Who Is She-Hulk’s Archnemesis Titania from Marvel Comics?
Marvel Studios’ She-Hulk: Attorney at Law premieres August 18 on Disney+. The new MCU television stars follows the life and exploits of Jennifer Walters AKA She-Hulk. And it also features Jen’s archnemesis, a super-villain named Titania.
But who is Titania, and why do she and Shulkie hate each other so much? Let’s look at Titania’s Marvel Comics history to get a better understanding of what motivates Mary MacPherran to be so bad.
Early Life
Mary MacPherran was born to neglectful parents in Denver, Colorado. She grew up impoverished, malnourished, and socially awkward. Sadly Mary was also mercilessly bullied by other children. Mary thus escaped into the world of comic books, day dreaming about super heroes, wishing for a happier life, and coming up with ways to exact revenge upon her tormentors. She was often lost in these fantasies, as they were her only solace in a small town.
In high school, Mary worked at a grocery store. There she met a fellow outcast named Marsha Rosenberg. The two girls were fast friends, and in her desperation to be valued, Mary admitted to Marsha that she was in fact Spider-Woman! Unfortunately, this lie was ultimately brought to light in a very public setting when Spider-Woman saved a group of teens, including Mary and Marsha, from collateral damage caused by Battleworld.
Meeting Doctor Doom
Mary and Marsha were chased into the woods by their angry peers. There they met Doctor Doom, who offered them superhuman abilities in exchange for their assistance in his super-villain army. It was an easy decision for these power-hungry girls. Agreeing to his terms, they were both transported to Doom’s headquarters.
Using alien technology, Doom promptly “recreated” both teens by imbuing them with specific metahuman attributes of his choosing. Marsha re-emerged as Volcana. Essentially transformed through the literal fire of rebirth, her entire body was constructed of flames and ionized plasma. Mary, on the other hand, resembled the Titans of Greek myth.
Titania’s Powers
Now taller, more muscular, stronger, and extremely durable, Mary took on the moniker Titania. Her powers also completely altered her mentality. Gone was the timid and shy Mary — now emerged the proud and confident Titania! However, like her strength, this switch was extreme. Titania’s arrogance got the best of her, and she believed that even without training or planning she could beat any enemy.
Titania and She-Hulk
Thus the time came for Titania to test her prowess in real battles. On Battleworld, Titania and She-Hulk clashed. Titania had beaten everyone who came her way before, yet the Jade Giantess could easily match Titania’s might. This fact infuriated Titania, who could even go toe-to-toe with Thor.
After her defeat, Titania finally learned how to keep her ego in check and vowed to always be She-Hulk’s rival. Seriously — Titania was obsessed with beating She-Hulk. Practicing weight training and claiming the Power Stone, Titania aimed to beat her at any cost.
Current Continuity
Recently, Titania has been acting more as a hero in Marvel Comics. She’s assisting Gamma Flight in saving towns from radiation experimentation, and even hunting down a rogue Hulk. While this is admirable behavior, Titania has gone good before, and ultimately always returns to a life of crime. So can she stick to her new moral code? It remains to be seen.
Are you looking forward to seeing Titania onscreen in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law? Get excited with other Marvel fans in our Let Your Spoiler Sideshow: MCU Phase Four Facebook Group, and don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!