Gallery: Geek Culture's Fiercest Female Ass-Kickers, as Picked by You
01trinity-0
We left a few key names off last month's list of [Geek Culture's 26 Most Awesome Female Ass-Kickers](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/underwire/2010/07/gallery-female-ass-kickers/) -- and boy, did we hear about it. Fans of fierce Matrix and Fifth Element heroines were especially outraged that their fave *femmes fatales* failed to get their due. "Wow," wrote commenter erikslev. "Like all the other posters \[pointed out\], where is Trinity? Where is Fifth Element? Milla? The Bride? Rosario Dawson (Sin City)? Princess Mononoke? Samus Aran? This list is missing so many more deserving characters.... You guys aren't geeks at all." Readers championed Trinity (pictured above), Leeloo and more than 50 other action chicks from movies, videogames, TV and comics. Favorites ranged from Kill Bill's sword-wielding Beatrix Kiddo (aka [The Bride](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beatrix_Kiddo)) to Street Fighter II's martial arts ass-kicker [Chun-Li](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chun-Li) and Farscape's [Aeryn Sun](http://farscape.wikia.com/wiki/Aeryn_Sun). "This list needs a sequel to fix all the omissions," wrote Wired.com commenter anothermike. Fair enough. Here are the fiercest female bassasses that you picked. Trinity ------- (above) You didn't include Trinity! She could easily have kicked the ass of any female on this list. Well, except Hit-Girl! *-- cyclone1164* Where is Trinity from *The Matrix*? She is suspiciously absent. *-- abukowski* Trinity isn't in your top 26? Really? Or did you just forget about her? *-- funnelduck* Trinity from The Matrix is like the queen of bad-ass, ass-kicking action characters. *-- awerich* I cannot believe Trinity is not even on the list. She should be in the top five! *-- grofia* Seven hardly fought anyone, so I'm at a complete loss for why Jeri Ryan got the nod and yet you left Trinity in the dust. Come on now, you listed Garner's roles twice for crying out loud. *-- CannedKarma* Trinity? Samus Aran? Motoko Kusanagi? Supergirl? Not even a mention? *-- SeasideMessenger* What about Trinity? from Matrix. *-- ranch2k* You put Catwoman and forgot Trinity? Tch tch tch but hey, still great viewing! *-- zipfox* How the \*!#\*@$ did Trinity not make the list??? *--dswersky* What about Trinity from The Matrix? *-- tbouvin* Trinity from The Matrix. End of discussion.*-- andrescm*
02fifthelement
Leeloo ------- Nobody mentioned Leeloo yet? Trinity definitely deserves to be on the list, and a small honorable mention to Miss Jupiter. I guess this is only countin' American movies and games? Lotta Japanese girls would mop the floor with most of these. *-- drunkn\_mastr* No Leeloo Multipass? Whatevs.... *-- Romanowski* Are you kidding? No Leeloo from *Fifth Element*? *-- Rah55* I still wake in the middle of the night in a cold sweat and scream, "Leeloo Dallas Multipass." *-- dedlam* Leeloo from The Fifth Element should not have been left out. I mean she is the perfect being after all. *-- unfocusedpie* Where the frak is Leeloo Dallas from The Fifth Element? *-- mekugi* Seriously? You have whiny-causes-more-problems-than-she-solves Kate in there and no Leeloo? *-- PugFugly*
03stargate-0
Samantha "Sam" Carter --------------------- What the hell? How could you leave out [Samantha Carter](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samantha_Carter) \[from *Stargate*\]? A longer run on TV than any other mentioned heroines. *-- Lazlo* When I saw this list I thought for sure Sam Carter would be on it. She's beautiful, smart and kick ass in the most hard-core ways. I mean shyte, she blew up a star. *-- AnotherEffingJoe*
04diana-rigg
Emma Peel --------- You forgot the original. Diana Rigg as Emma Peel. *--MotSnave* If you can reach back to the '70s for a cartoon like *Wonder Woman*, you could surely have reached back to the '60s for every then-young man's kick-ass wet dream: Emma Peel *-- bilmor* I'm showing my age but you have to have Emma Peel (Diana Riggs) from The Avengers in the '60s, guys! *--Patriarch* Definitely Emma Peel. Plus Janeane Garofalo as The Bowler in *Mystery Men*! *--jejackson*
05sarah-walker-0
Sarah Walker ------------ Sarah Walker from Chuck. Hot and badass! *-- whitnie12* Agent Sarah Walker ([Yvonne Strahovski](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yvonne_Strahovski)) from Chuck would definitely be at the top of my list. *-- td752*
06underworld-0
Selene ------ How about Selene in Underworld ([Kate Beckinsale](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kate_Beckinsale)). She kicked some vamp butt. *-- MsWilson* Really? No Kate Beckinsale/Underworld? *-- HP2Mav* Where the fuck is Selene from *Underworld* movies? Kate Beckinsale is amazing! She has no equal! *-- Progressive1*
07ghost-in-the-shell
