100 Fun Facts About Scott Pilgrim

Who created the Scott Pilgrim graphic novels?

Bryan Lee O'Malley admits he took the film deal as 'a starving artist' who just wanted some money, fully expecting Hollywood to cast 'some actor that I hated'.

Scott Pilgrim's name was borrowed from a song by which Canadian indie band of the 1990s?

Plumtree had split in 2000, four years before the first book; the film repays the debt by putting Scott in the band's T-shirt and their song on its soundtrack.

Which independent publisher released the six original Scott Pilgrim volumes between 2004 and 2010?

Oni Press printed the books small and in black and white, a cheaper format their creator embraced as a manga look; full-colour hardbacks only followed from 2012.

How did Gideon found the League of Evil Exes in the Scott Pilgrim comics?

A drunken Craigslist rant: after Ramona dumped him he vented online, and he was shocked when six other exes she had hurt wrote back.

In which city does Scott Pilgrim live?

Toronto is drawn almost street by street: before filming, the director toured the real locations with the books' author, who had to dig out his reference photos to find some of them.

What is the name of Scott Pilgrim's garage band?

Sex Bob-omb takes its name from the Bob-ombs, the walking bombs of the Mario games; every band in the series is named after a video game.

Which instrument does Scott Pilgrim play in his band?

Bass: in the film he proudly shows his bandmates that he has learned the bassline from Final Fantasy II, a game that was really Final Fantasy IV under its old American title.

One scene in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is shot and scored like an episode of which sitcom, laugh track included?

Seinfeld: for a minute the film borrows the sitcom's music cues, fixed cameras and studio laughter, a gag the director added that appears nowhere in the comics.

In the film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, what do Ramona's evil exes burst into when they are defeated?

Coins: beaten enemies pay out as they would in a video game, and in the comics the last ex showers $7,777,777 in change on the crowd.

Who is Scott Pilgrim's "cool gay roommate"?

Wallace Wells owns nearly everything in the flat they share, and his actor, sent a script with no word on which part to read, knew it was his from that very description.

Who plays drums in Scott Pilgrim's band?

Kim Pine was also Scott's first girlfriend, back in high school; the romance ended when his family moved away, and she later moved to the same city and joined his band.

The lead singer of Scott Pilgrim's band shares his name with which 1960s folk-rock musician?

Stephen Stills is the character's own name, always used in full by Scott, and his roommate 'Young Neil' flips the name of the real singer's old bandmate to finish the joke.

In the Scott Pilgrim comics, what job does Ramona Flowers take after moving to Canada?

Amazon delivery courier: her rounds run along 'subspace highways' that cut through people's minds, and Scott's is so empty that he sees her skating through his dreams.

Which habit is Ramona Flowers known for in Scott Pilgrim?

Frequently changing her hair colour, every three weeks in the comics, unsettles Scott, who blames a haircut for his last break-up.

Who is Ramona's first evil ex in Scott Pilgrim, who crashes through the ceiling mid-gig?

Matthew Patel dated her only briefly in seventh grade; in the film his attack turns into a Bollywood-style song and dance, the first hint of how strange the fights will get.

Scott Pilgrim often wears the T-shirt of which rock band, whose initials match his own?

The Smashing Pumpkins shirt isn't his only badge of fandom: his winter parka carries an X-Men patch, which the film shows him ripping off.

In Scott Pilgrim, Ramona's third evil ex, Todd Ingram, gets his superpowers from what?

Being vegan gives him psychic powers until the Vegan Police turn up to strip them; in the film Scott brings them running by tricking him into drinking half-and-half.

Which of Ramona's evil exes in Scott Pilgrim is a woman, upending Scott's assumption that all were boyfriends?

Roxie Richter met Ramona at college; since Scott refuses to hit girls, it is Ramona who does most of the fighting when her fourth ex attacks.

What are the first names of the Katayanagi twins, Ramona's fifth and sixth evil exes in Scott Pilgrim?

Kyle and Ken build robots to attack Scott in the comics, but in the film they are musicians who summon twin dragons from their amplifiers in a battle of the bands.

Which Saturday Night Live star voices the unseen narrator of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World?

Bill Hader's narration does the job the captions do in the comics, cutting in with back-story such as exactly how many days have passed since Scott's big break-up.

