Every week, a secret cabal of Marvel staffers gathers to discuss the best of the best when it comes to the House of Ideas.
In these modern times, you can find strong female characters wherever you look in popular fiction, but in the Marvel Universe, the term strong takes on whole new meaning when you're talking about the ladies. It may mean they've got strength of will, but it may also mean they can lift a tank—or it may mean both.
This week, the Secret Cabal celebrates the strongest women—of both mind and body—in the Marvel Universe with their salute to Girl Power.
For each character you get the quick rundown as well as a special spotlight comic courtesy of Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited.
As always, these picks reflect the personal choices of the Secret Cabal, not the official opinion of Marvel or Marvel.com, and can be considered subjective at best. Enjoy!
10. VALKYRIE
First Appearance: INCREDIBLE HULK #142 (1971)
Learn More About Her…here
Why She Makes the List: "The legendary
Valkyrie isn't just any lady with muscles, she's the female embodiment of the most bad ass aspects of
Asgardian warriors, quite probably the toughest fighters in the history of ever. As seen in this past year's THOR: MAN OF WAR one-shot, even the God of Thunder himself is given pause when Brunnhilde comes a calling. Whether in her human guise as a member of the
Defenders or in all her demigodly glory, Valkyrie commands more than respect." – Secret Cabal member Annihilator882
Spotlight Comic: UNCANNY X-MEN ANNUAL #9—Valkyrie welcomes the
X-Men to Asgard!
9. NAMORA
First Appearance: MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS #82 (1947)
Learn More About Her…here
Why She Makes the List: "If you think Namor's the only half-Atlantean, half-human ass-kicker in the Marvel Universe, you're sorely mistaken. Like her cousin the
Sub-Mariner,
Namora went toe-to-toe with the
Hulk for a few rounds, a feat that few on Earth can achieve. And hell, if her recent appearances in INCREDIBLE HERCULES are any indication, she also adds some seductive charms and plenty of wits to the mix. A definite advantage over the ever-gruff Namor." – Secret Cabal member Agent_M
Spotlight Comic: INCREDIBLE HULK (1999) #108—Namora joins
Amadeus Cho and his band of renegades in the midst of World War Hulk!
8. MISTY KNIGHT
First Appearance: MARVEL TEAM-UP v1 #1 (1972)
Learn More About Her…here
Why She Makes the List: "Bionic woman, shmionic woman. No slow-mo '70s TV action hero can hold a candle to our very own Daughter of the Dragon,
Misty Knight. Sure, she just has one cybernetic arm, but it's a Stark-brand model! That one limb puts her head and shoulders above most other heroines, but add in her exceptional fighting skills as well and she's
not someone to be messed with." – Agent_M
Spotlight Comic: DAUGHTERS OF THE DRAGON #1—Misty Knight and partner
Colleen Wing reunite to become super villain bounty hunters!
7. SIF
First Appearance: JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #102 (1964)
Learn More About Her…here
Why She Makes the List: "Asgard may be an undeniably male-dominated society, but of the women who do take the spotlight, Sif stands above the rest. Sif gained her status as a high-falutin' Asgardian by being a total badass, one of the finest warriors to fight alongside
Thor. It also helps that she's just about as strong, fast and ferocious as most of the heavy hitters from both Midgard and Asgard alike." – Agent_M
Spotlight Comic: THOR (1966) #351—Sif joins the battle for Asgard!
6. MONET
First Appearance: GENERATION X #1 (1994)
Learn More About Her…here
Why She Makes the List: "Not only can Monet match just about any man in the Marvel Universe punch-for-punch and lift-for-lift, she
knows it, and that's kinda cool. And those guys she probably can't take? She still thinks she can. If you dropped Monet into the male-dominated landscape of comics back when Marvel got off the ground 70 years ago, you would have had a revolution we would have liked to witness. She's beautiful, she's elegant, she can press a car over her head and she's not afraid to give her male teammates—including '
Strong Guy'—what for; that's our kinda woman." – Annihilator882
Spotlight Comic: X-FACTOR (2005) #13—Monet and her
X-Factor teammates get a full psychiatric examination from
Doc Samson!
