We love the fantasy genre for so many reasons, but we feel like one of those reasons often gets overlooked. We’re just so caught up in our magic systems, and our fancy weaponry, and our world-ending peril that we forget to focus on the little things. So it’s time to appreciate a truly underrated aspect of the genre: beautifully toned biceps.
Show us your muscle, fantasy heroes.
BEFORE WE BEGIN. We want to acknowledge that there are many, many excellent science fiction and super-heroic biceps as well—from Captain America’s helicopter-wrangling stuntwork to the impressive pull-up toned arms of both T2’s Sarah Connor and Aliens’ Jenette Vasquez. In this post we’re focusing on fantasy, but please feel free to tell us about fictional biceps (and triceps! and deltoids!) of all stripes in the comments!
Brienne of Tarth, A Song of Ice and Fire
While George R.R. Martin described Brienne of Tarth as tough and relatively “unattractive”, actor Gwendoline Christie got flack when she was cast in the role because she was apparently “too pretty” for some fans. While Christie was tickled that people claimed she looked like a fashion model, she proved them all wrong by adding enough muscle to her six-foot-three frame to make the world quickly realize she was no one to trifle with. We know you’re shouting “but what about the Mountain?” but it’s hard to hear you when our lady is swinging a giant broadsword at ice-zombies.
And as long as we’re in Westeros, yes, yes, of course Khal Drogo. Jason Momoa worked hard for that look, and we certainly don’t want to snub him. Especially since he also once played another character on our list, and could crush us like so many gnats.
Conan, Conan the Barbarian (comics and film)
Pretty much the OG in the fantasy bicep game, Conan has been at this for a long time. It doesn’t really matter if he’s pressed into the pages of a comic book or played by the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger or Jason Momoa—we’re here for Conan because this is what he’s bringing to the table.
Zula, Conan the Destroyer
Zula is Grace Jones. Grace Jones rules us all. Obviously she has some of the best biceps in fantasy. It’s hard enough to pay attention to Conan when Grace Jones simply exists in the same frame, let alone when she flexes those muscles at us.
Rand al’Thor, The Wheel of Time
You gotta figure that being “The Dragon Reborn” comes with a few perks, right? And so does having the namesake of an old Norse god. Okay, maybe this award should go to his blacksmith buddy Perrin, since we know he’s a tough boy, but just look at Rand. Up there. Flexing. He saw you looking, and he just had to make sure you were proud. We are proud of you, Rand. Four for you. You go.
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Crown of Swords
Red Sonja, Marvel Comics/Dynamite Entertainment/film
Red Sonja sometimes spends her time hanging around with Conan in various media, an update from the Robert E. Howard tale in which she first appeared. She made the move to comics and then to a movie that most people don’t remember, and now has a home with both Marvel and Dynamite Entertainment. We all know the reason for her continued popularity… it’s her biceps. Obviously. Don’t mess with Sonja.
He-Man, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
He-Man is a character that started with a toy, and that toy was supposed to make little boys feel bigger and tougher in an uncertain world. That is, in fact, where his signature “I have the Power!” catchphrase comes from. So Prince Adam uses a special sword to become He-Man, but the transformation doesn’t seem to make him look all that different, apart from baring his biceps to the world. That’s clearly where “the Power” comes from.
Bershad, Blood of An Exile by Brian Naslund
Just look at this man. Bershad has a lot of problems cropping up right now, but even after being sentenced to die after assassinating a fellow nobleman, we have to give the guy credit: He never skips arm day. We’re not entirely sure what being a dragon slayer has to do with biceps, but we are so glad he doesn’t neglect them. We also have some questions for his tattoo artist.
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Blood of an Exile
Avatar Korra, The Legend of Korra
While the previous Avatar was all about being nimble and flexible, like the air nomad society he was born into (we know Aang is incredibly tough, of course), his successor Korra was ninety percent muscle. That and her penchant for wearing sleeveless tunics that show off her perfectly toned arms make her an easy contender for arm wrestling champion of the world. And arm champion of pretty much everything else.
