Squirrel Girl - Is it time to take her more seriously?

I'd never heard of Squirrel Girl until I'd read the issue of Cable and Deadpool which happened during the Marvel Civil War thing.  Deadpool was working for the government helping to capture 'unregistered' heroes.  He attacked the Great Lakes Avengers because he (for whatever reason) thought they were unregistered...  He's insane, so it's not surprising.
 
Anyway, from the first time I read about her, I thought she was interesting.  I thought, "Oh, that's a cute idea," but I didn't take her too seriously as a Super Hero.  Well, after reading New Avengers vol. 2 issue 15 which took place during Fear Itself.   In this issue we got to see Doreen:
 
Slap Wolverine around in a sparring session:

• Leap somewhere between 30 to 50 feet into the air.
• Run at speeds up to 100 mph (although, 65 mph would be more realistic)
• Be able to lift around 10 tons
• Have a near perfect sense of balance
• Have extraordinarily fast reflexes.  An ordinary human would never be able to punch them (under normal circumstances.)
• Have an immunity to a number of venoms (Squirrels are immune to most snake venoms, but I don't know about ALL snake venoms.)
• Heal much faster than normal humans
• Have a BITE THAT IS ABOUT 50 TIMES MORE POWERFUL than a normal human.  Think about that.  She could chew off arms and legs!  Eww but cool!
• Have a grip so powerful that it could snap bones!

I based all that on general knowledge of the many different species of Squirrels.  Some squirrels can run MORE than 20 MPH, jump as high as 6 feet into the air, can kill animals much larger than themselves, can be bitten several times by a viper without dying... and other stuff...
 
So, when you think about it, she's actually quite powerful.  Plus, she has all those little furry sidekicks.   I think it'd be fun to have a Spider-Man / Squirrel Girl mini-series, especially since Squirrels weird Spidey out.  He thinks they're creepy.
 
So, Mr. Quesada, if you're out there listening, and I KNOW YOU ARE...  Seriously, Joe, it's time for a Squirrel Girl series.  I'd be happy to write it for you...

Not sure if you're aware, but Doreen has taken out far more worthy adversaries than Parker. If anything, that's the thing people don't take seriously: the fact that she's a threat level high enough to make Doctor Doom wave a white flag (no, literally -- he does this in Deadpool/GLI Summer Fun Spectacular #1).

That's...makes sense actually.

I would give SG a chance if she had a ongoing mini-series...

@Timandm: Definitely go get that issue. Someone mentioned it a couple weeks back and I impulse bought it; it's amazing.

And yeah, I guess defeating Doom was indeed canon (there's actually a joke about that in the issue itself).

Doreen is awesome and since I've discovered her I'd absolutely buy an ongoing in which she was featured.

She has also beat up Thanos as well she is powerful but she doesnt seem to get much credit.

I would love to see a Squirrel-Girl VS NEXTwave Agents of H.A.T.E. 

I'd love to see her in own solo book, but I'm not sure if a "more serious" Squirrel Girl would really work.

@Ms. Omega said:

She has also beat up Thanos as well she is powerful but she doesnt seem to get much credit.

Actually I'm pretty sure she's treated as a valid threat in universe. Doom even doesn't want to mess with her.

@Decoy Elite said:

@Ms. Omega said:

She has also beat up Thanos as well she is powerful but she doesnt seem to get much credit.

Actually I'm pretty sure she's treated as a valid threat in universe. Doom even doesn't want to mess with her.

I can understand why I wouldn't want to mess with some one that can command a rabbid squirrel up my pants leg lol.

I'd love to see her in own solo book, but I'm not sure if a "more serious" Squirrel Girl would really work.

@Decoy Elite said:

@Ms. Omega said:

She has also beat up Thanos as well she is powerful but she doesnt seem to get much credit.

Actually I'm pretty sure she's treated as a valid threat in universe. Doom even doesn't want to mess with her.

I can understand why I wouldn't want to mess with some one that can command a rabbid squirrel up my pants leg lol.

She was created as a joke, literally since her first appearance she was meant to be made fun of so not being taken seriously is to be expected. Since her time in New Avengers you can see they are trying to work her into a character of some level of substance, but they have a lot of work to do before I taker her seriously in the least.

She was created as a joke, literally since her first appearance she was meant to be made fun of so not being taken seriously is to be expected. Since her time in New Avengers you can see they are trying to work her into a character of some level of substance, but they have a lot of work to do before I taker her seriously in the least.

Squirrel Girl is awesome.  I'm totally in favor of her having regular appearances in whatever book will take her.

@The_Lunact_And_Manic said:

That's...makes sense actually.

