Looking at the prominent characters in many comic books, it becomes apparent quickly that there are far more male heroes and villains than female ones. The biggest names in comic books tend to end in “-man,” with icons like Batman, Spider-Man, and Superman getting far more attention than those heroes of the female persuasion.

There are a few reasons for this scarcity. The biggest reason is that, historically, both the target audience and the creators of comic books have been young males. Because they exist at least in part as wish fulfillment, most of the audience is better able to identify with a male character than a female one. Further, most of the more prominent characters are also the oldest, who originated in times when the idea of gender equality was much less prevalent than it is now.

As a result, many female comic book characters were created as a derivative of an already existing male character. From Superman came Supergirl, and from The Incredible Hulk came She Hulk, as two examples. These usually came about as attempts to draw in female readers, and to the writers’ credit, some of these characters have been able to develop substantially into their own characters. She Hulk is a vastly different character from the not-so-jolly green giant she shares a name with.

But the most famous female characters tend to be the ones who were created as their own characters. From the DC Comics stable, Wonder Woman is a prime example. Though her abilities and costume might make one think of her as a female counterpart to Superman, she has her own mythology to her based on the Classical Greek myths, and has been a solid character in her own right since her introduction. She’s also one of the few female heroes to have “woman” in her name, as opposed to “girl,” which can be read as an indication of her independence and maturity as compared to characters like Batgirl and Supergirl.

Marvel’s Storm is another strong, famous female character. Despite appearing primarily on the mostly-male X-Men team, the character’s unique power set and strong personality have made her one of the iconic characters in the series. She even led the team at various points in the comic’s run, including a short period when she didn’t have the mutant powers from which she got her nom de guerre.

The Invisible Woman of the Fantastic Four most clearly exemplifies the changing role of female heroes. When she began her published life as the Invisible Girl, she was clearly the weakest member of the Fantastic Four. Her power set was limited to invisibility, limiting her abilities as an action hero. Under later writers, she was given force field generating abilities, and a name change to the Invisible Woman, and these days is often acknowledged as the most powerful of the Four.

Female comic book characters are rarer than their male compatriots, but can be just as compelling characters. A well-written female character will be able to stand out in her own right, even when in a book dominated by male heroes.