Demane, The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps by Kai Ashante Wilson
Sorcerer of the Wildeeps is epic fantasy, yes, but it’s also one gorgeous poem of queer longing. And in amidst all the lyrical flirting and sensual wordplay, it becomes obvious that both Demane (the titular Sorcerer) and his Captain (a storied hero) have ridiculous arm game. Which helps when they’re protecting their men and wrestling wild beasts and generally showing off for each other.
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The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps
Xena, Xena: Warrior Princess
We could also put Xena in the “best abs of fantasy” list, but it would be remiss not to count her here, too. Throwing her signature chakram with deadly accuracy requires some serious arm muscle. And if we’re talking about Xena, we’re contractually obligated to give a shout to her stalwart gal pal, Gabrielle, who, while not billed as a “Warrior Princess” could still more than hold her own in battle.
Jasper, Steven Universe, Steven Universe Future
Most Steven Universe characters use weaponry or emotional manipulation to fight, but Jasper is the rare Gem who skips straight to her mighty FISTS. She’s very much a villain for most of the show, and her fighting style is pure tank. She bashes people, punches Steven in the face, defuses Garnet with a well-timed blow—it’s all pretty dark, and only gets darker. One could argue that she’s the first genuinely scary figure we meet in SU, a true bully with none of the character of Peridot or complex backstory of the Diamonds. Which is why it makes it all the cooler when, in Steven Universe Future, she uses those crazy ripped arms to train Steven in a different kind of power, and takes him on a journey that ultimately helps him to change the way he lives for the better.
Penthesilea, The Amazon and the Warrior by Judith Hand
Penthesilea is Queen of the ancient Amazons, so is it any surprise that she’s got amazing arms? She’s pretty furious that Achilles murdered her sister, but she’s well on her way to finding vengeance. And she also has a warrior boyfriend with amazing arms (seen above). That’s probably their meet cute: “Hey, you’ve got great arms, I’ve got great arms. We should date.”
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The Amazon and the Warrior
Thor, Marvel Comics/Marvel Cinematic Universe
If characters partly inspired by Thor make this list, then obviously Mr. Thunderdome himself also gets a ranking spot. Those arms are so huge, he needs two different types of hammer to contain that swing. And sure blah blah magical powers, blah blah he’s based on an actual Norse god who probably had lots of other things going on, but we all know the Grandmaster took to calling him Sparkles because he was trying to distract us from the real star of the show.
Trogdor, Homestar Runner
Trogdor has had an eventful life, between once being a man, now being a dragon, and burninating all the peasants and their thatched-roof cottages. But for the purposes of this list, let us all stand back and gaze in awe at his ONE BEEFY ARM.
TROG-DOOOOOR!!!
An earlier version of this article was published in July 2019.
I’ll submit Tom Strong and his family. Particularly when they are illustrated by Chris Sprouse. Those arm, bay-beh.
I’m giving this a “favorite” because of Grace Jones and Lucy Lawless.
Any pre-gunpowder warrior will have pretty impressive biceps. For one thing, they were going to be handling muscle-powered weapons for several hours at a stretch. Indeed, I would expect that most pre-industrial people (men and women) would be considered pretty ripped by 21st Century standards.
Captain Carrot of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch.
Any love for the Steve Reeves Hercules?
Sarah Hoyt’s shifter series: Draw One in the Dark, Gentleman Takes a Chance, Noah’s Boy.
One protagonist, Tom Ormson, shifts into a dragon. When your exercise involves flying in dragon shape, your human torso suggests Schwarzenegger’s Conan.
What about Gideon, Cavalier of the Ninth? Most of the characters in the book were swooning over her guns.
Ok this is an interesting list :p
Sorry, and I know there’s a still in the article, but I’m just going to put this here, because there is simply nothing that can top it. Crom!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2gcpFU-78k
Oliver Queen/Stephen Amell doing the salmon ladder. Sigh.
https://youtu.be/BuJk69zP0No
@8 NomadUK that is indeed a great scene, as the youthful Conan ponders Thulsa Doom’s interpretation of the riddle of steel…
zdrakec@10: Though Arnold’s physique is awesome, the brilliant soundtrack from the great Basil Poledouris makes that scene nearly a religious experience.
Before there was He-Man there was
@11 Correct, and one of the two pillars on which the movie rests (the other being the epic visuals)
Sarah Connor in Terminator 2.
