The following is a list of female action heroes and villains who appear in action films, television shows, comic books, and video games and who are "thrust into a series of challenges requiring physical feats, extended fights, extensive stunts and frenetic chases."[1]
Elizabeth Abele suggests that "the key agency of female action protagonists is their ability to draw on the full range of masculine and feminine qualities in ever-evolving combinations."[2]
Batgirl on the original Batman television series — was probably TV's first femme action hero. (She even rode a motorcycle to work and did her own stunts, garnering more than a few lesbian fans.)