Screwball (character)

Screwball is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Dan Slott and artist Marcos Martín, the character first appeared in ''Amazing Spider-Man'' #559. Screwball is depicted as the first " live-streaming supervillain", an influencer who records her crimes and battles in an attempt to gain internet fame as a recurring antagonist of the superhero Spider-Man. An alternate-universe Screwball appears as the secondary antagonist of the 2019–2020 manga series '' Spider-Man: Fake Red''.

Natalie Lander voices an original incarnation of Screwball, Liz Allan, in the 2017 animated series ''Spider-Man'', while Stephanie Lemelin voices an adaptation of the anonymous comic-book Screwball in the 2018 video game ''Spider-Man'' and its DLC ''The City That Never Sleeps''.

Publication history

Screwball debuted in ''Amazing Spider-Man'' #559, created by writer Dan Slott and artist Marcos Martín. She appeared in the 2013 '' Superior Spider-Man'' series, the 2021 ''Marvel Action: Spider-Man'' series and '' Spider-Man: Fake Red'', and the 2022 ''Amazing Spider-Man'' series.

Fictional character biography

Not much is known about Screwball's past. She is an Internet personality who seeks attention, to the point that she commits infractions to gain followers and fame. Screwball commits crimes while a film crew filmed her so that she can get more hits on her videos by having Spider-Man appear on it. She first encounters Spider-Man while he is tracing the "Spider-Tracer Killer".

Screwball later poses as Spider-Man to help Bookie, with the two filming Spider-Man fighting the villain Basher. The fight is uploaded on YouTube and watched by the patrons of the "Bar with No Name". The Enforcers recognize what is happening and attack Bookie, only for him to be rescued when the real Spider-Man showed up.

When Spider-Man and Daredevil arrive at the Bar With No Name, Screwball is among the patrons that attack them.

Because of Spider-Man's humiliating fight with Screwball, Ben Reilly refuses to buy Peter Parker's photos.

During the "Origin of the Species" storyline, Spider-Man apprehends Screwball and Looter in Midtown after Doctor Octopus kidnaps Lily Hollister's newborn child Stanley.

Spider-Girl later chases Screwball and confiscates her camera before handing her over to the police.

Screwball later collaborates with Jester in pranking Mayor J. Jonah Jameson before being defeated by the Superior Spider-Man. Screwball later appears in Las Vegas where she collaborates with Arcade. She later fights Elektra under Arcade's orders, but is defeated.

During the " Hunted" storyline, Screwball appears as a patron at the Pop-Up with No Name.

In the " Gang War" storyline, Screwball uses drones to pull off a pique to gain more followers. They combine into a giant robot and battle Spider-Woman and Spider-Boy before being defeated.

Other versions

An alternate universe variant of Screwball from Earth-19759 appears in '' Spider-Man: Fake Red''.

Powers and abilities

Screwball is a skilled gymnast with extensive parkour training, enabling her to navigate environments with ease. Her abilities are typically centered around her parkour expertise, which she uses to her advantage in maneuvering through New York City's urban landscape. She also manages a team of cameramen and technicians who capture footage and maintain her website. While relying on her crew to document her exploits, Screwball also keeps an additional camera in her helmet.

Reception

Joshua Kristian McCoy of ''Game Rant'' described Screwball as an ideal character for a "meta-comedy film about filmmaking or social media." Leah Bernstein of ''Comic Book Resources'' characterized Screwball as having an irritating charm, similar to the Riddler in the ''Batman: Arkham'' series of games. She noted that Screwball's confident yet abrasive personality fits her role as a thrill-seeking influencer wannabe, making her unlikable in a way that is refreshingly different from some of the literal monsters Spider-Man face.

In other media

Television

An original incarnation of Screwball, Liz Allan, appears in the ''Spider-Man'' (2017) episode "Screwball Live!", voiced by Natalie Lander. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.

Video games

Screwball appears in ''Spider-Man'' (2018), voiced by Stephanie Lemelin. Screwball tasks Spider-Man with combat and stealth challenges to boost her live-stream views. She returns in the ''City That Never Sleeps'' DLC.

Miscellaneous

In 2017, Diamond Select Toys released a Screwball action figure inspired by Liz Allan's incarnation of the character.

References

External links

Screwball
at Marvel Wiki

{{Spider-Man characters

Comics characters introduced in 2008
Fictional gymnasts
Marvel Comics supervillains
Spider-Man characters