History ActionGirl / TheDCU

* ''Series/{{Smallville}}'': ComicBook/LoisLane, probably helped by her MilitaryBrat status. Most of the female superheroes (like ComicBook/BlackCanary and Comicbook/{{Supergirl}}) obviously qualify as well. [[CombatPragmatist Tess]] [[DarkActionGirl Mercer]] after her HeelFaceTurn, as did [[TheSmartGuy Chloe]] [[MissionControl Sullivan]] after she TookALevelInBadass.

* ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'': Donna Troy and Starfire have been devastating combatants since their earliest days on the team, when they were easily its most powerful members. Both continue to kick ass regardless of which team they are currently serving with, and the Titans have since added Donna's successor as ComicBook/WonderGirl, Cassie Sandsmark, to their lineup.
* The archetypical comic book Action Girl is, of course, Diana Prince a.k.a. Franchise/WonderWoman, created for just that purpose in 1941. Not the first female superhero, but a true cultural icon and never out of print since the 40s (since until recently, if DC didn't keep making it they would lose ownership).

* ''Series/{{Arrow}}'': A number of examples-the Huntress, both versions of the Canary and Shado.
** There's also trained assassin [[DarkActionGirl Nyssa al-Ghul]], and Diggle's special forces/ A.R.G.U.S. field agent [[AmicableExes ex-wife/current-girlfriend/wife again]] Lyla Michaels.

** Vixen sums up the subject in her introductory live-action scene when she takes down a group of heavily-armed mooks one by one:

** And the count continues with Artemis, Jesse Quick, Thea Queen/Speedy, more introduced metahumans...at this point, it seems like anyone who tries to attack a random woman in the Arrowverse runs a high-risk of getting [[MuggingTheMonster their ass handed to them]] by the sheer number of butt-kicking women there are.
* ''Series/Batwoman2019'':
** Kate is quite skilled in combat.
** Ryan's a martial artist who takes up the Batwoman name and mantle.

* ''Series/{{Supergirl 2015}}'':
** The main character -Kara Zor-El/Kara Danvers alias Supergirl- is the world's strongest and most powerful woman. An important subplot deals with her becoming a hero and learning what it means while she kicks butts.
** She's aided by her adopted sister Alex, who kicks much butt as a DEO agent, and they've run into multiple female alien threats, not to mention superpowered humans Livewire and Silver Banshee. During the crossover with ''Series/{{The Flash|2014}}'' when Supergirl and the Flash faced off in a fight against the latter two, Barry joked they would settle this like women.

** Nia also turns into one upon discovering her powers and becoming Dreamer. She is taught how to fight, not only with them but by martial arts.

* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003'' Starfire and Raven are particularly awesome cases, as well as pretty much any female "Honorary Titan," such as Terra or Bumblebee.

** Franchise/WonderWoman, of course. She's introduced in ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'', where her major contribution to the film is to jump in during the climactic fight scene where she holds her own at least as well as the similarly-powered Franchise/{{Superman}}. Later on, she's one of the Film/{{Justice|League 2017}} [[Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague League]]'s best fighters.

** In ''Film/SuicideSquad2016'', there's Katana and Comicbook/HarleyQuinn (although Harley [[HeelFaceRevolvingDoor blurs the line]] between this and DarkActionGirl).

* The Bat Family has a record of having some downright awesome Action Girls (Bette Kane as the first ComicBook/{{Batgirl}} and Flamebird, Kathy Kane as the first ComicBook/{{Batwoman}}, Barbara Gordon as the second ComicBook/{{Batgirl}} and ComicBook/{{Oracle}}, Cassandra Cain as the third ComicBook/{{Batgirl|2000}}, Black Bat and Orphan, Stephanie Bown as the Spoiler, the fourth ComicBook/{{Robin}}, and 4th ComicBook/{{Batgirl|2009}}, ComicBook/{{Huntress}} and ComicBook/{{Catwoman}}, just to name a few) and tending to go through long periods where those girls are StuffedInTheFridge or misused in some other way, before [[HesBack making returns]].
* When creating Kate Kane, the second ComicBook/{{Batwoman}} introduced in ''ComicBook/FiftyTwo'', the writers were afraid that she would quickly become a FauxActionGirl, especially since, though important, she is not the hero of the story. The RealLife furor surrounding the fact that she was a gay character caught them completely by surprise (They expected a response, of course, but not nearly of the size they got) and they wanted to make sure she was more than a token-'''anything'''. As such, they wanted the few action scenes she was in to be [[RuleOfCool explicitly cool]], they did not want to just [[InformedAbility talk about how cool she was]]. To this end, when writing one fight scene they scripted it as simply [[ShowDontTell "Batwoman is finishing off the last two Intergangers with a devastating move that will have people saying 'holy ***, she's cool!'"]] When looking at the finished product, Greg Rucka observes what she is doing and points out that the injury she is causing is something "[[Franchise/{{Batman}} the Batman himself]] would think twice about before inflicting." Even before becoming Batwoman, Kate was a highly skilled cadet and boxing champion at [[MilitaryAcademy West Point.]]

[[quoteright:260:[[ComicBook/WonderWomanRebirth https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/6e4be7dd_70c3_42d5_b2c6_a94a60694c43.jpeg]]]]

** The main character -Kara Zor-El/Kara Danvers alias Supergirl- is the world's strongest and most powerful woman. An important subplot deals with her becoming an hero and learning what it means while she kicks butts.

* ComicBook/BlackCanary is a character who fluctuates between ActionGirl and FauxActionGirl, depending on the writer. Chuck Dixon and Gail Simone, in ''ComicBook/BirdsOfPrey'', were frustrated at the fact that she always seemed to end up as a victim/hostage, and devoted much of the comic to re-establishing Canary's Badass credibility. Sadly, the ''Green Arrow/Black Canary'' title ''utterly evaporated'' all that martial arts street cred.
** She regained it for a two-issue guest appearance in ''Franchise/WonderWoman'' [[ComicBook/WonderWoman2006 Vol 3]] -- written by Guess Who? Creator/GailSimone. And now she's back on Birds of Prey.

** In ''ComicBook/TheSupergirlFromKrypton'', Wonder Woman takes Kara to Themyscira with the purpose of teaching her how to control her powers and fight in preparation for her becoming a heroine.

* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans''' Starfire and Raven are particularly awesome cases, as well as pretty much any female "Honorary Titan," such as Terra or Bumblebee.

* Artemis, Batgirl, Wonder Girl, Zatanna, Miss Martian, Bumblebee, and Rocket in ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice''. Wonder Woman and Black Canary also appear in the show, as well as a minor character named Sam.

!!Franchise/TheDCU