Far Out!

Scarlet's Fangirl Crush

Gonna spin some headcanon regarding Scarlet Overkill's fangirl crush on Queen Elizabeth II. I imagine her crush is one of epic proportions.

It's interesting that Scarlet fixated on one of the few women who were in a position of political/royal power at the time. She could have picked any number of countries to conquer, but she chose one with a female monarch (and it also helped that she loves England!). I'm guessing this is because Scarlet's female and so she identified more with a woman. Which, in her male-dominated world, makes sense.

It's kind of a loaded question when she asks, "Do you know who this is?" I think her query is more about wanting to share her passion for Queen Elizabeth than anything else. She's fishing for an excuse to gush about her fangirl interests. She's eager for any chance to discuss this exciting part of her life. We get the sense she's thought about the Queen at length and has probably read every news article ever written about her. I wouldn't be surprised if Scarlet had an encyclopedic knowledge of Elizabeth. She's hardcore obsessed!

Hence, she's annoyed when those pinheads don't know who Queen Elizabeth is, like, at all. This is sacrilege to her. How could they not know about one of the women Scarlet admires the most? Why didn't they make it their business to learn about such an important person? Such ignorance is inconceivable to her, hence the contempt on her face.

Stealing the Queen's portrait and giving it a place of such prominence in the loot room seems to symbolize Scarlet's yearning for admiration. It's possibly her way of attempting to foreshadow her own ascension to the throne of England. I wonder how many times she stood before the portrait, gazing upon it and plotting her future plans. How many times has Scarlet has hung about the entrance to Buckingham Palace, hoping for a glimpse of Queen Elizabeth? She's probably stood there daydreaming about the time she'd live there herself.

I imagine there have been many times when Scarlet would speak at length about all things Queen Elizabeth while Herb listens attentively, nodding at all the right times.

Imagine her sitting in a café sipping tea and hearing other customers discussing the Queen. Gushing about her greatness. Scarlet feels a spark of envy, or even a flare of anger. Perhaps she's thinking, "They should be talking about me and how great I am."

I bet Scarlet has a huge collection of "Royal commemorative gifts and souvenirs commissioned by Buckingham Palace."

To wit: http://www.royalcollectionshop.co.uk/

Right? Queen Elizabeth II's portrait is probably just the tip of the iceberg of Scarlet's merchandise collection. There's probably a whole room devoted to showcasing the items. She probably bought every royal souvenir ever made.

I can see her sitting in this room staring at her collection and daydreaming about the day similar items will all have her likeness and royal "brand." Scarlet's tendency to put an "S" on everything as well as her Villain-Con merchandise could be her way of mimicking the monarchy in this regard. It's not so much a narcissistic trait as a dress rehearsal for the real deal.

Scarlet is so passionate about Queen Elizabeth that she literally wants to make the Queen's possessions her own (i.e., the portrait, the crown, England). She both admires her and wants to take her place. She loves her work, yet wants to steal everything the Queen has. Ultimately, she wants to destroy Queen Elizabeth to (over)compensate for her own decimated childhood. Nothing less will satisfy her, and of course, this also speaks to her ambitious nature in general.

I'd also wager her crush on Elizabeth is tangled up with darker emotions such as envy and resentment. Scarlet probably wonders why Elizabeth is entitled to so much more respect, power, and advantage than she ever had. What makes Elizabeth more special than Scarlet? In Scarlet's mind, the answer is "nothing." She sees the imbalance of their statuses as an injustice, a wrong that must be righted, even if by the use of violent force and villainy.

It's possible Scarlet's crush on Queen Elizabeth II began innocently enough, but then became increasingly toxic as time went on. I don't get the sense she hates Elizabeth so much as what she represents: the broken system that led to Scarlet's abandonment and trauma. If anything, Scarlet's crush probably provided her with some soothing distraction and even a glimmer of hope that one day her life would change for the better.