If you have your ear to the ground when it comes to all things Marvel, you may have heard something around the water cooler today about Squirrel Girl (real name: Doreen Green). Earlier this month Marvel filed a trademark for Squirrel Girl; Marvel usually registers trademarks to protect TV and film rights down the road. So obviously people are getting excited and suggesting this is some tell-tale sign of a future project with Squirrel Girl. That and people are into talking raccoons and trees right now so it makes sense right?
She was created by Spider-Man co-creator, Steve Ditko and writer Will Murray and has since become something of a fan favorite for her ability to communicate with squirrels. So what’s happening with all of this? Well, with closer inspection on the official patent, we can see that it’s specific to printed mediums:
Paper and paper articles; cardboard and cardboard articles; printed matter; publications; books; photographs; portraits; paintings; stationery; office and school supplies; temporary tattoos; foam stamps; party bags; shopping bags
There's no mention of television or film; so it actually might be easier to suggest she’s going to be popping up in comic form rather than a digital medium. She’s been absent for a few years now, but has ties to The Avengers, Luke Cage and Jessica Jones. Cage and Jones are getting their own Netflix shows, so perhaps she could appear there as their nanny which she’s done for them before in the comics, what a nice girl. It should also be noted that Squirrel Girl is going to be in two episodes of Disney XD’s Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon this fall. So this weekend, if your friends tell you they're making a Squirrel Girl movie, you call tell them how patents and trademarks work; they will life you on their shoulders.
Would you want Squirrel Girl Showing up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?