Image: 20th Century Fox / Brandywine Productions
About This Quiz
For most of Hollywood history, action stars have been synonymous with men. Dudes ride in and save the day; that was the old-school method of storytelling. But it doesn't always have to be that way! If the tireless works of Ellen Ripley and Sarah Connor have taught us nothing else, it's that a woman can fight off a man, an alien, a robot from the future, or an army of ninjas as well as any man can. It has taken far too long to get to the point where women are just about on equal footing with men when it comes to saving the day and laying down the law. Look at "The Avengers" franchise. From Black Widow to Gamora to Captain Marvel, these were some seriously tough heroes.
Whether you're a fan of super spies like Lorraine Broughton from "Atomic Blonde," soldiers like Rita Vrataski in "Edge of Tomorrow," or just a woman who had enough crap like Ms. Foxy Brown herself, there's an entire history of amazing, butt-kicking action hero women on film. If you think you know who's who, let's see if you can match the unstoppable lady to the film in which she appeared. Take the quiz and see what you've got!
"Terminator"
In 1984's "Terminator," Linda Hamilton was 80% damsel in distress and 20% hero. When James Cameron brought her back for the sequel, she was hands down the hero and also an intense force to be reckoned with. She even got to come back for a third film in 2019, "Terminator: Dark Fate."
"Predator"
"Robocop"
"Resident Evil"
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"Oblivion"
"Fight Club"
"The Hunger Games"
"Mad Max: Fury Road"
Charlize Theron's amazing turn as Imperator Furiosa in "Mad Max: Fury Road" was an unexpected twist to the film which most people felt would be solely about Max himself. There are still rumblings of a sequel coming one of these days.
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"Star Wars"
"2001: A Space Odyssey"
"Alien"
Sigourney Weaver's bad ass alien-fighting hero Ellen Ripley first showed up in 1979's "Alien." She came back for three sequels, and there were rumblings of a fifth movie from "District 9" director Neill Blomkamp that would feature Ripley's return, but that movie has been shelved.
"The Road Warrior"
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"Alien vs Predator"
"Wanted"
"Star Wars: The Force Awakens"
Daisy Ridley plays Rey in the latest "Star Wars" trilogy that began with "The Force Awakens." This was her first American film role, and on set, she had a bad (or good) habit of singing all the time when she wasn't filming a scene. She sang so much that director J.J. Abrams bet her she couldn't make it a day without singing.
"Peppermint"
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"Nightmare on Elm Street"
"Tomb Raider"
The "Tomb Raider" franchise got its start with Angelina Jolie playing the title character in two films, in 1998 and then 2001. The series was rebooted in 2018, this time with actress Alicia Vikander in the lead role.
"The Avengers"
"Mad Max"
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"The Fifth Element"
"Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets"
"Captain Marvel"
Carol Danvers, better known as Captain Marvel, is tough enough to take on Thanos. Brie Larson, however, does have a weakness and that's cats. Her allergies meant that the scenes in which she interacts with Goose the cat required visual effects or puppets.
"Jupiter Ascending"
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"Divergent"
"Harry Potter"
"Lord of the Rings"
"The Hunger Games"
Jennifer Lawrence became a household name thanks to her run as Katniss Everdeen in "The Hunger Games." While the character is tough, Lawrence is no slouch in real life. When she was goofing around on set, she kicked costar Josh Hutcherson so hard in the head, it knocked him out and gave him a concussion.
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"Suicide Squad"
"Maze Runner"
"Wonder Woman"
Diana Prince is better known as Wonder Woman, though her first appearance wasn't in her self-titled movie but "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice." Her own movie was the first female-lead superhero movie since "Elektra" came out in 2005.
"Keeping Up with the Joneses"
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"Star Wars: A New Hope"
Because she's raised by Senator Bail Organa, the character of Princess Leia uses his last name. Of course, we eventually come to learn that, as the daughter of Anakin Skywalker, her name is technically Leia Skywalker. No one ever calls her that, though.
"Star Trek: The Motion Picture"
"Star Wars: The Phantom Menace"
"Star Wars: Return of the Jedi"
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"Jackie Brown"
"Planet Terror"
"Deathproof"
"Kill Bill"
Uma Thurman played The Bride in Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill" movies. The character's name is actually bleeped out in the movie, but Bill does have a habit of calling her Kiddo. That said, there is a scene when you can read her name.