While it is appropriate to recognize the Conan-ator I am old enough to remember that before the Conan movies, before the comic books, there were at least 12 novels dating back to 1932 featuring the Cimmerian thews of steel. Not to mention his Lin Carter knock-off Thongor the Lemurian who had also had mighty thews and reportedly said at one point “You can look at squiggly marks on parchment and make sense of them? Die, foul sorcerer!”
wiredog@14: Ye gods, yes.
Dr Thanatos@15: The entire collection of Robert E Howard’s Conan stories, Conan: The Definitive Collection, was available in one handy, inexpensive edition, the Kindle version of which I bought back in 2017. The stories were arranged in chronological sequence by L Sprague de Camp, et al. It appears to still be available if you look hard enough: here’s an edition at (sigh) Wal-Mart. What appears to be a much nicer — but considerably more expensive — hardbound edition is available here. Many mighty thews, indeed!
Clearly the weather must be hotting up because there’s a lot of bare flesh & Thirst around this particular thread …
I’ve just been reading H. Rider Haggard, the mighty Sir Henry Curtis, who according to Allan Quatermain looks like a Viking, and the powerful and statuesque Umslopogaas definitely qualify. Also, why is Gabrielle holding her sai by the blade?
@@@@@ 19, princessroxana
Also, why is Gabrielle holding her sai by the blade?
Because that’s how you use a sai. There are many curlicues to using that East Asian weapon. Sai are best known from the Okinawan resistance to Japanese conquest.
There are two basic modes:
Use as a European quillon dagger was used. Thrust with point, strike with pommel, deflect blows with the blade, catch a weapon with the quillons.
Flipped, to hold the blade against the forearm. You can still thrust with the pommel and hook with the quillons. The blade deflects the katana that samurai is swinging at you. That’s probably why the “blade” has no edge—you don’t want to be cut by your own weapon. In deflection mode, your sai’s blade should extend past your elbow. Direct the sword past your arm and away from your body. Flip it blade forward, thrust through a gap in his armor.
The grip Gabrielle is using, blade against forearm, hand curled on quillons, forefinger along the grip to direct a pommel strike, is one of the standard hand positions.
Sorry. Not a fan of extreme biceps. My personal image of Conan was that he was as lithe as he was muscular. As much as I adore Frazetta’s artwork, I sometimes wondered (especially with the admittedly gorgeous first Lancer cover for Conan the Adventurer) how he was able to move. In any case, REH’s genius was in his dark and pessimistic prose style, which has never been matched (and certainly not by the pastiche writers). I just think those covers created an image of Conan that didn’t entirely fit the REH character as written, and this has carried over to film adaptations. Barry Windsor-Smith’s depictions, especially in the original comic book series, were closer to Howard’s, though. We see muscles that have a lot of strength, with taut tendons when in action, but they don’t bulge.
Tarzan, who I read in the Ballentine reprints before Lancer’s 1st Conan was published, was certainly lithe rather than bulked out. ERB never had him swing from vines, but he did leap from tree branch to tree branch, which is kinda tough if you’ve got massive, heavy muscles.
Michael Whelan’s popular paintings of Elric of Melniboné strike me as too muscular. Elric’s strength came from that damn sword, not from lifting weights. It was purely supernatural in character. Did emperors of Melniboné even fight in person, or did they just send their dragon forces?
Fafhrd, in the Fritz Leiber series, was large and imposing, but I got no impression that he was bulked out.
Karl Edward Wagner’s Kane, like REH’s King Kull, used an axe, which takes more muscle than a sword, so I can see Kane & Kull being bulked out a bit, although Kane was also a sorcerer and a Machiavellian politician, so he depended on his brain as much as anything.
Mostly, fighting takes more speed and agility than it does brute strength. You have to be able to move and move fast, and to improvise on your feet.
@20, Ah, thank you, Fernhunter. I knew sai could be used reversed but I’d imagined a different sort of grip for some reason.
And here I thought I was the only one old enough to remember Barry Smith’s Conan! That’s the definitive Conan to me. When Arnold was cast, my enthusiasm took a hit from which it has never recovered. Smith’s animals weren’t so great. I remember giant rats with feline dentition, they just looked wrong.