Marvel Universe pop quiz time! Fill in the blanks: This hero kicks ___ and eats ___.
The mystery hero? One of Marvel’s most underrated and best kept secrets – Squirrel Girl! Squirrel Girl, aka Doreen Green, was born with the speed, strength, and agility of a squirrel (thank you, partial squirrel blood!), and she never lets baddies out there forget it. When she’s not studying at Empire State University, she’s moonlighting (or daylighting) as the Unbeatable Squirrel Girl – protecting her city and sending criminals a-packing!
Since her debut in 1992, Squirrel Girl has low-key been on the comics scene. It wasn’t until Ryan North and Erica Henderson launched their modern-day Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Marvel comic in 2015 that Doreen Green/Squirrel Girl became part of the Marvel jargon again.
And you know what? It’s about time Squirrel Girl was back on the superhero scene!! So, Chiik Chuuk chik! The Northern Squirrelese translation?
LET’S GET
NUTS!
Here are 10 reasons Squirrel Girl will be your new favorite Marvel hero!
Image Source: The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol.1 Squirrel Power, Art by Erica Henderson, Marvel, 2015
1. She Plays Well With Others
The peppy ginger-haired Squirrel Girl is one of the most easygoing, friendly supers out there. She has an active social life as a college student (Doreen Green) with a large circle of loyal friends like Nancy Whitehead, Tomas Lara-Perez, and Ken Shiga. That affability follows her when she dons her Squirrel Girl suit and hops into hero mode.
She has been an active member of the New Avengers, the Great Lake Avengers, the U.S. Avengers, and is on a first-name basis with Tony Stark/Iron Man. She was even offered a place in S.H.I.E.L.D. but politely turned Agent Peggy Carter down.
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2. Her Squirrel Whispering Abilities are Unparalleled
Doreen’s fluency in Squirrelese means she can communicate with billions of squirrels across the globe via the Squirrel Information Network. Squirrel Girl is continuously in the know. That knowledge, combined with her natural-born leadership skills is how SG’s able to take down powerful foes.
She can assemble scurries of squirrels to take down menaces like Dr. Doom, Kraven the Hunter, and even Ratatoskr, a Norse squirrel deity from Asgard.
Image Source: The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol.1 Squirrel Power, Art by Erica Henderson, Marvel, 2015
3. She Loves to Learn
When she’s not busting baddies, Doreen Green is just another college student, one enrolled in computer science. Men still dominate the STEM field, but that doesn’t deter Doreen from following her passion.
When her squirrel squad is skeptical about the attention Doreen puts into her studies, she argues that being a superhero is “more than just throwing punches.” By loading up on challenging courses and expanding her horizons, she can become her “ best self ” and help more people.
Image Source: The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol.1 Squirrel Power, Art by Erica Henderson, Marvel, 2015
4. Packing Heat Isn’t in Her Nature
Squirrel Girl has no need for high-tech weaponry, tricked out super suits, or mythical hammers that are spelled not even remotely close to how they’re pronounced (#ThorSoExtraAmiright). Still, Why is Squirrel Girl so powerful?
Squirrel Girl’s powers, her extraordinary agility, sense of smell, and strength, as well as the squirrely features she was born with, serve her well. Her tail provides balance, her sharp claws enable her to scale trees without a hitch, and her distinct front teeth can sever the densest hunk of wood and the toughest of binds.
Image Source: The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol.1 Squirrel Power, Art by Erica Henderson, Marvel, 2015
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5. She’s A Symbol of Body Positivity
Squirrel Girl has one of the most realistically proportioned bodies in media and pop culture today. In the 2015 Unbeatable Squirrel Girl comic books, Erica Henderson illustrated Doreen’s body in a thick, stocky, and curvy fashion. There’s no hiding or attempts at hiding Doreen’s figure.
Unlike some female heroes and villains in DC and Marvel, Squirrel Girl looks like an average American woman, as opposed to a busty bombshell with distorted body proportions.
Better yet, Doreen doesn’t feel any shame, insecurity, or guilt over taking up space and accepting the natural size and shape of her body. Her muscular thighs and arms give her body the strength it needs to propel her through the treetops and stand her ground, on the defensive or offensive, against any criminal creep.
