Strong Film Female Tournament: Winner Lt Ellen Ripley

Xena > Buffy? Xena was never the highest rating show of her network and while i live Xena she was a spin off of Herc, not in the case of Buffy. I also love Xena, but that show was not in the same league as Buffy. If anyone pave the way for female heroes and showed it can be done well, and written well its the guy who made Avengers the biggest seller of any movie of its day. This completion is more than who is iconic or pave a way. You seem to equate doing it first as doing it better. Buffy was doing it way before Gadot who everyone equtes film WW to, and Buffy IMO did it better in the written show arcs, episodes, character development, and showing Buffy as a strong but still feminine woman with great humor and horror mix in.

Just my opinion though.

@agent41: I never seen this before. I read she had the highest ratings for her network, though IIRC Xena was on USA which was the larger network where xena ratings were not top notch. Maybe thats the difference. Though no one seems to remember Xena and lots remember Buffy. Buffy still has a strong ongoing comic series (Several actually) with Dark horse right now to this day. So I will stand by her place and imprint. Thanks for the breakdown of ratings. Glad to see Xena did that damn well in early 90s to boot.

Good breakdown, and my vote goes to her for those reasons.

I do think the point about Wonder Woman's TV show is a good one, and it was quite influential on kids at the time. But while it propelled the character to extra popularity, and I know several grown women today who really were affected by the show for its unusual portrayal of a strong woman at the time, it didn't quite make a movement the way Buffy did.

In the sense that there is an army of hard-core obsessed followers of the character, who built up their own culture among themselves. Just for instance, fan-fic writers. I don't care for Buffy personally, but I know a number of Buffy fans, and especially in its heyday it was an intense scene. Similar to X-philes, Lost fans, etc. Which I don't think is true to the same extent of the WW tv show in particular, although of course as I mentioned above, there are definitely some people who were personally very influenced by the show, and for a lot of people the TV show was still what they thought of when they thought of the character until recently.

Wonder Woman

Diana

Diana wins. Last Semi Finals up now.

Semi Finals: Ellen Ripley vs Sarah Connor

One of the age old questions, Ripley or Connor? Before there was Wonder Woman. Before there was Captain Marvel. Before there was any women super heroes, there was the famous Final Girl. The Final Girl was a trope of a women in a impossible terrifying scenario where she was up against a killer of some kind who takes out everyone in the movie, till the last women standing wins. For Ripely it was the terrifying Xenomorph. For Connor it was the unstoppable Terminator. Then both these final girls did something, unthinkable. They went from being the Final Girl, and evolve into action super heroins who were no longer the victims but kicking the ass of the very thing that nearly did them in the first films. Since then Ripley has stared in several movies after this as has several actors who played Connor in various timelines of the Terminator Franchise. All super badasses who take charge, yet remain feminine enough to be real women. Always flawed but always evolving. So who was the better. Sarah Connor, or Ellen Ripley? Toughest choice in this tourney yet IMO.

Which made a bigger impact for females in film medium? Which is more successful? Which is a better role model? Which is a better written and acted character? Which do you like more?

Weigh ALL these options and make a call who you think wins the semi finals into the finals.

@referee:@subline: @heroup2112: @vertigo-: @reaperthegrim: @purpleperson: @straight-fire: @thorthunder98: @xzenix-everdeen: @owie: @termiteone4ever: @supremegeneration: @socajunkie: @Penguin-Dust: @vertigo-: @kairan1979: @rogueshadow: @invadedtbd: @fabricolage: @aros001: @theonewhopullsthestrings: @jedixman: @kiba: @thor321: @mickey-mouse: @allstarsuperman: @rockette: @mrmonster: @anthp2000: @chicago_bastard: @brucerogers:

Since you all showed interest in voting, I made this as a quick tag list to continue to get votes once a day till the tourney wraps ups. If you want off the list let me know and I will take you out. Want to keep seeing what each round consist of to cast a vote, or to discuss the characters and why they rock, I will keep ya on. Thanks.

I can't pick a winner... this should have been the finals, dammit

Ripley easily for me.

Sarah Connor

Sarah

Word.

Ripley.

