The 15 Worst Female Lead Characters In Movies

15. Brie Larson from Captain Marvel

Brie Larson’s take on Captain Marvel left many fans cold, some blamed her performance, others blamed the writing. Either way, her character never quite clicked the way Marvel hoped, and the backlash hasn’t let up since. | © Walt Disney Pictures

14. Elsa from Frozen

Elsa locks herself away, plunges her kingdom into winter, and nearly kills her sister – all while refusing to take responsibility. Yet by the end, she’s somehow celebrated as a hero just for realizing love matters? Seriously? | © Walt Disney Pictures

13. Dolores Umbridge from Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix

Dolores Umbridge hides her cruelty behind a pink smile and a calm voice, which only makes her sadism more disturbing. From torturing students to enforcing oppressive laws, she’s proof that evil doesn’t always wear black robes; sometimes it wears a bow. | © Warner Bros. Pictures

12. Briony Tallis from Atonement

Briony Tallis tells one devastating lie as a child, and it ruins multiple lives, with no way to make it right. While Atonement shows her lifelong guilt, it’s hard to forgive a character whose actions led to such tragic consequences. | © Universal Studios

11. Marla Grayson from I Care A Lot

Marla Grayson scams the elderly and acts like she’s the victim, which makes her all the more infuriating to watch. The film tries to pull off the “love to hate her” vibe, but for many viewers, it’s just plain hate. | © Netflix

10. Lilly Moscovitz from The Princess Diaries

Lilly might be Mia’s best friend, but she sure doesn’t act like it. From mocking her makeover to downplaying her grief, Lilly spends most of the movie being condescending and mean-spirited. | © Walt Disney Pictures

9. Mimi from Psycho Goreman

Mimi might be the main character in Psycho Goreman, but she’s also the most unbearable part of it. Loud, selfish, and constantly bossing everyone around, she turns a fun horror-comedy into a bit of a chore. | © RLJE Films

8. Sandy Olsson from Grease

Sandy starts sweet and wholesome, but ends the movie by changing everything about herself just to impress Danny. Meanwhile, he barely lifts a finger, making her transformation feel more like a loss than a win. | © Paramount Pictures

7. Christine McPherson from Lady Bird

Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson is sharp, emotional, and often hard to like, and that’s kind of the point. But her constant mood swings and need to make everything about herself can wear thin, even in a movie that’s all about growing up. | © A24

6. Ariel from The Little Mermaid

Ariel gives up her voice, literally, just to chase after a guy she’s seen once. It’s a classic Disney move, but looking back, it’s hard not to see her as the poster child for bad princess lessons. | © Walt Disney Pictures

5. Wonder Woman from Wonder Woman 1984

In Wonder Woman 1984, Diana makes baffling choices, including sleeping with a man whose body is possessed by her dead boyfriend, and barely seems to care. The moral mess of it all turns one of DC’s most beloved heroes into a selfish, oddly cold lead in her movie. | © Warner Bros. Pictures

4. Julianne Potter from My Best Friend's Wedding

Julianne Potter spends the entire movie scheming to sabotage her best friend’s wedding just because she caught feelings too late. Instead of being endearing, she comes off as manipulative and kind of awful. | © Sony Pictures Releasing

3. Rose from Titanic

Rose might be the heart of Titanic, but she’s also the reason for some of its biggest frustrations. From letting Jack take the fall with barely a protest to not even trying to share the infamous door, she made a lot of questionable choices along the way. | © 20th Century Studios

2. Jupiter Jones from Jupiter Ascending

Jupiter Jones is introduced as the heir to an intergalactic empire, but she spends most of the movie either being rescued or standing around confused. Despite the grand setup, she’s written with so little agency that it’s hard to believe she’s meant to rule anything at all, let alone the entire galaxy. | © Warner Bros. Pictures

1. Bella Swan from Twilight

Bella Swan often feels less like a character and more like a blank space for the plot to fill. Her lack of personality made it hard to root for her, and harder to believe two supernatural creatures would fight over her. | © Summit Entertainment