Titan (Imperial Guard)
Titan | |
---|---|
Publication information | |
Publisher | Marvel Comics |
First appearance | X-Men #107 (Oct 1977) |
Created by | Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum |
In-story information | |
Team affiliations | Imperial Guard |
Notable aliases | Onslaught |
Abilities | Size-Shifting |
Titan is a fictional character that appears in the Marvel Universe.
Publication history
Titan first appeared in X-Men #107-109 (October 1977-February 1978), and was created by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum.
The character subsequently appears in X-Men: Spotlight on Starjammers #2 (June 1990), Uncanny X-Men #275 (April 1991), Thor #446 (April 1992), Avengers West Coast #82 (May 1992), Starjammers #4 (January 1996), Inhumans Vol. 4 #4 (September 2000), JLA/Avengers #1 (September 2003), Uncanny X-Men #477 (October 2006), #480 (January 2007), and X-Men: Emperor Vulcan #2-5 (December 2007-March 2008).
Titan appeared as part of the "Imperial Guard" entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition #6.
Fictional character biography
Titan is a warrior serving in the Royal Elite of the Shi'ar Imperial Guard, a multi-ethnic group of super-powered alien beings who act as enforcers of the laws of the Shi'ar Empire. Titan was amongst the first of the Imperial Guard encountered by the team of superhuman mutants known as the X-Men who sought to rescue the Princess Lilandra from her insane brother emperor D'Ken. Following the orders of their emperor, the Guard clashed with the X-Men on a nameless Shi'ar Empire planet, and were on the verge of winning when the band of interstellar freebooters known as the Starjammers arrived to turn the tide of battle in the X-Men's favor.[1]
Some time later, when Deathbird was empress, Titan joined the other Imperial Guard members in battle against Excalibur and the Starjammers. Titan fought Captain Britain.[2] Later, on Deathbird's behalf, Titan assisted the other Imperial Guardsmen in battle against the X-Men and Starjammers, but was defeated by them.[3]
Later after Lilandra became leader of the Shi'ar Empire, Titan was amongst a small group of Imperial Guard that defended their Empress Lilandra against the Kree super-team known as Starforce, during the war between the Shi'ar and Kree Empires. Titan battled the Supremor android.[4] Titan also joined in the Imperial Guard's battle with the Avengers on the Shi'ar throne world of Chandilar during the Kree-Shi'ar War, but was defeated by the Scarlet Witch.[5]
In the battle against Vulcan, Titan seemed to have been killed,[6] but was actually only seriously wounded and later reappeared.
Powers and abilities
Titan has the ability to increase his size and mass at will and decrease his size back to normal height. Titan's extra mass is drawn psionically from an extra-dimensional source, to which it returns as he decreases in size. His weight increases as a cube (factor multiplied by itself three times) as he grows in height. As Titan grows in height, his strength, stamina, and durability increase proportionately, even to superhuman levels at large enough sizes. Titan's costume is made of Shi'ar fabrics mimicking the properties of unstable molecules, making them able to expand and contract as Titan changes size.
Titan is a good hand-to-hand combatant, having been trained by the Imperial Guard.
Inspiration
Several of the members of the Imperial Guard are at least partly based on members of the DC Comics team Legion of Super-Heroes. Dave Cockrum (co-creator of the Guard) also had a long run as artist on the Legion. Titan is based on Legion of Super-Heroes member Colossal Boy.[7]
Other versions
Age of Apocalypse
Titan made an appearance with the Imperial Guard in the Age of Apocalypse timeline.[8]
Star Trek
Titan appears as part of a rogue group of Guardsmen, led by Deathbird, that track and later battle the omnipotent Gary Mitchell.[9]
X-Men: The End
Titan also appears in the alternate future that takes place in X-Men: The End.[10]
In other media
Television
- Titan appears in the X-Men episodes "The Dark Phoenix" and "Fate of the Phoenix." He and the Imperial Guard had to fight the X-Men to determine the fate of Jean Grey after the Phoenix attacked some of the galaxies.
See also
References
- ↑ X-Men Vol. 1 #107
- ↑ X-Men Spotlight On: Starjammers #2
- ↑ Uncanny X-Men #275
- ↑ Thor #446
- ↑ Avengers West Coast #82
- ↑ Uncanny X-Men #480
- ↑ Moreels, Eric J. "Titan," Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe. Accessed Apr. 22, 2009.
- ↑ Gambit and the X-Ternals #2 (April 1995)
- ↑ Star Trek/X-Men #1 (December 1996)
- ↑ X-Men: The End: Book 3: Men & X-Men #1-2 (March-April 2006)
External links
- Titan (alien) at the Marvel Universe
- Titan (Imperial Guard) at the Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe