What makes someone inspirational? Is it their power and abilities? Perhaps. Maybe it is their ability to give us hope when the world is falling apart. Across all mediums the universe of sci-fi fantasy is littered with women who radiate inspiration in a multitude of ways. From the top of the totem pole to the sidekicks, here is a list of five women from the sci-fi fantasy universe that have left us feeling like anything is possible.
5. Dr. Jean Grey (Phoenix) - X-Men
Starting out as a pupil at Xaviers School for Gifted Students, this host of unfathomable power was one of the original X-Men and the only female at that. Over the last fifty years fans have followed Jean from Westchester, New York to outer space and into a post-radiation storm slumber at the bottom of Jamaica bay. Some may not remember the days before Chris Claremont and the Phoenix Force forever changed Jeans character, but there was a time when this Omega mutant was actually the much weaker Marvel Girl. In the golden of age of women superheroes, Jean struggled to join the ranks of Batgirl, Black Widow, and Wonder Woman. After some time and development, Dr. Grey got a power boost and has since been a staple in the X-Men franchise, appearing in multiple comics, animated shows, and live action movies. Jean Grey really broke the mold with the Phoenix Saga, a story line inevitably addressed in every retelling of Jeans character. Jean not only has to manage great power with great responsibility when she is having a sane day, but she also has to deal with an excessive amount of catastrophe just to stay in the game. Though we might be envious of Jeans seemingly countless abilities (her talents include telepathy, telekinesis, astral projection, psionic blasts, and more), she pays the price for these gifts with bouts of insanity, suicide, and even a supernatural force parading around as her doppelgänger. Despite all the odds, Dr. Grey never gives up (unless it is a kill-one-to-save-a-thousand kind of deal and she is about to go Dark Phoenix on us). Jean climbed the ladder from an underutilized female character to the most powerful being in her universe all continuing to illustrate the balance we must keep in our lives. These are just a few reasons why Jean Grey continues to fascinate and inspire us.