The detective genre has been around for decades, thanks in part to the fantastic work of writers like Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle. Their novels, alongside a number of great creative writers, have formed a legacy of female detectives in every medium of popular culture.
In TV shows, films, comic books, and even video games, there are some fantastic and well-rounded women who have decided that it is their mission to solve the unsolvable. While many of these women are actually already well regarded, often are actually quite underrated characters that will surely get their time in the spotlight soon.
Lara Croft
Lara Croft of the Tomb Raider series has been portrayed in multiple ways, in video games, on the screen, and even on the page. Despite these alternative points of view on the character, at her core she’s an explorer and a detective. Just not in the conventional sense.
Croft isn’t solving crimes in the same way as most conventional detectives, but she’s piecing together archeological and historical clues in order to determine where these hidden treasures may be, while also uncovering the secrets of her rivals. The character is action-focused, but Lara’s most powerful weapon isn’t her bow, it’s her mind and talent for research.
Jessica Jones
Fans are eagerly anticipating the return of Kristen Ritter’s iteration of Jessica Jones in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but comic book readers will know that there are a wide breadth of cases that the vigilante has solved in her role as a private detective.
The character might be a former superhero and continue to team up with the Avengers, but she largely tries to leave crime-fighting behind in favor of the investigations she embarks on, helping to solve very personal cases. Missing persons, romantic betrayals, and even murders have all landed on her desk to figure out using her incredible skills. Her powers aren’t her defining feature.
Constable Stalker
See How They Run was a light-hearted whodunit that was driven by a tense narrative contrasted by a comedic tone. Constable Stalker is the new partner of Inspector Stoppard, and she’s incredibly ambitious and resourceful. Her style is certainly offset by Stoppard’s jaded point of view.
Regardless, Stalker learns a lot on the job and brings a new energy to proceedings, helping to solve the mysterious case of numerous theater-themed murders. She’s a refreshing face in the detective genre and audiences would surely welcome more from the upbeat officer.
Donna De Freitas
Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club series is a much-loved detective saga that focuses in on a retirement village, where the residents embark on their own cases. Donna De Freitas is a local police officer, who is incredibly capable and competent, who guides them on their journey.
Promotions are surely coming her way, for she is integral in multiple investigations of an incredibly high level. With Stephen Spielberg working to bring the novels to the big screen, the casting of Donna has to be perfect to capture her brilliant abilities, her charm and leadership qualities.
Dana Scully
The agents of The X-Files were never investigating normal cases. The supernatural, alien-based sci-fi situations that Dana Scully had to navigate demonstrate her incredible skills as a leader and critical thinker. She is so adaptable and has worked across multiple difficult cases.
It’s a dangerous job to take on, since the unknowns of this hyper-reality are scarily unpredictable. Regardless, Scully has made a career out of thinking clearly and ensuring that justice is found for the protection of humanity. There are very few other agents who can match the capabilities of Scully.
Enola Holmes
Enola Holmes is the younger sister of the renowned Sherlock Holmes. However, in many ways, the endlessly quotable Enola is the superior detective. Almost as intelligent as Sherlock but at a much younger age, Enola actually has a significant edge.
Not only does she have the same analytical skills and a similar level of curiosity, she also has an emotional intelligence that often gives her the advantage; something Sherlock himself can’t seem to conquer.
Joan Watson
Joan Watson is the female version of John Watson and was created for the ongoing TV series Elementary. Unlike John Watson who is almost always seen as the sidekick (albeit with useful insights), Joan actually takes on quite a main role throughout.
As the series progresses so too do her own analytical skills. Towards the end of the show, Joan is clearly demonstrating she is in many ways the equal to Sherlock Holmes himself and has achieved a great deal by herself.
Lois Lane
Lois Lane may be surrounded by men that claim to be the world’s greatest detectives and yet time and time again Lane proves that she is perhaps one step ahead of everyone else. Lois’ job means she has to be prepared to uncover a mystery at any moment.
As a journalist, she is always determined to get the story out there, no matter what it takes. Characters like Supergirl have been portrayed in a similar way, but it all starts with Lois Lane, who showed DC fans exactly what she brought to the table.
Veronica Mars
Veronica Mars is a character fans just keep on coming back to. She has matured as her career has skyrocketed and continuously shown that her limits really haven’t been reached when it comes to private detective work.
The high school and college student has already inspired film spin-offs, series revivals, and even novels based on the character, thanks to her spirit, ingenuity, and the uniqueness of Veronica herself. The TV detective has thus cemented herself as a powerhouse.
Miss Marple
Miss Marple is a character that was created by Agatha Christie and one that has stood the test of time. In fact, an ongoing and critically acclaimed series has been created around Miss Marple, with a number of complex weekly cases being solved.
While she may be a little older in age, this gives her the added benefit of being able to see the larger picture; a wisdom that can only come from experience. She is certainly wry and incredibly logical when it comes to solving crimes.
Katrielle Layton
Professor Layton has been a celebrated detective for a number of years, thanks to his appearance in the ongoing Nintendo games. But with the disappearance of her father, Katrielle Layton has stepped up on the Nintendo Switch.
The character is perhaps even more resourceful and intelligent than her father, as she solves both local cases and the overall mission to find out what actually happened to her dad. It’s a compelling tale and Katrielle is the perfect protagonist.
Mary Jane Watson
The Spider-Man PS4 iteration of Mary Jane Watson is quite the departure from the comic books and indeed clearly inspired by the work done with Lois Lane. She is a far cry from the MJ of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
However, the Mary Jane variant of the PS4 world has made a significant impact on Spidey’s investigations, so much so that she is actually a vital member of his team. She helps to uncover the mystery behind Mister Negative and her reporting skills were only outmatched by her bravery.
Velma And Daphne
The Mystery Machine has two incredibly bright women that both offer up very unique skills but are fantastic partners when it comes to solving crimes. Velma and Daphne are incredibly unique characters, each with a long history of success.
While the pair are often mistaken for the brains and the beauty, each of them are so much more complex than that. Daphne is extremely intelligent and has a lot of common sense logic in many situations, that’s complemented well by Velma’s more traditional booksmarts.
Ellie Miller
Broadchurch is an incredibly complex series that sees Ellie Miller take on one of the lead roles as she solves the most intriguing of mysteries alongside her partner. This character has been brought alive thanks to Oliva Coleman’s portrayal.
Determined but equally flawed, Miller isn’t a traditional detective by any means, but that in many ways is what makes her so important in this series. She has proven to be really the show defining character throughout.
Johanna Griffin
Johanna Griffin was at the very center of a series of crimes in The Stranger, which created a puzzle only she could unravel. From a mysterious drug, to the head of an animal, to eventually the disappearance and murder of a mother and wife.
Not to mention the murder of her own friend by one of her co-workers. Griffin, despite the emotions linked to the case, managed to find a way through all of it, demonstrating just how talented a detective she really is.
