Marada first appeared in
Epic Illustrated #10 (Feb. 1982). The story was originally planned for the character of
Red Sonja,
Conan's sometime partner, but had to be changed due to issues surrounding the then-in-production
Red Sonja film with
Brigitte Nielsen. Claremont moved the historical milieu from the
Hyborian Age to the
Roman Empire, and changed her hair from red to silver. This change of character from Red Sonja to Marada resulted in some dispute over ownership of the character. Since Marada's adventures were first published in the creator-owned series
Epic Illustrated, the rights to her character were eventually given to writer Claremont and artist Bolton. Marada is introduced as "her mother was the firstborn of Caesar", though it is unclear if this refers to
Julius Caesar or to a current emperor (bearing the generic title of "Caesar") during the Imperial age. Her adventures are a mix of fantasy and history, told from an adult point of view. Together with her friend, the princess Arianrod, she fights against evil demons, wizards, witches and other fantastic creatures, but also against the threats a woman could expect from a world ruled by males. In a tip of the hat to
New Mutants #32, Marada met a woman named Ashake in the graphic novel, and in a nod to
Giant-Size Dracula #2, a demon named Y'Garon. Years later,
Marada the She-Wolf, despite being a creator-owned title, was officially integrated into the mainstream
Marvel Universe, with
handbooks confirming that Ashake seen in
Marada is the ancestor of
New Mutants' Ashake, thus also making her
Storm's ancestor. ==References==