All heroes have an arch-enemy, and She-Hulk is no different. Since her debut in The Savage She-Hulk in 1980, Jennifer Walters has acquired her own unique set of supervillains. However, the one who towers above them all, figuratively and literally, might by Titania. But in Rainbow Rowell’s new run of She-Hulk (2022), She-Hulk may found a novel way to deal with Titania. And it certainly is a creative development.
Titania’s long-standing rivalry with She-Hulk goes all the way back to her introduction in 1984's Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars. Although she’s supposed to be reformed, in the opening pages of She-Hulk #1, Titania seeks out Walters to pick a fight. Claiming that battling She-Hulk is the only time she gets to “cut loose”, Titania gets the brawl she wanted. This time, though, She-Hulk makes an offer: instead of continuing the usual cycle where she defeats Titania and sends her back to prison, what if they found a vacant place to blow off some steam and fight without making it personal? A surprised Titania agrees and She-Hulk #4 reveals the two rivals duking it out at their first fight club.
Before Titania received her powers from Doctor Doom in Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #3, she was a scrawny child named Mary MacPherran, tormented throughout her childhood for being diminutive as the result of being born prematurely. Having always fantasized about gaining superpowers to get revenge on her tormentors, Mary receives her wish and is transformed into the tall and powerful Titania. Since then, she has always sought to gain the upper hand over She-Hulk, stemming from a need to prove herself as well as finding an opponent who could match her strength.
Titania admits as much in She-Hulk #1. And it’s a sentiment that Walters shares, after all, She-Hulk enjoys a good fight just as much as Titania. But in her attempts to start life over, there’s a sense that Walters doesn’t want to repeat the mistakes of the past. She admonishes Titania for trying to throw away the little stability she has that Walters lacks. Perhaps in her offer to start a fight club, she’s trying to help Titania stay on the path of reformation.
It makes sense because Walters has spent as much time in court as on the battlefield. There’s a high chance that she realizes sending Titania back to prison won’t do any good in the long run. Although she’s under zero obligation to rehabilitate the villain, She-Hulk can take steps to dissipate the animosity that forces Titania to come after her. That’s why in She-Hulk #4, there’s an air of abandon and resultant glee as Titania and She-Hulk beat each other up on the latter’s lunch break.
But it’s so unusual to see heroes and villains cooperating in such a friendly manner that Ben Grimm, the Thing, mistakenly believes Titania and Volcana (watching from the side-lines) are attacking She-Hulk for real and jumps to her rescue. Although after apologizing later, The Thing is slightly disgruntled that he wasn’t invited to the planned fight club. It’s far too early to say that the endeavor is a success after one meeting. But She-Hulk and Titania made plans to meet in the future. For now, their rivalry is contained without causing criminal and collateral damage.
This isn’t the first time that Titania has tried to be a law-abiding citizen. Many of her battles are attempts to go straight along with her husband, Carl “Crusher” Creel, the Absorbing Man. But it is worth bearing in mind that Walters also approaches the problem from a place of empathy. Titania isn’t as megalomaniacal as a typical Marvel supervillain. Walters appeals to Titania’s humanity without letting her pride get in the way. Could it offer a new way for heroes to deal with some of their arch-enemies?
Since the 21st century, many comic book writers and artists have looked to add depth and dimensions to one-note villains, finding ways to empathize with them and break them out of their cycle of violence. For example, Doctor Octopus briefly assumed the mantle of Spider-Man after recognizing the burden of responsibility that Peter always carried. On a smaller scale, She-Hulk and Titania starting a fight club emphasizes rehabilitation over incarceration.
Although it’s unlikely that every hero will want to work with their arch-enemies in the hope of reforming them, She-Hulk’s approach to dealing with Titania is a positive one. It’s a welcome break from the endless punch-ups that defines most superhero conflicts but it also reflects a change in the way superheroes in society can co-exist with the people out to get them. Perhaps it’s time for Marvel superheroes to find ways to deal with their enemies without causing more collateral damage and harm in the process.