Scott Pilgrim vs. the World premiered almost 11 years ago. Although a box office bomb at the time of its release, the film has gone on to become a cult classic. Its quirky, zany humor and Edgar Wright’s trademark touch make it the perfect antidote for real life.
A big part of the movie’s uniqueness is the cast full of superstars who, at the time, were not the household names they are now. As Scott’s ex-girlfriend, Envy Adams, future Oscar winner Brie Larson almost stole the entire movie, thanks to her dry delivery and instant appeal. Her singing of Metric’s “Black Sheep” is one of the film’s most memorable moments, and even though she only has a couple of scenes, her participation is not only well-remembered, it left fans desperate for more Envy.
Her Backstory
![Scott Pilgrim: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Brie Larson’s Role](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Untitled-design-1.jpg)
Natalie was born in Montreal. Not much is known about her childhood or teenage years, other than the fact she was friends with Todd Ingram. She meets Scott while in college, a time when she is described as a bit of a dork. She has numerous anime toys and books and is generally shy and kind. She forms a band with Scott and Stephen Stills, “Kid Chameleon,” and begins dating Scott.
At some point, she turns to a more rocker lifestyle. She sells all her toys to buy expensive clothes and changes her name to “Envy.” She then goes against Scott and Stephen’s wishes and signs with a major label. Soon after, she brutally breaks up with Scott, but there might be more to the story than he claims.
Todd Ingram
![](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Untitled-design-0.jpg)
Natalie and Todd were childhood friends until the age of 11 when his family moved away. leaving her quite sad. Todd returns years later, now with vegan powers, and wants to pursue a relationship with her, but she’s unsure. He then goes to Vegan Academy, while she heads for the University of Toronto, where she meets Scott.
Soon after her break-up with Scott, Natalie, now Envy, reunites with Todd, who has already graduated from Vegan Academy. The two begin a relationship and form a new band, The Clash at Demonhead, along with Lynnette Guycott, becoming extremely famous and successful.
Scott Pilgrim
![Scott Pilgrim not wanting to fight.](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Untitled-design-3.jpg)
Scott and Envy first meet at the University of Toronto, after being introduced by Julie Powers. They begin to hang out because they both believe Julie is full of it, eventually forming the band “Kid Chameleon” along with Stephen.
Once she becomes Envy, she begins pulling away and cheating on Scott. He still wants to be with her and even writes her a song, but she fails to appreciate it. She tells Scott to get a haircut and then dumps him at a party. However, a scene in the final book suggests a drunk Scott was actually the one who began the argument that led to their break-up, something Scott suppresses from his memory and eventually returns to in the form of Negascott.
Gideon Graves
![Gideon Graves on the phone](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Untitled-design-4.jpg)
In the books, after Scott defeats Todd Ingram and The Clash at Demonhead is dissolved, Envy returns to New York and begins a relationship with Gideon Gordon Graves. However, their affair is bizarre at best, as it is strongly implied there’s not an actual physical relationship between them. Instead, he enjoys dressing her like a doll and “that’s about all.”
The climactic fight between Scott and Gideon takes place as an overstressed Envy is singing at the opening of the Canadian Chaos Theatre. Once Scott kills Gideon, Envy returns to her old Natalie persona and hugs Scott, finally giving them proper closure. She then goes on with her show.
“Let’s Both Be Girls”
![](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Untitled-design-5.jpg)
One of the film’s most memorable lines is spoken by Ramona, during the final battle between Scott and Gideon Graves. As Scott seems to be defeated, Ramona confidently approaches Gideon. “Yeah, still my girl,” he says, thinking she’s there for him. “Let’s both be girls,” she replies and kicks him in the groin.
In the books, this line is actually spoken by Envy. She says it to Todd Ingram after she discovers he’s been cheating on her with The Clash at Demonhead’s drummer, Lynnette Guycott.
Envy’s Real Hair Color
![](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Untitled-design-6.jpg)
Envy’s hairstyle was largely inspired by the character Asuka Langley from the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise. In the books, her hair is red, although it was not immediately obvious since the first editions were printed in black and white.
When she was first cast, Brie Larson actually tried on a red wig to better fit the character’s original appearance. However, it didn’t look good on her, so Edgar Wright agreed to change the character to the platinum blonde style she sports in the final film.
Envy’s Real Name
![](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Untitled-design-7.jpg)
Like many famous celebrities, Envy changes her name before she becomes famous. She chooses a stage name that’s much more glamorous, mysterious, and only slightly ridiculous, and which also fits her greedy and ambitious persona. It’s also made up of the initials of her first and middle names: N.V.
Her actual birth name is Natalie Veronica Adams. However, it’s noteworthy to point that the nae “Veronica” is never actually spoken in the film nor printed in the comic books and was only used in the script notes. As such, its actual status as canon within the story’s continuity is not confirmed.
Larson’s Inspiration For Envy
![](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Untitled-design-8.jpg)
Larson has confessed she originally wanted to be in the film because she was a big fan of Edgar Wright. However, she hadn’t read the books or knew anything about the character or the story, and had only ever seen one picture of Envy.
To get inspiration for the role, she watched the Adult Video Awards and decided to base her portrayal of the character on the models’ voice and body language. She felt the models’ vain and superficial attitudes were a good fit with the character, something that eventually turned out to be a smart decision. Larson was also encouraged by Wright not to blink while delivering her lines so that the film could have a more anime feel to it.
Black Sheep
![](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Untitled-design-9.jpg)
During one of the movie’s most memorable scenes, The Clash at Demonhead sings one of their songs, “Black Sheep,” to a crowd that includes Scott and Ramona. The song is originally by the band Metric, although Larson provides the singing for the movie version of the song. The soundtrack, however, includes vocals by Metric’s lead singer, Emily Haines.
The lyrics to the song are quite obscure and almost nonsensical. Indeed, lead singer Haines stated that the song is like a caricature of Metric, as it portrays extreme aspects of the band, including the abstract lyrical visualizations.
The Clash At Demonhead
![](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Untitled-design-10.jpg)
The Clash at Demonhead is actually based on Metric, a band from Toronto who first had a major breakthrough with the release of its fourth studio album, Fantasies, in 2009. Envy’s image, style, and movements are based on Emily Haines, the lead singer, keyboardist, and songwriter for Metric.
Larson was already a professional singer before her appearance in the film, so her voice didn’t need a lot of training. Brandon Routh, who played Todd Ingram, actually spent several months practicing the bass so that he could play “Black Sheep.” He ended up learning the song, but ultimately was not required to perform it, and Larson simply recorded her vocals over the original track.