Hollywood generally relies on male leads to carry big-budget films. Nevertheless, 2016 closed with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story a huge success in cinemas, with Felicity Jones playing the lead character Jyn Erso. 2017 will also see the release of a new Wonder Woman film starring Gal Gadot in the title role; this will be the first feature film of the revived DC or Marvel franchises to centre on a female superhero.

Written fiction has much deeper traditions of powerful and heroic female characters. Even so, the impact of Rogue One and Wonder Woman may give female-led action titles a higher profile, both inside and outside the fantasy genre.

We’ve compiled a selection of images in line with this trend!

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Featured Image: AA1603009