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"Edge of Tomorrow"
Emily Blunt plays Rita Vrataski in "Edge of Tomorrow" or "Live Die Repeat" depending on which box or poster you're reading since the studio seemed to give it two names. They've consistently claimed "Live Die Repeat" was just a tagline, but in a lot of promotional material, it appears before "Edge of Tomorrow," including on the spine of DVD cases.
"Oblivon"
"The Day The Earth Stood Still"
"War of the Worlds"
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"X-Men: Days of Future Past"
"Avengers: Age of Ultron"
"Deadpool 2"
Zazie Beetz plays the character Domino in "Deadpool 2" who has the ability to always be lucky no matter what. Numerous other actresses were considered for the role, including Ruby Rose, Sienna Miller, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Janelle Monae, Kerry Washington and more.
"The Justice League"
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Coffy
Foxy Brown
In 1974, Pam Grier played Foxy Brown in the movie of the same name. The movie was intended to be a sequel to the film, "Coffy," and was entitled "Burn, Coffy, Burn." The studio decided at the last minute it did not want a sequel and made it into a new movie.
Foxy Cleopatra
Jackie Brown
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"Iron Man 2"
It may be hard to remember at this point, but the Black Widow made her first appearance in "Iron Man 2" in 2010. Scarlett Johansson almost didn't get the part as Emily Blunt had been cast first. Blunt had a commitment to another film and couldn't take on the role.
"Iron Man 3"
"The Avengers"
"Captain America: The Winter Soldier"
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"Underworld"
"Halloween"
"Alien"
"Resident Evil"
Milla Jovovich kicked zombie butt from 2002 until 2017 across six films in the "Resident Evil" franchise. Jovovich really took a beating making some of these movies, too. In the first one, all the cuts and bruises on her character were real, not makeup.
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"Peppermint"
"Salt"
"Atomic Blonde"
Lorraine Broughton is the name of Charlize Theron's spy character in "Atomic Blonde." Theron had an entire team of personal trainers to prepare her for the film, and she also trained with Keanu Reeves as he was getting ready for "John Wick."
"Two Days in the Valley"
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"Ultraviolet"
"Ultraviolet" was a very action-packed flick from 2006 starring Milla Jovovich. The movie was finished and ready for release when the studio did a full edit and ruined it so much that Jovovich has since distanced herself from the movie as not being the film she made.
"Aeon Flux"
"The Fifth Element"
"Underworld"
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"Black Panther"
"Avatar"
Neytiri is the name of the character that was sort of played by Zoe Saldana in "Avatar." We have to say sort of since Neytiri is a motion capture special effect rather than the actual actress in the role.
"Alien vs. Predator"
"The Green Inferno"
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"Near Dark"
"All Cheerleaders Die"
"Buffy the Vampire Slayer"
Kristy Swanson played Buffy Summers in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" years before Sarah Michelle Gellar took up the mantle on TV. As of 2018. creator Joss Whedon says he's still working on a reboot, but there's no word for sure on whether it's a TV show or a movie.
"Once Upon a Time in Hollywood"
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"Kick Ass"
Chloë Grace Moretz became a star thanks to "Kick Ass" and her role as Hit Girl. Despite being a child, the character was very violent and very adult in a way that made her a standout. Several studios passed on the movie because of the character, saying they would have taken it if Hit Girl was either eliminated or made into a 19-year-old.
"Mystery Men"
"Let Me In"
"Carrie"
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Natasha
Michele
Selene
Kate Beckinsale plays Selene in the "Underworld" franchise. While most of the movie features some people committed to their roles, a few actors really messed up. The vampires' guard dogs were supposed to be vicious but the dogs weren't well trained and were clearly having a great time. Angry dog sounds had to be added later, and the director cuts away from their happy, wagging tails.
Elise
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Grace
Sara
Evelyn
Evelyn Salt was the character Jolie played in "Salt." In the original plans for the movie, the character was to be named Edwin, not Evelyn, and producers were hoping to get Tom Cruise for the part. He turned it down, so they rewrote it as a female character.
Diana
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"Nightmare on Elm Street"
"Friday the 13th"
"Halloween"
Laurie Strode is the character played by Jamie Lee Curtis in the "Halloween" franchise. She was more of a Final Girl than a hero in that first movie but fast forward to 2018's "Halloween," and she's a full-fledged hero.
