Squirrel Girl
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Squirrel Girl (Doreen Green) is a fictional superhero in the Marvel Universe. She is originally from the Los Angeles, California area. She first appeared in the Winter 1991 Marvel Super-Heroes Special (2nd series, #8), in a story drawn by Steve Ditko and written by Will Murray. Her ability to control squirrels is surprisingly powerful, and has allowed her to defeat major supervillains. She is currently a member of the Great Lakes Champions.
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[edit] Publication history
Created by Will Murray and artist Steve Ditko, Squirrel Girl's first appearance was in Marvel Super-Heroes Special vol. 2 #8 in 1991. In her origin story, "The Coming of Squirrel Girl!", she ambushes Iron Man. The story also introduced her squirrel sidekick, Monkey Joe.
Squirrel Girl's first appearance was almost assured to be her last, given the silliness of the character's concept, especially given the grittier comic market trends of the early 1990s. For the next decade Squirrel Girl existed primarily as a matter of trivia, or as an example of a poorly conceived character. She was referenced only once in comics for that period: in issue #7 of the Deadpool series, Deadpool's friend/maid/mother-figure/prisoner Blind Al mentions accidentally putting "bleach in with Deadpool's Squirrel Girl underoos."
In 2005, comic writer Dan Slott wrote a four-issue miniseries for the superhero team the Great Lakes Avengers. Created in 1989, this parody team was made up of enthusiastic heroes with bizarre and almost-but-not-quite useless abilities. They had appeared only a handful of times over their 16-year history, serving as comic relief. In commemoration of the team's series roster changes were made, and the Squirrel Girl character was revived and included on the team. The miniseries satirized comic book deaths, and it was announced that a team member would die in every issue. After Squirrel Girl made a fuss to ensure that Monkey Joe would be an official member of the team, he was killed in the third issue.
[edit] Fictional character biography
Squirrel Girl was first seen ambushing Iron Man in a forest. She hoped to impress the veteran hero, wishing him to take her under his wing as his sidekick. The 14 year old mutant introduced herself and her pet squirrel Monkey Joe, and displayed her various abilities (all of which were Squirrel themed). Unimpressed, Iron Man politely declined, when suddenly the duo was attacked by Doctor Doom in a large aircraft. Doom captured and subdued Iron Man, and began to fly out over the ocean where he planned to dispose of Iron Man's body once he killed him. Underestimating her, Doom left Squirrel Girl to her own devices. She devised a plan, and used her ability to communicate with squirrels through an open door as the ship passed over the forest. Hundreds of squirrels answered her call and flooded Doom's ship, chewing through the wires, and swamping the evil dictator with their furry bodies, causing Doom to exclaim "Confound these wretched rodents! For every one I fling away, a dozen more vex me!" Iron Man was freed, the duo emerged victorious, and the two heroes went their separate ways.
Squirrel Girl was next seen years later, having relocated to New York City for what was acknowledged in the comic as no clear reason. While fighting crime in Central Park, she encountered Flatman and Doorman, members of the Great Lakes Avengers on a membership drive. In addition to appearing in the G.L.A. miniseries starting with the second issue, Squirrel Girl introduced each issue, providing a disclaimer or opinion piece about the contents of the series. Her side-kick Monkey Joe was also added to the team (at Squirrel Girl's behest), and commented on the series as well, appearing in a circle at certain moments in order to make comedic and smart-alec remarks.
After Squirrel Girl ensured that Monkey Joe was made an official member of the GLA, he was killed by an assailant dressed as Dr. Doom,[1] who had come seeking revenge. In actuality, his killer was a rejected member of the GLA named Leather Boy, who had been dressed in a variation of Dr. Doom's costume. Enraged by the death of her friend, Squirrel Girl was able to help stop Maelstrom from destroying the world by assembling a squirrel army. Squirrel Girl found a new squirrel companion during this battle — the only one of her squirrel army who had survived Maelstrom's wrath, whom she named Tippy-Toe.
