gordon (Dina Meyer), the former Batgirl, had been rendered paraplegic by the Joker but had renamed herself Oracle and still made use of her hacking and weaponry skills. And Dinah Redmond (Rachel Skarsten), the daughter of Black Canary, has telepathic and telekinetic powers. The show lasted just one season (2002-03) but helped set the template for the dark DC hero reboots currently airing on the CW and Fox.

Black Canary

The DC character, one of the first superheroines in comics history, has a complicated backstory, having been introduced to TV as an occasional character on "Smallville." Currently a character on the CW's "Arrow" and "The Flash," Black Canary is a vigilante with training as an assassin and warrior. She's also equipped with a mechanical collar that emits the ultrasonic "canary cry." It's taken time, but she's proved her worth to her ex, archer Oliver Queen, as a worthy ally. She's Dinah Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy), whose mother and sister wore the Canary jacket before her. The sister, Sara Lance, is expected to return as White Canary in the CW's upcoming series "Legends of Tomorrow."

Electra Woman and Dyna Girl

The Saturday morning duo, played by future "Days of Our Lives" mainstay Deidre Hall and Judy Strangis, were a Batman-and-Robin-like pair, with mentor Electra Woman and young sidekick Dyna Girl traveling around in search of wrongs to right. Like the Dynamic Duo, the two crimefighters had no actual powers, just a lot of "Electra-" gadgets, including a tricked-out "ElectraCar" and wristband "ElectraComs" that served as videophones, X-rays, tractor beams, and other villain-immobilizing weapons. (Wake us when the Apple Watch gets its own gravity-increasing app.) Their segment on "The Krofft Supershow" ran one season (1976-77)

Isis (JoAnna Cameron)

Another mid-''70s Saturday morning superheroine, Isis was actually mild-mannered high school teacher and archaeologist Andrea Thomas (JoAnna Cameron), but she had discovered a magical amulet that allowed her to channel the ancient Egyptian goddess and become a tunic-clad crimefighter, just by exposing the artifact to the sun and uttering the phrase, "O Mighty Isis!" As Isis, she had power over the elements and animals, gifts that came in handy for rescuing her adventurous and trouble-prone students, True to her nature as a teacher, Isis often broke the fourth wall and imparted moral lessons directly to the kids watching at home. A companion series to "Shazam" (enjoying frequent crossover episodes with the Captain Marvel series), "The Secrets of Isis" ran two seasons (1975-77).

'The Powerpuff Girls' (1998 - 2005)

The trio of color-coordinated, big-eyed moppets was created in a laboratory by Professor Utonium, who mixed sugar, spice, everything nice, and ... Chemical X. The results were Blossom (the leader), Bubbles (the sweet one), and Buttercup (the fierce tomboy), who battle criminals, monsters, and power-mad monkeys before bedtime. Love those retro-anime visuals, its pop-culture parodies, and its sly sense of fun.

Skye/Quake

Hacker Daisy Johnson (Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." She can detect vibrations and cause earth-shaking tremors herself, which is one reason she changed her handle. Her parentage was a mystery for much of the series, but it's become clear that she's actually an Inhuman, belonging to an advanced race that's due for a showdown with humanity in upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe projects.

Witchblade

Based on the character from Top Cow comics, the TNT series heroine was New York police detective Sara Pezzini, who discovered a magical armband that gave her powers to fight supernatural foes, many of whom wanted the Witchblade for themselves. Hard-boiled, whiskey-voiced Yancy Butler played the grim heroine with panache for two seasons (2001-02).

Wonder Woman

The most beloved TV superheroine ever, Lynda Carter brought to vivid life the DC character known as Diana Prince, who was actually an Amazon princess with some great accessories: bullet-deflecting bracelets, an invisible airplane, and the golden lasso of truth. In a nice role reversal, it was love interest Steve Trevor (Lyle Waggoner) who was the damsel in distress whom Wonder Woman often had to rescue. Yeah, there was something a little silly about the way she transformed (twirl really fast!) or that retro, eagle-embossed bustier that was her costume, but Carter made it work throughout the 1975-79 series.

Xena: Warrior Princess

Xena: Warrior Princess," she proved more popular and durable than the fabled Greek strongman. ("Xena" ran for 134 episodes from 1995 to 2001, 23 episodes more than the show that spawned it.) While she lacked Herc's demigod strength, she was still an unbeatable fighter with formidable weapons skills. Her friendship with sidekick Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor) humanized her. And she could really rock an armored breastplate.