History Main / Xenafication

** Occurred with ComicBook/LoisLane's ComicBook/PostCrisis reboot, though in truth it was actually a return to her Golden Age roots (in the pre-Silver Age comics, Lois was indeed quite the badass). Whereas her dominant characterization in the Silver Age had derailed her into a typical shrieking helpless damsel and in UsefulNotes/{{the Bronze Age|OfComicBooks}} it was attempted to make her TakeALevelInBadass, her revamped continuity fully restored her original badassery and gave her an [[MilitaryBrat army brat]] past to provide an origin for it, and made her highly adept at hand-to-hand combat as well as a wide range of weapons and vehicles. The ''very first'' post-crisis miniseries in which she appeared had her beating up and commandeering the machine guns of a gang of terrorists holding her and a group of socialites hostage on a yacht, while Superman lets her take care of things as he obligatorily carries the yacht to safety. Needless to say, this pretty much makes him fall for her even harder than he had already.

** The UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis version of ''VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesTournamentFighters'' stands out as the only version to make April into a playable character, ditching her reporter look in favor of a full-on martial artist that can shoot out fireballs ala ''Street Fighter''.

** Princess Peach actually goes through this a lot when she's not the DamselInDistress, generally keeping her girliness unlike other adaptations. While she's on the receiving end of a kidnapping a lot in the main series, save for those times when she's playable like ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2'', ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld'', ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRun'' (after rescuing her), and ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBrosWonder'', partaking in the action. In spin-offs, however, she shows herself as a very strong and capable fighter. The ''Mario + Rabbids'' games has her actively fighting alongside the Mario Bros with a literal shotgun and cannon equipped ParasolOfPain and even gave her a BigDamnHeroes moment where she saved her allies from being frozen and in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG'', while she is captured for a portion of the game, as soon as you rescue her, she joins your team and quickly proves to be a vital asset to the party with her healing magic and status effect attacks as well has her signature FryingPanOfDoom, CombatHandFan and brutal GloveSlap. The ''VideoGame/PaperMario'' series tends to make her a helpful character even when captive, causing trouble for Mario's enemies as a SpannerInTheWorks and helping from afar in the final battles with her magic and she's even outright playable in ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'' where she is portrayed as a DeadpanSnarker ActionGirl. In ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' she is an exceptionally powerful fighter for her weight class and [[FightingClown odd fighting style]]. The biggest version of this however, would be in ']VideoGame/SuperPrincessPeach'' (her first starring role) where as soon as she learns that Bowser had taken over her kingdom again and captured the Mario Bros. and her subjects, she goes into a fit of rage and solos Bowser and his army with nothing but her magical ParasolOfPain, her butt and her new-found power of emotion, ending up saving her kingdom all by herself. Not bad for being the DamselInDistress.

** Similar to Jean, Wanda Maxminoff aka ComicBook/ScarletWitch wasn’t much more than another member of her father ComicBook/{{Magneto}}’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutants serving as the DesignatedGirlFight for Jean and got hit on by Mastermind and Toad. Wanda’s powers were also pretty lame as she could “alter probability” and shoot hex bolts. She became more powerful when she did a HeelFaceTurn to join The Avengers and by the time of modern comics she’s a badass RealityWarper who can kick ComicBook/DoctorStrange, [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor]], ComicBook/BlackBolt and ComicBook/DoctorDoom’s asses and can go toe to toe with [[CosmicEntity cosmic beings]] and equal TheChosenOne ComicBook/GenerationHope Hope Summers]] in a fight.