5. NAMORITA
First Appearance: SUB-MARINER #50 (1972)
Learn More About Her…here
Why She Makes the List: "Take a surly alpha male like Namor the Sub-Mariner and give him a bubbly female cousin with all his powers? Anybody who thinks that does
not sound like a rad idea deserves to have their little ankle wings clipped. Of course as she moved from being her cousin's sidekick to being a charter member of the
New Warriors, Nita developed into a proud, headstrong Atlantean in her own right whose take-charge attitude and knockout looks made for a killer combo. The character gained even more depth—no pun intended—through her stint as the blue-skinned Kymaera and in her romances with
Nova and the
Human Torch. Since her
Civil War demise, she is sorely missed." – Annihilator882
Spotlight Comic: NEW WARRIORS (2005) #1—The New Warriors reunite for a reality TV show and
Namorita comes along for the ride!
4. MOLLY HAYES
First Appearance: RUNAWAYS v1 #1 (2003)
Learn More About Her…here
Why She Makes the List: "'
Why are you not awesomed by me?! A valid question, Ms. Hayes, and the Marvel U
should be awesomed by its youngest lady powerhouse. A mutant who has gone toe-to-toe with
Wolverine—and toe-to-um…unmentionables with
Punisher—this half-pint is a
full ton of punch. But like any tyke, she needs a nap after using her powers. That or some more sugary-coated cereal. And really, isn't that what we all need for a little extra 'Umph' in the day?" –Secret Cabal member RunawayJ
Spotlight Comic: RUNAWAYS (2005) #13—Separated from her friends, Molly gets tangled up with a new set of runaways!
3. ROGUE
First Appearance: AVENGERS ANNUAL #10 (1981)
Learn More About Her…here
Why She Makes the List: "Originally a villainess,
Rogue stirred things up when she first punched her way into the Marvel Universe, absorbing the powers and memories of Carol Danvers. Yeah, miss "best of the best"…only because Rogue hasn't got her hands on you yet again! With the ability to siphon anyone's power, she could easily top the charts again, but it would tip her mind over the edge and instead of a super-strong X-Woman, we'd have a world-class uber-baddie on our hands once again!" – RunawayJ
Spotlight Comic: AVENGERS ANNUAL #10—In her villainous debut, Rogue takes on the Mighty
Avengers!
2. SHE-HULK
First Appearance: SAVAGE SHE-HULK #1 (1980)
Learn More About Her…here
Why She Makes the List: "Smart, sexy and with a sense of humor second to none, the sometimes Savage, sometimes Sensational
She-Hulk can crack a joke or a glamorous grin as easy as a bad guy's ribs. Jen Walters is the truly the total package of femininity in the Marvel U, with the biceps of a bodybuilder and brains of a highly successful lawyer—not to mention she can more than fill out a cocktail dress. A seasoned Avenger and former member of the
Fantastic Four, She-Hulk has proven herself time and again as one of Marvel's top heroes and powerhouse to be reckoned with, but her winning personality has endeared her to countless fans." – Annihilator882
Spotlight Comic: SHE-HULK (2004) #1—Forced out of Avengers Mansion, She-Hulk must find a new job and get a new lease on life!
1. MS. MARVEL
First Appearance: MARVEL SUPER-HEROES #13 (1967)
Learn More About Her…here
Why She Makes the List: "The most powerful woman in the Marvel Universe—that is the potential Carol Danvers saw in herself in the reality of HOUSE OF M and has been fighting to achieve it ever since. Introduced three decades ago,
Ms. Marvel has had a number of incarnations, has gone through her own strange sordid history—recovering alcoholic, lost her powers, gave birth to the father of her own child, rose to cosmic-level power—but now that is behind her and her eyes are set firmly in the here and now. Well, congratulations, you've made it to the top. Now watch out, here comes
Moonstone to steal your costume…and the top spot!" – RunawayJ
Spotlight Comic: MS. MARVEL (2006) #1—Carol Danvers begins her quest to be the best of the best!
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