We ranked action movie heroes by lesbianism, so it’s only natural we’d do villains next. Turns out that when it comes to villains, it was even more difficult to differentiate between characters we could make compelling gay arguments for and characters we’re simply horny for. Gays! We love our villains!
The same rules apply to this list that apply to the heroes list: We’re sticking to films only, so you won’t find TV characters below, and for any characters who also appear in television shows, we’re only really taking their film narratives into consideration.
We tried to remain pretty specific about the genre of action. There are a lot of great queer and queer coded villains in thrillers, horror, noir, etc. Those are not included below, so for example, Basic Instinctis not an action movie.
33. Mai and Katya, Live Free or Die Hard and Die Hard With a Vengeance)
The Die Hard franchise loves to give its main villains second-in-command girlfriends, but those girlfriends never seem as interested in their man so much as in kicking ass, doing murder, and out-maneuvering men.
32. Elektra King, The World Is Not Enough
The real dyke of this film is Dr. Christmas Jones as played by Denise Richards, but she isn’t an antagonist here. Elektra King, on the other hand, is one of the many women trying to kill Bond who Bond sleeps with before he realizes that. Anyway, a lot of the villainous Bond Girls have bisexual energy, but Elektra definitely seems 0% interested in Bond. To be fair, I think she’s only interested in oil and money. But the way she gleefully wields her control over men while completely indifferent to them makes her quite the evil power dyke in my book.
31. Elle Driver, Kill Bill
You might claim that Elle and The Bride’s obsession with each other hinges on Bill, but I, an intellectual, posit that it’s actually an extremely homoerotic mutual obsession and that Bill has nothing to do with it.
30. Minister Mason, Snowpiercer
A lesbian who subscribes to violent hierarchies, but a lesbian nonetheless.
29. Ms. Gradenko, Spy Kids
Anyone associated with Alan Cumming’s Floop is queer, including Thumb Thumbs, obviously. Teri Hatcher might not have a ton of screen-time in Spy Kids, but she delivers a deliciously campy performance as Ms. Gradenko, who has evil lesbian mommy vibes and sports what I suppose we could classify as an alternative lifestyle haircut at the end of the film.
28. Lori, Total Recall
The way she carries that knife in her sock? The way she fights in that POWER SUIT? Evil femme dyke vibes. And her PRETENDING to be in a relationship with Schwarzenegger? Comphet, anyone?
27. O-Ren Ishii, Kill Bill
This list obviously had to have multiple sword lesbians on it. I think it’s easy to read some sort of past intimacy onto O-Ren’s dynamic with The Bride — if not romantic, then at least deeply platonic. The Bride reacts to killing her more emotionally than she does with others, and the two seem to have a deep respect for each other, and okay, fine, I may have read a fic that left an imprint.
26. Effie Trinket, The Hunger Games
Effie Trinket is the kind of lesbian who would get gay married at Disney.
25. T-X, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
She’s a murderous robot, but she’s also a lesbian, which sure, there isn’t necessarily textual evidence to support, but the universe’s first Terminatrix surely has to be at least a little dyke of center.
24. Scarlet Witch, Marvel Cinematic Universe
There are a few characters on this list who have shifted between the identities of hero and villain (queer in and of itself, if you ask me!!!), including Scarlet Witch. In the MCU, her whole arc with Vision really does have an air of sapphic tragedy to it.
23. Marissa Wiegler, Hanna
Well, she’s played by the gayest straight woman alive, Cate Blanchett, let’s start there. Then let’s add she’s an evil power lesbian with a short haircut.
22. Cipher, The Fate of the Furious
Of all the many gay and gay-coded Charlize Theron characters, Cipher and her dreadlocks are the ones I’d least like to claim. Alas, lesbians aren’t all Furiosa. Some are bad people — some even have bad haircuts.
21. Dark Phoenix, X-Men: The Last Stand
Dark Phoenix the standalone film is almost unwatchably bad, and I’m not sure there’s a super strong case for that version of Dark Phoenix to be considered queer. But Famke Janssen’s iteration of the villainous side of Jean Grey in X-Men: The Last Stand, on the other hand, has a certain repressed dyke air about her. The Last Stand isn’t great, but it is one of the most explicit X-Men movies about mutants as an overt metaphor for homosexuality.
20. Poison Ivy, Batman and Robin
Since this is movies, I’ll try not to be impacted by Harley Quinn where she’s literally in a lesbian relationship. Still, have you SEEN Batman and Robin? Sure she flirts with the boys to get her way, but she’s literally an environmentalist who fights men to protect plant life.