* In the ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'', Susan Storm was originally TheLoad of the team with a near useless power of invisibility. Creator/StanLee and Creator/JackKirby took partial steps to fix that early on giving her force field projecting powers. However, it was Creator/JohnByrne who really powered her up by having her figure out [[SwissArmySuperpower nifty new ways of using her powers]] and learning to get aggressive enough to really use them well. Today, she is now considered one of the most powerful superheroes of the ''Franchise/MarvelUniverse'' and even ''ComicBook/DoctorDoom'' underestimates her at his peril.
* ComicBook/JeanGrey embodied TheSmurfettePrinciple back in the 60s; despite her MindOverMatter powers she was more like TheTeam's [[https://kevinreviewsuncannyxmen.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/photo-17.png nurse maid]] than a ActionGirl in her own right. This all changed in the 70s, 80s and ''especially the 90s'' as apart from the whole Dark Phoenix Saga (where Jean became a CosmicEntity) Jean frequently goes on her own missions without ComicBook/{{Cyclops}} and ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} to back her up. Not to mention [[https://2.bp.blogspot.com/4ddS-YVVYJYT49nZckMWEh3Us7mBE57Nqld80i1jpbaM-f2USrA0GPlaa_8NTVAidtzuc82fk2kL=s1600 the time]] where she gave ComicBook/{{Sabretooth}} a telepathic NoHoldsBarredBeatdown.
* Similar to Jean, Wanda Maxminoff aka ComicBook/ScarletWitch wasn’t much more than another member of her father ComicBook/{{Magneto}}’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutants serving as the DesignatedGirlFight for Jean and got hit on by Mastermind and Toad. Wanda’s powers were also pretty lame as she could “alter probability” and shoot hex bolts. She became more powerful when she did a HeelFaceTurn to join The Avengers and by the time of modern comics she’s a badass RealityWarper who can kick ComicBook/DoctorStrange, [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor]], ComicBook/BlackBolt and ComicBook/DoctorDoom’s asses and can go toe to toe with [[CosmicEntity cosmic beings]] and equal TheChosenOne ComicBook/HopeSummers in a fight.
* While still starting the story as a DamselInDistress, Zelda in the Nintendo Power ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' comics ends the story by capping Ganon with a Silver Arrow. Overlaps with AdaptationalBadass.
* Shadow Lass from ''ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes''. Compare the fight with the Persuader. Some decades ago: Hides behind her shadows and cries for Mon-El to help. After-reboot: Blinds him and mops up the floor with him. (The generic setup is so similar that it well might have been an intentional lampshading.)
* Franchise/{{Superman}}:
** Occurred with ComicBook/LoisLane's ComicBook/PostCrisis reboot, though in truth it was actually a return to her Golden Age roots (in the pre-Silver Age comics, Lois was indeed quite the badass). Whereas her dominant characterization in the Silver Age had derailed her into a typical shrieking helpless damsel and in UsefulNotes/{{the Bronze Age|OfComicBooks}} it was attempted to make her TakeALevelInBadass, her revamped continuity fully restored her original badassery and gave her an [[MilitaryBrat army brat]] past to provide an origin for it, and made her highly adept at hand-to-hand combat as well as a wide range of weapons and vehicles. The ''very first'' post-crisis miniseries in which she appeared had her beating up and commandeering the machine guns of a gang of terrorists holding her and a group of socialites hostage on a yacht, while Superman lets her take care of things as he obligatorily carries the yacht to safety. Needless to say, this pretty much makes him fall for her even harder than he had already.
** InUniverse example in ''Superman'' #146 when a board game called ''King's Feud'' is reinvented as a video game called ''[[UltraSuperDeathGoreFestChainsawer3000 King's Blood Feud of Death]]'', and one of the changes is "curvaceous Princess Gwyneth is now Princess Gore, more deadly than any knight!" Superman points out that this ChainmailBikini-clad character is actually ''more'' sexist than the original DamselInDistress.
* Natasha Romanov aka ComicBook/BlackWidow originally was just a FemmeFataleSpy whose main weapon was seduction and let other people do the fighting for her. When she [[HeelFaceTurn switched]] to the good side it was [[{{Retcon}} retroactively made apparent]] that Natasha was always combat trained due to the TrainingFromHell she got in the Black Widow program along with a SuperSerum that made her OneWomanArmy super assassin capable breaking a man’s neck [[KickChick with one kick]]. The Ultimate Marvel and [=MCU=] versions ditch all her early characterization and make Nat a badass from the start, though she’s still very skilled at seducing.
* ''Comicbook/RapunzelsRevenge'' has Rapunzel lassoing villains with her hair and generally kicking ass.
* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'':
** In some alternate timelines, ComicBook/MaryJaneWatson has had spider abilities and used them as a superhero. Hell, it doesn't even have to be AlternateUniverse, as MJ gets Spidey's powers in ''ComicBook/SpiderIsland'' and in ''Superior Spider-Man 28'' [[https://www.spidermancrawlspace.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/SuperiorSpider-Man28-p.10.jpg she make good use of the web shooters]].
** Gwen Stacy [[ILetGwenStacyDie was best known for dying tragically]]. However ComicBook/SpiderGwen revamps the character into a badass ActionGirl who beats out many of the other Spider-Women with sheer popularity.
* ComicBook/KittyPryde in her debut was a TagAlongKid who mostly provided support and sneaked around with her {{Intangibility}} rather than fighting. She also needed to be frequently protected by her older teammates and [[DamselInDistress rescued]] from the likes of Caliban who tried to [[AndNowYouMustMarryMe forcibly marry her]]. Kitty gradually became more badass as comics went on including receiving training from Wolverine, one particular comic shows how deadly Kitty’s power can be as she reaches into ComicBook/EmmaFrost’s chest and [[AndShowItToYou rips out her heart]]. In ''ComicBook/AllNewXMen'' Kitty becomes TheLeader of the X-Men herself which is a far cry from TheBabyOfTheBunch she once was.
* ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk'': Betty Ross was a pretty standard Lois Lane-esque figure when she first appeared, being the sweet LoveInterest and [[DamselInDistress Damsel]] for Bruce and a foil to her ruthless father [[GeneralRipper General Ross]]. Things changed for Betty in TheSeventies however as she got her own transformation [[SuperPoweredEvilSide Harpy]] who could match the Hulk in strength, and even when she lost that transformation she was still more badass than before [[CallingTheOldManOut standing up to her father at her wedding with Bruce]]. In modern comics Betty became Red She-Hulk who was strong enough to destroy an [[EarthShatteringKaboom entire freaking planet]] with a clash with her former love Bruce, which is a far cry from the harmless DaddysGirl of the 60s.
** In ''ComicBook/TheUltimates'' Betty got AdaptationalJerkass first and then became the Ultimate ComicBook/SheHulk much sooner than her mainstream counterpart got her own Hulk form. Although unlike 616 Betty who joins Bruce's ''[[ComicBook/ImmortalHulk United States Hulk Operations]]'' as Red Harpy, Ultimate Betty gets depowered and held captive by SHIELD for the duration of the universe.

