Buffy Summers
 These days, if someone even mentions the word "heroine" in regards to fantasy entertainment, the first character that springs to mind, for many, many fanboys, is Buffy Summers.
In no small part, one has to lay responsibility for Buffy's popularity at the feet of her creator, fanboy deity Joss Whedon. Buffy, under the pen of Whedon, was strong-willed and sassy, spewing Whedon's trademark (and sometimes tiresome) "witty" one-liners and sarcasm with fervor. Equally adept dishing out the wisecracks and the ass-whipping, it was easy to see why her show drew in viewers from a decidedly disparate audience (everything from comic book nerds to militant feminists). However, one also has to credit Sarah Michelle Gellar, whose combination of stunning good looks and clever dialogue delivery made Buffy so endearing to so many people.
In any case, the Buffy formula of choreographed action combined with realistic melodrama has become the gold standard these days for a new breed of female-driven fantasy entertainment series.
 Cassandra Hughes
The breakout success of Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer resulted in, unsurprisingly, a considerable number of thinly-veiled rip-offs. At first glance, SkyOne's series Hex would seem to be the newest in that unoriginal parade. However, according to the BBC, the series' creator is well aware of how it seems on paper (the main character, Cassie, is a blond schoolgirl who clashes with both school cliques and fallen angels; sound familiar?) and we're here to tell you, Hex has developed into a much more mature, adult-oriented show than Whedon's magnum opus.
And by adult-oriented, we're talking about girl-on-girl action and smatterings of nudity. You can do that on TV in the rest of the Western world, after all.
That said, Hex's maturity extends beyond the more overt sexual references and nudity: whereas Buffy portrayed good and evil in terms of folklore references (vampires, werewolves, etc.), Hex spins it as a battle between Heaven and Hell, managing to incorporate Christianity without feeling preachy. The fact that its lead actress is quite the beauty is just icing on the cake.
also on the list: Batgirl, Catwoman, Lara Croft, Wonder Woman, Hermione Granger...
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