Ten Of Charlize Theron's Most Bad-Ass Roles

Charlize Theron has long been one of our favourite actresses for portraying strong female characters, with a list of furious heroines under her belt that seems to never end. Her latest is the David Leitch directed 'Atomic Blonde', based on the graphic spy novel by Antony Johnston.

Here are Charlize Theron's strongest female roles so far:

Charlize Theron is set to star in 'Atomic Blonde'

1. 'Atomic Blonde' - This July, Charlize will play an undercover MI6 agent named Lorraine Broughton, who sets out to expose the infiltrator who murdered her fellow spy. She's a skilled combatant among other things in this movie, which meant doing a lot of training sessions - she even teamed up with Keanu Reeves who was training for 'John Wick: Chapter 2'. 

'Mad Max: Fury Road' was Charlize Theron at her finest

2. 'Mad Max: Fury Road' - Furiosa will go down in history as one of the most bad-ass of female movie roles. She goes rogue after rescuing vulnerable women from their self-confessed 'husband' in this post-apocalyptic world and ends up in an epic fight with Max. It certainly gives the phrase 'fight like a girl' a whole new meaning.

Charlize Theron played the Evil Queen in 'Snow White and the Huntsman'

3. 'Snow White and the Huntsman' - Who wouldn't want to play the Evil Queen? Charlize was the extremely fair Ravenna in this reimagined fairytale, though she has been very vocal about just how much pain her corset left her in. The outfit, coupled with the powerful sorcery her character was capable of, made for quite the formidable female.

Charlize Theron appeared in Ridley Scott's 'Prometheus'

4. 'Prometheus' - There was certainly something intimidating about space explorer Meredith Vickers in this Ridley Scott prequel. She's heading up the mission, but she's not afraid of making tough decisions even if it involves the death of her comrades. Vickers is not the person you want to mess with. 

'Aeon Flux' was a sci-fi masterpiece for Charlize Theron

5. 'Aeon Flux' - This futuristic 2003 film saw Charlize as the title character; a rebel assassin with abilities quite apart from your average vigilante. A master of disguise, a perfect fighter and a talented athlete, few of Charlize Theron's characters have been quite as super-powered.

Charlize Theron taught Seth MacFarlane how not to die in 'A Million Ways To Die In The West'

6. 'A Million Ways to Die in the West' - Teaching Seth MacFarlane a thing or two about shooting a pistol, she plays Anna Barnes, the beautiful wife of local outlaw Clinch Leatherwood. Seth's character Albert Stark learns how to handle a weapon from this not so distressed damsel and then goes on to kill her husband - to her delight.

Charlize Theron won an Oscar for her role in 'Monster'

7. 'Monster' - Not so much 'bad-ass' as 'bad to the bone', this is the role that won Charlize her Academy Award for Best Actress. Her uncanny resemblance to serial killer Aileen Wuornos in the film was chilling, and the emotional turmoil she put across was inspired.

Charlize Theron played a detective in 'In The Valley Of Elah'

8. 'In the Valley of Elah' - She's the fearless Detective Emily Sanders in this mystery drama which co-starred Tommy Lee Jones. A no-nonsense kind of woman, she helps uncover the truth behind a murdered soldier despite much military resistance. 

More: Watch the trailer for 'Atomic Blonde'

It was Charlize Theron vs. Will Smith in 'Hancock'

9. 'Hancock' - Theron played a superhero in this subversion of the genre, going up against Will Smith who was the title character. She happens to be a lot more powerful than she truly wants to be and ends up in an almighty and destructive battle with Hancock. 

Charlize Theron was a bad-ass safe-cracker in 'The Italian Job'

10. 'The Italian Job' - Every gang needs a safe-cracker, and it's nice to see a woman have an important role in a criminal heist that doesn't involve being a femme fatale. Charlize is Stella Bridger, the daughter of John Bridger from the original movie, and also a huge technology nerd.