Summary

• Throughout her history, Red Sonja has been a powerful feminist icon in the sword and sorcery genre.
• Red Sonja's iconic chainmail bikini was not part of her original costume design but eventually became her trademark.
• Red Sonja's long and storied Marvel Comic history paved the way for her continued success and popularity in the comic book world.

Content Warning: contains mentions of rape, sexual assault

For over 50 years, icons such as Conan the Barbarian and Kull. Like Conan, Red Sonja can trace her roots back to the works of Robert E. Howard.

Unlike the Cimmerian, however, Red Sonja’s appearances have been by and large contained in the comics. Despite this, she has become a vital part of the fantasy genre, and a feminist icon to boot. The story of Red Sonja is a fascinating one, involving generations of creators. Each has put their own spin on the character, but through it all, Red Sonja's fierceness and savage nature shine through.

Red Sonja and Conan Share the Same DNA

Robert E. Howard Did Not Create the Red Sonja Fans Know and Love

Fans today know Red Sonja as a brutal warrior, roaming the Hyborian Age, fighting men and monsters and trying to survive in a savage era. Her fiery red hair and chainmail bikini armor work to create one of the most visually dynamic characters in comics. She has crossed paths with Conan the Barbarian on several occasions, and much like him, is an excellent example of the “sword and sorcery” genre of fantasy, pioneered in the early 20th century by writers such as Robert E. Howard. Conan is Howard’s best known creation, and a genre icon as well.

The character’s close association with Conan has led many to think she is also a creation of Robert E. Howard, and she is—sort of. The Red Sonja comic fans know and love is not a creation of Robert E. Howard. Instead, writer Roy Thomas and artist Barry Windsor-Smith based Red Sonja on “Red Sonya,” a character actually appearing in a Howard story: “Shadow of the Vulture.” Howard’s Red Sonya was not a barbarian, but a swashbuckling woman warrior fighting the Ottomans in the 16th century. Unlike many of Howard’s other creations, Sonya only made one appearance.

Thomas and Windsor-Smith disposed of nearly all of this, moving Sonya to Conan’s Hyborian Age. No longer was she turning back the Ottoman invasion of Vienna, but slaughtering monsters and evil wizards. She acquired a new backstory and origin, as well as a new look. Thomas and Windsor-Smith finally modified Sonya’s name, flipping it to “Sonja.” Red Sonja made her official comics debut in 1973’s Conan the Barbarian, in an adaptation of “Shadow of the Vulture,” by Thomas and Windsor-Smith.

Red Sonja’s Iconic Armor Bikini Almost Did Not Happen

It Has Made Red Sonja a Cosplay Icon

Red Sonja is today known for her iconic chainmail bikini, but ironically, it was not present in her first two appearances in Conan the Barbarian. Instead, Sonja wore a long-sleeved chainmail shirt and red silk shorts. Sonja would acquire the bikini shortly thereafter, courtesy of renowned Spanish artist Esteban Maroto, who, according to legend, submitted an uncommissioned drawing to Roy Thomas. Thomas liked the illustration so much that Sonja’s outfit in the comics was changed.

While no in-universe reason was given for the shift in Red Sonja’s costume, her rationale for wearing it in the first place was to distract her opponents. Reasoning that many of them would be men, Sonja felt the bikini would throw them off and give her the advantage. Although the bikini is world-famous, critics have called it out for its impracticality. Over the years, as new generations of creators leave their mark on Red Sonja, they have each provided fascinating insight into the bikini, and how it works in combat.

Red Sonja’s bikini has also proven irresistible to cosplayers, and it can be argued she helped inspire the field. Some of the earliest documented cosplays were of Red Sonja. By the late 1970s, Red Sonja had become popular enough to inspire women to dress like her at conventions. Wendy Pini, co-creator of the acclaimed indie comic Elfquest, gained fame at the time not only for her comics work, but her Red Sonja cosplay. It became a fixture on the convention circuit and was even featured on national television. Red Sonja continues to inspire epic cosplay to this day.

