Why Joss Whedon writes strong women characters.
The Catmage Chronicles
Andy thought he was going crazy when a talking cat showed up at his front door. He couldn’t have been more wrong.Goldeneyes is a Catmage – a cat with human intelligence and magical abilities. Andy is an eighth grader who is smart, impulsive, and trying to avoid the school bully at all costs. A prophecy threw them together. There’s just one problem: Goldeneyes can’t stand humans.The Catmage world is heading toward war. Goldeneyes and Andy must try to stop the enemy from getting stronger. And they must save a powerful Catmage who’s been kidnapped. For Goldeneyes, it’s personal. That Catmage is her grandmother.Andy and Goldeneyes must try to put aside their differences. If they can’t, the enemy will soon be too powerful to defeat…
Not a bad set of answers.
I’d add one more answer: because it makes for more believable storytelling. I don’t spend my time in real life hanging around with weak women so why would anybody think I want to see them featured in works of fiction?
I’d also say I like seeing strong women for the equal-and-opposite reason I like seeing strong men. When there is a really good male lead (like James Bond or Indiana Jones), the women want to go out with him and the men want to be like him. When there is a really good female lead (like Buffy, or Susan Ivanova (from Babylon 5)), it’s the same – the men want to go out with her and the women want to be like her.