* ''ComicBook/SuperMarioAdventures'': Princess Peach, ordinarily the DesignatedVictim of ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'', is an asskicker on par with (if not greater than) Mario himself. She's just about unstoppable until Bowser resorts to [[HypnotizeTheCaptive hypnosis]].

* ComicBook/WonderWoman underwent this ComicBook/PostCrisis; while she was already a superhero, the [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1987 80's version of the character]] played up her Amazon Warrior roots and even has her killing some of her foes. The [[ComicBook/WonderWoman2011 2011]] Post-ComicBook/{{Flashpoint}} reboot takes this up a notch by ratcheting up the Amazon warrior aspect even further.

* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'': Amy Rose was kidnapped in her first video game appearance in ''VideoGame/SonicCD''. She was given a [[DropTheHammer Piko Piko Hammer]] in ''VideoGame/SonicTheFighters'' then ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' and was more than capable of taking care of herself. Prior to that, she had a mild form of this. Her InformedAbility of being a spunky tomboy who could fend for herself started coming into light with the SpinOff games. Though she's [[GirlinessUpgrade gotten less tomboyish]] over the years, this trait being passed to newer female characters like [[VideoGame/SonicRush Blaze]] and [[VideoGame/SonicBoom Sticks]]. ''VideoGame/SonicSuperstars'' would retroactively have Amy go on adventure with Sonic and his friends sometime before ''Adventure''.

