20 Lesser-Known Female Superheroes

Medusa and Iron Man (Image via Marvel)

7. Medusa

Medusa is kind of a big deal. First of all, she’s one of the early Inhumans. Before Kamala Khan and her generation had to come to terms with their waiting mutations, prehistoric Inhumans were already grappling with their powers. The Terrigen Mists, a natural mutating agent, arise from Terrigen Crystals. Over long centuries of experimentations, the prehistoric Inhumans developed a (mostly) responsible way to use the Mists. Along the way, the Inhumans also developed some really unfortunate ideas about eugenics and caste systems, so don’t get the idea that they’re totally perfect.

At any rate, Medusa is the result of this long tradition. Having been exposed to the Terrigen Mists at a young age, she’s had a lot of time to get used to her particular mutations. As you may have guessed by the name, Medusa has the ability to control her hair. Yes, you may think that’s kind of lame, but reconsider. Her hair, which is typically over six feet long, is preternaturally strong and controlled by Medusa’s psychokinetic abilities. Like many other Inhumans, she’s also incredibly strong, agile, and possesses considerable stamina. She can also pick your pocket with her hair.

Oh, and she’s a Queen. She’s married to her distant cousin, a fellow Inhuman named Black Bolt. In his absence, she acts as head of state and diplomat for her people. Even when Black Bolt is there, he very rarely speaks – his destructive powers are tied to the speech centers of his brain, so it’s in everyone’s best interests if he communicates through sign language instead. Oftentimes, Medusa communicates with her husband and then speaks for him.

Zatanna (Image via DC Comics)

8. Zatanna

Besides having a very cool name, Zatanna is highly skilled magician both on stage and in real life. And it’s not just the fact that she casts spells by speaking backwards. Zatanna has some serious magical cred.

She first appears in 1964’s Hawkman #4, where she’s searching for her father, Zatara, after his mysterious disappearance. Her father is a powerful magician who, we eventually find, was banished to another world. Her mother, Sindella, is a magical being from another world. In fact, Sindella is so magical that she’s a member of a different species, Homo magi.

Thanks in part to her mother, Zatanna is now one of the most powerful magic practitioners in the DC universe. The true limits of her powers are pretty vague, however. She’s able to generate energy blasts, heal herself and others, and manipulate the elements. Even when Zatanna isn’t using magic, her stage show reveals her considerable sleight of hand skills.

So, Zatanna is specially blessed by both genetics and magical training. She also has something of a romantic past with John Constantine, a cynical British occult detective. However, it’s more prudent to consider her strong magical skills than her romantic entanglements.