While actors like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone are regraded as some of the best action stars of all time, in recent years one of the most reliable action movie icons has been Charlize Theron. Given some of her dramatic and award-winning performances, Theron might seem like an unusual action hero, but she has proven many times that she can play the onscreen badass as well as being a great actor.
Given Theron’s considerable skills, she has created a great variety of intimidating and tough characters. In action films, comedies, and dramas, Theron’s characters are not to be messed with. Here are the most badass of Charlize Theron’s characters.
Long Shot
Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen don’t seem like your typical romantic comedy pairing, but they proved to be a genuinely entertaining couple in this 2019 release. Theron stars as Charlotte Field, the smart and ambitious Secretary of State who is getting ready to announce her own campaign to be the next President of the United States. Romance blends with politics as she forms a relationship with her immature speech writing (played by Rogen).
Theron is not only hilarious in the role, but also someone we would easily vote for. She is strong-willed, passionate and wants to see the world be a better place. And she’s not afraid to get tough to make that happen.
The Italian Job
The Italian Job is a very fun remake of the classic British heist film. The story follows a group of thieves who set out to steal back their money from the man who betrayed them. Theron plays the team’s safe-cracker and someone who has a very personal stake in this revenge mission.
Along with the likes of Mark Wahlberg and Jason Statham, Theron proves she is a badass behind the wheel. She fits right into the heist genre, being both cool and collected as well as someone who desperately wants payback.
Hancock
Hancock had a unique take on the superhero film, but didn’t quite live up to its potential. However, it is an interesting movie with a stellar cast. Will Smith stars as the titular hero, a drunken, selfish super-powered being who causes more damage saving the day than the bad guys. He gets a chance at redemption when a PR professional revamps his imagine.
Theron plays the wife of Jason Bateman’s PR man. However, she quickly proves to have some pretty big secrets of her own that link her to Hancock. When the truth is revealed, Theron gets to have her fun ass-kicking moments as well.
Prometheus
Prometheus was Ridley Scott’s long-awaited return to the Alien franchise. The movie serves as a prequel to the original film and follows a group of scientists and space explorers who set out to find the being responsible for creating the human race.
Theron plays Vickers, the corporate figure in charge of this ambitious mission. As is to be expected in these films, the company people aren’t the nicest people and Theron is effectively cold and ruthless when it comes to achieving the bigger mission at all costs.
Snow White And The Huntsman
The classic tale of Snow White gets a fantastical and epic treatment in this action adventure. Kirsten Stewart stars as Snow White, the fairest of them all and Chris Hemsworth as the Huntsman who was ordered to execute her. Together they team up, along with a band of dwarves, to take down the evil Queen Ravenna, played by Theron.
Theron gets to chew some scenery and be absolutely evil as the vain and cruel sorcerer. She has a ball with all the supernatural and dark fairy tale aspects of the role. She is an effective and entertaining villain who is sometimes more interesting than the heroes.
A Million Ways To Die In The West
Seth MacFarlane’s second feature film as a director was not as successful as his first film, Ted, but he did manage to get an impressive cast involved with his Western comedy. MacFarlane stars as a timid and mild-mannered farmer trying his best to survive in the dangerous Old West. His courage is put to the test when he falls for the wife of a deadly outlaw.
Theron plays the outlaw’s wife and is a deadly character in her own right. As Anna, she plays one of the fastest guns in the West and someone who doesn’t back down from any fight. Despite the comedic tone, Theron’s character feels like a real Western badass.
Kubo And The Two Strings
From the visionary animation studio, Laika Entertainment, Kubo and the Two Strings is an emotional, funny and thrilling adventure. The story follows a young boy named Kubo who sets out of a dangerous quest with a monkey and a beetle as companions.
An animated monkey might not seem like one of Theron’s most badass characters, but this is no ordinary monkey. Even with just her voice-over work, Theron manages to communicate the power and authority she brings to so many of her roles, as well as the emotion needed for the movie’s more touching scenes.
Fate Of The Furious
Usually seen in the hero role, Theron got the chance to show off her villainous side as Cipher in The Fate of the Furious. She joined the eighth entry of the massively popular and insane franchise, stealing the show as the tech terrorist.
The Fast and Furious films are getting pretty close to becoming almost too ridiculous but a star of Theron’s magnitude helps bring things back to earth. She seems to be having a lot of fun embracing her bad side as she gives tough guys like Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel a hard time.
Atomic Blonde
Atomic Blonde is the first solo film from David Leitch, one of the co-directors of the first John Wick film. Given that film’s wild action sequences, fans were looking forward to this film as Theron’s chance to really kick some ass. While the film is more of an espionage thriller than a full-on action movie, Theron does indeed get the chance to shine.
Set during the Cold War, Theron plays an MI6 agent who goes undercover in Berlin to investigate the murder of a fellow agent. She is a total professional and an expert stealth agent, but when stealth is no longer an option, she is a one-woman army. The intense fight sequences are so impressive especially knowing Theron is doing much of her own stunts.
1. Mad Max: Fury Road
Mad Max: Fury Road is one of the greatest action movies of all time. Coming out 30 years after the previous Mad Max film, director George Miller shows that he never lost any of his madman filmmaking style and, in fact, picked up a few amazing techniques along the way.
Despite being a Mad Max film, Tom Hardy as Max is really not the star of the show. Theron takes center stage as Furiosa. Along with being the most heroic character in the film, Theron is shown to be the more skilled driver, marksman, and fighter. She is an unforgettable cinematic hero who will hopefully get her own movie one of these days.
