Over the last 15 years, Mary Elizabeth Winstead has fought aliens of different shapes and sizes, faced off against Death, come up against vampires in the 19th century, and attended a high school for superheroes. Now she's playing Huntress alongside Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn in Birds of Prey. This is not her first comic book adaptation — Scott Pilgrim vs. the World gets that honor — but it is surprising the actress hasn't appeared in either the MCU or DCU before this moment. Two of her Scott Pilgrim co-stars have gone on to become Marvel Captains (America and Marvel), and now it's Winstead's turn to enter the superhero franchise fray.

Before she joined Cathy Yan's Birds of Prey, Winstead had been the Final Girl and gone toe-to-toe with a variety of formidable foes. She has worked in a collaborative environment against a common enemy, though with no one quite as tough or fabulously dressed as Harley Quinn and her sartorial squad have been by her side.

To celebrate Winstead's Huntress, SYFY FANGRRLS is taking a look back at her stacked resumé, which has mostly avoided repetition. Even when the overall subject matter is similar, the narrative style is varied and therefore sidestepped typecasting; she isn't relegated to a beleaguered girlfriend who is there to simply prop the hero up. Horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and comic book adaptations all feature in both a leading and supporting capacity on television and film.

Whether it is a long-running franchise, reboot, or an original story, Mary Elizabeth Winstead has become a go-to actress for characters that convey toughness and vulnerability in equal measure — and we're here to show you why.