Meh, popularity polls might end with Wonder Woman. So just imagine this the finals :)

Either way this will be a damn good match. Unfortunately I have to wrap this up in 18 hours. I got a late start and dont have the full day to wrap this one up.

Sarah.

a hard one indeed.

Ripley

I agree, for me this is the finals. But, I go with Ripley. Sarah was a complete badass, and I loved the transformation from the soft waitress in Terminator 1 to the hardcore, athletic warrior-mom in Terminator 2.

But there's also no doubt that Sarah Connor only exists in the wake of Ripley, the clear prototype for all the tough-as-nails warrior women that came after her.

I vote for Ripley.

This is the toughest match yet, but I am sticking with my friend to felines, Ellen Ripley. My reasoning is I would still like to see more of this character versus Sarah of whom I’ve had my fill. I don’t mean that negatively, just that between the movies (good and bad) and the TV series I’m satisfied with what I’ve seen of the character. I wouldn’t mind an Alien reboot or the rumored Hulu series to be produced.

Well this should have been the final.

I say Ripley.

I vote for Ripley, though it's a tough choice.

Sarah

Sarah Connor...she'd kick sand in Ripley's face.

Ripley

I honestly dont think Ripley or Sarah will beat Wonder Woman blind popularity. So I wanted to see this match play out with people. Thats all.

Sarah

Ripley, although her 3 and 4 movies sucked hard.

She was still good. The movies themselves, yeah...

I like 3 for all its faults. The directors cut edition being very good IMO.

Sarah Connor

11-8 Ripley thus far.

this should´ve been the final

Ripley

And also, bummed I didn't get a chance to vote Buffy last round.

I would throw in my two cents here - not only was Buffy probably more influential for things like cult following it had around that time as practically THE thing to be watching, even if it may have gotten less ratings... It also destroyed another show on the way out. There was a big thing going around at that time that Faith was to get her own spin-off series after the end of it, but when she decided to say no and make Tru Calling (a show I actually highly recommend, but didn't find it's real potential until end of S01) - many fans decided to boycott it and hate on it because of Buffy and it's scene itself. I don't think I have seen anything quite like that since. Buffy's fans were something to an entirely different level.

Also, the initial viewers is key. That is often initial marketing over anything else, and starting episodes. Xena almost lost badly for a quite awhile compared to it's starting point - Buffy stayed at near peak form and similar numbers for quite a bit more years.

@theonewhopullsthestrings: Good points.

Alright we have a winner in Ripley in a very close match. Now we reach the finals. I will give this one a few days rather than one day to declare a winner.

Finals: DCEU Wonder Woman vs Lt. Ellen Ripley

VS

The finals are here. Its been a long road with some good matches and some stomps. To no ones surprise we have Wonder Woman. The most iconic comic hero who had 3 season 70s show, and one good film while co starring in 2 other not so good films. Wonder Woman is a precedent BO hit with her solo film, and hailed as a leading female actor in a female directed Super Hero hit. In the other corner a final girl who made a name for female actors as action stars well before Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel, Buffy, or Xena. Ellen Ripley has 4 movies under her belt. 1st one being a masterpiece of Horror. 2nd being a master piece of action. 3rd and 4th consider mix reviews. All versions of Ripley been played by the famous female actor Sigourny Weaver, up till the series prequels. Forever making her mark on horror and action films for decades to come.

Will these old school credentials be enough the older Ripley character or will Wonder Woman's general relevance and popularity win the day? You decide the winner of the tournament.

@referee:@subline: @heroup2112: @vertigo-: @reaperthegrim: @purpleperson: @straight-fire: @thorthunder98: @xzenix-everdeen: @owie: @termiteone4ever: @supremegeneration: @socajunkie: @Penguin-Dust: @vertigo-: @kairan1979: @rogueshadow: @invadedtbd: @fabricolage: @aros001: @theonewhopullsthestrings: @jedixman: @kiba: @thor321: @mickey-mouse: @allstarsuperman: @rockette: @mrmonster: @anthp2000: @chicago_bastard: @brucerogers:

This is it, the finals. Cast a vote, and be fair. Enjoy.

Ellen

Ripley

Ripley

The Princess of the Amazons.

Diana

Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman