“Always keep your bowler on in time of stress and watch out for diabolical masterminds.” — Emma Peel to John Steed in The Forget-Me-Knot

It really would be a travesty to discuss kick-ass heroines without bringing up Emma Peel from The Avengers. To quote the Z.Z. von Schnerk character from one of The Avengers episodes, Emma Peel is:

“. . . a woman of courage, beauty and of action. A woman who could become desperate yet remain strong, become confused yet remain intelligent, who could fight back yet remain feminine.”

Emma Peel paved the way for so many of today’s strong heroines in movies, TV shows and books. Unlike so many female characters before and after her, Peel was admired because she could show weakness without being considered a weak character and could be rescued as well as do the rescuing.

Even more interesting, according to Francis Hui, Rigg and Steed used to write their own witty dialogue. As a married woman, Mrs. Peel came across as sexually experienced and was yet not defined solely by her sexuality. Becca at Pop Culture Heroines points out that Peel was “a force to be reckoned with; smart, beautiful and capable.” What more could a girl ask for?