[[caption-width-right:350:[[WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs Left]]: Franchise/DisneyPrincess. [[Film/SnowWhiteAndTheHuntsman Right]]: LadyOfWar]]

** Downplayed with Tifa.[[GameplayAndStorySegregation Gameplay-wise]], she’s always been a badass fighter, but the original game and other media focused more on her gentle qualities being the TeamMom and LivingEmotionalCrutch to her LoveInterest Cloud. Tifa’s only cutscene fight in the original game was a [[WimpFight girly slap fight]] with Scarlet and in actual bouts she tends to get [[TheWorfEffect clobbered]] (e.g her fight with Loz in ''Anime/AdventChildren''). In the remake, Tifa’s martial arts badassery is much more apparent. In various cutscenes, she pulls of all kinds of crazy feats like sending Eligor flying with her SuperStrength and can destroy Shinra mechs with a single punch.

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'': Amy Rose was kidnapped in her first video game appearance in ''VideoGame/SonicCD''. She was given a [[DropTheHammer Piko Piko Hammer]] in ''VideoGame/SonicTheFighters'' then ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' and was more than capable of taking care of herself. Prior to that, she had a mild form of this. Her InformedAbility of being a spunky tomboy who could fend for herself started coming into light with the SpinOff games. Though she's [[GirlinessUpgrade gotten less tomboyish]] over the years, this trait being passed to newer female characters like [[VideoGame/SonicRushSeries Blaze]] and [[VideoGame/SonicBoom Sticks]].

* Chun-Li in ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'' was only fighting to avenge her father's death. If she wins the tournament she spends the rest of her life as [[IJustWantToBeNormal "an ordinary girl."]] [[CapcomSequelStagnation Subsequent rereleases]] show that she got tired of that VERY quickly and became a police officer. Then ''VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha'' retconned it further, showing she was a member of Interpol long before the Street Fighter 2 tournament. At some point she does retire, only to come out to [[MamaBear rescue the children she adopted]] before ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIII''.
* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros''
** Princess Peach actually goes through this a lot when she's not the DamselInDistress, generally keeping her girliness unlike other adaptations. While she's on the receiving end of a kidnapping a lot in the main series, save for those times when she's playable like ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2'', ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld'' as well as ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRun'' once you rescue her, partaking in the action. In spin-offs, however, she shows herself as a very strong and capable fighter. The ''Mario + Rabbids'' games has her actively fighting alongside the Mario Bros with a literal shotgun and cannon equipped ParasolOfPain and even gave her a BigDamnHeroes moment where she saved her allies from being frozen and in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG'', while she is captured for a portion of the game, as soon as you rescue her, she joins your team and quickly proves to be a vital asset to the party with her healing magic and status effect attacks as well has her signature FryingPanOfDoom, CombatHandFan and brutal GloveSlap. The ''VideoGame/PaperMario'' series tends to make her a helpful character even when captive, causing trouble for Mario's enemies as a SpannerInTheWorks and helping from afar in the final battles with her magic and she's even outright playable in ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'' where she is portrayed as a DeadpanSnarker ActionGirl. In ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' she is an exceptionally powerful fighter for her weight class and [[FightingClown odd fighting style]]. The biggest version of this however, would be in ']VideoGame/SuperPrincessPeach'' (her first starring role) where as soon as she learns that Bowser had taken over her kingdom again and captured the Mario Bros. and her subjects, she goes into a fit of rage and solos Bowser and his army with nothing but her magical ParasolOfPain, her butt and her new-found power of emotion, ending up saving her kingdom all by herself. Not bad for being the DamselInDistress.

** Princess Daisy. When she was first introduced in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioLand'', she was actually portrayed as a DamselInDistress where she is kidnapped by the evil alien Tatanga, and Mario had to defeat the alien to save her. Now, she's a TomboyPrincess who appears in various spinoff games alongside Peach and prefers competing in sporting events more.

* [[ComicBook/CarolDanvers Carol Danvers]] while she always an Air Force officer, she was still frequently the DamselInDistress for Mar-vell to save. However after getting infused with Kree DNA thanks to a explosion (this was retconed later with Carol always being a HalfHumanHybrid whose powers were awakened) turning her into a FlyingBrick ComicBook/MsMarvel. Carol got further powered up in X-Men where she got her Binary SuperMode and nowadays as Captain Marvel she’s one of the most powerful characters capable of wielding an Infinity Stone and knocking ComicBook/{{Thanos}} on his ass.

* Franchise/WonderWoman underwent this ComicBook/PostCrisis; while she was already a superhero, the [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1987 80's version of the character]] played up her Amazon Warrior roots and even has her killing some of her foes. The [[ComicBook/WonderWoman2011 2011]] Post-ComicBook/{{Flashpoint}} reboot takes this up a notch by ratcheting up the Amazon warrior aspect even further.

* Women wrestlers often debut as valets or managers to male superstars, before eventually making the transition to in-ring competitor. {{Wrestling/Naomi}}, Wrestling/SummerRae, {{Wrestling/Carmella}} and even further back with {{Wrestling/Jacqueline}} mentioned above all debuted as valets but became wrestlers full-time.

* ''Series/{{Cursed}}'':

* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5276798/1/Kairi-Gaiden Kairi Gaiden]]'' does this to Kairi during ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII''. Instead of getting rescued by Pluto and spending the game talking to the Twilight Town trio, she goes on her own adventure, earning her own Keyblade (instead of being handed it by Riku), honing the fighting skills she gained from her time trapped in Sona's body, and fighting a new foe.

* Taken to hilarious extremes in [=ComicsNix=]'s [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgxrYH6xbTU Bella Swan]]: [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5674909/1/Bella-Swan-Pregnant-and-Furious Pregnant and Furious]], which basically treats ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' like ''Fanfic/ThirtyHs'' treats ''Franchise/HarryPotter''. Probably justified, since she made a DealWithTheDevil.
* ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'' has the canonical examples of Lady Sif, Pepper Potts (though a more downplayed example, as she hasn't - yet - been infected with Extremis or got her own suit), [[ComicBook/ScarletWitch Wanda Maximoff]], and [[ComicBook/WonderWoman Diana]].

** All of the [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Mane Six]] were already badass heroines in canon, but of them all, only Twilight/Amicitia became an Alicorn. Here, all of the Mane Six have additional powers and skills that their canon counterparts do not have. And not only does Twilight/Amicitia become an Alicorn, but the rest of the Mane Six Ascend, too.
*** Twilight Sparkle was already a badass mage even before becoming an Alicorn, and after her transformation, she became powerful enough to ''take on Tirek and fight him to a standstill''. The Codexverse version of her takes every single accomplishment made in canon and expands on it; before her Ascension, she and her friends ''purified a Disorder Lord'' (a huge feat especially for a mortal). During her fight with Tirek, it's noted a huge portion of her power came from both herself and Cadence despite being also empowered by Celestia and Luna... and Twilight was just a ''demigoddess'' at the time. Even [[BigGood Luminiferous]], himself an ancient god, stated her potential is so immense it rivals his when he was at her age. Then she becomes ''more'' powerful when she Ascends to true godhood during the "League of Domination Crisis" [[spoiler:which saw her becoming the divine {{Reincarnation}} of Mana Equus, Equinekind's first goddess of Magic and the one who granted Equinekind the ability to use magic]]. Since then, she has become the Princess equivalent of an EmperorScientist, spreading friendship while creating (or advocating the creation of) various technologies and spells.

