Red Sonja Movie Reboot: 10 Things We Need To See
7. An Equally Formidable Female Antagonist
Producer Dino De Laurentis originally offered the title role in 1985's Red Sonja to Sandahl Bergman, who had memorably appeared alongside Schwarzenegger in Conan the Barbarian; but the actress declined in favour of taking on the role of Sonja's arch enemy, which became the evil Queen Gedren.
An original character created specifically for the movie, Gedren has often been criticised as a negative representation of lesbianism. Really though, her main problem is she's just a very generic villain, with a penchant for lounging on a throne and giving a lot of speeches.
In the comics, Sonja has faced wide variety of opponents, some of whom she has shared with Conan; notably the sorcerors Kulan Gath and Thulsa Doom.
However, after Wonder Woman and Tomb Raider ran into some criticism for not providing their female heroes with similarly powerful female adversaries, doubtless there will be some pressure on the new Red Sonja to do battle with another woman.
Our suggestion for main villain duties? Dark Annisia, the character Sonja faces off against in the 2013 story Queen of Plagues. An old friend of Sonja and her equal on the battlefield, Annisia would make for a truly compelling antagonist.
Also, as we've just mentioned Queen of Plagues...