What is the name of Gideon's venue, where the final showdown of Scott Pilgrim takes place?

The Chaos Theater shares its name with a club in the game EarthBound where a band is made to play night after night to work off a debt, much as Scott's band is here.

When Scott first challenges Gideon in the Scott Pilgrim film, what does he earn?

The Power of Love sword appears when he says he is fighting for Ramona; after Gideon kills him he uses his 1-up, fights for himself and draws the Power of Self-Respect instead.

Which pop star, Scott Pilgrim's ex-girlfriend, fronts The Clash at Demonhead?

Envy Adams was plain Natalie when Scott dated her at university; she reinvented herself, took over their band and dumped him.

Which real band inspired The Clash at Demonhead and gave the film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World the song "Black Sheep"?

Metric had first meant the song for an album of their own and held it back for sounding too much like themselves; their singer calls it a caricature of the band.

Who wrote the songs Scott's band performs in the film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World?

Beck knocked them out in a matter of days, wanting them 'underthought' and raw like demos; one unpolished jam became the music for the opening titles.

Who directed the 2010 film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World?

Edgar Wright was handed an advance copy of the first book while promoting Shaun of the Dead in 2004, and spent the next six years getting the film made.

Who plays Scott Pilgrim in the 2010 film?

Michael Cera was the only actor the director could picture in the part, even when the studio, fresh from Knocked Up, suggested Seth Rogen instead.

Which actress plays Ramona Flowers in the film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World?

Mary Elizabeth Winstead was the director's pick two years before filming began; she jokes that it was because her big eyes matched the drawings.

Which of Hollywood's Chrises plays skateboarding movie star Lucas Lee in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World?

Chris Evans said yes at once as a fan of the director, who gave him a Steven Seagal bar brawl to study; a year later he was Captain America.

Who composed the score for Scott Pilgrim vs. the World?

Nigel Godrich, best known as Radiohead's producer, had never scored a film before; his arrival also killed an early script joke in which the bands were never actually heard.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World opened in cinemas on the same weekend as which Sylvester Stallone action film?

The Expendables won that weekend while this film opened fifth with about $10.5 million; its first run ended on some $48 million worldwide against a budget of at least $60 million.

Which game franchise's music opens Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, its director calling it 'like nursery rhymes to a generation'?

The Legend of Zelda music had to be cleared with Nintendo, so the director sent a clip of the film with a letter making that very case.

Which castle appears in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World as a movie set during the Lucas Lee fight?

Casa Loma has stood in for so many places on screen that here, for once, it plays itself; the film adds a gag in which Scott is thrown through a fake skyline backdrop.

Which Canadian coffee chain appears in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World instead of Starbucks?

Second Cup is where Scott's sister works in the comics, and the film got permission to shoot in a real branch instead of swapping in an invented chain.

Where did Scott Pilgrim vs. the World have its world premiere in 2010?

San Diego Comic-Con got it first: after the Hall H panel the director led several hundred of the crowd to a surprise screening, and the band behind 'Black Sheep' played afterwards.

Which actress plays Scott's 17-year-old girlfriend in the film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World?

Ellen Wong auditioned several times, taekwondo training in hand, for a part she has said an Asian actress like her never expected even to be seen for.

Which actress plays Julie Powers, the party host who cannot stand Scott Pilgrim, in the 2010 film?

Aubrey Plaza was cast before Funny People or Parks and Recreation had made her name; the director had never even met her before her audition.

Who plays the lead singer of Scott's band in the film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World?

Mark Webber had never sung professionally or played guitar, and learned both in the weeks before filming, when the band's actors were drilled until they could pass as a real group.

The original ending of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, written before the last book came out, had Scott end up with whom?

Knives won him back in the first cut, but test audiences were divided over it and the final book paired him with Ramona, so a new ending was shot before release.

The opening of Scott's last battle with Gideon in the Scott Pilgrim film recreates the intro of which classic game?

Ninja Gaiden's opening duel was first copied in the comics, for the battle with Ramona's fourth ex; the film saved the homage for its finale.

Which chiptune band performed the soundtrack of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game?

