Do we like Lara Croft?
A character from Tomb Raider (1996)
Our score: 8 out of 10. Brave, brilliant and endlessly resourceful. She leaves a lot of rubble and a high body count, but she's usually on the right side. We'd back her, and we'd bring a helmet.
Lara Croft is the heroine of the Tomb Raider series, which began in 1996 and has since spread to films, comics and an animated series. Raised in privilege at Croft Manor, she chose a life of danger over high society. She is athletic, quick-witted and drawn to lost civilisations. Each adventure sends her into a remote ruin full of traps, puzzles, wildlife and rival treasure hunters.
Her character changes a little between versions. The classic Lara is dry-witted, confident and almost untouchable. The rebooted Lara is younger and more human. She is scared, hurt and out of her depth early on, and she grows into the role through grit and determination. Across both, she is curious, stubborn and hard to scare. She is also deeply loyal, and she has a real respect for history, even if her methods are destructive.
Our score reflects how reliably she picks the right fight. She is a self-appointed guardian of dangerous artifacts, and her goals are almost always protective rather than greedy. Points come off for the collateral damage, the vigilante approach, and the sheer number of enemies she takes down. She still comes out as a hero most of us would happily follow into a cave.