I would give SG a chance if she had a ongoing mini-series...

me too.

@Timandm: I like Squirrel Girl a lot. Put her into X-Men too.

@Timandm:

I find it interesting that they are taking such a thowaway character and trying to redeem them into something worthwhile, I still have no real vested interest in the character itself. A handful of feats does not impress me, giving her a real purpose, history, and personality, now that might get my attention.

@The_Lunact_And_Manic said:

That's...makes sense actually.

I would give SG a chance if she had a ongoing mini-series...

me too.

@Timandm: I like Squirrel Girl a lot. Put her into X-Men too.

@Timandm:

I find it interesting that they are taking such a thowaway character and trying to redeem them into something worthwhile, I still have no real vested interest in the character itself. A handful of feats does not impress me, giving her a real purpose, history, and personality, now that might get my attention.

It is never time to take Squirrel Girl seriously.

@Timandm said:

@Brazen_Intellect said:

@Timandm:

I find it interesting that they are taking such a thowaway character and trying to redeem them into something worthwhile, I still have no real vested interest in the character itself. A handful of feats does not impress me, giving her a real purpose, history, and personality, now that might get my attention.

Well, she DOES have personality. I like that about her. She's not the same as everyone else... but a real history and purpose would be nice.

Her personality is still very one dimensional, she is different because pretty much everyone in Marvel is written like an arrogant fool right now and she just comes off as a nice girl. Until we see her used in more varied situations to react to I stand by my original assessment.

@Timandm said:

@Brazen_Intellect said:

@Timandm:

I find it interesting that they are taking such a thowaway character and trying to redeem them into something worthwhile, I still have no real vested interest in the character itself. A handful of feats does not impress me, giving her a real purpose, history, and personality, now that might get my attention.

Well, she DOES have personality. I like that about her. She's not the same as everyone else... but a real history and purpose would be nice.

she really has an interesting personality. Putting her to the all female team x-men would be awesome! : )

It is never time to take Squirrel Girl seriously.

@Timandm said:

@jhazzroucher: Oh man! I hadn't thought about it before, but a ' Storm - Squirrel Girl ' team up? That would be excellent! Talk about two very different characters. Would Doreen drive Storm nuts? Hmmmm...

Hmmm... I think Squirrel Girl and Domino or Squirrel Girl and Hepzibah would be a better team-up.

BUt I would love a Storm and Squirrel Girl team-up cos they're two of my favorite female characters in Marvel. : )

@Timandm said:

@jhazzroucher: Oh man! I hadn't thought about it before, but a ' Storm - Squirrel Girl ' team up? That would be excellent! Talk about two very different characters. Would Doreen drive Storm nuts? Hmmmm...

Hmmm... I think Squirrel Girl and Domino or Squirrel Girl and Hepzibah would be a better team-up.

BUt I would love a Storm and Squirrel Girl team-up cos they're two of my favorite female characters in Marvel. : )

@Timandm said:

@jhazzroucher said:

@Timandm said:

@jhazzroucher: Oh man! I hadn't thought about it before, but a ' Storm - Squirrel Girl ' team up? That would be excellent! Talk about two very different characters. Would Doreen drive Storm nuts? Hmmmm...

Hmmm... I think Squirrel Girl and Domino or Squirrel Girl and Hepzibah would be a better team-up.

BUt I would love a Storm and Squirrel Girl team-up cos they're two of my favorite female characters in Marvel. : )

Domino! Another great team up idea. Hepzibah, however... For some reason, I wonder if they would hate each other... On some levels they seem very much alike... it'd make for a very interesting story... How about a mini series where, in each issue, she's being trained by one of the X-Women? Storm, Domino, Kitty, Rogue, Psylocke, Hepzibah, and War Bird.

I always wanted Squirrel Girl to have her own ongoing so why not just give her a 12 issues at least for now, right? : )

I would love to see her team-up with the all-female x-men team, meet Iron Man again, Uatu telling her about something, trying to apply for Fantastic Four membership, teaming up with Deadpool, Wolverine, X-23, team-up with Black Panther and beating Black Widow in a friendly fight. : )

@Timandm: MY HEART IS CLOSED.

I love Squirrel Girl. She is the most mysterious female character in the Marvel Universe (aka -- no real backstory but should have one).

Bring me more SG. A cameo in Fearless Defenders or the new X-Men would be great -- great point about the X-Men but pretty sure it's the connection between her and Logan that prevents that angle.

@Timandm: If she was written the way you describe, then I actually would take her seriously. The problem is is that Marvel has a history of making uber-powerful villains like Thanos and Doom job to her, usually off-panel, and that's where it becomes hard to take her serious. She's basically like a huge Chuck Norris joke that Marvel decide to insert into their universe.

