Marvel Quietly Teased a Controversial Spider-Man Villain’s MCU Debut

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Marvel recently released the first trailer for the upcoming animated series Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. The show began development as an origin story for the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s version of Spider-Man, who had already been active for about a year when he made his debut in Captain America: Civil War. Though the series has since been altered to take place in a separate continuity from the MCU, it maintains the concept of a more grounded Spider-Man in his early days of crime-fighting. Peter Parker has not even created a proper Spider-Man suit yet, instead wearing regular clothes along with a plain red mask and a pair of goggles.

In keeping with this concept, it seems that supervillains will be rarer in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man than in previous Spider-Man cartoons; Spider-Man spent most of the trailer battling random criminals as opposed to costumed villains. Norman Osborn and his son Harry both appeared, but neither showed signs of their Goblin personas. However, a subtle Easter egg hidden in the trailer hinted at one of Spider-Man’s other antagonists from the comic books, and she is far less popular among Marvel fans than the likes of Green Goblin.

At one point in the Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man trailer, Spider-Man took down a trio of young criminals who had been livestreaming their activity. After webbing them up, Spider-Man took over the stream to introduce himself. The livestream’s chat was visible along the side of the screen. Most of the comments were relatively inconsequential references to internet culture, but one username stood out to eagle-eyed Spider-Man fans. A message from someone by the name of Screwball read, “If you guys want to see better content, check out my channel!!!”

Screwball is a minor villain who debuted in The Amazing Spider-Man #559 in 2008. Her real name and origins are unknown. She is an influencer who records her crimes and her battles with Spider-Man in hopes of achieving internet fame. Though she lacks superpowers, her parkour skills allow her to keep up with the wall-crawler. Her appearances in the comics have been few and far between, but she has risen in notoriety due to other Marvel projects. She served as the main antagonist in one episode of the 2017 animated series Marvel’s Spider-Man, and more infamously, she featured prominently in The City That Never Sleeps DLC for the 2018 video game Marvel’s Spider-Man, in which she set up difficult challenges for Spider-Man to complete.

Screwball is Not a Popular Spider-Man Antagonist

In the 2017 series, Screwball was revealed to be an alter ego of Liz Allan.

Ever since her debut, Screwball has proven to be a divisive character, due in large part to her inherent connection to the internet. References to live streaming lingo and other aspects of online culture can feel forced when they appear in other media, and they are prone to quickly becoming dated. On top of that, Screwball is purposefully written to be annoying. Through her pranks, her obsession with stardom, and her tendency to evade punishment for her crimes, she gets under Spider-Man’s skin in the same way he typically gets under his enemies’ skin.

Despite the animosity that many fans feel towards Screwball, she would be a logical villain for a series like Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. She is a minor threat, making her an ideal foe for a young version of Spider-Man, and her livestreaming gimmick would allow the show to explore the public’s perception of Spider-Man in a world where newspapers like The Daily Bugle have less sway. Depending on how the series uses Screwball, she could make some new fans — or some new haters. Of course, there is also the possibility that her name was nothing more than an Easter egg and does not indicate an eventual appearance in the show.

“}]] The trailer for the upcoming animated series Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man made a reference to Screwball, a divisive villain from the comics.  Read More