Has the latest, greatest boxset caught your eye? What about the newest television series to hit the small screen? Looking forward to seeing that much anticipated movie during the weekend? It’s true to say that delving into the imaginary world of fiction is a journey we all take a lot of the time. And, for most of us, it can be quite the trip.

Fiction sets our imaginations off on a loop. It invites us into other worlds, and, on a good day, it might even make us feel better about our own. We love it. We can’t get enough of it. And, we love it all the more when we have powerful, smoking hot female leads to catch our eye.

To drool or not to drool, that is the question.

Super strong, ass kicking women have been getting a far bigger share of the spotlight recently, and we couldn’t be more thrilled. From the badass to the conventional to the confident and the quirky, hot fictional females light up the screen. Some want to date her, others want to be her. If only she was real!

In this article, we’re taking a leap down fantasy lane. Here are 15 hot female characters we wish were real.

15. Jessica Rabbit

She’s one of the most instantly recognizable cartoon characters in the world, and, it’s fair to say that her global appeal is not exactly down to her acting skills. Jessica Rabbit first graced the silver screen in the 1988 ground breaking animation, Who Framed Roger Rabbit? She’s been gracing the imaginations of teenage boys and grown men everywhere ever since.

And that’s exactly what she was created to do. The character of Jessica Rabbit was designed to be a combination of the ultimate male fantasy in cartoon form. Inspired by a cross between Rita Hayworth and Lauren Bacall, that aim was richly achieved.

14. Betty Boop

In the early 1930s, cartoon animation had never really presented a fully actualised or sexualised female character before. In a time when Minnie Mouse was the dominant female representation on screens, the arrival of Betty Boop caused quite a stir.

Making her first appearance in the animated cartoon, Dizzy Dishes, Betty Boop instantly set pulses racing. Doe eyed and big boobed, Max Fleischer’s creation had the look, the body, the bravery and the voice to induce on-the-spot male fantasies.

Although toned down to a demurer version after morality restrictions were enforced on films, Betty Boop remains a firm favourite in any “I was she was real’ reverie.

13. Catwoman – The Dark Knight Rises

Sure, she was a much loved cartoon figure before she made it to the big screen, but, does anyone encapsulate Catwoman with quite the same power as Anne Hathaway in The Dark Knight Rises? The answer is a resounding no!

Although insincerity drips off her tongue all too easily, Hathaway’s Catwoman is just the right type of everything. She’s funny, she’s flirty, she kicks serious ass, and she’s absolutely oozing in red hot sex appeal.

Did we mention how she takes charge of the bat cycle? Ah, yes, the bat cycle. Catwoman astride the bat cycle. Perhaps you could join her? There’s a life goal right there.

12. Supergirl

Superheroes don’t come much hotter than Superman’s cousin, Supergirl. Protector of National City, when Supergirl (Melissa Benoist) glides through the air, she makes it look effortless. When she regularly saves the earth from mortal peril, she makes it seem like it’s all in a day’s work.

And, the woman underneath the awesome power is equally amazing. In the storm, Supergirl dons a cape and protects helpless citizens. In the calm, she’s a regular person with a day job in the form of the geeky Cara Danvers. I mean, really! Who wouldn’t want to be her friend?

But, which version is more appealing? The thoughtful nerd or the sexy superhero? Don’t make us choose! Please! Don’t make us choose!

11. Claire Underwood – House of Cards

Back with a bang and currently streaming a new season, House of Cards has been credited with providing superb, off-the-charts drama at every turn. And, while we wholeheartedly agree, high-powered drama is probably the least of its qualities.

House of Cards gives us the ultra-confident, incredibly alluring, desperately cruel Claire Underwood (Robin Wright). And for that, we are eternally grateful. One of the most fascinating female villains of all time, Claire is utterly consumed with ambition. Her husband, Frank, (Kevin Spacey) may be the President, but she is the one with all the power.

Armed with a reprehensible morality, Claire lies, manipulates, bullies and schemes, and she does it all wearing those awesome power suits. If she was real, we’d be afraid. We’d be very afraid. Maybe that’s exactly why we just can’t get enough?

10. Elizabeth Halsey – Bad Teacher

Taking the schoolboy teacher’s crush to an entirely new level, Elizabeth Halsey (Cameron Diaz) in Bad Teacher certainly takes it up a notch. When we first meet her, she’s a gold-digging, foul-mouthed, lazy, boozy, and incompetent. And, it’s not stretching things far to say that those are some of her best qualities!

But this bad teacher sure has some redeeming features. Good looks, a kind heart, and an exceptional (and sexy) effort at car washing instantly catapult her from hero to zero. Guys want to be with her. Girls want to be her friend. This bad teacher, really ain’t so bad at all.

9. Maria – The Sound of Music

Sure, she’s a well-meaning nun, but don’t let that fool you! The character of Maria, in the 1965 film, The Sound of Music, is actually one of life’s ultimate rebels!

In a world of rigidity, Maria, (Julie Andrews) is the woman who can’t stop singing. The antidote to dullness, Maria is sent to the home of Captain Georg von Trapp to become governess to his seven children. She ends up becoming the life and soul of the family home.

