open/close all folders
Books
- Complete Monster: Against the Prince of Hell, by David C. Smith & Richard L. Tierney: Du-jum, worshipper of the evil vulture god Urmu, takes over the city of Thesrad and proceeds to have the population tortured and massacred on a whim. He proceeds to hunt for Prince Omeron, torturing to death any loyalists he encounters with dark sorcery, before instituting bloody Human Sacrifice to appease Urmu. After killing countless innocents, Du-jum attempts to tunnel into hell itself to unleash the demonic legions under his control to slaughter as they will and bring the world under his power, even attempting to murder his own daughter when she stands against him.
- Strangled by the Red String: In Star of Doom, Sonja is in love with a fellow mercenary, Daron (though it takes her a little while to admit it). Note, that's in love; we don't see them fall in love, which presumably happened during the month or so they knew each other before the book opens. Because of that, and because what we see of Daron makes it seem like he's not really Sonja's type, the romance doesn't feel earned.
Comics
- Best Known for the Fanservice: Red Sonja is an iconic female fantasy character in art for both good as well as bad reasons.
- Broken Base:
- Whether the Chainmail Bikini is just good natured Fanservice or undermines the character.
- Whether Gail Simone changed Red Sonja too much in order to make her more appealing to female and modern audiences.
- Complete Monster: See here.
- Estrogen Brigade: Red Sonja used to have one of these when she was a Marvel comic book character and book protagonist but gradually grew until she's marketed as much to female readers as male ones under Dynamite Entertainment.
- Fair for Its Day: For all the fanservicy aspects of Sonja's character, she is still a badass swordswoman protagonist.
- Les Yay: Plenty of it with Sonja and Dark Annisia. It's been confirmed by Gail Simone that they were lovers.
- Newer Than They Think: Many fans believe Red Sonja was created by Robert E. Howard, which is incorrect. He created a character called Red Sonya of Rogatina in "The Shadow of the Vulture" but she was a gunslinging Russian Woman so a little bit different. Roy Thomas created Red Sonja as we know her in the Seventies.
- Never Live It Down: Red Sonja's Chainmail Bikini is arguably more famous than she is throughout fantasy fandom for its sheer impracticality and an example of Rule of Sexy.
- Periphery Demographic: As Gail Simone talked about in the intro to the omnibus of her edition, Red Sonja was made for boys but wowed her and many young female readers despite the cheesecake factor. As such, Red Sonja has a massive Estrogen Brigade that turned into a nearly equal female fanbase.
1985 Film
- See here.
