Scream (comics)
Encyclopedia
Scream is a fictional supervillainess from the Spider-Man
comic book
series. She is one of six symbiote
spawns of Venom
.
) fallout of the Cold War
and provide a comfortable life for their wealthy clients after the impending nuclear holocaust
). The Life Foundation was experimenting with the Venom symbiote in the hopes of creating so-called 'super-cops' to watch over their imagined fallout shelter utopia. Donna was picked from the organization's security force, made up of police
, soldier
s, and mercenaries
.
In Scream's first appearance, she ran into Spider-Man while terrorizing a shopping mall near Salinas, California
. Quickly bested by the more experienced fighter, Scream escaped in a hovercraft
which returned to the Life Foundation's base.
Unknown to her, Spider-Man had hitched a ride on that same hovercraft. Once inside he helped Eddie Brock
(who was being held prisoner there) escape and bond with his symbiote. Scream and the other guardian symbiotes then tangled with Spider-Man and Venom, but Venom turned an accelerated aging device on them. The age-accelerating machine appeared to make Scream and the other symbiotes age to dust. Venom and Spider-Man escaped and the Life Foundation blew up the base.
Later it was revealed that Scream and her "siblings" survived, and the Life Foundation was able to save them and their symbiotes. However, for some reason, the Guardians had a falling out with their previous employers and now were fugitive
s on the run, struggling to remain in control of their symbiotes. Scream led the others to New York City
in search of Venom, hoping that he would help teach them how to control their symbiotes. Venom wanted nothing to do with them, and battled Scream. Venom disappeared, and Scream attempted to enlist the Scarlet Spider
to help find him. When he refused, Scream experienced a psychotic break
and began a rampage in Times Square
. Humiliated by Venom (who ripped pieces of her symbiote off her) and narrowly saved by the Scarlet Spider, Scream disappeared again.
Undiscouraged, Scream rounded up her "siblings" and broke the now-powerless Eddie Brock out of prison, kidnapping him and imprisoning him in a Chicago
warehouse
. She once again asked for his help in learning to communicate with the symbiotes. Eddie once again refused and tried to kill them all, even though he had no symbiote to back him up. Eddie escaped, and soon after the Life Foundation symbiotes were murdered, one by one. Scream led them to believe that Eddie Brock was the killer, while in fact, it had been her the entire time. She had come to the conclusion that all symbiotes are evil, and, "We're evil for bonding with them so we all have to die."
It was revealed that she was insane
and had been hearing voices long before she became host to her "other" (suggesting that she was schizophrenic
). Eddie managed to bond with the Venom symbiote before Scream killed him. While he could not prevent her from murdering every other symbiote, Venom was nevertheless able to beat her in combat yet again, and Scream was taken in by the authorities.
Since the symbiote invasion of Earth in the Planet of the Symbiotes
storyline, Donna is one of the few remaining symbiotes on earth and busied herself tracking down and helping benevolent symbiotic survivors. This is a significant change in character; Donna seeks to redeem herself for her past murders. After many of the symbiotes (and their human hosts) were murdered, Donna tracked Xenophage
, a huge alien that devours both symbiotes and the brains of their hosts. Donna assists Venom in slaying the beast, but was gravely injured.
Later she sought out the Xenophage's hidden ship to help her track down more of the symbiotic survivors. The ship transported her and others (including Venom and Wolverine
) into another dimension where Scream was nearly killed once again by the villainous mutants Dirtnap
and Chimera
. Upon her successful return to Earth, she disappears, presumably to continue her search for the few remaining symbiotes.
Donna appears in two panels of the Marvel Super Hero Island Adventures
comic giveaway
from 1999, as she is shown to be a member of the Sinister Syndicate. There she is referred to as Scream in the comics for the first time.
Donna's family name
- Diego - was first established in "Civil War - Battle Damage Report" in 2007, many years after her first appearance as a character in the Marvel Universe. In these files she is quoted as being an "enemy combatant" to the forces of the Initiative
.
of the Inhumans
. Like Spider-Man and Venom, Scream has wall-crawling and web-slinging abilities, and also boasts an early-warning sense. Scream also possesses some degree of superhuman strength, the exact limits of which are unknown.
ride The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man
as a member of the Sinister Syndicate. During the ride, she attacks guests with her claws, but is knocked out by Doctor Octopus
, attempting to claim the guests for himself. Later, she and Hobgoblin attack Spider-Man while the vehicles are in the air, and is seen being kicked away by Spider-Man. She appears during the final scene, webbed up with the rest of the Syndicate voiced by Candi Milo
.