Anamanaguchi returned sixteen years later to score the follow-up, Scott Pilgrim EX; the original game had vanished from sale in 2014 and come back as a Complete Edition in 2021.

On which late-night TV block did the short Scott Pilgrim vs. the Animation air the night before the film opened?

Adult Swim showed it around midnight on August 12, 2010: a flashback to Scott's school days, with two of the film's actors voicing their own roles and two more playing new ones.

Which anime studio produced the 2023 Netflix series Scott Pilgrim Takes Off?

Science SARU animated it in Japan, while every one of the film's main actors came back, thirteen years on, to voice the same characters.

What happens to Scott in the first episode of Scott Pilgrim Takes Off?

He disappears, apparently killed by her first evil ex, and the series turns into a mystery with Ramona as the detective and the exes' lives knocked off course.

What was the Scott Pilgrim creator's first original graphic novel, released in 2003?

Lost at Sea, about a shy 18-year-old who believes a cat stole her soul, was still on his drawing board in 2002 when he began planning Scott Pilgrim.

What is the subtitle of the sixth and final Scott Pilgrim volume, released in July 2010?

Finest Hour reached shops less than a month before the film, which had been shot without it: the film-makers had only its author's notes and wrote an ending of their own.

Which actress sings 'Black Sheep' on screen in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World?

Brie Larson sings it on screen as the villainous frontwoman, while the soundtrack album carries the original singer's version at her band's request.

Which director, shown an early cut of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, said it needed an opening title sequence?

Quentin Tarantino thought the film started too fast and told its director to let people settle down and strap in; the hand-scratched animated titles were the result.

Members of which Canadian indie band wrote the songs for Crash and the Boys in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World?

Broken Social Scene's two songwriters kept every track short, fast and punk so that the actor playing Crash could shout them himself without being a singer.

Which Mario Bava film did the director of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World name as an influence?

Danger: Diabolik (1968) had what he called 'a sense of completely unbridled imagination': a comic-strip film that makes no attempt to look realistic, the licence he took for his own.

Which actor, later the star of Succession, plays the sarcastic Wallace Wells in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World?

Kieran Culkin knew the part was his from the character description alone, because the audition script he was sent did not even name the role.

After Gideon Graves kills Scott Pilgrim in the film's finale, which reward won earlier lets Scott return to the fight?

An extra life drops when Scott's band wins its amp battle with the Katayanagi twins; in the comics he collects it after beating Todd Ingram instead.

Matthew Patel's fight scene in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is staged in the style of which kind of film?

A Bollywood musical was the model, and the film's crew rated this fight the most challenging, with a computer-generated dance, matte paintings and many stunts.

Which former big-screen Superman plays the superpowered rock star Todd Ingram in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World?

Brandon Routh, the star of Superman Returns, spent three or four months learning his instrument for the role, yet the film used none of his own playing.

In Scott Pilgrim, Ramona Flowers travels fast through which dimension, a highway that passes through people's minds?

Subspace runs straight through Scott's head, which is so empty that Ramona uses it as a shortcut, and that is why he first sees her in his dreams.

Which real Canadian fast-food chain in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World do many overseas viewers assume was made up?

Pizza Pizza is a genuine chain founded in 1967, and the director kept it because the name means something to Canadians and sounds like a cute movie brand to everyone else.

The cast of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World spent two months in fight training with which action star's stunt team?

Jackie Chan Stunt Team veterans Bradley James Allan and Peng Zhang ran the sessions, in which the film's lead was kicked in the throat and was puzzled that it did not hurt.

In the film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, what does Scott do when his dark double appears right after Gideon's defeat?

Scott befriends him after finding that the two have a lot in common, and they part on good terms; in the comics the hero merges with his double instead.

Which future Pitch Perfect star plays Scott's younger sister Stacey in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World?

Anna Kendrick first auditioned before she had shot the first Twilight film, a sign of how long Scott Pilgrim vs. the World took to reach the screen.

Which Rushmore star plays Gideon Graves, the smiling final boss of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World?

Jason Schwartzman was told that Gideon is passive-aggressive rather than openly evil, a villain who smiles a lot and tries to kill people with kindness.

In Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Scott's band enters a battle of the bands hoping to win what from Gideon Graves?