Image Source: The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol.1 Squirrel Power, Art by Erica Henderson, Marvel, 2015
6. Her Appearance Defies Beauty Standards
Doreen’s buck teeth, thick thighs, and distinctly round face are a direct challenge to women’s beauty standards, both IRL and in pop culture.
In Shannon Hale’s book The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Squirrel Meets World, when Doreen is 14-years-old, five of her classmates mock her for her teeth, the fullness of her cheeks, and the way her jeans hug her butt (and tail) and thighs.
SG is hurt at first, but once she works out her feelings, she cranks her optimism back up to 11 and recognizes that her unusual traits are “useful adaptations.” Heroes have bigger fish to fry than fawning over themselves in the mirror.
7. Her Costume is Rad
Squirrel Girl’s brown leotard, pants, jacket, and utility belt (full of nuts, duh) allow her to blend into her surroundings. They don’t restrict any important joints, they keep her warm, and they give her full-body coverage. This openly defies the default sexed-up, scantily clad look women have been known to wear in comic universes.
On top of that, SG has rocked sturdy boots since her inception. That’s almost twenty-seven years before fans praised Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel for her functional footwear. SG’s practical and stylish look is topped off with acorn earrings and a pair of fake squirrel ears. Accessorising is another one of Squirrel Girl’s superpowers, amiright?
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8. Sometimes, She Leaps Before She Looks
Squirrel Girl’s positivity, extroversion, and high energy give her the ability to spring into action readily. She’s not afraid to take some daring risks– like *takes a breath* breaking into Stark Towers to casually borrow an Iron Man suit to launch herself into outer space to save the world from the planet annihilator Galactus. *exhales*
She is also a supremely gifted conversationalist. She can talk destructive baddies down and get them to reconsider their evil deeds. Who else can convince unfathomably powerful foes not to make the world go KABOOM with words alone?! Her outspokenness has been known to not only redirect or stop villains’ plans altogether but sometimes even turn them into allies!
Image Source: The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol.1 Squirrel Power, Art by Erica Henderson, Marvel, 2015
9. She’s SO Quotable
Squirrel Girl always has something to say. Some of her most LOL-worthy moments?
“I can’t call myself the Unbeatable Squirrel Girl if I let a teeny thing like a crazy unstoppable genius science wizard with his own time machine and robot suit foil me, right?”
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Vol. 1
“What, am I supposed to stand around and not fight crime!? Is my catchphrase ‘Eats nuts, carefully avoids kicking butts’? BECAUSE THAT HONESTLY SOUNDS LIKE A TERRIBLE CATCHPHRASE/LIFESTYLE CHOICE.”
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Vol. 2
“Let’s be the change we’re insecure and jealous about in the world!!”
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Vol. 2
10. She Never Underestimates the Power of Friendship
Squirrel Girl’s kindness, upbeat manner, and tendency to wear her heart on her sleeve has earned her many friends over the years. One of Squirrel Girl’s most genuine friends is Tippy Toe– her too cute to handle crime-fighting squirrel sidekick.
But her friendship isn’t just limited to the Sciuridae family. Squirrel Girl’s ordinary human friends like Nancy, and her superpowered friends like Koi Boi, Chipmunk Hunk, and Ms. Marvel, encourage and support her too.
And we’re not just talking in the sidelines of the city. Squirrel Girl’s friends have crossed alternate dimensions and even gone back in time for her. Squirrel Girl wouldn’t be the Unbeatable Squirrel Girl or even EXIST without her close friends!
Conclusion
With her strength, compassion, and plucky nerve, Squirrel Girl is a triple threat in Marvel’s superhero scene.
The bushy-tailed, tree-hopping Squirrel Girl may not have the gadgets and gizmos of Avengers Tony Stark, or the super-soldier serum fueled indestructible bod of Captain America. However, underestimating her is asking for a serious case of butt-kicking. SG’s quirky squirrelly abilities, humble as though they may first seem, are no small peanuts. Just ask Thanos.
Victoria Tomis
Contributor
Hiya, my name is Vicky and I’m your friendly neighborhood Marvel-loving, Studio Ghibli-obsessed, Queer Potterhead.
I may be in my mid-twenties but I’ve been an enthusiastic Potterhead for over a decade. I can’t go a day without firing off at least half a dozen Harry Potter references and have a small museum of Potter and Wizarding World merch… one with FAR too many Funkos.
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