Skeeter

The Watcher known as Zoma observes the activities in the outer rim when suddenly he is visited by an alien being wearing a massive suit of armor. The alien tells him that he has come seeking the Watcher's aid on a just cause that will benefit them both. Although the Watcher reminds the visitor that he cannot act, the being tells him he only seeks information that will allow him to destroy someone they both mutually hate, the She-Hulk. Zoma asks the visitor what he wishes to know, and the alien asks him who hates the She-Hulk the most. Zoma shows his would-be ally images from the planet Earth from just moments ago. There he sees the woman they will use in their scheme, Titania, and her most recent failed attempt to attack the She-Hulk. They witness how the She-Hulk, with her increased strength, knocked Titania across the island of Manhattan and into a garbage dump in New Jersey. Intrigued, the alien visitor asks Zoma to tell him the story about the woman named Titania....

Zoma explains that Titania is really Mary MacPherran, a woman born prematurely in Denver, Colorado. Because of this, she grew up tinier than most with stunted development. The youngest of three children, young Mary failed at getting the attention she craved from her parents. She soon got into reading and fantasized about fairy tales about ugly ducklings and women being made princesses with a kiss. When Mary went into school she found her fantasies crumbled when she entered the public school system. While her classmates grew up and became beautiful, young Mary MacPherran was still small and puny. It was in high school that she earned the nickname "Skeeter" for being so small. While she was rejected by most, Mary soon became friends with Marsha Rosenberg, who was also made fun of because of her weight. As a young adult, Mary began working at a department store. She envied the world her more successful classmates lived in and fantasized about their more glamorous lives. She soon discovered comic books that told the tales of superheroes that were active in society. This gave into fantasies about gaining superpowers and lording it over her tormentors.

Soon, Denver gained a superhero of its own, the second Spider-Woman. After witnessing the heroine battling the Man-Bull, Mary envied her as well. One day, Marsha Rosenberg pointed out that Mary and Spider-Woman had the same color hair. Mary decided to roll with it and convinced her best friend that she was secretly Spider-Woman, swearing her to secrecy. One day, Mary was surprised to see that she was invited to a party being thrown by Veronica Ashwood, one of the most wealthiest girls in school and Mary's primary tormentor. She took Marsha with her as a guest and was surprised to see that everyone was being nice to her for once. However, she soon realized that this was because Marsha had told their classmates that Mary was secretly Spider-Woman. Mary was furious that her friend told the secret. As fate would have it, this was the exact moment the Beyonder took the entire city of Denver into space to become part of his patchwork Battleworld he created for the original Secret Wars. During the chaos, the party-goers were saved by Spider-Woman, revealing Mary's lie to them all.

Mary and Marsha were chased away by the party-goers and they fled into the wilds of Battleworld. As they hid from their pursuers, the pair were found by Doctor Doom, who was reminded of his own youth by this scene. Doctor Doom then offered to give them the power they needed to push back at those who have tormented them so. For Mary, the offer was an easy decision. Soon, the two young women are whisked away to Doctor Doom's lab where he endowed them with superhuman abilities. While Marsha became the magma powered Volcana, Mary was given enhanced strength and a powerful new physique. With her newfound strength, Mary MacPherran reinvented herself as the powerful Titania. As Titania, she found herself quickly accepted by Doom's minions and was a welcomed addition in their battle against Earth's mightiest heroes. She even found love among the rogues, when she met Carl Creel, the Absorbing Man.

It's at this point that the alien visitor grows impatient and demands to know what all this has to do with her hatred towards the She-hulk. Zoma continues his tale, explaining that it was during the Secret War that Titania first encountered her mortal enemy...

... When Titania first encountered the She-Hulk she figured she could defeat the gamma-powered heroine on her own, telling her comrades to hold back. However, Titania's confidence was completely shaken when the She-Hulk began to win the fight. Begging the villains for help, they then leaped in and beat the She-Hulk within an inch of her life. During the course of the Secret Wars, Titania's confidence was shaken after she was defeated by foe after foe. Eventually, she longed to get back home, and eventually, the villains managed to send the city of Denver back to Earth with them thanks to the power of the Molecule Man. On the way home, Titania decided to go out find Victoria Ashcroft and take out her anger on her. Even though she had Ashcroft at her mercy, she was found by the Absorbing Man who confided in her. Knowing that this doesn't make up for getting defeated by the She-Hulk, but assures her that she will get her chance to fight the She-Hulk again...

... Zoma then concludes his tale by telling how Titania faced She-Hulk many times thereafter and was defeated each time. This most recent time, Titania attempted to train and increase her strength through exercise, but it led to her most recent humiliating defeat. This tale convinces the alien visitor that Titania is just the being he is looking for. The alien being then flies to Earth and appears before Titania. He introduces himself as Tryco Slatterus, the former Champion. He offers her the power needed to defeat the She-Hulk once and for all by giving her the Power Gem.

Recurring Characters

She-Hulk, Zoma, Champion of the Universe, (flashback) Titania, Volcana, Doctor Doom, Absorbing Man, Spider-Woman, Man-Bull, Molecule Man, Doctor Octopus, Lizard, Enchantress, Wrecking Crew (Wrecker, Thunderball, Piledriver, Bulldozer)

Continuity Notes

• This story recaps (and slightly alters) events that happened in Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #1-12.

• Zoma glosses over the various times that Titania was defeated by She-Hulk in battle. These defeats happened in Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #7, Solo Avengers #14, Sensational She-Hulk #49, and Heroes for Hire #17.