A record deal is the prize, but when the band finally accepts it Scott quits in protest rather than work for Ramona's ex.

Which studio released Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, which opens with an 8-bit version of the studio's logo and fanfare?

Universal's logo was pixelated by the storyboard artist, the director's brother, who also cut its frame rate so that it resembled the intro to an old console game.

Which Twilight star was among the actors considered for film star Lucas Lee in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World?

Robert Pattinson was considered alongside Sebastian Stan, who would later share Marvel films with the actor who actually won the part.

In Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Scott shows off a riff he has learned from which role-playing game series?

Final Fantasy II is the name Scott gives it, itself a joke for fans: the tune comes from Final Fantasy IV, which was sold under that earlier number outside Japan in the 1990s.

The patch that Scott rips from his parka in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World carries the logo of which superhero team?

The X-Men patch comes off when Scott tears it from his coat, and in the comics it is something he presumably sewed on himself.

In Scott Pilgrim vs. the World's Lucas Lee fight, Scott is pushed through a painted backdrop to reveal which landmark?

The CN Tower stands behind a fake generic skyline, a gag added for the film: a production proud of its real setting shows a film crew hiding that very city.

Ramona Flowers arrives in Scott Pilgrim's home city as a newcomer who has just moved from which American city?

New York is where Ramona left Gideon behind, and she stays so guarded about her past there that Scott learns her history one evil ex at a time.

The first Scott Pilgrim graphic novel, published in 2004, adds which phrase to the hero's name to form its title?

Precious Little Life launched a series that its creator expected to sell about 1,000 copies; it went on to sell in the millions.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game, released alongside the 2010 film, belongs to which retro genre?

Side-scrolling beat 'em up action for up to four players is the format, full of nods to older games such as River City Ransom, with characters gaining new moves as they earn experience.

The studio behind Scott Pilgrim vs. the World suggested which Knocked Up star to play Scott Pilgrim himself?

Seth Rogen was the studio's idea after Knocked Up became a hit, but the director could picture only one actor in the role and held out for him.

Which actress was chosen over Rooney Mara and Zoe Kazan for the part of Kim Pine in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World?

Alison Pill also voices the character in a tie-in cartoon short and in the 2023 anime, and a castmate singled her out as one of the film's most perfectly cast actors.

Who co-wrote the screenplay of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World with its director and later scripted 21 Jump Street?

Michael Bacall and the director handed in the film's main draft right at midnight on the night the 2007 writers' strike was due to begin.

In Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, which Stranger Things actor joins the film's returning cast to voice a teenage Scott?

Finn Wolfhard voices the teenage Scott, and the anime adds a third version of its hero as well: a bitter older Scott who arrives from the future.

In the film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, who takes Scott's place in the band when Scott quits in protest?

Young Neil, the band's roadie and biggest fan, steps in for the show at Gideon's club after Scott walks out.

Why do the Katayanagi twins never say a word in the film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World?

The actors spoke no English: the twins are played by real-life brothers Shota and Keita Saito, so the film simply kept their characters silent.

In Scott Pilgrim vs. the World's amp battle, Scott's band summons which creature to fight the Katayanagi twins' dragons?

A yeti bursts from the amps when Scott stamps on his distortion pedal, and the crew wrote new software so the monsters would move in time with the music.

In the film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, what has Gideon Graves used to bring Ramona Flowers back under his control?

A microchip implant keeps Ramona obedient in the film, whereas the comics give Gideon a psychological weapon that traps people inside their own emotions.

In the Scott Pilgrim comics, what is the name of Gideon's weapon that locks victims inside their own heads?

The Glow leaves its victims alone with their emotional baggage, and it is why Ramona's head lights up whenever she is upset, jealous or heartbroken.

In the Scott Pilgrim comics, what does Ramona Flowers name Gideon as a way of coping with their breakup?

Her cat shares the villain's name, and by the end of the series Scott's new band decides to play to the animal alone.

In a Scott Pilgrim flashback, a teenage Todd Ingram impresses Ramona Flowers by punching a hole in what?

The moon took the punch during their high-school romance, which ended when Todd went away to a specialist academy after graduation.

After dreaming about her, where does Scott Pilgrim first see Ramona Flowers in waking life in the comics?

At the library, Scott spots the girl from his dreams; he only learns her name later at a friend's party, where he trails her awkwardly until she leaves.

In the Scott Pilgrim comics, Scott finally gets a job at The Happy Avocado restaurant doing what?

Washing dishes and learning food prep is the job a bandmate lines up for him, until a fight between Ramona and one of her exes wrecks the place and gets Scott fired.

In the Scott Pilgrim comics, Scott's duel with Todd Ingram takes place inside which real discount store?

Honest Ed's, a landmark that traded from 1948 to 2016, overwhelms both fighters with its sheer amount of merchandise, and neither of them wins.

The makers of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World rebuilt the old bar of which real rock club on a set?

Lee's Palace was about to lose its famous mural, so the director was proud to have filmed the original, and the bands advising on the film approved of the rebuilt bar.

Scott Pilgrim's younger brother, Lawrence West, shares his name with which kind of place in the comics' home city?

A subway station on the city's Line 1 gave him the name; Lawrence owns the instrument Scott plays, and in volume five Scott mistakes his bespectacled brother for Gideon.

In the Scott Pilgrim comics, Ramona's fourth evil ex bursts into woodland animals in a nod to which game series?

Sonic the Hedgehog frees a trapped animal each time its hero smashes an enemy, and that is the trick the comic borrows for this one defeat.

In Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Scott finishes off Ramona's fourth evil ex by poking a weak spot found where?

Behind the knee is the weak spot, and the fight itself blends two battles from the comics, one of them from a free one-off issue.

One ending idea dropped from Scott Pilgrim vs. the World before filming would have revealed Scott to be what?

A serial killer who had imagined all the gaming elements was one rejected twist; another would have turned Gideon into a giant shape-shifting machine.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the Universe won its creator a first trophy at which ceremony, often called the Oscars of comics?

The Eisner Awards named the fifth volume Best Humor Publication in 2010, four years after its creator had been nominated for the humour writer-artist prize and lost.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World reached the final Oscar shortlist in which category but missed out on a nomination?

Best Visual Effects was the category, for a film whose crew fired real flashbulbs on set for every punch and clash before adding the digital flashes.

The creator of Scott Pilgrim names which Rumiko Takahashi martial-arts manga as the strongest influence on the series?

Ranma ½ was the only shōnen series he had read when he planned the books, at a time when Japanese manga had yet to become widely popular in North America.

Which 2014 graphic novel by the creator of Scott Pilgrim follows a chef who can undo her past mistakes?

Seconds gives head chef Katie a do-over each time she writes down a mistake, eats a mushroom and falls asleep, and her fixes soon pile up into bigger problems.

The cast of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World reunited online in 2020 to read the whole script in aid of what?

A clean-water charity, Water For People, received the donations, and the series' creator drew character portraits as prizes for donors during the stream.

In the Scott Pilgrim comics, the band Scott plays in at university is named after which Sega Genesis game?

Kid Chameleon, a 1992 platform game, lent its name to the college group that Scott's girlfriend of the time gradually took over before she dumped him.

Which publisher's Montreal studio co-developed Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game for its 2010 release?

Ubisoft's game vanished from online stores in 2014 and returned in 2021, after the comics' creator and the film's director had publicly asked for it back.

Which rapper named a 2016 mixtape after Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and one of its tracks after Scott and Ramona?

Lil Uzi Vert liked the idea enough to release a sequel in 2020, and the Australian band The Vines modelled a music video on the film's opening.

Before filming Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, each main actor was handed a list of ten what about their character?

Secrets on the lists ranged from jokes to backstory: Ramona's actress learned that the shoelace round her character's neck had belonged to a late younger brother.

The director of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World paused his script for which Marvel film for two years to make it?

Ant-Man waited while he spent a year on test shoots and preparation before the cameras rolled on Scott's story.

Why did the creator of Scott Pilgrim draw the original six volumes in black and white rather than colour?

It cost less than colour, so he embraced the look of black-and-white manga, and full-colour hardback editions only followed from 2012.

In Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, which comedian and MacGruber star voices the bitter older Scott from the future?

Will Forte plays a 37-year-old Scott who took his split from Ramona so badly that he snatched his younger self out of the past to stop the romance from ever starting.