Goodbye cartoon boobs, hello sweat stains: the feminist reinvention of Tomb Raider | TV

HHot on the heels of the Oasis reunion comes news of the return of another '90s icon – Lara Croft. She returns to our screens with a new animated series, still wearing the holy triumvirate of classic ponytail, backpack and combat boots. From the start, she does seemingly impossible things in the name of archeology: outrunning a ravenous crocodile and using her signature mix of parkour and gymnastics to avoid a pit full of sharp spikes. But that's not the Tomb Raider star quite as you may remember her.

The eponymous star of Netflix's Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft – voiced by Agent Carter's Hayley Atwell – looks different than in the original games. Her thighs are now strong enough to realistically run, climb, stomp, swim, and do all the other countless things Lara needs to do on a daily basis, while her waist is more realistically proportioned. Her shoulders are broader, her arms are more defined (biceps, triceps, and flexors; oh my!), and those incredibly perky and oh-so-pixelated breasts have been reduced to a size that's somewhere within the realm of reason.

Basically, she no longer looks like a strong wind would knock her over. It's part of a reimagining that feels like a grand feminist act – something many critics have been raving about since it first appeared in 1996.

The most influential female protagonist in her genre, Lara has redefined what women can and cannot do in the world of video gaming. “Compared to the burly men shooting guns, she had a real appeal,” says her designer Toby Gard, who originally envisioned her as “a guy in some graves” before deciding to go in a different direction. “She was mysterious and there was something dangerous about her, and that gave her a real difference from other female game characters who were basically sex objects.” It was also really important to me to get Lara to animate properly, which no one was doing at the time otherwise did. This made her move slowly but look realistic, which helped players empathize with her.”

Of course, realistic is in the eye of the beholder. For her adrenaline-fueled exploits, Lara wore a tight tank top and teen shorts – all the better for highlighting her gravity-defying breasts, as well as her slim waist, arms and legs. She moved with the grace of a ballerina, opting for unnecessary handstands and swallow jumps whenever she could, and spoke with the terse, confident cadence of a BBC newsreader – even if she only uttered a stern “no” to players who tried , forcing them through a locked door. (Hey, she had an agency!)

Of course, they were puzzle games and not RPGs, so we didn't know much about Lara's backstory. What we did know, however, was that she was incredibly rich and had a passion for ancient relics. She was probably also an enthusiastic gymnast. And most importantly: it was her clever, To complete each quest, she relies on intelligence and survival skills, not just combat (aka shooting anything and everything that comes between her and her prey).

Over time, the marketing around Lara changed – so much so that Gard was forced to leave game developer Core Design completely. “It wasn't about her breasts getting bigger,” he later emphasized, although the objectification of the figure was undeniable; Aside from the ever-increasing breasts, think of Tomb Raider II's unforgettable shower scene, Tomb Raider Legend's torn little black dress, the ever-prevalent promise of the “Nude Raider” cheat code (now proven to be an urban myth).

Like Wonder Woman before her, Lara Croft was a strong woman created with a male gaze in mind. Nevertheless, she managed to symbolize something greater: she was a true adventurer in search of her very own hero. A savior, not a girl to be saved. A woman who has far more important things on her mind than romantic side quests. As time passed and the character changed owners, these key elements never changed. The designers focused more on her facial expressions than her breasts; Her backstory has been fleshed out. They even gave her friends – in fact, it was Lara's relationship with Sam Nishimura in the 2013 video game reboot that ultimately allowed her to pass the Bechdel Test with flying colors – and that's exactly what's at the heart of the new series.

From China to Istanbul, from the Paris catacombs to the Kunlun Mountains – Netflix actress Lara's world tour has all the charm of her previous incarnations. Her past is, as she admits, “complicated” – which is why she's a little more vulnerable and a lot more self-destructive than we've seen her before. She wears comfortable cargo pants and high-necked tank tops when the occasion calls for it (with visible sweat stains, no less). She enjoys an unexpectedly conflicted relationship with a person from her past. She is – to quote her pal Jonah – a “crazy bastard” in a backpack; as fearless and careful, not only raid Graves, but also the return of treasures to their rightful homes.

This Lara is struggling with a messy past. This Lara smells like a professional hiker, gets beaten and bruised and has a lot of emotional baggage. A much of emotional baggage. This Lara isolates herself from her friends, which leads to one questionable decision after another. This Lara is brimming with strength, but must discover who she is before she can regain the cool composure that is so synonymous with the legendary Croft of yore. And yes, you best believe that her found family could be the key; After all, no woman is an island.

This Lara is by no means perfect, but her imperfections seem revolutionary when compared to her original plans. Because, detached from her controller, she can go through her story on her own terms. She's finally the undisputed guardian of her own complicated life – all thanks to her new TV incarnation.

Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft is now on Netflix.