** In [=G1=] canon, Glory was a young Unicorn who could teleport herself and others by "wishing", though one [=G1=] comic depicted her using magic comet rays to save Sparkler after the latter was turned invisible by a flower necklace. Here, it's revealed that Glory's magic is fueled by belief -- the stronger her beliefs are, the stronger her spells become, which explains how she ended up in a Human kingdom far away from home. After training under [[{{Seers}} Prince Stella Fictor Cahaya]], Glory Ascends to godhood and becomes the Alicorn goddess of Magic, Belief, and Friendship, though she goes further by turning an eldritch goddess during the "Cosmic Prophet Debacle" thanks to Caelum Filum's influence. She's also a swordsmare whose chosen weapon is a divinely-made rapier named ''Majestic'', created by her friend, Princess Magic Star/Magicum.
** Rarity of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyG3'' was a Unicorn filly armed with a Rainbow Wand, which had the power to create rainbows and restore colors. Here, in addition to her canon abilities, Rarity eventually Ascends to godhood under Luminiferous' tutelage as the Alicorn Princess Arcus, and becomes one of both Unicornia and Ponyland's major defenders, earning the [[VillainRespect respect]] of the Third Age's [[TheEmpire Old Cryptan Empire]] at the time. At the end of the Third Age, when the Oceanaiads enacted their suicidal gambit, Rarity/Arcus absorbed the ''entire'' Rainbow Nexus into herself and miraculously survived, in the process empowering herself so drastically that she is presently equal to Luminiferous in both age and divine power. Of note, shortly after her aforementioned deed, Rarity/Arcus tested her powers and discovered a casual blast obliterated ''a nearby mountain''.
** Pillow Talk was only featured in one [=G1=] Pony toy set called the "Slumber Party Gift Pack", with not even a backstory card to her name. In the Codexverse, she starts off as a sleep-talking filly with powerful Dream magic until she made her first kill while protecting the foals of Paradise of Estate from a Dream Demon. Under the tutelage of the Somareia and later Somarenus himself, she becomes a capable heroine who helped her fellow Paradise Ponies combat many threats of the First Age, including the Hydianites. While she was left psychologically broken when the Hydianites captured and tortured her, she was able to bounce back thanks to her friends and family's support, later Ascending to godhood as the Alicorn goddess of Dreams, Sleep, and Protection. In the Third Age, she participated in the "Abyssal Wars" and helped fight the [[EldritchAbomination Abyssal Ones]], which transformed her into an eldritch goddess due to the Abyssal Ones' sheer eldritch presence and power.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosMovie'' does this to Princess Peach. In the [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros games]], she's usually ''the'' DamselInDistress, (when she's not a playable fellow heroine like in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2'' ,''VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld'', ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRun'', and especially ''VideoGame/SuperPrincessPeach'' where everyone else was out of commission and she saved her kingdom all by herself), otherwise usually being conflict-adverse and a passive figure. She's also a well defined soft-spoken GirlyGirl ([[GirlyGirlWithATomboyStreak with a tomboy streak]]). Here, right from the get-go, she's a more confident, outspoken, and assertive active ruler, actively planning to stop Bowser of her own initiative and even joining Mario to take the fight to the Koopa King. And, outfits shared with the games aside, [[TomboyPrincess more of a Tomboy than a Girly Girl]].

** Princess Peach actually goes through this a lot when she's not the DamselInDistress, generally keeping her girliness unlike other adaptations. While she's on the receiving end of a kidnapping a lot in the main series, save for those times when she's playable like ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2'' ,''VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld'' as well as ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRun'' once you rescue her, partaking in the action. In spin-offs, however, she shows herself as a very strong and capable fighter. The ''Mario + Rabbids'' games has her actively fighting alongside the Mario Bros with a literal shotgun and cannon equipped ParasolOfPain and even gave her a BigDamnHeroes moment where she saved her allies from being frozen and in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG'', while she is captured for a portion of the game, as soon as you rescue her, she joins your team and quickly proves to be a vital asset to the party with her healing magic and status effect attacks as well has her signature FryingPanOfDoom, CombatHandFan and brutal GloveSlap. The ''VideoGame/PaperMario'' series tends to make her a helpful character even when captive, causing trouble for Mario's enemies as a SpannerInTheWorks and helping from afar in the final battles with her magic and she's even outright playable in ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'' where she is portrayed as a DeadpanSnarker ActionGirl. In ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' she is an exceptionally powerful fighter for her weight class and [[FightingClown odd fighting style]]. The biggest version of this however, would be in ']VideoGame/SuperPrincessPeach'' (her first starring role) where as soon as she learns that Bowser had taken over her kingdom again and captured the Mario Bros. and her subjects, she goes into a fit of rage and solos Bowser and his army with nothing but her magical ParasolOfPain, her butt and her new-found power of emotion, ending up saving her kingdom all by herself. Not bad for being the DamselInDistress.

* Similar to Jean, Wanda Maxminoff aka ComicBook/ScarletWitch wasn’t much more than a token DarkChick for her father ComicBook/{{Magneto}}’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutants serving as the DesignatedGirlFight for Jean and got hit on by Mastermind and Toad. Wanda’s powers were also pretty lame as she could “alter probability” and shoot hex bolts. She became more powerful when she did a HeelFaceTurn to join The Avengers and by the time of modern comics she’s a badass RealityWarper who can kick ComicBook/DoctorStrange, [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor]], ComicBook/BlackBolt and ComicBook/DoctorDoom’s asses and can go toe to toe with [[CosmicEntity cosmic beings]] and equal TheChosenOne ComicBook/HopeSummers in a fight.

** From the same franchise, [[Characters/FriendshipIsMagicRainbowDash Rainbow]] [[SelfDemonstrating/RainbowDash Dash]]. In her previous incarnation, she was [[TheFashionista a fashionista]][[note]]Rainbow Dash [[MemeticMutation always dresses in style]].[[/note]] who lives in a [[SugarBowl cutesy world]] without any real danger. ''Friendship is Magic's'' Rainbow Dash, on the other hand, [[SuperSpeed is the fastest flier in Equestria]], [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu kicked a dragon in the face]], and is a JerkWithAHeartOfGold, ActionGirl, and G-rated [[TheLadette Ladette]] all in one, [[BadassAdorable cute yet badass]] package. There's a reason why she's the partial TropeNamer for TwentyPercentMoreAwesome.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosMovie'' does this to Princess Peach. In the [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros games]], she's usually ''the'' DamselInDistress, and even when she isn't being kidnapped, she's usually conflict-adverse and is a passive figure. Here, right from the get-go, she's a more confident and capable ruler, actively planning to stop Bowser of her own initiative and even joining Mario to take the fight to the Koopa King.

** Princess Peach goes through this a lot. Sure, she's on the recieving end of a kidnapping a lot in the main series, save for those times when she's playable like ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2'' ,''VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld'' as well as Super Mario Run once you rescue her. In spin-offs, however, she shows herself as a very strong and capable fighter. The Mario + Rabbids games has her actively fighting alongside the Mario Bros with a literal shotgun and cannon equipped ParasolOfPain and even gave her a BigDamnHeroes moment where she saved her allies from being frozen. In Super Mario RPG, while she is captured for a portion of the game, as soon as you rescue her, she joins your team and quickly proves to be a vital asset to the party with her healing magic and status effect attacks as well has her signature FryingPanOfDoom, CombatHandFan and brutal GloveSlap. The ''VideoGame/PaperMario'' series tends to make her a helpful character even when captive, causing trouble for Mario's enemies as a SpannerInTheWorks and helping from afar in the final battles with her magic. She's even outright playable in ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'' where she is portrayed as a DeadpanSnarker ActionGirl. In ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' she is an exceptionally powerful fighter for her weight class and [[FightingClown odd fighting style]]. The biggest version of this however, would be in Super Princess Peach ( her first starring role) where as soon as she learns that Bowser had taken over her kingdom again and captured the Mario Bros and her subjects, she goes into a fit of rage and solos Bowser and his army with nothing but her magical ParasolOfPain, her butt and her new-found power of emotion. Not bad for being the DamselInDistress.

* Although Fiona is an original character, ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'' does this to the PrincessClassic, DamselInDistress and SaveThePrincess tropes themselves by having her practice kung fu.