. It has a "living tendrils hair" feature. Along with Lasher
, her name was christened by the toy line, however she was not officially called that by Marvel until 2007 when she was titled with the alias in Civil War: Battle Damage Report handbook.
) in the video game, Spider-Man and Venom: Separation Anxiety.
She also appears as a boss in Spider-Man: The Animated Series (video game)
, despite not appearing in the show. She is the only female villain featured in the game aside from Hypnotia
. She is voiced by Grey DeLisle
.
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series. She is one of six symbiote
Symbiote (comics)
In the Marvel Comics universe, The Symbiote is a specific parasitic species of extraterrestrial organism...
spawns of Venom
Venom (comics)
Eddie Brock is a fictional character created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane. A comic book supervillain, Brock's earliest appearance is a cameo in Web of Spider-Man #18 before making his first full appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #299 as Venom...
.
Fictional character biography
Scream was one of the five Life Foundation Symbiotes that were forcefully spawned from the Venom symbiote. She was their unofficial leader. Like the other four hosts, she was a volunteer for the Life Foundation; a survivalist group within the American government (an organization that was preparing for the M.A.D. (Mutually Assured DestructionMutual assured destruction
Mutual Assured Destruction, or mutually assured destruction , is a doctrine of military strategy and national security policy in which a full-scale use of high-yield weapons of mass destruction by two opposing sides would effectively result in the complete, utter and irrevocable annihilation of...
) fallout of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
and provide a comfortable life for their wealthy clients after the impending nuclear holocaust
Nuclear holocaust
Nuclear holocaust refers to the possibility of the near complete annihilation of human civilization by nuclear warfare. Under such a scenario, all or most of the Earth is made uninhabitable by nuclear weapons in future world wars....
). The Life Foundation was experimenting with the Venom symbiote in the hopes of creating so-called 'super-cops' to watch over their imagined fallout shelter utopia. Donna was picked from the organization's security force, made up of police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
, soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
s, and mercenaries
Mercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
.
In Scream's first appearance, she ran into Spider-Man while terrorizing a shopping mall near Salinas, California
Salinas, California
Salinas is the county seat and the largest municipality of Monterey County, California. Salinas is located east-southeast of the mouth of the Salinas River, at an elevation of about 52 feet above sea level. The population was 150,441 at the 2010 census...
. Quickly bested by the more experienced fighter, Scream escaped in a hovercraft
Hovercraft
A hovercraft is a craft capable of traveling over surfaces while supported by a cushion of slow moving, high-pressure air which is ejected against the surface below and contained within a "skirt." Although supported by air, a hovercraft is not considered an aircraft.Hovercraft are used throughout...
which returned to the Life Foundation's base.
Unknown to her, Spider-Man had hitched a ride on that same hovercraft. Once inside he helped Eddie Brock
Eddie Brock
Eddie Brock is a fictional character created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane. A comic book supervillain, Brock's earliest appearance is a cameo in Web of Spider-Man #18 before making his first full appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #299 as Venom...
(who was being held prisoner there) escape and bond with his symbiote. Scream and the other guardian symbiotes then tangled with Spider-Man and Venom, but Venom turned an accelerated aging device on them. The age-accelerating machine appeared to make Scream and the other symbiotes age to dust. Venom and Spider-Man escaped and the Life Foundation blew up the base.
Later it was revealed that Scream and her "siblings" survived, and the Life Foundation was able to save them and their symbiotes. However, for some reason, the Guardians had a falling out with their previous employers and now were fugitive
Fugitive
A fugitive is a person who is fleeing from custody, whether it be from private slavery, a government arrest, government or non-government questioning, vigilante violence, or outraged private individuals...
s on the run, struggling to remain in control of their symbiotes. Scream led the others to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in search of Venom, hoping that he would help teach them how to control their symbiotes. Venom wanted nothing to do with them, and battled Scream. Venom disappeared, and Scream attempted to enlist the Scarlet Spider
Scarlet Spider
Scarlet Spider is a fictional character who appeared in the Marvel Comics series Spider-Man. His costume was designed by Tom Lyle. The identity of the Scarlet Spider has been used by several characters: Ben Reilly, Peter Parker , Joe Wade , a group of three Michael Van Patrick clones working with...
to help find him. When he refused, Scream experienced a psychotic break
Psychotic break
A psychotic break is a term used to describe an occasion of a person experiencing an episode of acute primary psychosis, either for the first time or after a significant period of relative asymptomaticity. Several types of psychoactive drugs have been shown to correlate with psychotic breaks...
and began a rampage in Times Square
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
. Humiliated by Venom (who ripped pieces of her symbiote off her) and narrowly saved by the Scarlet Spider, Scream disappeared again.
