# Let's talk about action movies in which the big bad is a woman. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 27, 2014, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-action-movies-in-which-the-big-bad-is-a-woman/696655 "2014-08-27T17:30:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-action-movies-in-which-the-big-bad-is-a-woman/696655/21 "2014-08-27T19:06:57Z")
Men In Black II The “big bad” isn’t actually a woman, but it’s disguised as one for most of the movie. Does that count? ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-action-movies-in-which-the-big-bad-is-a-woman/696655/22 "2014-08-27T19:09:44Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Hold on a second. I need to take a sip of coffee so I can properly do my ritual spit of contempt. > > :: sips coffee, spits it out in ritual contempt :: > > Now that I’ve completed the rite at the mention of that … thing … I have to say that Mrs. Coulter is too ambivalent a figure to the a true big bad. She’s a horrible human being and bad mother, but she’s not purely vicious, and as the movie series was never completed (Thank Athena!) it’s impossible to say whether she would have been the Big Bad of it. She’s clearly NOT the big bad of His Dark Materials. And even in the movie > > :: ritually spits again :: > > she has little to do with Asriel’s plan, and virtually nothing to do with Iorek Byrnison’s problems. So no, I’d not call her a big bad. I disagree. In the movie (as opposed to the book series), she is clearly the big bad. She’s the one in charge of the big bad outpost where the kidnapped kids are going. The storming of which was central to the plot of the movie. In the movie, the bear fight is a sideline. The main plot deals with (1) gathering a team of heroes to storm the big bad’s outpost and (2) freeing the kids imprisoned there. All the other stuff is secondary to that. The bear fight is “about” recruiting the bear dude to help storm the outpost. The leader in charge of the oupost, holding exactly the same position as a Bond Villian™, is Mrs. Coulter. She may have an ambivalent role in the book series as a whole (as may Lord Astriel), but that isn’t revealed in the movie - other than her reluctance to harm her own daughter. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-action-movies-in-which-the-big-bad-is-a-woman/696655/23 "2014-08-27T19:10:02Z")
The Wizard of Oz ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-action-movies-in-which-the-big-bad-is-a-woman/696655/24 "2014-08-27T19:13:22Z")
> [@cher3](#): > > _The Giver_ has an ice-cold Meryl Streep as the Big Bad, but the “action” is on the feeble side. I haven’t seen it, but I’ll comment anyway, just to remind people that the thread’s supposed to be about action movies. If there’s not fisticuffs, swordfights, gunplay, or explosions every few minutes, it ain’t an action movie. > [@Sam\_Lowry](#): > > Also thought of these: > From Dusk till Dawn > Catwoman > Batman Returns > Friday the 13th > > Batman Returns might be debatable, since Penguin and Catwoman are both main villians. And if I’m remembering correctly, Mrs. Voorhees is the killer in Friday the 13th, though I’m not totally sure. But speaking of that, there are probably plenty of slasher movies that count, depending on how you define action movies. Batman Returns is definitely debatable, if not outright wrong. Catwoman is ambivalently a villain, and anyway is not the driving force behind all the bad stuff that happens. ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-action-movies-in-which-the-big-bad-is-a-woman/696655/25 "2014-08-27T19:14:29Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > The OP says “woman,” which means “adult human female.” My, aren’t we speciesist? It’s no wonder the flying monkeys are unionizing. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-action-movies-in-which-the-big-bad-is-a-woman/696655/26 "2014-08-27T19:15:05Z")
DICK TRACY. Who killed Pruneface? Who framed Big Boy Caprice for kidnapping Tess Trueheart? Who framed Dick Tracy for the DA’s murder? Hint: she’s chesty. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-action-movies-in-which-the-big-bad-is-a-woman/696655/27 "2014-08-27T19:15:09Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Does not qualify. The OP says “woman,” which means “adult human female.” The Alien queen ain’t human by a long shot. Yeah but she _was_ a bitch. Halle Berry’s Catwoman had a woman antagonist. Also Sybil Danning from the Howling II. When you’re not at work, feel free to Google **Sybil Danning Howling II end credits**. You’re welcome. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-action-movies-in-which-the-big-bad-is-a-woman/696655/28 "2014-08-27T19:16:37Z")
How about Rosa Klebb in James Bond? ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-action-movies-in-which-the-big-bad-is-a-woman/696655/29 "2014-08-27T19:23:08Z")
> [@TimeWinder](#): > > My, aren’t we speciesist? It’s no wonder the flying monkeys are unionizing. It’s not speciesist to say that the term “woman” only indicates the figure on the right in [this photograph](http://laniwendtyoung.me/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/alien3.jpg). Calling the Alien a woman is like calling the starship Enterprise a sailboat. ---
**Author:** ![Evin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/59ef9b/32.png) [@Evin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evin)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-action-movies-in-which-the-big-bad-is-a-woman/696655/30 "2014-08-27T19:28:02Z")
_The Grifters_ ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-action-movies-in-which-the-big-bad-is-a-woman/696655/31 "2014-08-27T19:28:25Z")
[_ **Beowulf** _](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0442933/). ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-action-movies-in-which-the-big-bad-is-a-woman/696655/32 "2014-08-27T19:29:23Z")
How about the Borg Queen in _Star Trek: First Contact_? She may not be technically human, but she still appears to be a woman. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-action-movies-in-which-the-big-bad-is-a-woman/696655/33 "2014-08-27T19:40:27Z")
Red Sonja and Conan the Destroyer. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-action-movies-in-which-the-big-bad-is-a-woman/696655/34 "2014-08-27T19:45:08Z")
> [@Evin](#): > > _The Grifters_ This is almost the exact opposite of an action movie, tho it is true that the Big Bad is a woman. ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-action-movies-in-which-the-big-bad-is-a-woman/696655/35 "2014-08-27T19:46:41Z")
Hansel and Gretel Witchhunters ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-action-movies-in-which-the-big-bad-is-a-woman/696655/36 "2014-08-27T19:46:42Z")
Bitch slap. ---
**Author:** ![Orr\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ee59a6/32.png) [@Orr\_G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orr_G)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-action-movies-in-which-the-big-bad-is-a-woman/696655/37 "2014-08-27T19:53:15Z")
_Hanna_ ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-action-movies-in-which-the-big-bad-is-a-woman/696655/38 "2014-08-27T19:56:20Z")
Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-action-movies-in-which-the-big-bad-is-a-woman/696655/39 "2014-08-27T20:03:10Z")
Rush Hour 2 (?) Zhang Ziyi’s first undubbed role, I believe. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-action-movies-in-which-the-big-bad-is-a-woman/696655/40 "2014-08-27T20:15:37Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Anyway … Can anybody think of any action movies in which the moving force behind the villainy is a chick? Willow. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-action-movies-in-which-the-big-bad-is-a-woman/696655.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-action-movies-in-which-the-big-bad-is-a-woman/696655.md?page=3)