Major Motoko Kusanagi --------------------- Good lord, who made up this list? Ever hear of *Ghost in the Shell*? Major Kusanagi is who you are missing! *-- hal999* Leaving out Major Motoko Kusanagi from Ghost in the Shell 1/2/SAC/SSS was a grievous error. A woman that is a leader of the most bad-ass group of Section 9's bad-ass personnel, rocks one smoking cyborg body, can take control of tech using just her mind, and can kick your ass while doing it -- and she's not on here? I mean, we're talking about the show that largely inspired The Matrix's stunts and feel. For shame, Wired, for shame. *-- JDT* You must also include Major Motoko Kusanagi (aka the Major) She's one badass Cyborg and, the squad leader for Section 9 in the Ghost in the Shell anime. She's so No. 9. She's incredible math. *-- cronjob* Motoko Kusanagi from Ghost in the Shell would kick all these chicks' ass! *-- MrEd*
08kill-bill.jpg
Beatrix Kiddo (aka The Bride) ----------------------------- How can you totally forget about the most convincing female ass-kicker of all time?! Uma Thurman in Kill Bill! *-- Karpata* Really no Uma Thurman?! All of these characters combined probably didn't rack up an ass-kicking tally like she did in Kill Bill. *-- voodoowhammy* Haha. When I saw the title of this post I knew for some reason that Beatrix Kiddo would be snubbed. I wasn't wrong. *-- FenderBender* Hey, what about Beatrix Kiddo, The Bride in Kill Bill? And, ever heard of Lady Death? *-- leogrebot*
0912-true-blood-2-bluray
Sookie Stackhouse ----------------- You missed Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), the nice Southern girl who can mix it up with vampires. *--Steve123*
10nikita
La Femme Nikita --------------- You totally missed Peta Wilson from the La Femme Nikita series. My fave female ass-kicker of all time. How could you miss her? She even said in an interview she'd beat Xena in a fight. They asked why and she said 'cos if it comes down to it, Nikita has a gun. *-- Sard9* Should have included Luc Besson's Nikita (not the shite remakes though). *-- PabloCoke*
11miho
Miho ---- Miho ([Devon Aoki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devon_Aoki)) from Sin City *--wideliner* Miho. Deadly little Miho. *--tekrep*
12hiddendragon
Yu Shu Lien ----------- Since you genre-hopped all over hell's half-acre, what about Yu Shu Lien (played by Michelle Yeoh) in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon? *--iowamike* Michelle Yeoh \[who played Yu Shu Lien in\] Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. *--dks123*
13lexx-f
Zev --- What about Zev From Lexx? She was part cluster lizard! *-- Milkcan* Another vote for Zev from Lexx! Also, where the heck is Gwen Cooper from Torchwood?!? *-- JimmyTheSnout*
14futurama-f
Leela ----- No Leela from Futurama? *--reg\_G*
Tesla’s ‘Full Self-Driving’ Becomes ‘Assisted Driving’ in Europe
The automaker has been criticized for misleading drivers with the feature’s name. Now it’s renaming it for European regulators.
Aarian Marshall
Book Publishers Are Quietly Using More AI. Staff Are Revolting
Workers at three major publishing houses tell WIRED that LLMs are being used for publicity, cover art, back cover copy, and emails, as some execs push junior staff to champion the tech.
Adam Morgan
NASA Just Made Nearly 1 TB of Artemis II Data Available to the Public
The data drop includes photographs, audio, video, and astronauts’ notes that will be used to study the moon and prepare for future human missions.
Jorge Garay
The DOJ Is Weighing Perjury Charges Against Cassidy Hutchinson
The Justice Department is considering a perjury and obstruction-of-justice case against Cassidy Hutchinson, a former White House aide who testified against Donald Trump to the January 6 committee.
Hugo Lowell
I’m Still Convinced the iPod Was the Perfect Gadget
Apple’s original music player got many things right. Chief among them: It didn’t connect to the internet.
Steven Levy
Dunking on Dating App Profiles Is Content Gold. People Are Getting Sick of It
Relationship coaches, TikTokers, and disgruntled singles alike frequently shame bad profiles, as more apps experiment with blocking screenshots.
Jason Parham
I’ve Tested the 3 Mac Desktops That Apple Makes, and There’s a Clear Winner
Apple’s Mac desktops have become some of the most sought-after computers this year, driven by surging interest in agentic AI. Here’s which model to buy depending on your use case.
Luke Larsen
The Best Battery-Powered Leaf Blowers for Taking Back Your Weekend
It’s finally time to ditch the gas canister—I tested these cordless leaf blowers on gravel, wood chips, and even a 5-pound concrete paver.
Sal Vaglica
Even Law & Order Is Terrified of AI
In its 26th season premiere, the procedural legal drama paints a damning picture of power-mad AI CEOs.
Ej Dickson
A New Mexico Community Was a Place to Build a Life. Then a Hypersonic Missile Factory Showed Up
Castelion—a next-generation defense tech company—is building a facility in Rio Rancho Estates that documents show could pose a major fire and chemical hazard to neighboring communities.
Yulia Almazova
America’s Hybrid Hype Has Hit the Used Market
Demand is so high that some used cars are selling for more than new ones.
Aarian Marshall
Top H&R Block Coupon: 25% Off DIY + Tax Pro Assist
Save over 25% when you opt for H&R Block’s free online offering, plus a tax pro review.
Molly Higgins