It's confirmed!
Titania will be the big villain in
She-Hulk, the series of Marvel's great heroine (and lawyer), scheduled to premiere in 2022 on
Disney+. But even though She-Hulk is well known - especially for her excellent humor - in various teams and media, not many people know about her main arch-nemesis.
For that reason, I've prepared this article to answer the main questions about
Titania and explain who the villain is. The one who will give
Jennifer Walters a hard time in the MCU!
When Was Titania Created?
Mary MacPherran, the
Titania, first appeared in the third issue of the first volume of Secret Wars, a comic book written by
Jim Shooter, featuring the art of
Mike Zeck, which was first published in July 1984.
The character was inspired by Shooter's assistant of the same name, as the author confirms on his
personal blog:
"Basing characters on people in the office or in the business was a time-honored tradition in comics," Shooter explains, listing some of the big names from publishers who were turned into comic book villains.
"Many creators, myself included, used bits and pieces and details of real people in the inspiration of the characters. No one cared if it wasn't something done with bad intentions or evil.
Wonderful, gentle, sweet Mary Mac was indeed a smidgen of the basis for Titania, who was a willowy young woman who became uber-robust and Hulk-level strong.
If MM minded that I had a tough bad-girl inspired by her, and made the nod in her direction, she never mentioned it. And wicked-smart Volcana had a bit of Mary Jo Duffy at her core. It was a thing we did back when. Now, I suppose the creators would be sued."
[caption id="attachment_72093" align="alignnone" ]
Mary Mac, the woman who inspired Titania[/caption]
The villain was one of the antagonists who made her debut in the pages of Marvel during the mega-event known as the
Secret Wars.
She fought alongside Absorbing Man, Ultron, Molecular Man, Kang, Ultron, Volcana, Doctor Doom, Enchantress, and other Marvel villains, facing off against the comic book's greatest heroes in the epic created by the
Beyonder.
How Was Titania's First Appearance in Marvel?
[caption id="attachment_72094" align="alignnone" ]
Titania debuted in Secret Wars.[/caption]
Mary MacPherran was a girl living in the suburb of Denver, Colorado. Born prematurely, she was bullied because of her size, finding an escape in the fantasy books she enjoyed reading.
Skinny and very small compared to other people her age, she was called a mosquito by the popular girls at her school. Constantly humiliated, harassed, and attacked by
Vanessa Ashwood, a rich and trendy high school girl, Mary became a resentful person who dreamed of escaping this life. Her only friend was
Marsha Rosenberg, another victim of bullying, in her case, for not being thin.
Soon Mary's dream became to gain superpowers and be highly famous, being adored by everyone, a kind of revenge against all those who humiliated her before.
When
Julia Carpenter, the second
Spider-Woman, appeared in Denver, Mary lied to be the heroine. As a result, she quickly gained increasing popularity and was even invited to a Vanessa party, which she attended along with Marsha.
In the middle of the party, Beyonder ripped Denver from the earth and used it as part of the Battleworld. Spider-Woman appeared to rescue the girls who were in danger. However, upon seeing the heroine,
Vanessa and the other guests attacked
Mary and
Marsha, discovering that the two had lied.
How Did Titania Gain Her Powers?
[caption id="attachment_72095" align="alignnone" ]
Going up against She-Hulk in the Secret Wars[/caption]
Escaping into a forest on the Battleworld, the girls were found by
Doctor Doom, who recruited them into his army of super-villains by offering them powers. The villain used advanced alien technology powered by a cosmic storm to recreate the two girls.
Thus, he induced superhuman abilities in Mary and Marsha. While Mary was transformed into
Titania, a muscular woman with super-strength, Marsha took on the nickname
Volcana, a villain capable of altering her body into plasma, stone, and volcanic ash, gaining different abilities in each form.
What Are Titania's Powers and Abilities?
[caption id="attachment_72096" align="alignnone" ]
Titania, She-Hulk's arch-nemesis![/caption]
By going through
Doctor Doom's genetic changes, Titania has mainly gained super strength and the related attributes. Standing up to
She-Hulk in combat, she can lift several tons without the slightest problem.
She also has
super durability thanks to her muscles, which means that shots cannot hurt her. Powerful blows from other Marvel characters don't have much impact on her either.
In addition, Titania can withstand sudden temperature changes, surviving even intense heat as well as extreme cold. Relying on superhuman vigor, she doesn't tire easily and can use her power to the fullest for an entire day before needing a rest.
Her fighting skills are also worth mentioning. The villain is an incredible fighter when it comes to hand-to-hand combat. With her street fighting style, she can create gaps to use all her brute strength.
What Are Titania's Weaknesses?
Besides her pride, something that allows her to be easily manipulated, Titania has already shown that her more confident and powerful personality usually falters when she loses a fight, taking on young Mary's insecurities again.
Another point worth mentioning is her
Arachnophobia. In numerous stories, the character needs to make a considerable effort to stand up to Spider-Man. Her fear was only overcome once and for all during
Acts of Vengeance.
How Did The Rivalry Between Titania and She-Hulk begin?
[caption id="attachment_72098" align="alignnone" ]
Using the Power Stone to defeat the She-Hulk[/caption]
Right in the
Secret Wars, we had the beginning of the rivalry between
Titania and
She-Hulk. Working together with the other antagonists under the command of
Doctor Doom, Mary met Jennifer and beat the heroine brutally - and cowardly since she wasn't alone.
After that, Marvel established a great antagonism between them, which basically revolves around the similarity between the two: women with incredible physical strength.
In several stories, we see
Titania clashing to try to prove she's the strongest. However, even when she uses big schemes or paraphernalia (like the
Power Stone) to come out as the winner, She-Hulk is always victorious - mainly because of her quick thinking and strategies.
Titania's Main Stories
In
Secret Wars, Titania has no significant participation. Instead, the villain acts mainly as a henchwoman for Doctor Doom, facing heroes such as She-Hulk and Spider-Man, but losing due to her lack of combat experience.
As soon as the event ends, Mary seeks revenge against Vanessa and destroys her enemy's house, beginning a life of villainy. After that, she starts working primarily with Carl Creel, the
Absorbing Man - whom she engaged in a romance and later married.
Titania was part of the
Masters of Evil, a group formed by Baron Zemo. Still, it wasn't long before she was arrested by Ant-Man and the Wasp when she attempted to assassinate Hercules on a mission for the organization.
After her escape, Titania moved to Washington and went on to confront (and lose) to She-Hulk numerous times. As a result, Titania spends several stories being held in the Vault - one of Marvel's super-being prisons - only to escape or be rescued in other stories, without being given much prominence in the comics until
Acts of Vengeance.
[caption id="attachment_72101" align="alignnone" ]
Titania at her marriage with Absorbing Man[/caption]
After her marriage to Creel, the two villains followed a quieter life, only acting as villains in rare situations. However, when Titania discovers she has cancer and has no health insurance, she receives help from doctors sent by Thor and is cured.
Once recovered, Titania returned with her plans to defeat She-Hulk, even going so far as to use the
Power Stone. However, when Jennifer pretended that she had died in the attack, Mary saw her joy quickly wither away.
She didn't know what she would do with her life without having She-Hulk to torment. Taking her cue, the heroine snatches the villain's stone and defeats her with a single punch.
After the event, we see Titania briefly in
Civil War - when the shrunken version of the antagonist is devoured by a shark.
Skrull Jazinda, who caused this scenario, should be in the
She-Hulk live-action series.
Titania as Skirn
[caption id="attachment_72103" align="alignnone" ]
Skirn, Breaker of Men[/caption]
After surviving (without further explanation) the shark, we see Titania in
Fear Itself. In this comic, when the villain
Cul Borson is released, he decides to take revenge against his brother, Odin.
So he sends seven hammers to Earth in search of villains worthy of such a mission. This is how Titania conquers the artifact, becoming
Skirn, Breaker of Men. With the hammer, she takes on a new appearance and gains even more strength.
Unfortunately, this change is short-lived, and after Borson's defeat, she is arrested, loses her hammer, and has her transformation reversed.
Titania With The Illuminati
Tired of being constantly defeated and arrested, Mary decides to abandon her life as a criminal for good. Along with the Absorbing Man, she tries to have an everyday civilian life but cannot find a job and live quietly.
When She-Hulk helps her get a job at a pawn store, it doesn't take long for the establishment to be robbed. So naturally, Titania is blamed by the owner - even though she tried to stop the crime.
Then,
The Hood comes along and convinces her to join the
Illuminati, which causes her to gain a significant power boost. However, the villain disagrees with the way The Hood acts and confronts him when he suggests that the group should attack the heroes' family members.
Fighting him to protect her values, Titania succeeds in defeating him but realizes that she will never lead a normal life outside of crime.
Titania as an Anti-Heroine in Marvel
[caption id="attachment_72104" align="alignnone" ]
Absorbing Man and Titania in Gamma Flight[/caption]
Albeit reluctantly, Titania has been transforming herself into a sort of anti-heroine in the pages of Marvel. During a dramatic arc with the
Inhumans, when the
Absorbing Man heroically sacrifices himself to protect Black Bolt, Titania starts fighting for the side of good, trying to save
Black Bolt from his enemies.
More recently, after Creel returns from the dead, the two were spotted being part of the Gamma group in the pages of
Immortal Hulk. Titania and her beloved fight alongside heroes like Harpy and the Hulk Barbarian in various missions while trying to contain the Hulk when he is out of control.
In another story, when Hulk needs help, Titania and Absorbing Man join forces to confront the Avengers - and the villain is especially eager to go head-to-head with She-Hulk. However, her intentions are foiled when the heroine decides to help her cousin and fight the other heroes.
Who will play Titania in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?
After much speculation and fan theories, it has been confirmed that
Jameela Jamil, known for her acclaimed role on
The Good Place comedy series, will play the villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In addition, Titania will have her debut in the
She-Woman series as
Jennifer Walters' main antagonist.
Jamil is also known for
T4 and the morning show
Freshly Squeezed. In addition, she currently participates in the
Legendary TV Show.
Jamil actively uses her social networks to criticize some media and address influencer issues, especially beauty pressure and fatphobia. In addition, themes such as feminism and equality are also addressed in her social networks.
What Will Titania Look Like in The She-Hulk Series?
[caption id="attachment_72106" align="alignnone" ]
Titania and She-Hulk[/caption]
Among the details revealed, the villain of the series is described as
"a glamorous Kardashian-style social media influencer with a dark side."
Everything indicates that
Titania is that villain, using her charisma and luxury to go toe-to-toe with She-Hulk, far beyond just physical strength.
It's uncertain how they will adapt her on-screen without using Secret Wars or Doctor Doom. However, it's still possible that the series will explore the antagonist's insecurities and bullying record and her confident and powerful counterpart that she assumes after becoming Titania.
