The femme fatale is an eternally compelling character trope, most usually associated with the noir genre, though its roots stretch as far back as storytelling goes. Traditionally, these women occupy villainous roles, using seduction and underhanded tactics to manipulate powerful, and, more importantly, gullible men to do their bidding.
The modern femme fatale still uses her wiles to ensnare her targets, but that is no longer her only weapon, nor is she always villainous. This new fatal lady fights and kills on the front lines, right there with the men. She is the ultimate enemy of carelessness and can handle herself when the final action scene arrives.
10 Xenia Onatopp Has Legs To Die For
Former Soviet Air Force pilot Xenia Onatopp is the secondary antagonist in GoldenEye, Pierce Brosnan's first outing as James Bond. She serves in the upper ranks of the film's criminal syndicate Janus, which seeks to destabilize western powers in the era soon after the fall of the USSR.
While Xenia is initially depicted as seducing high-ranking military officials, her weapon of choice is revealed as she assassinates a Canadian admiral with only her legs. Between her expert piloting skills and thighs powerful enough to shatter someone's ribs, this mid-'90s action villain is a force to be reckoned with.
9 Mal's Power Grows After Death
Even though she dies long before Inception begins, Mal Cobb remains the main threat to the film's main cast. In Inception, she functions as both a warning and a threat, a memory in a world defined by thought.
Mal is the personification of her husband, Dom Cobb's, guilt and her hold on him grows the longer he dreams. She continually follows Dom in dreams and has access to all of his thoughts, bringing chaos into carefully plotted thought-heists. Any foreknowledge he has is instantly used against the team, so she makes a highly compartmentalized organization an absolute must.
8 Ava Analyzes And Kills Without Compunction
For most of Ex Machina, Ava, a highly advanced artificial intelligence, is the subject of a secret Turing test, her creator hoping she will prove her ability to seem convincingly human. Most of her scenes have the gynoid exploring her isolated living quarters, a glass-walled, glorified jail cell, until she makes a powerful connection with the film's protagonist, the naive and frightened Caleb.
Through Ava's subtle urging, Caleb begins to see the injustice underlying her existence, eventually freeing her from her captivity. Released from her cell, Ava slaughters her creator, Nathan, smoothly slipping a knife into his abdomen. Her ultimate cruelty is left for Caleb, who she leaves to die, locked inside the facility that birthed her.
7 Mystique is the Ultimate Infiltrator
Before she was recast with Jennifer Lawrence as an indecisive hero, Mystique was one of the X-Men's deadliest foes. Her original iteration, played by Rebecca Romijn, is slick, deadly, and fiercely loyal to Magneto until she is abandoned.
This original Mystique is far closer to her femme fatale origins than the Lawrence version, often using her shapeshifting abilities to seduce, kill and replace her targets. As one of the world's foremost mutant terrorists, Mystique is essential to Magneto's plans, freeing her leader from a plastic prison, and even impersonating a U.S. senator.
6 Jennifer Check Is What She Was Made Into
Jennifer's Body, a deeply underrated horror film, tells the tragic story of Jennifer Check, a popular high school student turned succubus at the hands of a satanic rock band. She uses her superhuman abilities, including strength, speed, flight, and seductive charms, to entrap and devour her victims.
After her conversion, Jennifer is the personification of every cruel thought about popular high school girls. She is vain, and cruel, and literally survives on others' pain, but she didn't start that way. Jennifer was made evil by cruel men looking for power. Yes, she may need to die, but that doesn't mean she deserves to.
5 Jane Smith Is The Deadlier Of Her Family
John and Jane Smith, the leads of Mr. & Mrs. Smith, are, at least on the surface, a typical American couple. However, they've forgotten their love for each other, neither trusts the other, and they often think about killing their partner. In professional assassins, they are uniquely capable of fulfilling this dark impulse.
The Smiths' relationship began as a cover, each independently selecting the other to hide them from suspicion after an assassination. When they finally realize each other's true identities, their marital conflicts morph into deadly combat, though it is clear Jane is the superior killer. Between her precise planning, personal skills, and the organization she leads, Jane is the inescapable face of death as long there is a legitimate target.
4 Black Widow Earns Her Avengers Spot
When The Avengers first came out, one of the main jokes made about the mega-hit was how ridiculous it was to have ordinary human heroes like Black Widow and Hawkeye on the team. Considering Hulk and Thor's sheer power, the critique makes some sense.
Black Widow isn't a bruiser like her teammates, though. Her primary talents lie in infiltration, investigation, and assassination. She may not be able to fly, but she can handle herself in a superhuman battle and Hydra would still be a major player without her.
3 Catwoman Came To Tame The Batman
There are few women, even in a world as impressive as the DC Comics universe, capable of making Batman miss a step; certainly none as consistently as Catwoman. Her initial film appearance, played by Michelle Pfeiffer in Tim Burton's Batman Returns, is still the golden standard for the iconic thief. However, the specifics of her characterization differ significantly from the comics.
While the print version of Catwoman is a highly skilled jewel thief, this assistant-turned-super villain is only interested in revenge on her former employer, Mac Shreck, for her murder. Armed with nine lives, retractable claws, and a bullwhip, Pfeiffer's version is far more sinister, and dangerous.
2 The Bride Takes No Prisoners
There are few action plots as compelling as a revenge story. The characters tend to show a high degree of dedication to their quest, and because of the circumstances, they take the audience along for the ride.
The Bride, the protagonist of Kill Bill, embarks on a bloodthirsty quest, chasing her former employer, Bill, immediately after waking from a coma. Despite her weakened state, the Bride declares war on her former comrades, armed with little more than her trusty katana. The Bride cuts a bloody path across the planet, only surviving due to years of martial arts training and unending grit.
1 Poison Ivy Could Conquer The World
If the Joker is Batman's most twisted opponent, Poison Ivy may be his most dangerous. Played by Uma Therman, she was the best part of Batman and Robin, partnering with the film's other villain Mr. Freeze, in a doomed plan to conquer Gotham city and the world.
Poison Ivy's abilities are some of the strongest in the Batman canon. Her primary ability to breed and control dangerous, weaponized plant life is well beyond the Dark Knight's usual scope. In line with her status as a femme fatale, Ivy can also control the mind of any man she kisses, as long as they aren't wearing rubber lips.