** In [=G1=] canon, Magic Star was the leader and Team Mom of the Dream Valley Ponies, though her toy's backcard implies she has magic powers, too. Here, she's a powerful [[TheArchmage Archmage]] capable of wielding powerful sorcery, as well as ''the'' greatest enchantress and [[UltimateBlacksmith wand-maker]] on the planet, though she's skilled enough to have created multiple non-wand artifacts over the Ages. She also re-Ascended [[spoiler:as the divine reincarnation of Plasmatio Equus, one of the [[TheOldGods Thirteen Empyreans]]]], which made her even ''more'' powerful and granted her a new domain in Creation [[spoiler:which Plasmatio was also a goddess of in life]].

** Pillow Talk was only featured in one [=G1=] Pony toy set called the "Slumber Party Gift Pack", with not even a backstory card to her name. In the Codexverse, she starts off as a sleep-talking filly with powerful Dream magic until she made her first kill while protecting the foals of Paradise of Estate from a Dream Demon. Under the tutelage of the Somareia and later Somarenus himself, she becomes a capable heroine who helped her fellow Paradise Ponies combat many threats of the First Age, including the Hydianites. While she was left psychologically broken when the Hydianites captured and tortured her, she was able bounce back thanks to her friends and family's support, later Ascending to godhood as the Alicorn goddess of Dreams, Sleep, and Protection. In the Third Age, she participated in the "Abyssal Wars" and helped fight the [[EldritchAbomination Abyssal Ones]], which transformed her into an eldritch goddess due to the Abyssal Ones' sheer eldritch presence and power.

* In ''Series/TheNewAdventuresOfRobinHood'', Marian is a full-blown Series/{{Xena}} clone, even down to her outfit and [[WhipItGood whip]].

** Princess Peach goes through this a lot. Sure, she's on the recieving end of a kidnapping a lot in the main series, save for those times when she's playable like ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2'' ,''VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld'' as well as Super Mario Run once you rescue her. In spin-offs, however, she shows herself as a very strong and capable fighter. The Mario + Rabbids games has her actively fighting alongside the Mario Bros with a literal shotgun and cannon equipped ParasolOfPain and even gave her a BigDamnHeroes moment where she saved her allies from being frozen. In Super Mario RPG, while she is captured for a portion of the game, as soon as you rescue her, she joins your team and quickly proves to be a vital asset to the party with her healing magic and status effect attacks as well has her signature FryingPanOfDoom, CombatHandFan and brutal GloveSlap. The ''VideoGame/PaperMario'' series tends to make her a helpful character even when captive, causing trouble for Mario's enemies as a SapnnerInTheWorks and helping from afar in the final battles with her magic. She's even outright playable in ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'' where she is portrayed as a DeadpanSnarker ActionGirl. In ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' she is an exceptionally powerful fighter for her weight class and [[FightingClown odd fighting style]]. The biggest version of this however, would be in Super Princess Peach ( her first starring role) where as soon as she learns that Bowser had taken over her kingdom again and captured the Mario Bros and her subjects, she goes into a fit of rage and solos Bowser and his army with nothing but her magical ParasolOfPain, her butt and her new-found power of emotion. Not bad for being the DamselInDistress.

** The titular Princess Zelda has progressively become more active in the games as the series went on. Originally just a classic DistressedDamsel, in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'' she gained the badass alter-ego Sheik, who admittedly didn't do much against the actual BigBad. But in the later games, starting with ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker Wind Waker]]'', it became her schtick to fire Light Arrows at Ganon during the final battle, and in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSpiritTracks Spirit Tracks]]'' she even [[spoiler:helps Link push his sword into Malladus' head]]. ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword Skyward Sword]]'' has her [[spoiler:spending most of the game entombed in crystal and serving as a DistressedDamsel again at the very end, but the first part has her getting all the way through one and a half major areas by herself before getting caught and needing Impa's help for bodyguard services, not to mention her backstory]].

* While still starting the story as a DistressedDamsel, Zelda in the Nintendo Power ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' comics ends the story by capping Ganon with a Silver Arrow. Overlaps with AdaptationalBadass.