That Actress In The AT&T Commercial Almost Starred In A Canceled Marvel Show

For many, it's impossible to see actress Milana Vayntrub without instantly conjuring up her charming persona from the AT&T commercials, Lily Adams. But that only scratches the surface of what the prolific actor, writer, director, and producer has achieved. Amongst these accomplishments was nearly getting the chance to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe as fan-favorite comic character Doreen Green and her fuzzy-faced alter-ego Squirrel Girl.

Vayntrub was slated to debut as the Steve Ditko and Will Murray-created heroine in the unaired television series "New Warriors." The show was announced in 2016 and picked up by Freeform the following year, marking it as Marvel's first half-hour live-action comedy series. Later that year, Vayntrub was set to lead the show alongside "Baby Daddy" star Derek Theler as Mister Immortal. The cast also included Calum Worthy as Speedball, Matthew Moy as Microbe, Kate Comer as Debrii, and Jeremy Tardy as Night Thrasher. The series would have followed a team of teenage superheroes headed by Squirrel Girl who aim to make a difference in the world while dealing with the trials and tribulations of adolescence. 

Despite the pilot testing well, Freeform chose not to move ahead with "New Warriors." The network claimed that there was no slot for the show in their forthcoming 2018 slate of original programming. Marvel shopped it around to other networks and even considered placing the series on their then-developing streaming platform. Sadly, no other network picked up "New Warriors" and the show was considered dead in 2019. However, that didn't stop Vayntrub from bringing Squirrel Girl to life. 

Milana Vayntrub may have not gotten to eat nuts and kick butt in "New Warriors," but that didn't stop the actress from playing the role elsewhere. Since 2018, Vayntrub has provided the voice of Squirrel Girl in the Marvel Rising franchise. The collection of TV specials, short films, and direct-to-TV movies produced by Marvel Animation centers on another varied team of super-powered youth known as the Secret Warriors that includes Gwen Stacy (Dove Cameron), Shuri (Daisy Lightfoot), and America Chavez (Cierra Ramirez), among others. Vayntrub has lent her voice to several entries within the franchise, including the critically-praised 2018 film "Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors."

In 2022, Vayntrub's bushy-tailed superhero persona got to be front and center in the scripted podcast series "Marvel's Squirrel Girl: The Unbeatable Radio Show." The six-episode series acts as a continuation of Ryan North's acclaimed comic series "The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl," which ran from 2015 to 2019, with North also writing the show. The podcast follows Doreen Green as she starts a radio show from her college campus with the intent of aiding others while also dealing with evildoers alongside her friends such as Spider-Man (Paul Scheer) and Tony Stark (Josh Ruben). Fans can listen to the show in its entirety on major audio platforms such as Spotify and Apple Podcasts. 

As the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues introducing new heroes to its expansive roster, there's hope yet that Vayntrub's character will get her time in the limelight.