"Hellraiser"
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"Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets"
"The Fifth Element"
Milla Jovovich has had a pretty solid action movie career and "The Fifth Element" is a standout example. Director Luc Besson went all out for this movie. The explosion scene inside Fhloston Paradise was the largest indoor explosion ever filmed and the resulting fire took nearly 30 minutes to contain.
"The Professional
"Lucy"
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"Crank"
"The Transporter"
"Wanted"
"Mr. and Mrs. Smith"
Angelina Jolie is Mrs. Smith while Brad Pitt is Mr. Smith in "Mr. and Mrs. Smith." Nicole Kidman was the original Mrs. Smith but dropped out of the project. Eva Green was considered as was Catherine Zeta-Jones. Gwen Stefani even auditioned for the role.
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"The Silence of the Lambs"
Jodie Foster played Clarice Starling in the first movie that deals with Hannibal Lecter, "The Silence of the Lambs." Technically speaking, it wasn't the first movie. There was a film called "Manhunter" from 1986 that starred Brian Cox as Hannibal Lecktor (with a k). Clarice Starling was not in that story, however.
"Panic Room"
"Contact"
"Red Dragon"
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"The Matrix"
Trinity is the name of Carrie-Anne Moss' character in "The Matrix" trilogy. Sandra Bullock was approached to play Trinity, but she turned it down. She was also approached to play Neo as the film was having trouble casting the role, and many actors had already passed on it, so the producers were willing to make Neo a woman. But she still passed.
"Underworld"
"Resident Evil"
"Lucy"
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"The Avengers"
"Guardians of the Galaxy"
Zoe Saldana plays Gamora, the green-skinned daughter of Thanos in "Guardians of the Galaxy." She reprised her role for the sequel as well as "Avengers: Infinity War" and "End Game." She will probably be back for "Guardians of the Galaxy 3."
"Thor: Ragnarok"
"Avengers: Infinity War"
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"Avatar"
"Lords of Salem"
"X-Men"
It's almost hard to remember now, but Raven Darkholme, better known as Mystique, has been in seven movies dating back to 2000's "X-Men." That was before she was portrayed by Jennifer Lawrence and Rebecca Romijn.
"Guardians of the Galaxy"
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"Lucy"
"Colombiana"
Zoe Saldana plays Cataleya Retsropo in "Colombiana." The story is by Luc Besson and was originally meant to be a sequel to his move, "The Professional." The lead character would have been Natalie Portman's Mathilda after she had grown up, but there was an issue with studio rights.
"Proud Mary"
"Peppermint"
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Vicki Vale
Selina Kyle
Selina Kyle is Catwoman's alter ego in "Batman Returns" as well as most, but not all, Batman stories that involve her. As for Michelle Pfeiffer, she once stated that after the movie ended, she never wanted to see the Catwoman costume again for the rest of her life.
Lois Lane
Patience Phillips
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Cross
Sloan
Fox
Jolie played Fox in "Wanted" alongside James McAvoy, who would later play Professor X, Morgan Freeman, who played Lucius Fox in several Batman movies, Chris Pratt, who played Starlord, Terence Stamp, who played Zod in the original "Superman," Thomas Kretschmann, who played Strucker in "Avengers: Age of Ultron," and Common, who was in "Suicide Squad."
Finch
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"Resident Evil"
"The Fast and the Furious"
Michelle Rodriguez first played Letty in 2001's "The Fast and the Furious" and is still playing her in 2020's "Fast and Furious 9." She's the most featured female protagonist in the series, popping up six times so far.
"Underworld"
"Nightmare on Elm Street"
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Æon Flux
Charlize Theron starred in "Æon Flux," which was based on an animated series. The director of the movie, Kathryn Kusama, said that the studio fired her after she finished the movie then re-edited it. The new edits were received poorly, so they asked Kusama to come back and edit it again, but not into the movie she had originally shot.
Lucy
Selene
Mrs. Hays
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"Lord of the Rings"
Liv Tyler played Arwen in the three "Lord of the Rings" films. During one of the character's most heroic moments, she utters the line "If you want him, come and claim him" to the Nazgûl. During the filming of that scene, Tyler accidentally stabbed herself in the leg.
"The Chronicles of Narnia"
"Harry Potter"
"The Hunger Games"
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You Got:
/35
