Origins . Shanna O'Hara, Lady Plunder is the daughter of Gerald O'Hara, a wealthy Irish diamond miner and mine owner. Born in
Africa, she spent the majority of her childhood growing up in the
jungles of
Zaire. At the age of six, her father went to kill a rogue
leopard that had belonged to her mother, Patricia O'Hara - only to then accidentally kill his wife when she tried to calm the animal. This traumatic incident led to Shanna's lifelong crusade against the use of
firearms. With her father incapacitated by grief, Shanna moved to the United States to live with relatives. She grows up to become an accomplished Olympic athlete, specializing in
competitive swimming and
track and field, and also becomes a licensed
veterinarian. After completing college, Shanna took a job with the
Central Park Municipal Zoo in
New York City as a
zoologist. Her position allowed Shanna to raise many
animals, including a female leopard named Julani. During this period, another shock to her system came when Julani escaped and was shot dead by an overzealous zoo guard. The following day, the zoo director asks Shanna take Julani's cubs,
Ina and
Biri —
Yoruba names meaning "bright" and "black", respectively
Savage Land During her stay in Africa, her father is kidnapped by the
Mandrill. Shanna searches for him until the wizard Malgato forcibly transports her to the
Savage Land, a
prehistoric jungle within
Antarctica. She escapes with the help of Lord Kevin Plunder, a.k.a. the jungle lord
Ka-Zar. Shanna returns to Africa to look for her father and learns he was killed by the Mandrill. Seeking revenge, she goes to North America to aid
Daredevil and
Black Widow in stopping the Mandrill and
Nekra's plan to overthrow the
American government. After this, Shanna travels between her new heroic allies in
San Francisco and the Savage Land, finally returning to Africa only to find Ina and Biri have been killed by a cult leader named Raga-Shah. After a short grieving period in North America, Shanna tracks and kills Raga-Shah by feeding him to her python Ananta. Around this time, she begins therapy with
psychologist Dr. Dorothy Betz. Shanna returns to the Savage Land and becomes Ka-Zar's lover. They discovered their lost world was only part of a larger realm, Pangea, filled with wondrous races. The couple's relationship was tempestuous: Shanna married Mele of the Botor who died in a hunting accident while with Ka-Zar. Shanna was also targeted by the demonic
Belasco (who felt she resembled his lost love Beatrice). When Ka-Zar was seemingly killed while they were in New York, a distraught Shanna rampaged, was institutionalized, and nearly romanced
Peter Parker. Shanna was rescued by a revived Ka-Zar, aided by Spider-Man, and the two returned to Antarctica, where they were married despite interference from Belasco and others. Shanna became pregnant and gave birth to a son, whom she and Ka-Zar named Matthew, and they employed the native warrior woman Zhira as nanny and protector of their son. They survived the temporary destruction of the Savage Land by Terminus and its later re-creation by the
High Evolutionary and
Garokk. Shanna briefly attained a mystical bond to the spirit of Africa, foiling Sir Guy Cross-Wallace who slaughtered and consumed wildlife, seeking the bond himself to rule the continent. Shanna was also briefly given power over the natural world by the High Evolutionary. Together, Ka-Zar and Shanna fight to preserve the Savage Land from external threats and from pollution by technology. Shanna and Ka-Zar find
Skrulls mining the rare metal
vibranium in the Savage Land. Soon afterward as part of the "
Secret Invasion" storyline, a Skrull ship crashes in the Savage Land, releasing earlier versions of modern superheroes (who claim to be the originals replaced by Skrulls for some time and who have escaped). Shanna and Ka-Zar soon learn, however, that these are simply more Skrulls in disguise. Spider-Man soon encounters Ka-Zar, Shanna, Zabu, and some of the natives accusing them of being Skrulls before
Captain America attacked, thinking the same for Spider-Man. Ka-Zar, Shanna, and Zabu help Spider-Man fight until Captain America is hit by a dart that causes the individual to regress to the Skrull Pitt'o Nili who Shanna then kills. Shanna stays behind with Zabu to fight off any Skrulls left in the Savage Land, while Ka-Zar heads with the New Avengers and the Mighty Avengers to New York to fight the Skrulls. Ka-Zar and Shanna later encounter the return of the Ethereals and end up fighting them when it comes to the Ethereals wanting the tribes of the Savage Land to be united with them.
Death and resurrection As part of the 2012
Marvel NOW! branding in the pages of
Savage Wolverine, Shanna agrees to guide a group of
S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to a mysterious island within the Savage Land. A dampening field generator causes the transport to crash, and all the agents are killed by the native Neanderthals. At the same time, Wolverine crashes on the island, and joins with Shanna the She-Devil to destroy the dampening field generator. When Shanna the She-Devil is accidentally killed by the Neanderthals after running into
Amadeus Cho, Amadeus and the local Neanderthals perform a ritual that involves a
Man-Thing different from Ted Sallis that was rooted in the Savage Land for a long time. A blood sample was taken from it and Shanna was reborn. They then encountered the Hulk where a fight between him, Wolverine, and the giant gorillas accidentally damaged the dampening fields, which freed the alien Morrigon who returns to his master Visher-Rakk. During the "
Empyre" storyline, Shanna the She-Devil falls under the control of the
Cotati that were operating in the Savage Land. This was because of Shanna's connection with the Savage Land's life force and the Cotati took advantage of that. Shanna tries to get Ka-Zar to join them as Matthew states to the
Black Knight that they have to do something.
Doctor Voodoo used a trick to do a mental trick. The
Scarlet Witch does the same as she tries to free Shanna from the Cotati's control. To assist her, the Scarlet Witch brings Ka-Zar into Shanna's mind, where he learns that some creatures in the Savage Land are dying and trees are falling. As Matthew and the Black Knight fight the Cotati, a Doctor Voodoo-controlled Man-Thing fights the Cotati's control and defeats Ventri. When Ka-Zar frees Shanna from the Cotati's control, he is stabbed by a Cotati using the Black Knight's Ebony Blade. As the Scarlet Witch and Doctor Voodoo work to extract Ka-Zar's soul, Shanna the She-Devil uses the same waters that resurrected her in order to revive her lost love. The newly returned Ka-Zar helps turns the tide on the Cotati invaders by working with his wife in summoning dinosaurs to help repel boarders. ==Powers and abilities==