Both on the big screen or behind the scenes, the women who have joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe over the past decade have been making quite an impact, on the red carpet and in social activism. Let’s take a look at the strong, beautiful women that are a big reason why the Marvel movies have been as successful as they have been.
Hayley Atwell aka Peggy Carter
Hayley Atwell is best known for playing Agent Peggy Carter, the fierce founding member of S.H.I.E.L.D. who stole the heart of the Captain America, better known as Steve Rogers. When she’s not making cameos as Agent Carter in Marvel films or television shows, she spends her time split between the U.S. and U.K. to spend with her family whom she is extremely close to and attributes them for keeping her grounded.
Angela Bassett aka Ramonda
Angela Bassett broke out this year as Ramonda, mother to T’Challa and his younger sister Shuri. With decades of film and television experience, Bassett is known for always portraying real-life African-American women, as well as “strong women,” who are depicted as leaders in their own right. Not only is she a strong woman on the screen, but Bassett is also an active Ambassador of UNICEF for the United States. Bassett is a supporter of the Royal Theater Boys & Girls Club in her hometown of St. Petersburg, Florida.
Cate Blanchett aka Hela
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Cate Blanchett broke ground this year becoming the first female Marvel villain, Thor’s once banished sister and the Goddess of Death, Hela. Blanchett was made a Companion in the Order of Australia for “eminent service to the performing arts as an international stage and screen actor, through seminal contributions as director of various arts organizations, as a role model for women and young performers, and as a supporter of humanitarian and environmental causes.” Seems like the Goddess of Death has a good heart after all!
Elizabeth Debicki aka High Priestess Ayesha
Debicki hails from Paris, France and grew up in a family of dancers. With just several years of acting under the belt, she has already been a stand out on screen nominated for several awards with a bright future to come.
Karen Gillan aka Nebula
The 5’11 Scottish model began her career first in modeling before making the transition to television and eventually film. She first gained popularity for her work on the BBC show Doctor Who, which inevitable opened doors for her career down the road. She is a strong advocate for the Times Up movement in Hollywood.
Danai Gurira aka Okoye
The playwright, director, and actress is most definitely hot on Hollywood’s radar right now. With a steady television career on The Walking Dead and half a dozen plays to her name, both Broadway and off-Broadway, she’s a force in the industry and a welcome addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Not to mention, she was invited to speak at the United Nations on International Women’s Day to stress the power of activism, and those with voices should no longer remain silent.
Scarlett Johansson aka Black Widow
Johansson is a native New Yorker who moved to L.A. to kick off her acting career and never looked back since. She’s been one of the first women to have a constant presence in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, not to mention the only female Avenger (until Scarlet Witch came along) so she’s a trailblazer in life and the on the screen.
Check out how her new training montage. Both those looks and legs could kill!
Hannah John-Kamen aka Ghost
John-Kamen has caught her big break as the second female villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe taking on Ant-Man and The Wasp as the sinister Ghost later this year. Her credits include small roles in BBC shows, Syfy’s Killjoys and the perhaps most recognizable for the Netflix hit Black Mirror. She’s bound to be a breakout star, and I can’t wait to see more female villains, especially when they’re gender swapping traditional male roles in the comic books.
Pom Klementieff aka Mantis
French Canadian actress Pom Klementieff has a been a wonderful light-hearted addition to the Guardians of the Galaxy universe, and I can’t wait to see how much more they develop her character. From doing small roles in French cinema, she got her big break in the 2013 film reboot of Oldboy. From that point, she moved to Los Angeles to secure other noteworthy roles before catching the eye of director James Gunn for the part of Mantis.
Check out her training for Infinity War below!
Brie Larson aka Captain Marvel
Oscar winner Brie Larson is one of the most anticipated women to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Captain Marvel is questionably the most powerful Avenger… I’ll leave you with this video, and you can decide for yourself!
Evangeline Lilly aka The Wasp
After taking a break from acting, the LOST star made a comeback in the second installation of the Hobbit trilogy and then again joined the MCU as Hank Pym’s daughter Hope in Ant-Man. A native Canadian, Lilly has always been an advocate for humanitarian causes and global development which she studied to earn her a degree in International Relations at the University of British Columbia. Taking her studies a step further, Lilly works with many non-profits around the world that help enhance the lives of women and children.
