The world is changing. Like it or not, this is the case. People who have long held privilege in Western cultures are starting to see those privileges leveled with those around them. Personally, I think this is a good thing.
As the new father of a daughter, I’m excited as hell that we’re seeing strong female characters become far more common. I love that my daughter will grow up in a world where a female Doctor is common, where Wonder Woman has always been a big screen hero and that she can become a person who doesn’t have to ask permission from me or her future husband (if she has one) or anyone else to do anything she wants to do.
To that end, here’s a list from Vulture.com: Female Action Heroes: The 11 Most Influential of Our Time. That’s cool. And this list is by no means exhaustive (as author Angelica Jade Bastién points out herself) but it’s a nice place to start. As they say – “These characters move the conversation forward about how women can behave in film.”
Getting the Hang of Thursdays 
Anne Parallaud in La Femme Nikita (1990)
Hayley Atwell as Agent Peggy Carter
Helen Mirren in RED (2010) and RED2 (2013)
My personal feeling is that the scene in RED where Helen Mirren is firing H&K MP5 full auto is one of the most awesome (and hottest) gun scene in film.
Most definitely! And yeah, gonna have to agree with you on Hayley Atwell. Just sucks her show was cancelled. Be nice to see her back in the MCU at some point.
Peggy Carter is the female Bond. Smart, decisive, tough, skilled, smooth, and sexy as hell. But still very female and not just Bond in a dress.