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The Avengers star Scarlett Johansson returns to reprise her role as Natasha Romanoff in this week's release of Black Widow (July 9). Romanoff is a force to be reckoned with, so much so that she'll now have an entire film dedicated to her origin story. It's not just Johansson, though, as she'll be joined by Florence Pugh, who will step in as a champion of Black Widow and fellow superhero, Yelena Belova.

While these two are more than enough to hold their own on-screen, let's take a peek at female superheroes that came before them:

1. Batgirl

We saw Alicia Silverstone in 1997's Batman & Robin, starring opposite George Clooney and Chris O'Donnell. We first meet Silverstone as Barbara Wilson, Alfred Pennyworth's niece, who then takes on the role of Batgirl, when donning a suit made for her by her uncle. When Batman and Robin are captured by the villainess Poison Ivy (Uma Thurman), Batgirl steps in.

2. Catwoman

In 2004's Catwoman, we see Halle Berry as Patience Phillips, who works for a cosmetic company. When Phillips is killed by drowning, washing up on shore, she is revived by an Egyptian cat. As she recovers from her injuries, she develops catlike abilities. She takes on the persona of Catwoman, to disguise her true identity, and look for the people who attacked her.

3. Rogue

In 2000's X-Men, we meet Rogue (Anna Paquin), who is one of Professor X's students. While all of the mutants stand out on their own, Rogue especially does, as her abilities leave her isolated from the rest. When she touches someone, she absorbs their life source, meaning she can never enjoy human contact. Even so, she works around it, and puts her focus on learning and fighting for survival.

4. Elektra

We first met Elektra, portrayed by Jennifer Garner, in 2003's Daredevil. In 2005, she got her very own movie, simply called Elektra. When she survives a near-death experience, she becomes an assassin-for-hire, calling on her superhuman abilities. While she may sound like a baddie, she uses her powers for good, chasing down a group of supernaturals, all the while protecting a father and his daughter. 

5. Gamora

2014's The Guardians of the Galaxy follows a ragtag group of criminals, who put their greediness aside to combat an intergalactic warrior, who is trying to take down the universe. The group is led by Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), who works with Gamora (Zoe Saldana), a former assassin. She is of an alien race, which makes her skin reptilian-like and acts as a defense for her when attacked. 

6. Harley Quinn

In 2016, we learned how Harley Quinn came to be in the action flick Suicide Squad. Margot Robbie takes on the role of Dr. Harleen Quinn, who is tending to The Joker (Jared Leto). When he grows bored of her, he tosses her into a vat of acid, which she comes out of surprisingly unharmed, but definitely changed. This new version of Quinn is not only wicked but demented. Even so, she grows a conscience.

7. Wonder Woman

We saw Wonder Woman hit the big screen in 2017, starring Gal Gadot in the title role. We learn about her upbringing as an Amazonian warrior on Paradise Island. When an American pilot (Chris Evans) crashes on the island, it's the first time she meets someone outside of her community. Once recovered, she leaves with him to visit the mainstream world. It's there where she calls on her superhuman abilities.

8. The Wasp

In 2015, Paul Rudd took on the starring role in Ant-Man. In 2018, he reprised that role for the sequel, but he had some help this time, joined by The Wasp (Evangeline Lilly). They have quite a bit in common, with both of their armor being created by scientist Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), who is also The Wasp's father. The two superheroes work together to try and track down The Wasp's mother.

9. Captain Marvel

Brie Larson stepped into the title role of Captain Marvel in 2019. She portrays a young woman, named Carol Danvers, who is a part of an alien species, Kree, which are noble warrior heroes. Her superhuman abilities are called on when Earth gets caught in the middle of a galactic war. While she has her hands full current day, she keeps looking back to the past, trying to figure out who she really is. 

10. Mighty Thor

Natalie Portman starred in 2011's Thor and 2013's Thor: The Dark World as Jane Foster. She was quite surprised when meeting the immortal Thor (Chris Hemsworth) when he landed on Earth. Even so, she went along with it, helping him find his way. We can also look for Portman in 2022's Thor: Love and Thunder. But, she'll be taking on the role of Mighty Thor, as she can also lift Thor's hammer.

That may not be all of the female superheroes we cherish and embrace, but it seems to cover a good range.

Do you have any characters you'd like to add to the list!?