I love Squirrel Girl. She is the most mysterious female character in the Marvel Universe (aka -- no real backstory but should have one).

Bring me more SG. A cameo in Fearless Defenders or the new X-Men would be great -- great point about the X-Men but pretty sure it's the connection between her and Logan that prevents that angle.

@Timandm: If she was written the way you describe, then I actually would take her seriously. The problem is is that Marvel has a history of making uber-powerful villains like Thanos and Doom job to her, usually off-panel, and that's where it becomes hard to take her serious. She's basically like a huge Chuck Norris joke that Marvel decide to insert into their universe.

You know, some of the comments here have made me re-evaluate. I LOVE Squirrel Girl. I love her as she is -- purely upbeat, positive, fun-loving. She can dish it out, sure, but only when people have it coming. And if they ever tried to take that away from her, ever tried to make her more serious, or tarnish her optimism, I would actually be pretty pissed off. She's the only character like her, and for that very reason should be as she is. If that means she only shows up ever so rarely, I accept it.

I think you might be overestimating the proportional strength of a squirrel. The eastern grey squirrel (one of the most common species in north america) weighs more or less 1 lb. You estimate that Squirrel Girl should be a 10 tonner, and she probably weighs in the neighborhood of 140 lbs. That ratio assumes an average squirrel can move a weight of approximately 142 lbs. I think you might be a tad off.

But more on point, the purpose of Squirrel Girl is not to be taken seriously. She exists in a strange bubble where she pops up and destroys the top tier characters with ease, because its an absurdist running joke. If she starts being taken seriously she will also be exposed to the more harsh realities of some of the characters she's trounced previously and it likely won't go as well.

You know, some of the comments here have made me re-evaluate. I LOVE Squirrel Girl. I love her as she is -- purely upbeat, positive, fun-loving. She can dish it out, sure, but only when people have it coming. And if they ever tried to take that away from her, ever tried to make her more serious, or tarnish her optimism, I would actually be pretty pissed off. She's the only character like her, and for that very reason should be as she is. If that means she only shows up ever so rarely, I accept it.

I think you might be overestimating the proportional strength of a squirrel. The eastern grey squirrel (one of the most common species in north america) weighs more or less 1 lb. You estimate that Squirrel Girl should be a 10 tonner, and she probably weighs in the neighborhood of 140 lbs. That ratio assumes an average squirrel can move a weight of approximately 142 lbs. I think you might be a tad off.

But more on point, the purpose of Squirrel Girl is not to be taken seriously. She exists in a strange bubble where she pops up and destroys the top tier characters with ease, because its an absurdist running joke. If she starts being taken seriously she will also be exposed to the more harsh realities of some of the characters she's trounced previously and it likely won't go as well.

No, she shouldn't be written seriously. And with that, watch her end Age of Ultron and kick Thanos's butt once more when his arc comes.

@Timandm: It's been too long since I've taken a physics class, so at the moment I don't have the ability to check your math. Two things to take note of though. First, assuming your math is spot on, 10 tons is 20,000 lbs, which 13,750 lbs is decidedly less than, meaning she cannot produce more than 10 tons of force. Also, the number you produced is a one time initial jump. She may be able to produce that in a jump, but she cannot lift nor support that weight, which is part of the definition of these strength classifications.

@Timandm: It's been too long since I've taken a physics class, so at the moment I don't have the ability to check your math. Two things to take note of though. First, assuming your math is spot on, 10 tons is 20,000 lbs, which 13,750 lbs is decidedly less than, meaning she cannot produce more than 10 tons of force. Also, the number you produced is a one time initial jump. She may be able to produce that in a jump, but she cannot lift nor support that weight, which is part of the definition of these strength classifications.

I never thought her powers were any sillier than Falcon's so I don't get why they wont give her a real change to be cool and only use her as a joke. It's very short sighted of marvel in my opinion.

I can't take her seriously. In fact I really, really dislike her. She's a walking PIS machine.

I can't take her seriously. In fact I really, really dislike her. She's a walking PIS machine.

@The_Lunact_And_Manic said:

That's...makes sense actually.

I would give SG a chance if she had a ongoing mini-series...

BB

@Timandm said:

@roboadmiral said:

@Timandm: It's been too long since I've taken a physics class, so at the moment I don't have the ability to check your math. Two things to take note of though. First, assuming your math is spot on, 10 tons is 20,000 lbs, which 13,750 lbs is decidedly less than, meaning she cannot produce more than 10 tons of force. Also, the number you produced is a one time initial jump. She may be able to produce that in a jump, but she cannot lift nor support that weight, which is part of the definition of these strength classifications.

