While the superheroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe have become beloved around the world, the franchise has a spottier track record when it comes to villains.
With a few notable exceptions, antagonists often find themselves shortchanged or unceremoniously killed in both the Marvel movies and recent streaming shows, but fans are hoping that the latest gets more time to shine.
The Good Place star Jameela Jamil has been cast as arch-rival Titania in Marvel’s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, making her debut in a courtroom brawl in the very first episode.
At present, little is known about this live-action incarnation, but her comic book counterpart is connected to one major villain who has long been rumoured for a spot in the MCU. Read on for more details.
Who is Titania in the Marvel Comics?
Titania’s origin story took place amid the chaotic events of Secret Wars – a story set to hit the big screen in 2025 – when a cosmic being called the Beyonder teleported Marvel’s strongest fighters to a strange domain called Battleworld.
Among them, he inadvertently brought along ordinary civilian Mary MacPherran, who had spent her formative years being bullied by classmates for coming from a poor family and being short in stature (caused by a premature birth).
She and her friend, Marsha, are brought to Battleworld after lying about a connection with Spider-Woman, and are ultimately discovered stranded by fearsome foe Doctor Doom.
He offers to empower them using advanced alien technology on the condition that they fight in his army, which he plans to use against the Marvel heroes in a war on Battleworld.
They accept and both are transformed, with Mary gaining super strength, durability and endurance (as well as becoming substantially taller), while Marsha is able to turn her entire body into white-hot plasma.
Now known as Titania and Volcana respectively, the two become villains in service to Doctor Doom.
During the Secret Wars storyline, Titania faces off against She-Hulk for the first time, scoring a rare victory in what would become a long-standing rivalry between them.
When the heroes and villains were returned to Earth, Titania became a criminal pest in New York City, known for her romance with Absorbing Man (portrayed by Brian Patrick Wade in Agents of SHIELD) and alliance with the Masters of Evil.
How is Titania different in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law?
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While the exact origin of the MCU’s Titania is not yet known, it will have to be substantially different as the events of Secret Wars are yet to take place in this continuity (although they are coming soon).
Doctor Doom is also rumoured to be on his way to the MCU – most likely in the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot – so it’s possible that Titania’s association with him could be brought over further down the line.
What we do know is that this version of Titania is a super-powered influencer with a substantial social media following, who has gained notoriety after several run-ins with the law.
In an interview with Screen Rant, Jamil said this of her role: “Titania stands out because I think she’s the most annoying of [the Marvel villains], actually. I think she almost doesn’t need to use her strength; she could just annoy you to death.
“And I think that is a superpower that we haven’t really utilised enough.”
Related: How is She-Hulk: Attorney at Law different to the comics?
What episodes of She-Hulk is Titania in?
Jameela Jamil’s Titania crashes into the MCU (literally) in She-Hulk episode 1 – titled A Normal Amount of Rage – which sets up the feud between herself and the title character.
Fans keen to see more from her should be warned that Titania takes a back seat for the next few episodes, with a return expected in the second half of the season.
She-Hulk is available to stream on Disney Plus. New episodes are released on Thursdays. Sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 for a year.
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