Squirrel Girl and Tippy-Toe later managed to defeat M.O.D.O.K., Terrax and Thanos all by themselves.[2] Uatu, the Earth's Watcher, was on hand to confirm that the Thanos she defeated was the real thing, and not a clone or copy of any kind (an explanation that has sometimes been used to excuse some of Thanos' more embarrassing performances over the years). After M.O.D.O.K. was defeated, Dum-Dum Dugan offered her a position at S.H.I.E.L.D., explaining that they had been watching her for some time, impressed by her effectiveness in defeating powerful supervillains. Squirrel Girl declined the offer, saying she was happy being with the GLA.
She is a huge fan of the New Warriors, especially Speedball, on whom she has a crush. It is unknown if the Stamford Tragedy[3] has changed her opinion of the New Warriors or Speedball, though it was revealed that all of the Great Lakes Champions (the new name change came about as the result of a poker game[4]) had registered under the Superhuman Registration Act the morning it was announced.[5]
Squirrel Girl recently bested Deadpool in combat after he had defeated the rest of the team. Ironically, Deadpool failed to recognize Squirrel Girl, even though he apparently owns Squirrel Girl-themed underwear.[6]
[edit] Victories
Following her defeat of Dr. Doom, an ongoing joke depicts Squirrel Girl repeatedly attaining victory over various villains, some of whom are considerably more powerful than she is. Typically, these victories occur off-panel, though some, like her battle with Deadpool, are fully shown.
Squirrel Girl's victories often result from her opponent's overconfidence (Doom, M.O.D.O.K.), weakness from an earlier fight (Deadpool), or creative use of her powers (Doom, Bi-Beast). For the most part, she defeats her opponents through the use of her wits. Her defeat of Bi-Beast was the result of "one of those super-hero team-ups" with The Thing. While visiting squirrel friends in Central Park, Squirrel Girl came across Thing fighting with Bi-Beast. She told the squirrels to retrieve the smelliest garbage they could find and place it around the combatants, resulting in everyone having to hold their noses. Bi-Beast had to use both hands to hold his noses, leaving himself defenseless, allowing Thing to knock him out.
Thus far, she has beaten:
- Dr. Doom[7]
- Mandarin[8]
- Giganto[9]
- M.O.D.O.K.[10]
- Thanos[11]
- Terrax[12]
- Bug-Eyed Voice[13]
- Bi-Beast[14]
- Deadpool[15]
[edit] Powers and abilities
Squirrel Girl is a mutant, and evinces a variety of mutations which align with the squirrel theme. During her first encounter with Iron Man, she provided a detailed demonstration of her powers and abilities: a furry, prehensile tail roughly 3-4 feet in length; sizable buck teeth, which are strong enough to chew through wood; enhanced agility and strength, enabling her to jump between trees with ease. Her fingers have sharp claws on them, assisting her with climbing, and she possesses retractable "knuckle spikes" roughly 2-3 inches in length on each hand. Most importantly, she is capable of communicating with and understanding squirrels. Squirrel Girl does not communicate with squirrels telepathically. Rather, she has an understanding of their language, and the ability to speak it. Squirrels have also been depicted as understanding her when she speaks in English. Whether this power extends to species of ground squirrels and other rodents, or is limited to the traditional tree squirrel is presently unknown.
Later appearances have revealed additional abilities possessed by Squirrel Girl. Her eyes have been seen to glow red in low-light situations, indicating that she has some form of enhanced vision. Squirrel Girl reveals that her lips taste like hazelnuts, and she also displays an enhanced sense of smell.[16]
Squirrel Girl carries a utility belt comprised of multiple pouches which contain nuts to give as snacks to her squirrel friends. These are known, to much comedic effect, as her "nut sacks". It is unknown whether the markings around her eyes are the result of her mutation, or are cosmetically applied to enhance her squirrel-themed appearance.
[edit] Other
Squirrel Girl was 14 years old at the time of her first appearance, and announced that her birthday is sometime in July. It is unknown how much she has aged in her most recent appearance. However, a profile indicates she is still attending high school, and is thus still 18 or younger. It can be assumed, then, that her mother moved with her from Los Angeles to New York between her first and second appearances. The ramifications of her sudden move to Milwaukee to be with the GLA and her relationship with her mother has not yet been explored.
