Gender in speculative fiction
The first known female superhero is writer-artist Fletcher Hanks's minor character Fantomah, an ageless, ancient Egyptian woman in the modern day who could transform into a skull-faced creature with superpowers to fight evil; she debuted in 1940 in Fiction Houses "Jungle Comics".
Spitfire (comics)
Spitfire (Lady Jacqueline Falsworth Crichton) is a fictional superheroine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Roy Thomas and Frank Robbins. Her character was first introduced in the "Invaders" comic book series as an intended replacement for the Union Jack character, but the costume design did not fit the female torso so the character of Spitfire, named after the Supermarine Spitfire fighter plane, was created.