SHE-HULK (Marvel)

Jennifer Walters, Bruce Banner’s cousin, gets an emergency blood transfusion from her cousin and inherits his condition. She turns green and becomes more powerful, but unlike Hulk she retains her intellectual and emotional control. An assertive lawyer who wants to help people — both in her green form and through her profession — would make for a great
on-screen shero. And her frequent collaborations with many Marvel groups would make for delightful crossover cameos. 

JEAN GREY (Marvel)

She can read minds and control them. She can cripple opponents just by talking. She is one of the founding members of the X-Men, yet she is only remembered as Cyclopes’s squeeze who also had a romantic angle with Wolverine, thanks to the X-Men films. She is an Omega-level mutant, for crying out loud, who is one of the most powerful people on the planet thanks to being a recurrent ‘host’ for the Phoenix Force! If Wolverine deserves a standalone film, so does she.

BLACK CAT (Marvel)

This anti-heroine is a popular character among fans of the Spider-Man comics. Felicia Hardy is an expert burglar with excellent reflexes and agility. She has the ability to influence probability fields or cause “bad luck” for people. An excellent
street-fighter and highly skilled in martial arts, Black Cat deserves a screen adventure of her own. Felicia Hardy did make an appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (played by Felicity Jones) but we didn’t get to see her suit up. We hope the Black Cat will at least be part of the new Spider-Man adventures.

Black Canary (DC Comics)

Black Canary’s story in the TV series Arrow is different from her origin story in the DC comic book universe. And she is... awesome. Dinah Laurel Lance, the vigilante who has no superpowers, just stupendous fighting skills and that ultrasonic scream. Oh, and she kills it in the leather jacket and fishnet stockings. Given that she and the Green Arrow are one of the most popular comic-book couples, the film could have a healthy dose of romance as well. If needed.

HAWKGIRL (DC Comics)

She was one of the first costumed female superheroes. She has been different people over the years and in alternate universes. A member of the Justice League, she is one of the forgotten characters in DC Comics. Her Kendra Saunders avatar made a small appearance in the season finale of TV series The Flash, played by Ciara Renee, and will be part of the upcoming show Legends of Tomorrow. We sure think Hawkgirl deserves a standalone film.

MS. MARVEL/ KAMALA KHAN (Marvel)

One of the youngest female superheroes in the comic book universe is the new Ms. Marvel — Pakistani-American teenager Kamala Khan from New Jersey. She is a regular teen with super-strict parents at home and has to deal with the tough world of high school. Her dormant Inhuman genes are activated due to a freak fog that gives her the powers to shape-shift and heal. A comic-book fan who writes fan fiction about the Avengers and fangirls over Wolverine, Ms. Marvel is every teenager and much more. She not only fights supervillains but struggles with her orthodox family environ, her religious duties and struggles to find her true self among all this. Is there any question about why we need a film on her?

THUNDRA (Marvel)

Towards the end of the 20th century, in an alternate futuristic Earth where men have been subjugated by women, Thundra was born in a government laboratory where foetuses were grown in artificial wombs. An anti-heroine, she is often seen teaming up with the Fantastic Four. She has appeared in Ultimate Spiderman comics and in a few stories fighting The Hulk. Created during an era of rising feminist sentiments around the world, she was soon forgotten after female sidekicks of popular male superheroes took centre stage. Thundra deserves to make a comeback in an era where powerful female roles are ruling the screen.

ZATANNA (DC Comics)

She is DC’s sexiest magician and has appeared in many a comic-book series (including Batman, Justice League and Batman Beyond). Made popular as the love interest of John Constantine and Doctor Thirteen, she knew exactly how and on whom to use her magic tricks. A member of the Justice League and a frequent collaborator and close friend of Batman, Zatanna was overshadowed by the immense popularity of Batman and his more popular sidekicks — Robin and then Catwoman. It is time we took an extended cinematic look at this intriguing female superhero.

Power girl (DC Comics)

Power Girl is the alternate universe (Earth Two) version of Supergirl. They share the same name — Kara Zor-L, have the same powers and the same background (she is also the daughter of Superman’s aunt and uncle from Krypton). She gets stranded in the main universe and carves out her own space. Mature and level-headed, she refused to take the moniker “super” because she did not want to be a derivative of Superman (a small example of feministic issues that are dealt with in the comic books).

Can you add to the list? Tell t2@abp.in