There was a time in the ‘80s when a character like Ellen Ripley (played by Sigourney Weaver) was the female action hero, and by “the” I mean the only truly prominent one.
Because, while yes, we had shows like Charlie's Angels, and Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman, Ripley was a new kind of hero. One who could confront the Alien Queen all by herself, and call it a bitch right to its face (it's one of the reasons why the first two Alien movies are some of the best sci-fi movies of all time). And, while we've come a long way since then with more women also directing action movies, we're not nearly far enough.
