6 Female Movie Characters to Watch in 2016: Harley Quinn, Psylocke and More!

2015 was truly a year filled with strong women in film, as evidenced by Charlize Theron's one-armed Imperator Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road and Daisy Ridley's Force-sensitive Rey in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. These characters have truly made way for more feisty ladies in movies this year. Let's take a look at six of the awesome female characters like Harley Quinn and Psylocke who will blow you away in 2016.

Moana Waialiki (Auli'I Cravalho) in Moana
It takes a very special girl to convince a demigod to go with her on a journey, especially when the deity is played by Dwayne Johnson.

In Moana, a young girl from Oceania sets out to help her family by finding a mysterious island. Along the way, she meets Maui (Johnson), who becomes her companion in her adventure.

Moana makes the list for one main reason: her voice is provided by a normal high school girl who has always dreamed of being a Disney princess. If Cravalho can make her dreams come true, it certainly sends a message to all young girls that they are capable of doing anything they put their minds into.

Release Date: November 23.

Sara the Warrior (Jessica Chastain) in The Huntsman: Winter's War
The sequel to Snow White and the Huntsman will mark the return of the Evil Queen Ravenna (Theron), but it looks like she will be up against a strong new female character that just happens to really good with a bow and arrow.

Winter's War boasts of three talented lead actresses (Emily Blunt will play the Snow Queen Freya) but Chastain's character stands out for playing a character who doesn't rely on magic to get the job done. Sara is tough as nails, sexy as hell and ready to take on any fairy tale villain.

Release Date: April 20

Betsy Braddock/Psylocke (Olivia Munn) in X-Men: Apocalypse
The X-Men franchise has always had strong women in their films, and Apocalypse will finally introduce one of the most famous female characters in the comic book universe.

The telepathic mutant with amazing martial arts skills will be played by Munn, who admits that she trained tirelessly to pull off Psylocke's swordfighting sequences. She may be a villain (Psylocke becomes one of Apocalypse's Four Horsemen in the movie), but there is no doubt that fans will be watching out for Betsy when the film comes out.

Release Date: May 27.

Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) in Suicide Squad
Remember when Suicide Squad unveiled its official trailer during the San Diego Comic-Con? Fans immediately applauded when Robbie's Harley Quinn appeared dangling acrobatically in her Belle Reve cell. There is no doubt that Harley is the one thing everyone is looking forward to in the David Ayer film other than Jared Leto's Joker.

But what is there to look forward to? Harley has proven to be one of the most popular DC characters, and she has appeared in several animated films, video games and comic books. Suicide Squad will be Harley's first big-screen appearance and she certainly looks like she can take on any Task Force X mission.

Release Date: August 5.

Diana Prince/Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
DC's Amazonian princess has had several different incarnations for years, but Gadot's version of Wonder Woman looks like the grittiest Diana Prince just yet.

The film might focus on Batman and Superman, but that doesn't mean that Wonder Woman won't be getting much action. The latest trailer reveals that she is the one who saves the two superheroes from Doomsday, and we can't wait to see her take on the villain on her own.

Felicity Jones in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Jones' character is still shrouded in mystery, and even though there were reports that her name has already been discovered, it has been confirmed that she isn't Lyra Erso. Nevertheless, fans are already excited at the thought of seeing yet another female lead in a Star Wars film.

So what's with all the excitement? There are speculations that Jones' character will be getting the same treatment as Rey from The Force Awakens; the lead character who leads everybody else on an adventure. It is possible that Jones' character will be the one to lead the Rebels on the mission to steal the Death Star plans, and if that's true, there's nothing more badass than a woman who is ready to take on Darth Vader.

Release Date: December 16

Which female movie character are you looking forward to seeing this year? Let us know in the comments!