UFC fighter Ronda Rousey has earned herself a lot of credibility in the nerd community, often claiming to be a nerd herself. Six months ago, the brawling beauty claimed she wanted to play the comic book superhero Ms. Marvel in a feature film. Now, Ronda Rousey has her sights set on a favorite among video game nerds. She wants to play Samus Aran in a movie based on the Metroid games.
Ronda Rousey spoke to GameSpot about her love for video games, having been digitally rendered into EA’s forthcoming fighting game based on UFC. When asked if she could be a part of any movie based on a video game, what would she choose, Ronda Rousey confidently picked the beloved Nintendo heroine, intergalactic bounty hunter Samus Aran.
“I’ve always wanted to be Samus,” Ronda Rousey said. “That would be bad*ss.”
Ronda Rousey. [Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images]
Many were surprised to learn from Ronda Rousey’s Reddit AMA that she’s been obsessed with video games for most of her life. So, it shouldn’t be too shocking to hear that the champion fighter not only knows what Metroid is, but she knows some trivia from the franchise’s oldest game.
“I love how people found out later that it was a hot chick on the inside,” Ronda Rousey added.
This is a reference to the original Metroid title on NES, which had a surprise in store for players who beat the game. Having spent the entire game as a masked robotic humanoid, many Metroid players had no idea who exactly they were controlling. But at the end of the story, Samus removes her helmet to reveal her gender. That reveal is still talked about in the gaming world for being one of the first strong female protagonists in gaming.
However, some people criticize the Metroid series for sexualizing the character of Samus. While she’s shelled up in a power suit for most of the Metroid series, nearly every Metroid game to date has “rewarded” players with an image of Samus stripped from her outfit. Even the original 8-bit NES Metroid game provided a pixelated, bikini-clad version of Samus if the player beat the game fast enough. Since then, Nintendo’s depiction of Samus out of her suit has only gotten more risque.
Samus in ‘Metroid.’ [Photo via Nintendo]
However, Ronda Rousey has never been one to shy away from sex appeal, having appeared in many suggestive ads and outfits herself. She even seems to embrace those first times Samus showed some skin, although acknowledged that being concealed in a suit most of the time would be an advantage.
“Most of the day you’re in a suit, so you can just hang out and eat donuts and be the star of Metroid .”
Ronda Rousey. [Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images]
Ronda Rousey is a notorious advocate for body pride and is ardently against body shaming. She recently threatened to kill the next person who calls her fat, in response to a rude remark made by a crew member on the set of a fast food commercial. It’s this kind of tough but feminine attitude that people love about Ronda Rousey, which could make her the perfect candidate to portray Samus in a movie. But first, Nintendo has to decide to actually go through with a Metroid film.
“I hope they make a movie out of that,” Ronda Rousey added.
While the video game company has never really gotten close to making a Metroid movie a reality, there have been several stabs at a fan adaptation. You can see one of them below and envision what Ronda Rousey might be like in the leading role.
Do you think Ronda Rousey would make the perfect Samus Aran? For more on Ronda Rousey, read about her recent confession to suicidal thoughts.
[Photos by Matthew Stockman, Frazer Harrison/Getty Images]
