Welcome to the third round of our March Madness tournament, now highlighting our Sweet Sixteen! Check out the 8 women who made it to the top of the Division II bracket: Gaming meets Comics.
[heading style=”subheader”]Lara Croft[/heading]
It’s not a surprise that one of gaming’s first female protagonists made it to our Sweet Sixteen, and oh, how far Lara has gone from the obnoxiously disproportionate character of the original series. The 2013 reboot has been a real game-changer, and our readers are more likely than ever to enjoy and relate to Lara and her adventures than ever before.
[heading style=”subheader”]Samus Aran[/heading]
Another one of Our Favorite Things, Samus Aran – a historic video game character – is another game-changer. At Girls in Capes, a writer called her “a unique leading character with enough experience and lore to contend with other Nintendo franchises such Link from the Legend of Zelda or nearly one hundred Mario games.” With that sort of reputation, Samus could definitely move on to the Elite Eight.
[heading style=”subheader”]Elizabeth[/heading]
Bioshock: Infinite’s Elizabeth is a different kind of character. Not a fighter, but a healer, Elizabeth’s main function in Bioshock: Infinite is helping Booker with his mission. As our Gaming Writer pointed out in earlier rounds, she does this with her power to rip holes in time and space. Yes. This woman has the power to rip holes in time and space.
[heading style=”subheader”]Rochelle[/heading]
Rochelle, one of four playable characters in Left 4 Dead 2, is not only the only playable woman in the game, but also the only woman of color to make it to the Sweet Sixteen from Division II. Rochelle’s prior life as a news producer hasn’t really changed, either: she’s more than willing to use the zombie apocalypse to further her dream job as a major-name news producer. That’s real dedication right there.
[heading style=”subheader”]Wonder Woman[/heading]
Wonder Woman – alias of Princess Diana of Themyscira – is the only woman in the entire tournament to have won any round unanimously. An Amazon among men, not only is Wonder Woman the most well-known female superhero of all time, she’s also one of the most well-known superheroes period, spawning a documentary, a festival to support domestic violence victims in Portland, and a countless number of movements.
[heading style=”subheader”]Black Widow[/heading]
Mainstream audiences know Black Widow from the Avengers movies, but in comics, she’s been around for quite some time, and she even has her own solo comic. She boasts hand-to-hand combat skills, a gallery of weaponry training, intelligence, wit, and the cleverness to out-think her opponents, and those skills are enough to make her an Avenger – and bring her soaring up to the Sweet Sixteen.
[heading style=”subheader”]Riza Hawkeye[/heading]
The last manga character to make it through the tournament brackets, Riza Hawkeye (Fullmetal Alchemist) is known for her sharpshooting talents and her dog, Black Hayate. She’s an incredibly loyal woman – showing both her responsibility to her father and her loyalty to Roy Mustang – and will do what it takes to protect the people she cares about.
[heading style=”subheader”]Medusa[/heading]
Medusa, queen of the Inhuman race and the Kree Empire in the Marvel universe, is beautiful and terrifying, both like the Gorgon of myth and as any female leader could be considered. Her internal strength and cleverness are perfect for her rank and station, and those traits also give her a place in the Sweet Sixteen.