Undiscouraged, Scream rounded up her "siblings" and broke the now-powerless Eddie Brock out of prison, kidnapping him and imprisoning him in a Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
warehouse
Warehouse
A warehouse is a commercial building for storage of goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial areas of cities and towns. They usually have loading docks to load and unload...
. She once again asked for his help in learning to communicate with the symbiotes. Eddie once again refused and tried to kill them all, even though he had no symbiote to back him up. Eddie escaped, and soon after the Life Foundation symbiotes were murdered, one by one. Scream led them to believe that Eddie Brock was the killer, while in fact, it had been her the entire time. She had come to the conclusion that all symbiotes are evil, and, "We're evil for bonding with them so we all have to die."
It was revealed that she was insane
Insanity
Insanity, craziness or madness is a spectrum of behaviors characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity may manifest as violations of societal norms, including becoming a danger to themselves and others, though not all such acts are considered insanity...
and had been hearing voices long before she became host to her "other" (suggesting that she was schizophrenic
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
). Eddie managed to bond with the Venom symbiote before Scream killed him. While he could not prevent her from murdering every other symbiote, Venom was nevertheless able to beat her in combat yet again, and Scream was taken in by the authorities.
Since the symbiote invasion of Earth in the Planet of the Symbiotes
Planet of the Symbiotes
-External links:* at The Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators...
storyline, Donna is one of the few remaining symbiotes on earth and busied herself tracking down and helping benevolent symbiotic survivors. This is a significant change in character; Donna seeks to redeem herself for her past murders. After many of the symbiotes (and their human hosts) were murdered, Donna tracked Xenophage
Xenophage
For the videogame of the same name, see: Xenophage: Alien Bloodsport.The Xenophage is a giant, sentient intelligent alien monster, a comic book supervillain of the Marvel Universe, and an enemy of Venom...
, a huge alien that devours both symbiotes and the brains of their hosts. Donna assists Venom in slaying the beast, but was gravely injured.
Later she sought out the Xenophage's hidden ship to help her track down more of the symbiotic survivors. The ship transported her and others (including Venom and Wolverine
Wolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
) into another dimension where Scream was nearly killed once again by the villainous mutants Dirtnap
Dirtnap (comics)
Dirtnap is a fictional mutant character in the Marvel Comics Universe. His first appearance was in Wolverine #95.-Fictional character biography:...
and Chimera
Chimera (comics)
Chimera is a fictional mutant character in the Marvel Comics Universe. Her first appearance was in Wolverine vol. 2 #97.-Fictional character biography:...
. Upon her successful return to Earth, she disappears, presumably to continue her search for the few remaining symbiotes.
Donna appears in two panels of the Marvel Super Hero Island Adventures
Islands of Adventure
Universal's Islands of Adventure is a theme park located in Orlando, Florida. It opened May 28, 1999 as part of an expansion that, along with CityWalk Entertainment District, the Portofino Bay Hotel, and Hard Rock hotel, converted Universal Studios Florida into the Universal Orlando Resort...
comic giveaway
Promotion (marketing)
Promotion is one of the four elements of marketing mix . It is the communication link between sellers and buyers for the purpose of influencing, informing, or persuading a potential buyer's purchasing decision....
from 1999, as she is shown to be a member of the Sinister Syndicate. There she is referred to as Scream in the comics for the first time.
Donna's family name
Family name
A family name is a type of surname and part of a person's name indicating the family to which the person belongs. The use of family names is widespread in cultures around the world...
- Diego - was first established in "Civil War - Battle Damage Report" in 2007, many years after her first appearance as a character in the Marvel Universe. In these files she is quoted as being an "enemy combatant" to the forces of the Initiative
Avengers: The Initiative
Avengers: The Initiative was a comic book series from Marvel Comics. Written by Dan Slott and Christos Gage with artwork initially by Stefano Caselli, Steve Uy and Harvey Tolibao, the series dealt with the aftermath of Marvel's Civil War crossover Avengers: The Initiative was a comic book series...
.
Powers and abilities
Scream's superhuman abilities stem from her alien symbiote. The creature can mimic clothing and camouflage Donna. She often uses her 'hair' as a weapon, to wrap or tangle enemies, much like MedusaMedusa (comics)
Medusa is a fictional superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:Medusa first appeared in Fantastic Four #36 , and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.-Fictional character biography:...
of the Inhumans
Inhumans
The Inhumans are a fictional race of superhumans, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. This race appears in various comic book series published by Marvel Comics and exists in that company's shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe....