Red Sonja’s MarvelComic History Is Long and Storied

Red Sonja Was a Marvel Icon

Marvel Comics’ Red Sonja was born in tragedy. For the first two decades of her life, she lived in relative peace, until marauders attacked her village, killing her family. Sonja was then raped and left for dead. Her cries for revenge reach the goddess Scáthach (based on a real character from Celtic folklore), who sharpens Sonja’s fighting skills. Scáthach sends Sonja into the world, but with one condition: she can never sleep with a man unless he defeats her in fair combat. This origin has proven problematic, and has been tweaked over time.

Dynamite has reprinted Red Sonja's Marvel-era adventures in omnibus editions

After her initial appearances, Red Sonja’s adventures were chronicled in the pages of volume two of Marvel Feature, a “try-out” book that tested characters to see how feasible a regular book would be–and Sonja ed the test with flying colors. After seven issues in Marvel Feature, Sonja was awarded her own ongoing book in 1976, and it would run for 15 issues. Marvel made extensive use of Red Sonja in their promotional materials from the era, a testament to her popularity.

Marvel would publish a few more Red Sonja comics until losing the license in the mid-1980s. A two-issue miniseries, co-written by Roy Thomas, was released in 1983 and another ongoing was launched a few months later, lasting 13 issues. Popular creators of the day, including Tom DeFalco and Louise Simonson, chronicled Sonja’s adventures during this time. After a two-issue miniseries adapting the Red Sonja movie (more on that later), Marvel let the rights to the character lapse. However, Red Sonja would return to Marvel for a one-shot in the mid-19990s, titled Scavenger Hunt.

Red Sonja Helped Put Dynamite Entertainment on the Map

Dynamite Has Turned Red Sonja Into a Franchise

Red Sonja: Scavenger Hunt was not the end of the character’s comic history. After one-shots published by Blackthorne and Cross Plains, Sonja returned to comics in 2005, courtesy of Dynamite Entertainment. The first issues of Dynamite’s tenure were written by Mike Carey and Michael Avon Oeming, and drawn by Mel Rubi. These early Dynamite Red Sonja comics hemmed close to the version of the character depicted in the classic Marvel Comics. The series debuted to great acclaim and helped restore Red Sonja as a comic book icon.

In 2008’s Red Sonja #34, by writer Brian Reed and artist Mel Rubi, the character was reborn. After being seemingly killed in battle, Sonja is escorted to the afterlife by Charon, the Ferryman of the River Styx. Along the way, Charon forces her to relive moments from her life. Charon turned out to be her adversary, Kulan Gath, and after killing him, she earned the favor of Hades himself, who permitted her to be reincarnated. The classic Red Sonja entered comic book history.

In Red Sonja #35, by Reed and artist Walter Geovani, the She-Devil With a Sword acquired a new origin. While bearing a strong resemblance to her classic origin, it eliminated its more problematic aspects, namely Sonja being sexually assaulted. Reed and Geovani also did away with the notion that Sonja had to be defeated before she could sleep with someone. Sonja’s family and friends were once again killed by pirates, and she was thrown overboard to die. Just like before, fate had other plans for Sonja, and she would once again roam the landscape, dispensing brutal justice by sword.

Since 2005, Dynamite Entertainment has crafted an entire franchise around Red Sonja, creating multiple titles and miniseries that continue to introduce this fantasy icon to new generations of fans. Numerous acclaimed creators, including Gail Simone, Amy Chu, Nicola Scott and Kurt Busiek. Dynamite has also released alternate universe takes on Red Sonja, under the Sonjaverse banner. These stories, which transplant Red Sonja to different time periods, have also been well received by fans.

Red Sonja Is a Big-Screen Star–And She Will Be Again

A New Red Sonja Feature Will Soon Be Gracing Theaters

Just as Conan the Barbarian was adapted to live-action, so has Red Sonja. In 1985, MGM/United Artists released Red Sonja, starring Brigitte Nielsen. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who had played Conan the Barbarian a few years earlier, also appeared, but not as the Cimmerian. The film was both a commercial and critical failure. Afterward, the film rights to Red Sonja entered developmental hell, and languished there for nearly 30 years. Millennium Entertainment is currently producing a new Red Sonja feature film, starring Matilda Lutz as the titular heroine.

Red Sonja’s new feature film will reintroduce her to a larger audience and raise her profile in the public’s consciousness. Red Sonja has been one of comics’ deadliest women for years, and a fantasy icon. She has inspired generations of creators to some of their best work, and now she is set to explode once again in the public consciousness.