Used to military style discipline, the children and their father are initially subdued and restrained. That is, until Maria fills their lives with kindness, love and passion.

Who said kindness can’t be hot? Maria is a free-spirited, badass nun who leaves her religious life for love. Enough already! Make her real!

8. Vivian Ward – Pretty Woman

In Pretty Woman, Julia Roberts takes on the role of Vivian Ward – a prostitute with a strong moral compass, on the quest for love and respect.

Vivian may sleep with strangers to pay her bills, but that is only part of her story. Bursting with integrity, she is strong, beautiful, and brave, and she never, ever abandons her roots.

The happy ending she desperately craves is served up to her at the end of the story, and it’s one that she richly deserves. Vivian’s insane hotness can be found in her morality. Sure, her sex appeal is obvious, but it’s her heart appeal that makes us wish she was real.

7. Baby – Dirty Dancing

In the summer of 1963, Baby Houseman (Jennifer Grey) visits Kellerman’s, a resort in the Catskill Mountains with her family. As ambitious as she is idealistic, Baby dreams of joining the Peace Corps. That is until she develops a life-changing crush on the resort’s dance instructor, Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze).

A ‘daddy’s girl’ her entire life, Baby has lived a very sheltered life. But, during her time on vacation, this innocent girl becomes a woman. She cements her role as a smoking hot badass, by standing up to her father for her ambitions and her love.

Helen of Troy may have had a face that launched a thousand ships, but Baby was the character who inspired a thousand battle cries. “Nobody puts Baby in a corner!” Right?

6. Alicia Florrick – The Good Wife

Over the course of her time on The Good Wife, Alicia Florrick (Julianna Margulies) went from scorned politician’s wife to powerful lawyer to State’s Attorney to scorned former State’s Attorney. And, she did it all while juggling her roles of mother, lover and friend.

A formidable lawyer in the courtroom, Alicia was an instant fan favourite with men and women alike. In one formidable package, she was a super-hot attorney who could dominate proceedings in the courtroom, and a working mother who could be there for her children. For viewers, Alicia was that uncanny mix of fantasy wrapped up in a quasi-sort of reality. And, for many, she was proof that you could, in fact, strive to have it all. If only she was real.

5. Olivia Pope – Scandal

Running her own crisis management firm in Washington, Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) is a gladiator in a suit. And by suit, we mean power suits. Hundreds and hundreds of power suits!

Revered in her professional field, Olivia is an amalgam of different virtues and vices. Living on a steady diet of popcorn and wine, she is fierce and she is friendly. She is hugely powerful, and she is, at times, utterly powerless. She is beautifully perfect and yet, she is deeply flawed.

If you come up against her, you will lose. When she sets her mind on something, it is hers. Why? Because she’s a gladiator in a suit. Don’t you wish she was real?

4. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider

Though inspired by a video game series, Lara Croft (Angelina Jolie) is a figure that could have been conjured up in a young boy’s wildest dreams. A fictional protagonist in a shorts and tank top? Check.

Armed with power, courage, and charisma, Lara Croft is an archaeologist with a difference. As she searches for ancient artefacts from the illuminati, her athleticism is matched by her bravery as she wields weapons, and as she engages in ferocious combat. That all said, those details are almost unnecessary.

This is an action adventure movie with a female lead.

It’s okay, we know. We had at you at hello.

3. Catherine Tramell – Basic Instinct

In the erotic thriller, Basic Instinct, Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone) is cunning, clever, confident and unrepentant. Sexually manipulative, her obvious beauty hides a darker personality. This, of course, only adds to her alluring intrigue.

Framed as a femme fatale, Catherine is best known for the iconic interrogation scene in the movie. Often called the ‘devil in the white dress’ as she leans back in her chair and crosses her legs, she sets millions of hearts racing across the world.

Catherine makes no secret of the fact that she seduces and ensnares her lovers with relative ease. If she was real, would that warn people off or would it only encourage the stampede to her door?

2. Meredith Grey – Grey’s Anatomy

Born to a famous and world-renowned surgeon, Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) has had a lot to live up to since she first arrived at Seattle Grace Hospital. And, she has endured her fair share of hardships.

During her life, Meredith has survived almost drowning, a plane crash, the death of her sister, and the death of her soul mate. But, if Meredith is anything, she’s a survivor. Her life has burned to the ground over and over and she has remained standing. Intelligent, adaptable and always down for some fun, Meredith holds just the right amount of beauty, brains and insane courage. Don’t you wish she was real?

1. Katniss Everdeen – The Hunger Games

Katniss lives a life soiled by trauma and horror, but despite this, she is arguably the greatest female badass of all. Here is a hero who straddles the mundane and the glorious. Her first heroic act is to hunt for food for her family, and her acts of heroism simply grow from there. She volunteers as tribute to save her sister, Prim, from having to compete in The Hunger Games, and she constantly grows in stature from there.

Appealing to all sections of the audience, Katniss uses skill, brains and quick thinking to save her own life, and the lives of others too. And, have you checked out how she uses that bow and arrow? Wow! Katniss is all kinds of awesome, and, she’s that mega hot fantasy you wish could be real.