Many players were introduced to the Unbeatable Squirrel Girl through Marvel Rivals, and they might be wondering why she is so strong.
Marvel Television almost gave general audiences greater exposure to this character in 2018 with a New Warriors series, which would have starred Milana Vayntrub as Squirrel Girl. Unfortunately, despite a seemingly exciting pilot episode, the series failed to get picked up for a full season order.
Over the years, Vayntrub's initial casting wasn't wasted, as she quickly became the go-to voice for Doreen Green in cartoons and video games. She was even perfectly cast as Squirrel Girl again in Marvel Rivals.
Why Is Squirrel Girl Basically Unbeatable?
Squirrel Girl was conceived in 1991 as a happy-go-lucky character to facilitate more lighthearted stories but quickly evolved into a traditional gag character. This is a deceptively powerful character archetype wherever they might appear, with Doreen Green being no different.
In her first appearance in the story "The Coming of...Squirrel Girl!" in Marvel Super Heroes (1990) #8, the rambunctious teenager helped defeat Doctor Doom almost singlehandedly with nothing but a pack of squirrels for help. All Doom could do was shamefully run away, which ended with him being washed away in a river.
The next time the two met in Deadpool GLI - Summer Fun Spectacular #1 when Doreen wanted to borrow Doom's time machine, the Latveria dictator didn't want to be assailed with more squirrels again. So he gave her access to his machine without a fight.
What's funny is that Squirrel Girl doesn't inherently have any mighty powers, skills, or abilities. All she has is a squirrel's proportional strength and agility, along with all other attributes of the furry tiny animal and the ability to communicate with them.
However, Doreen's true strength lies not in any of these powers but in her ability to befriend her enemies and trounce those she can't with hilarious, fourth-wall-breaking comedic timing.
The most devastating of Squirrel Girl's comical repertoire is the cutaway. If a fight happens between Doreen and some unsuspecting smuck of a villain and the fight cuts away to something else, it's guaranteed that when the story cuts back to their battle, that villain will be face down in the dirt, with their butt in the air.
The most infamous victim of this gag was Thanos, "the one, true Thanos," who was definitively "not a robot, clone, or simulacrum." This is according to Utatu the Watcher, who witnessed the fight to sway any skeptical readers.
In Ryan North's The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Doreen proves to be a master of communication, able to reform and befriend nearly everyone she meets. She could even (for a time) keep the bloodthirsty Kraven the Hunter from spilling any more blood — human or animal.
But that's nothing compared to her greatest achievement in friendship and negotiation: convincing Galactus not to devour the Earth. After chatting with the cosmic being and regaling him with tales of her past conquests, specifically of Thanos, she found him another planet to eat made of nuts.
Is Squirrel Girl Unbeatable in Marvel Rivals?
Standing alongside 33 other characters in Marvel Rivals, it's quickly becoming apparent that Squirrel Girl is a top-tier character in this early roster. This is thanks largely to her solid damage output, crowd-control abilities, and effortless synergy with other Vanguard characters.
Able to take out non-Vanguard heroes with just a few shots, she's especially risky to larger tanks who make easy targets for her nuts. It helps that newer players don't even need to worry as much about aiming, as she is one of the few characters with a grenade-like ability akin to Junkrat in Overwatch.
On top of that, Squirrel Girl can stun-lock players with her Squirrel Blockade ability, giving her massive close combat potential in crucial moments. And when all else fails, the squirrel-themed hero can easily escape scuffles with her bouncy tail.
Whether it's in the comics or the hottest new hero shooter, Squirrel Girl seems unexpectedly strong no matter where she ends up.
Marvel Rivals is currently playable on PS5, PC, and Xbox.