[edit] Squirrels
Squirrel Girl is always accompanied by one or more squirrels. Two of these, Monkey Joe and his successor Tippy-Toe, are her constant companions. At her insistence, they have both been accepted as full members of the Great Lakes Avengers.
In addition to Monkey Joe and Tippy-Toe, Squirrel Girl named several other squirrels in GLA #4. Slippy Pete, Mr. Freckle, and Nutso are presumed dead; they were sucked into the singularity created by Maelstrom.
[edit] Monkey Joe
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[edit] Publication history
Monkey Joe appeared in Squirrel Girl's original appearance in Marvel Super-Heroes Special vol. 2 #8, and all four issues of the GLA miniseries.
The trade paperback of the GLA miniseries, GLA: Misassembled, contains a dedication to the memory of Monkey Joe: "Monkey Joe 1992-2005. He loved nuts. He will be missed."
[edit] Fictional character biography
Alongside Squirrel Girl, Monkey Joe helped her to defeat Doctor Doom. Following this notable achievement, the duo disappeared for some time. In 2005, Squirrel Girl and Monkey Joe emerged from obscurity and joined the Great Lakes Avengers (GLA) during the miniseries written by Dan Slott. Shortly after they joined, Monkey Joe met his demise, apparently at the hands of Dr. Doom. However, it was revealed that Leather Boy, an ex-GLA member who had been rejected by the team due to his lack of powers, dispatched the squirrel while dressed in a variation of Doctor Doom's costume. Monkey Joe's death was part of the series' promise that a member of the GLA would die in each issue of the miniseries, in a parody of comic book deaths.
Monkey Joe was smarter than an average squirrel; he even proved adept in the use of computers. Monkey Joe served as the sardonic commentator on the GLA miniseries, appearing alongside the story titles holding signs with humorous, (often sarcastic), remarks on the events. After his death,[17] the narrator circle showed a deceased Monkey Joe. Re-appearing in the narrator circle,[18] he possessed a halo.
When Doorman visited the after-life, he met Monkey Joe, who was playing cards with the rest of the fallen GLA members.
[edit] Tippy-Toe
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After the death of Monkey Joe, Squirrel Girl found a new companion, a female squirrel whom she named Tippy Toe and provided with a pink bow.[19] Tippy-Toe replicates Monkey Joe's role as Squirrel Girl's sidekick almost exactly. Though apparently less intelligent than Monkey Joe, Tippy-Toe may in fact be smarter than she lets on. She proved her worth in short order.
A member of the squirrel army summoned by Squirrel Girl to join the fight against Maelstrom and Batroc's Brigade, Tippy Toe was the only squirrel Doreen was able to save from Maelstrom's Cosmic Crunch device. Squirrel Girl also briefly considered the name Monkey Joe 2 for her.
Tippy-Toe accompanied and assisted Squirrel Girl in defeating MODOK and Thanos. (She scratched MODOK's face, then entered his exo-chair and disabled it.) When Squirrel Girl went to fight Terrax she left Tippy Toe behind, and the squirrel was targeted by Deathurge, who sought vengeance for being stranded on Earth and trapped in squirrel form. However, Tippy-Toe managed to trick Deathurge and defeat him.
Tippy-Toe joined the Great Lakes Champions in siding with Iron Man's pro-Superhuman Registration group.
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ GLA #3
- ^ GLX-Mas Special (December 2005)
- ^ Civil War #1
- ^ Thing vol. 2 #8
- ^ Cable and Deadpool #30
- ^ Cable and Deadpool #30
- ^ Marvel Super-Heroes vol. 3 #8
- ^ GLX-Mas Special
- ^ GLX-Mas Special
- ^ GLX-Mas Special
- ^ GLX-Mas Special
- ^ GLX-Mas Special
- ^ I (Heart) Marvel: Masked Intentions
- ^ Thing vol. 2 #8
- ^ Cable & Deadpool #30
- ^ I (Heart) Marvel: Masked Intentions #1
- ^ GLA #3
- ^ GLA #4
- ^ GLA #4
