#superheroines
Heard y'all wanted a Hulk.
Shakti is a popular superhero from Raj Comics in India, debuting in 1998. She was designed from the start to be a feminist character, challenging the violence against women that exists in some parts of Indian culture. She is, of course, far from the world’s first feminist superhero, but what sets Shakti apart is the fact that (unlike many of her American counterparts) she is fueled by a spirit of vengeance which means she’s much happier meeting violence with violence, and even prepared to kill on occasions.
Her origin story fuses Indian religion with familiar superhero tropes. Simple housewife Chanda lives under the tyranny of her violent husband, until one day her pain and suffering reaches such a level that the Goddess Kali (a defender of women) decides to send the spirit of Shakti into Chanda, transforming the meek housewife into a powerful heroine. Shakti kills Chanda’s husband, freeing Chanda from her burden. But Chanda’s relationship with Shakti doesn’t end there – from that day forward, whenever women are suffering, Shakti tries to take control of Chanda once again in order to enact justice and vengeance.
Shakti has the ability to fly at incredible speeds, she has enormous strength, and can blast her opponents with energy, which she can also control with her mind to melt and reshape metal into weapons. The character’s powers are therefore roughly similar to Marvel’s Spider-Woman, but the fact that Chanda has little control over when she transforms into Shakti gives the character an Incredible Hulk vibe.
As the character has progressed over the two decades since her introduction, Shakti has broadened her modus operandi beyond just avenging violence against women. She can now be seen fighting all manner of monsters and supernatural threats, and frequently teams up with other Raj Comics superheroes in stories that have little to do with justice for women. Today Shakti largely saves her feminist activities for her own comicbook, operating very much like a regular hero in her many team-up comic appearances.
KirarafromUltraman Leo episode 32
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa… Everybody just hold on a minute here.
THISis Kirara/Kilara…