Screwball (character)

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Wikipedia

Screwball
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceAmazing Spider-Man #559 (July 2008)
Created byDan Slott (writer)
Marcos Martín (artist)
In-story information
SpeciesHuman
Team affiliationsDeadpool Inc.
Notable aliasesScrewball
Abilities
  • Expert gymnast

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",[1] 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.[2][3]

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.[4]

Publication history

Screwball debuted in Amazing Spider-Man #559, created by writer Dan Slott and artist Marcos Martín.[5] She subsequently appeared in several Marvel series, including Superior Spider-Man (2013),[6][7] Marvel Action: Spider-Man (2021),[8] Spider-Man: Fake Red (2021),[9] and Amazing Spider-Man (2022).[10]

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".[11]

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.[12] During a later fight with Screwball, Spider-Man is humiliated, causing Ben Reilly to refuse to buy Peter Parker's photos.[13]

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.[14]

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.[15] 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.[16]

Reception

Joshua Kristian McCoy of Game Rant described Screwball as an ideal character for a "meta-comedy film about filmmaking or social media."[17] 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.[18]

Other versions

An alternate universe version of Screwball from Earth-19759 appears in Spider-Man: Fake Red.[19] 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.[9]

In other media

Television

Video games

Screwball appears in Spider-Man (2018),[24][25] voiced by Stephanie Lemelin.[26][27] Screwball tasks Spider-Man with combat and stealth challenges to boost her live-stream views.[28] She returns in the City That Never Sleeps DLC.[29]

Miscellaneous

In 2017, Diamond Select Toys released a Screwball action figure inspired by Liz Allan's incarnation of the character.[30][31]

References

  1. ↑ Nebens, Richard (August 25, 2024). "9 Obscure Villains Perfect For Tom Holland's Spider-Man 4". The Direct. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  2. ↑ Lapitan, Emilio Gabriel (April 2, 2022). "MCU: 10 Weirdest Spider-Man Villains That Marvel Will Never Adapt To Screen". Collider. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  3. ↑ Ulrich, Sterling (January 1, 2025). "Marvel Quietly Teased a Controversial Spider-Man Villain's MCU Debut". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  4. ↑ Hernandez, Brenda (September 29, 2021). "Spider-Man: 10 Best Female Villains". Screen Rant. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  5. ↑ Serrano, Ryan (January 3, 2021). "Spider-Man PS4: Who Is Screwball?". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  6. ↑ Browne, Ben (July 11, 2017). "15 Things You Didn't Know About Superior Spider-Man". Screen Rant. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  7. ↑ Johnson, Scott (September 7, 2017). "Spider-Man Comic Promotes Domain Name Marvel Doesn't Own". ComicBook.com. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  8. ↑ Johnston, Rich (November 20, 2020). "Transformers Beast Wars in IDW February 2021 Solicits". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  9. 1 2 Sol, Dj (October 18, 2022). "10 Of The Best Spider-Man Accomplishments That Weren't Peter Parker's". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
  10. ↑ Myrick, Joe Anthony (September 6, 2024). "Spider-Man Just Gave Us A Villain Friendship I Didn't See Coming - And I Hope Marvel Gives Us More". Screen Rant. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  11. ↑ The Amazing Spider-Man #559 (July 2008)
  12. ↑ The Amazing Spider-Man #562 (August 2008)
  13. ↑ The Amazing Spider-Man #608 (December 2009)
  14. ↑ Spider-Woman (vol. 8) #5 (May 2024)
  15. ↑ Sparkle, Billie (August 19, 2022). "Spider-Man's 10 Funniest Villains". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
  16. ↑ "Screwball ("Live Streaming Super-villain", Spider-Man foe)". Marvunapp.com. September 4, 2009. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  17. ↑ McCoy, Joshua Kristian (May 13, 2022). "5 Spider-Man Villains Who Could Carry A Solo Project". Game Rant. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  18. ↑ Bernstein, Leah (July 12, 2024). "10 Spider-Man Villains With Untapped Potential". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  19. ↑ Spider-Man: Fake Red #6–7 (October - November 2019)
  20. ↑ "Screwball Live". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on July 4, 2023. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  21. ↑ "Liz Allan Voice - Spider-Man (2017) (TV Show)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved November 27, 2023. 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.
  22. ↑ Bonomolo, Cameron (January 29, 2025). "9 Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Easter Eggs You Might Have Missed". ComicBook.com. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
  23. ↑ Percival, Tom (January 29, 2025). "33 Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Easter eggs: Venom, Doc Ock, & more". Dexerto. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
  24. ↑ Radulovic, Petrana (September 12, 2018). "A guide to the Spider-Man PS4 villains". Polygon. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  25. ↑ Baker, Ben (September 21, 2021). "Every Boss In Marvel's Spider-Man, Ranked". Game Rant. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  26. ↑ "Screwball Voice - Spider-Man (2018) (Video Game)". Behind The Voice Actors. 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.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  27. ↑ Miranda, Felicia (December 23, 2018). "These voice actors put the 'Oomph!' in Marvel's Spider-Man". Digital Trends. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  28. ↑ Pantoja, Kevin (September 2, 2020). "Every Villain In Marvel's Spider-Man, Ranked". Game Rant. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  29. ↑ Bunn, Glenn (September 17, 2022). "Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered's Most Annoying Enemies". Screen Rant. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  30. ↑ Goldman, Eric (April 2, 2018). "Marvel Animated Minimates Series 9 Revealed, Including Symbiote Spider-Man, Star-Lord and More". Marvel.com. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  31. ↑ "#Marvel Animated #Minimates Series 8 Revealed; Series 7 Now Available at @Walgreens !". Action Figure Insider. December 13, 2017. Retrieved July 4, 2023.