Rachel McAdams aka Christine Palmer
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McAdams is the definition of an activist. She is extremely vocal regarding environmental eco-friendly lifestyle choices and sustainability. McAdams’ doesn’t even drive a car! She volunteered with organizations to help clean up Katrina and collaborated on a documentary Take Me To The River, which investigates what is being done to try to save iconic rivers.
Lupita Nyong’o aka Nakia
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Oscar winner Nyong’o is another shining star among the strong female cast of Black Panther. Having both citizenships in Kenya and Mexico, she is passionate about historic preservation on a global scale. Nyong’o is also vocal about preventing sexual harassment and working for animal rights.
Elizabeth Olsen aka Scarlet Witch
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Elizabeth Olsen made her Marvel debut as Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) and has always had success at an early age. She, like her older sisters, has a strong penchant for fashion. While she still manages to look stunning on the red carpet, Olsen takes her training for film exceptionally seriously!
Gwyneth Paltrow aka Pepper Potts
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The love interest of Tony Stark since 2008, Paltrow has been a stellar and strong woman, even being appointed CEO of Stark Industries. Paltrow is a Save the Children ambassador and on the board of the Robin Hood Foundation, a charitable organization that works to alleviate poverty in New York City. Ten years ago she founded GOOP which is a lifestyle blog for women to live healthy lives and incorporate Eastern philosophies into daily practice.
Natalie Portman aka Jane Foster
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Oscar winner Natalie Portman portrayed Jane Foster, the love interest of The Mighty Thor (lucky girl). Portman is a vegan, animal activist, environmental activist, and works with anti-poverty groups around the globe. Recently, Portman became an ambassador of Free the Children, an international charity, and educational partner, spearheading their Power of a Girl campaign. She is a powerful female role model and speaks her mind, no matter how controversial the topic.
Zoe Saldana aka Gamora
Saldana is most known for her roles in Avatar, the rebooted Star Trek trilogy, and of course Guardians of the Galaxy. Due to her own medical condition, both Saldana and her husband are extremely health conscious and avoid gluten and dairy. This doesn’t stop her from getting in fantastic shape for Infinity War though, as all images confirm, Gamora looks gorgeous!
Tessa Thompson aka Valkyrie
Isn’t Tessa Thompson a gorgeous breath of fresh air!? When I saw Thor: Ragnarok I wasn’t sure if Valkyrie was supposed to be a swaggering drunk… but I can’t imagine her being portrayed by anyone other than Thompson. She made a splash on the scene with roles in Creed, Dear White People, and Selma along with the HBO show Westworld. With the added sass of Thompson on set, Infinity War is going to be one wild ride!
Liv Tyler aka Betty Ross
Liv Tyler took on the role of Betty Ross in The Incredible Hulk (2008) opposite Edward Norton. Not only is she the daughter of rock & roll royalty, but Tyler is also an active supporter of the charitable United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). She was appointed as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United States in 2003 and the following year became a spokesperson for Breast Cancer research, making significant monetary contributions and joining numerous organizations in hopes of finding a cure.
Letitia Wright aka Shuri
Wright is a young newcomer to the Marvel Cinematic Universe with her stellar performance as Shuri, the sister of T’Challa aka Black Panther. In her early 20s, she’s not above having a little fun on set along with building new vibranium tech that will most definitely prove useful in the war against Thanos.
Zendaya aka Michelle “M.J.” Jones
Zendaya was never shy from the spotlight, but this former Disney Channel star is carving out a new lane for herself as M.J. whom we met in Spider-man: Homecoming (2017). Not only is she bringing a fresh face to acting in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but she’s a triple threat as well. She’ll be back to reprise the role in the sequel so let’s home Spider-man makes it through Infinity War in one piece!
Emily VanCamp aka Sharon Carter
Emily VanCamp has been a big star on the small screen, starring in numerous TV shows but finally joined the MCU in Captain America: Winter Soldier playing Sharon Carter/Agent 13. Not to be outdone by Captain America, she kicks plenty of ass in this movie and its sequel Captain America: Civil War.
Cobie Smulders aka Maria Hill
In the Marvel Universe, Cobie Smulders plays Maria Hill, S.H.I.E.L.D agent and all around bad-ass. She has served with the Avengers to help save the world on numerous occassions. If that wasn’t enough, Smulders herself has made an effort to help save the world as well, partnering with Oceana, an international ocean conservation organization, to film a PSA.
You better believe she’ll be showing up again in Avengers: Infinity War. After all, Thanos isn’t going to beat himself.