Shanna The She-Devil (Marvel Comics | Savage Land)

Shanna the She-Devil, whose real name is Shanna O'Hara, is a Marvel Comics character first appearing in Shanna the She-Devil #1 (December 1972), created by writer Carole Seuling and penciller George Tuska. Born in Zaire, Africa, to diamond miner Gerald O'Hara, Shanna endured early trauma when her father accidentally killed her mother during a leopard hunt, instilling in her a profound aversion to firearms. Relocating to the United States, she excelled as an Olympic-level athlete in swimming and track while training as a veterinarian and zoologist. Disillusioned after a leopard under her care at the Central Park Zoo was killed, she transported its orphaned cubs to an African reserve, donned the pelt of the slain animal in tribute, and embraced the identity of Shanna the She-Devil to protect wildlife from poachers and threats in the wild.

Initially possessing no superhuman powers, Shanna operates at the peak of human physical conditioning, demonstrating extraordinary strength, agility, speed, stamina, and proficiency in hand-to-hand combat, survival skills, tracking, and primitive weaponry such as knives, spears, and bows. Her expertise as a veterinarian enables exceptional interaction with animals, and she exhibits advanced knowledge in healing and foraging. Following her death and subsequent resurrection in the Savage Land during the 2013 Savage Wolverine storyline—facilitated by a ritual involving Man-Thing—she forged a mystical bond with the region's life force, granting immortality contingent on the Savage Land's survival, superhuman strength equivalent to ten men, enhanced speed up to 52 miles per hour, the ability to command flora and fauna, manipulate plant life, and project energy blasts.

Shanna's history intertwines closely with the Savage Land, where she encountered and fell in love with Ka-Zar, eventually marrying him in Ka-Zar the Savage #29 (December 1983) and bearing a son, Matthew Plunder. Their relationship has endured numerous trials, including threats from villains like Mandrill, Skrulls during Secret Invasion, and Cotati forces in Empyre, as well as personal conflicts arising from Shanna's temporary nature-controlling powers and periods of exile. Notable developments include her leadership in uniting Savage Land tribes against invasions, a possession episode leading to rampages in Skaar: King of the Savage Land, and participation in events such as the Phoenix Force trials in the White Hot Room, solidifying her role as a fierce protector of the natural world and a resilient partner in Marvel's prehistoric domain.