Numbers 40 - 36

40. Elizabeth Bennet (Pride and Prejudice)

Ah, Elizabeth Bennet. Why wouldn’t she be included? I mean, she did take out three ninjas while blindfolded…oh, wait, that’s Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. The real Pride and Prejudice is a little bit tamer. Lizzy is an abnormality for women of that age, being strong-willed and intelligent. Unlike most women of the time, she doesn’t simply marry the first person to ask her. Hell, she refused two men, one of the rejections (Mr. Collins) severely disappointing her mother. As for the other (Mr. Darcy), she simply calls him out for being a douche up until that point. And when his aunt tries to dissuade her from marrying Darcy (due to some false rumours she heard), Lizzy just says “screw you, I’ll marry who I want”.

39. Ygritte (A Song of Ice and Fire)

Jon Snow really did know nothing. I mean, he knew Ygritte was a dangerous woman that he’d eventually have to betray, and he still falls in love with her. Then again, he is a teenage boy, so I guess I can’t blame him. Ygritte herself is still pretty cool, if only a supporting character. She’s a skilled archer, and basically fearless. Not to mention she’s considered lucky by the wildlings due to her red hair. Despite her feelings for Jon, she immediately tries to kill him when she realises he’s a traitor. Not many people can claim they could do that.

38. Catwoman (Batman)

A whip, eh? Kinky. Catwoman is one of the most famous and longest running Batman villains, making her debut in the first ever Batman comic. The only other villain to hold that title is The Joker. Catwoman is an expert burglar, frequently escaping Batman (though that may be because he wants to nail her…and has). Catwoman’s weapon of choice is a whip, because if she gets disarmed it can’t be used against her effectively unless you’ve been trained to use it. And while you’re trying to use it against her, she’ll be kicking your ass in hand-to-hand combat so she can get her whip back to she can whip your ass with it.

37. Trinity (The Matrix)

You know, most computer hackers don’t know kung fu. They may think they do, but when have they ever left their mother’s basement to take lessons? Or maybe that’s just male ones. From the get-go, Trinity was an awesome character, not just because of her awesome escape scene at the start of the first movie, but for getting the best line in the trilogy (“Dodge this”). But are you really surprised, given that Morpheus is the one who recruited her?

36. Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins)

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Sorry, just wanted to see if my computer thinks it’s a real word or not (it does, by the way). Mary Poppins has the rare talent of being a polite badass. I mean, who else asks jockeys if she can pass them, and get them to agree without a second thought? Hell, everyone and everything that meets her immediately knows her and respects her like she’s some kind of god (and according to The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, she might be). Though the epitome of kindness in the film, in the books she’s strict, vain, and rarely shows affection to the children.