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 Peter Parker / Spider-Man.
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 [Marvel's Marvel's Spider-Man (video game)|Spider-Man (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 subsequently appeared in several Marvel series, including Superior Spider-Man, Marvel Action: Spider-Man, Spider-Man: Fake Red, and Amazing Spider-Man.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 appears. During a later fight with Screwball, Spider-Man is humiliated, causing Ben Reilly to refuse to buy Peter Parker's photos.
Following the "Gang War" storyline, Screwball uses drones to pull off a pique to gain more followers. These drones end up attacking Spider-Woman and Spider-Boy. Screwball later speaks through the drones, who combine into a giant robot. When the robot is defeated, Spider-Woman and Spider-Boy use one of the drones to track down Screwball. They defeat Screwball and leave her for the police.
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.Other versions
An alternate universe version of Screwball from Earth-19759 appears in Spider-Man: Fake Red. When Screwball threatens to bomb a building, Yu pushes himself to his physical limits to pursue her, nearly dying from exhaustion as he swings several stories above the ground before finally confronting her face-to-face.In other media
Television
- An original incarnation of Screwball, Liz Allan, appears in the Spider-Man episode "Screwball Live!", voiced by Natalie Lander.
- Screwball makes a cameo in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. During one of Peter Parker's livestreams, her username appears in the comment feed, where she urges viewers to watch her own stream instead of his.