DOH! I'm a moron... So, that's like a little less than 7 tons. Yes, she needs to produce that in a jump. Whether she's lifting or supporting, her muscles can generate that much force... You can't arbitrarily just say, she CAN'T support that much weight even though she can generate a force equal to that which would be produced by that much weight... The amount of force required to lift 7 tons (I'm rounding up) is the amount of force her body can generate... A lot like the old trick question, "Which weighs more, a ton of feathers or a ton of iron..." Well, they both weigh a ton. However, if you want to think about whether or not she can 'sustain' that force. We should look at the rate at which she can run... According to what I've read about her, she has the proportionate speed as well as proportionate strength of a squirrel. So, let's assume that 12 " squirrel can run 22 miles per hour. And let's assume it's directly proportional. She should be able to run about 110 miles per hour... or 17.75 km per hour. her legs have to have the strength to first accelerate to that velocity and then SUSTAIN that velocity, fighting the effects of gravity the entire time. You know what... It's late and I need sleep... But do the math, you'll see. She has to be VERY strong...

This isn't entirely accurate. There is a distinct difference between the two. It's like the diference between a sprint and a jog. The jump is the sprint; throwing everything you've got into that one quick motion. The lift is and sustaining the hold is the jog. You obviously job slower than you sprint, but you are carried further. You're essentially assuming she can maintain a sprint for the same distance she could maintain a jog. A top end heavyweight fighter is estimated to punch with the force of around 1800 lbs. Which is mind blowing if you ask me. Does that mean the same boxer can lift and hold 1800 lbs above their head? I'm operating on a heuristic rather than an algorithm here, but that seems very unlikely to me. Either way, Squirrel Girl is definitely very strong.

@Timandm said:

@Lvenger said:

I can't take her seriously. In fact I really, really dislike her. She's a walking PIS machine.

You don't like the way they've written her in New Avengers? and... "walking pis machine" makes her sound like a cocker spaniel.

I don't like the way she's written in general. Defeating Fing Fang Foom, Dr Doom, Thanos and people out of her weight class simply by controlling squirrels and having some combat skill is ridiculous. That's why I dislike her.

@Timandm said:

For an object with a mass of 45 Kg to be projected a height of 9.6 meters, it has the leave the ground with an initial velocity of 49.38 Km/hr or 13.72 m/s. The energy required would be at least 4233 Joules or 4.2 KJ. That's a lot! Basically that's about 3025 Newtons of force. and THAT is roughly 13750 pounds of force. If there are any physics majors or physicists out there, they could easily check my numbers, but Doreen's legs have to be able to generate an instantaneous 13750 pounds of force to be able to leap 31.5 feet....

I think you are getting your conversion from Newtons to pounds backwards. 1 lb is 4.4 newtons, so 3025 N is only 687 lbs. It also looks like you are assuming she accelerates to full speed in something like 1/5 of a second. I'm just not sure where that comes from. I'm not saying it isn't possible, but that is a pretty short amount of time for her to go from crouch to full extension.

Also, if you look at squirrels, their haunches are huge compared to their forward arms. It makes perfect sense for them to be able to jump really far, but I imagine their "upper body strength," whatever that means for a squirrel, is comparatively puny.

Another thing, my cat can also make some impressive leaps, but as far as I can tell, he is not capable of standing on his hind legs for more than a few seconds at a time. Even with something to lean against, they just don't seem capable of holding his weight for very long. I wouldn't be surprised if squirrels are similar in a way, being able to generate a great burst of force very quickly, but unable to maintain it for any real length of time, because there's just no reason for their bodies to operate like that.

@Lvenger said:

@Timandm said:

@Lvenger said:

I can't take her seriously. In fact I really, really dislike her. She's a walking PIS machine.

You don't like the way they've written her in New Avengers? and... "walking pis machine" makes her sound like a cocker spaniel.

I don't like the way she's written in general. Defeating Fing Fang Foom, Dr Doom, Thanos and people out of her weight class simply by controlling squirrels and having some combat skill is ridiculous. That's why I dislike her.

Yeah, this is how I feel about her too. Her "charm" lies in the fact she's a joke. If you try to make her a serious hero, then one has to wonder why Doom doesn't just vaporize her face of or Thanos crush her beneath his heel. That sort of thing.

As it stands, she's just a joke, and a victim of statutory rape because Bendis is a vile human being.

@FadeToBlackBolt: Here here on the Bendis point

I'm confuse about SG. Fist she beats poepl like wolverine then peeps like thanos and galactus? How powerful is she?

I'm confuse about SG. Fist she beats poepl like wolverine then peeps like thanos and galactus? How powerful is she?