Who Is Red Sonja?

Red Sonja is one of fantasy comics' most iconic characters — a fierce, flame-haired warrior woman from the Hyrkanian steppes who roams the Hyborian Age as a sword-for-hire. Her origin is one of tragedy: after her family was slaughtered and she herself was brutalized, the goddess Scáthach blessed her with unmatched combat skill, making her nearly peerless with a blade. She first appeared in Conan the Barbarian #23 (1973), created by Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith, loosely inspired by Robert E. Howard's character Red Sonya of Rogatino. She went on to headline her own Marvel series starting in 1977, and later moved to Dynamite Entertainment, where she has starred in numerous ongoing series, crossovers, and reimaginings — including memorable runs by Gail Simone and a recent series by Mark Russell. Her iconic red chain mail bikini armor has been both celebrated and debated, and Dynamite has occasionally updated her look to reflect evolving sensibilities.