Marvel Rivals has already been showcasing a roster of more obscure Marvel characters, but some fans weren’t expecting the reveal of Squirrel Girl, a.k.a. Doreen Green.
What’s cool is that actress Milana Vayntrub voices Squirrel Girl, but why is it such a big deal that she landed the role? As it turns out, she has a history with the character that’s not unlike Channing Tatum’s connection to X-Men’s Gambit.
Milana Vaynytrub as Squirrel Girl
Though Vayntrub may be best known as the AT&T Girl from the charming commercials, she was set to play a live-action version of Doreen Green for Freeform’s New Warriors series.
Vayntrub was announced as the lead of the series back in 2017, and it was expected to come out sometime in 2018. Freeform apparently couldn’t find a way to fit the show into their schedule and decided to shop New Warriors out to other networks; unfortunately, no one was biting, and the series was ultimately canceled in 2019 before it even got on the air.
With the entire fanbase thinking that Vayntrub was the perfect casting for the ever-optimistic character of Doreen, it was devastating to find out that her Squirrel Girl wasn’t even going to get one season of her show. Vayntrub’s Squirrel Girl getting canceled is up there with one of the most common fan complaints—like Edgar Wright quitting on Ant-Man or Colin Trevorrow not getting to make Star Wars Episode IX.
The Unbeatable Milana Vayntrub
Though Vayntrub may not have been able to play Squirrel Girl in live-action, she managed to voice the character in several iterations before Rivals. She’s shown up as Doreen in the animated series Marvel Rising and even voiced her in a limited podcast, Marvel’s Squirrel Girl: The Unbeatable Radio Show.
Admittedly, Marvel Rivals is going to be the biggest platform that Squirrel Girl has ever been on, and a lot of fans are hoping that this eventually leads to more Squirrel Girl fans—which could mean a Squirrel Girl series or maybe even a live-action appearance. With rumblings of a second season of Ms. Marvel in development, Doreen Green could be the perfect side character to join the Young Avengers—and Marvel wouldn’t even have to worry about reintroducing her since Rivals is expected to be big worldwide.
More Obscure Characters in Rivals
For now, fans are excited about unknown characters entering the Rivals roster. Besides Squirrel Girl, many fans have hoped that future announcements include new-age heroes like Gwenpool and Ms. Marvel. It’s amazing how Squirrel Girl came to the roster first before more popular heroes like Captain Marvel, Luke Cage, or Deadpool.
No doubt, NetEase will be milking as much as they can from this Marvel IP. With the franchise not having a win in the video game market for so long, Marvel Rivals is a godsend for gamers who are also Marvel fans. Who says Spider-Man is the only one who can be a fun video game character?
Squirrel Girl launches with Marvel Rivals when the game comes out Dec. 6 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.