The goal of the first Robocop film was to tell a story about a bankrupt future Detroit that's a cesspool of crime and in desperate need of change...basically modern-day Detroit.
But still...
Anne Lewis is a regular cop in Detroit, fighting what seems to be a never-ending battle against crime. God knows how many partners she's gone through.
The character has many great qualities. One element that makes her unique is the fact that it could have been played by a man and yet was not. The director, writers, producers, casting director...doesn't matter, they could have all cast a man in the role but chose a woman. Perhaps the reason behind it was the fact that the rest of the film is a sausage-fest and at least one female was needed, but in the end her gender didn't matter.
Lewis is Murphy's tie to the human race and the soul of the audience. I state that she's underused for she basically is a sidekick to Robocop in both films, even though she has some great scenes. She is, first and foremost, a great woman of action in a time where that was non-existent. Heck, it's rare even for today.
Like I said in the beginning, on a subliminal level I suppose Anne was an influence on Morgalla, though not directly. What Paul Verhoeven and the writers of Robocop did was focus on all the elements that made a good character, albeit a supporting one, and the fact that she was a woman is merely a coincidence. THAT is what I feel should be the focus on most any character. No gratuitous shower scene (which is weird when you think about it, being Paul Verhoeven).
How many times have we seen in films the only female character happens to be a love interest, too? Glad they didn't try. That's something that's bugged me with many films where the filmmakers feel they "need" a romantic love interest for their male lead. You see it in all of the recent Marvel films with the exception of Captain America, The Winter Soldier.
Sad that we don't see more characters like this. Oh wait...I can think of one:
