10 Most Sexist Comic Superheroines Still Being Published Today

3. Tigra

Vampirella
Marvel Comics

Why do so many superheroines choose bathing suits as costumes? That's the logical question whenever you see Marvel Comics' Tigra.

Tigra isn't the most popular of Marvel's heroes. She got her start as a crime fighter without superpowers in 1972. It wasn't until 1974 that she transformed into her current incarnation, a tiger woman with enhanced strength and agility.

And a bikini for a costume.

But it's not just Tigra's costume that has angered critics. In New Avengers #35, the villain the Hood violently beats Tigra, mocking her while doing so. And during the battle, Tigra barely puts up a fight, spending most of her time screaming like a damsel in distress. It's that last part that angered critics: not that Tigra lost, but that she lost like a victim, not a superheroine.

 
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Contributor

Dan Rafter has worked as a freelance journalist for more than 20 years. He has written for everyone from the Washington Post and Chicago Tribune to Mental Floss, BusinessWeek Online and Consumers Digest. You can find more by him at his comic's Web site, CareersinComics.