She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is the MCU’s latest Disney+ TV series, set to debut on August 18th, 2022. The series will introduce and center on Tatiana Maslany’s Jennifer Walters (a.k.a. She-Hulk). Of course, the series will also be bringing in her cousin and fellow Hulk, Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo). Additionally, Charlie Cox, Tim Roth, and Benedict Wong will be reprising their MCU roles as Daredevil, Abomination, and Wong, respectively. Meanwhile, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law also has a very impressive line-up of new characters.
After all, with superhuman activity being high enough to warrant a lawyer who specializes in their affairs, we can expect to see quite a lot of superhumans throughout the series. So far, we’ve spotted Frog-Man, the Matador, Man-Bull, and the Wrecking Crew, just in She-Hulk‘s trailers alone. There are bound to be a lot more new characters hiding in each episode. Meanwhile, one superhuman is also confirmed to be part of the show’s lead cast—Jameela Jamil’s Titania.
Not too many details about Jamil’s character have been released. However, she does appear to be a major villain in the series, though perhaps an unconventional one. In the trailer, we only get a brief glimpse of her breaking through a wall and forcing Walters to transform into She-Hulk. However, Jamil has teased that her character is extraordinarily annoying, while also being a sucker for a luxurious and glamorous lifestyle. Here’s who Jamil’s Titania is in Marvel comics.
Who is Titania?
Like many Marvel villains, Titania had a less-than-ideal childhood that had a lasting impact on her. Her real name is Mary MacPherran and she was born prematurely. As a result, her growth was stunted and she was relentlessly bullied for it. Meanwhile, her appearance wasn’t the only target for bullies. MacPherran’s family was also very poor, resulting in MacPherran having to work while in high school to support her family. She was mocked for this by the very rich and popular Vanessa Ashwood. Fortunately, though, MacPherran did have one friend, Marsha Rosenberg, who was also bullied for her appearance.
However, things go very badly when MacPherran, after realizing she and Spider-Woman have similar red hair, lies and says that she is secretly Spider-Woman. The rumor spreads fast and MacPherran suddenly finds herself popular among her peers. When the characters get transported to Battleworld, though, and the real Spider-Woman shows up, the ruse is over and MacPherran and Rosenberg face the wrath of their peers for lying. While fleeing their bullies, they run into Doctor Doom—who offers to give them superpowers in exchange for them being his supervillains. MacPherran and Rosenberg both agree to the lucrative deal.
Doctor Doom completely transforms MacPherran, both physically and emotionally. She becomes the exact opposite of who she was, gaining superhuman strength and growing in stature and muscle mass. Not only that, but as Titania, she also gains extreme confidence, to the point of being overly confident, arrogant, and impulsive. She quickly begins working for Doctor Doom and engages in one of her first battles with She-Hulk, sparking a long-lasting feud between the two.
Titania in Marvel comics
Titania’s arrogance and confidence isn’t quite real. Underneath it, she is still vastly insecure, leading to her constantly trying to prove herself. This is what leads her to even pick a fight with Spider-Man, only to be beaten and humiliated by him, resulting in Titania developing a lifelong fear of him. Eventually, she decides to leave Doctor Doom and heads back to earth with the Absorbing Man, who she begins a romantic relationship with. However, their villainous days are far from behind them, as they quickly join Baron Zemo’s Masters of Evil.
The pair was imprisoned after trying to kill Hercules for Zemo. This would mark the first of several imprisonments and subsequent escapes for Titania and the Absorbing Man. Titania continued her criminal lifestyle and frequently joined supervillain teams, including the Frightening Four and the Femizons at various times. When she couldn’t find teams or missions, she took to robbing jewelry stores and maintaining an obsession with She-Hulk. At one point, she even got possession of an Infinity Gem to use against She-Hulk.
Titania never did succeed in defeating She-Hulk, but that might be because she didn’t really want to. At one point, believing she had killed She-Hulk, Titania suddenly panicked because her obsession with She-Hulk had grown to become one of her few purposes in life and reason for existing. Meanwhile, she and the Absorbing Man continued their relationship, eventually marrying, and trying multiple times to give up their villainous lifestyle. However, Titania could never get past the appeal of the villain life and always chose to go back to it.
Titania in the MCU
After learning of Titania’s history in the comic books, Jamil’s warning of her annoyingness makes sense. Titania is extremely insecure and also a really mediocre villain (who has so much time on her hands, she makes a She-Hulk obsession her sole purpose in life). However, that obsession is one the prime reasons why she’ll be vital to She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. Walters already has her hands full with being a Hulk and working a demanding job. Now, on top of that, she has the obsessed Titania stirring up trouble. Whether Titania will be the primary villain in the show, or will be a distraction from the real threat, remains to be seen.
(featured image: Disney)
Published: Aug 16, 2022 06:19 pm