. Like Spider-Man and Venom, Scream has wall-crawling and web-slinging abilities, and also boasts an early-warning sense. Scream also possesses some degree of superhuman strength, the exact limits of which are unknown.
Full Appearances List
- Venom: Lethal Protector #1-6 (1993 - Scream's first appearance in #4)
- The Exile Returns (1994) (consists of: Web of Spider-Man #118 • Spider-Man #52 • Web of Spider-Man #119 • Spider-Man #53)
- Venom: Separation Anxiety #1-4 (1994)
- Venom: The Hunted #1-3 (1996)
- Venom: Tooth and Claw #1-3 (1996)
- Marvel Super Hero Island Adventures (1999)
- Civil War: Battle Damage Report (2007)
- Spider-Man: Back in BlackSpider-Man: Back in Black"Spider-Man: Back in Black" is a five-part 2007 Marvel Comics storyline written by J. Michael Straczynski and illustrated by Ron Garney , Bill Reinhold , Matt Milla and VC's Cory Petit . All parts were published in the comic book series The Amazing Spider-Man #539-543...
Handbook (2007)
In other media
Theme Parks
Scream can be seen in the Islands of AdventureIslands of Adventure
Universal's Islands of Adventure is a theme park located in Orlando, Florida. It opened May 28, 1999 as part of an expansion that, along with CityWalk Entertainment District, the Portofino Bay Hotel, and Hard Rock hotel, converted Universal Studios Florida into the Universal Orlando Resort...
ride The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man
The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man
The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man is a theme park ride located in Islands of Adventure, in Orlando, Florida and Universal Studios Japan. Built for Islands of Adventure's opening in 1999, the attraction is a hybrid ride combining special roving motion vehicles with 3-D projection, elaborate...
as a member of the Sinister Syndicate. During the ride, she attacks guests with her claws, but is knocked out by Doctor Octopus
Doctor Octopus
Doctor Octopus is a fictional character, a supervillain that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics since 1963. A highly intelligent mad scientist, Doctor Octopus is one of Spider-Man's greatest foes...
, attempting to claim the guests for himself. Later, she and Hobgoblin attack Spider-Man while the vehicles are in the air, and is seen being kicked away by Spider-Man. She appears during the final scene, webbed up with the rest of the Syndicate voiced by Candi Milo
Candi Milo
Candi Milo is an American voice actress and singer. She voiced many different animated characters such as the voice of Jacobo on Disney's The Replacements, Coco, Madame Foster and Cheese on Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, Irma Lair on Disney's W.I.T.C.H., lead character Maya Santos on Maya &...
.
Toys
Scream has her own action figure in the "Venom - Planet of the Symbiotes" 1996 action figure series by Toy BizMarvel Toys
Marvel Toys is the toy division of Marvel Entertainment, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company....
. It has a "living tendrils hair" feature. Along with Lasher
Lasher (comics)
Lasher is a fictional character from the Spider-Man comic books. He is one of six symbiote spawns of Venom. He is predominantly green and the name "Lasher" derives from the character's action figure...
, her name was christened by the toy line, however she was not officially called that by Marvel until 2007 when she was titled with the alias in Civil War: Battle Damage Report handbook.
Video games
Scream is one of the six symbiote bosses (the only one of that group to appear on the cover besides CarnageCarnage (comics)
Carnage is a fictional character, a supervillain in the . The character first appears in The Amazing Spider-Man #344 , and was created by writer David Michelinie and artist Mark Bagley. The character is frequently depicted as an enemy of Spider-Man...
) in the video game, Spider-Man and Venom: Separation Anxiety.
She also appears as a boss in Spider-Man: The Animated Series (video game)
Spider-Man: The Animated Series (video game)
Spider-Man is a video game developed by Western Technologies and published by Acclaim in 1995, incorporating elements form the critically acclaimed Spider-Man: The Animated Series. The game was released for the Super Nintendo and the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis.-Gameplay:The gameplay was similar to...
, despite not appearing in the show. She is the only female villain featured in the game aside from Hypnotia
Hypno-Hustler
The Hypno-Hustler is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by Bill Mantlo and Frank Springer, the character first appeared in The Spectacular Spider-Man #24.-Fictional character biography:...
. She is voiced by Grey DeLisle
Grey DeLisle
Grey DeLisle is an American voice actress, singer-songwriter, and comedienne. To date, she has released four solo albums and has featured on the tribute album Anchored in Love: A Tribute to June Carter Cash and film soundtrack of Loggerheads...
.