19. Hela, Thor: Ragnarok
That’s some lesbian rage if I’ve ever seen it. Plus, her commitment to a headpiece is simply not the kind of commitment a heterosexual would make.
18. Irma Vep, Les Vampires
Not only did she inspire a gay movie and a gay show, Musidora’s original female villain was plenty gay herself. Sure, she marries a man. But the man’s name is Venomous! That doesn’t really take away from her gay energy.
17. Doctor Octopus, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
The action heroes list ranked by lesbian had one animated character, so we thought we’d include one here, too. Voiced by Kathryn Hahn, this take on Doc Ock is very gay. Before she transforms into Doc Ock, she looks like a lesbian art teacher.
16. Xenomorph, Alien
A single mom who works two jobs who loves her kids and never stops going head-to-head with the dykiest person around whether that’s Ripley or… Predator.
15. Maleficent, Maleficent
A misunderstood creature played by Angelina Jolie? Does mommi v. mommi in the sequel? Has wings??
14. Ravenna/Evil Queen, Snow White and the Huntsman
I do wish the movie leaned even MORE into its overt homoeroticism, but between Ravenna draining young women of their youthful energy to her obsession with eating Snow White’s heart, that’s an evil lesbian (who you kinda want to root for?! Snow White is so boring in these, which is no fault of K.Stew!).
13. Rita Repulsa, Power Rangers
The stunty, cunty name alone! But also remember in the live-action film when she terrorized a jewelry store? That was her saying jewelry stores are spaces that enforce and reproduce heterosexual fantasy. Rita Repulsa is basically a lesbian-feminist scholar. She’s also representation for long-nailed femmes.
12. Jen Yu, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
Jade Fox’s mentee Jen Yu literally ran away from home so she could avoid an arranged marriage and thwarts society’s expectations of her at every turn. She cross-dresses at one point and loves nothing more than her sword. Gay!
11. Marraine, Wingwomen
Everyone in this movie feels so gay, even the characters who aren’t explicitly gay. The way Marraine won’t let Carole quit on her is giving possessive dyke.
10. Mystique, X-Men
I am going with Rebecca Romijn’s version of the character rather than Jennifer Lawrence’s (Lawrence brings such a straight vibe to all of her roles, which is why Katniss didn’t make the heroes list). Romijn brings a certain sapphic sadness alongside her very sexy performance as Mystique. Shape-shifting and being able to embody multiple genders at once is inherently pretty queer! And Mystique and Magneto’s dynamic in those early X-Men films feels very toxic dyke/toxic fag besties who would turn on each other in a heartbeat.
9. Xenia Onatopp, GoldenEye
She is known…for scissoring…men to death.
8. Black Queen of Sogo, Barbarella
I mean, even a straight woman would probably want to fuck Jane Fonda in Barbarella because her hotness defies labels, but it probably requires a lesbian to refer to her exclusively as “Pretty Pretty” while trying to do so.
7. Typhoid, Elektra
A goth villain whose means of attack is a kiss? She just haaaas to kiss Jennifer Garner as part of her villainy? Come on now, doesn’t get gayer than this.
6. Harley Quinn, Birds of Prey
While it’s grappled with more in the animated series than the live action Margot Robbie iterations of the character, Birds of Prey does technically textually acknowledge the character’s bisexuality. Plus, Joker/Harley is just like textbook bi4bi chaos.
5. Roxy Richter, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Textually bi-furious Roxy Richter is Ramona Flower’s most fun evil ex if you ask me! She’s fueled by gay rage! Iconic!
4. The Adjudicator, John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum
A (textually!) nonbinary baddie who wears the fuck out of coats, The Adjudicator as played by Asia Kate Dillon is a standout character in the third installment of the John Wick films. Plus a neck tattoo that translates from German to EMPATHY? Def a queer person who claims to be an empath.
3. Lucy Diamond, D.E.B.S.
The best character in D.E.B.S. is its chaotic lesbian villain Lucy Diamond. Sorry to Australia.
2. Madison Lee, Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle
I realize it’s probably a little controversial to put Madison Lee ahead of more overtly canonically queer characters, but I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: The queer subtext of Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle is SO CLOSE to being main text. You really can’t miss it! All the Angels want to fuck her! She has sexual chemistry with every single one of them!!!
1. Jobu Tupaki, Everything Everywhere All At Once
Jobu Tupaki was pretty much forged by Joy’s queer identity — or, more specifically, her mother’s expectations of her as a daughter and how queerness is at odds with them. With her dildo weapons, glamorous fits, and a whole lot of queer rage, Jobu Tupaki is an iconic drag dyke.