Titus Alwright

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Titus Alwright
Full name	Titus Copper Alwright
Nickname	The New Satan Lord Titus
Characteristics
Species	Human
Gender	Male
Birthday	October 23 1968
Age	46
Height	6'5"
Died	February 2015
Status	Deceased
Text color	Black
Relationships
Family members	Cain † - Ancestor
Relationships	Satan - Rival Jericho Fluffle - Follower
Appearances
First	"God Have Mercy on Me"
Most recent	"Unprofessional"

"But I want an opportunity... Please. I just want an honest fight. I want a chance... I want to see how the story ends. I want to see where the beggar child ends up."

―Titus trying to convince Satan to fight him

Titus Copper Alwright is a descendant of the biblical figure Cain and is the prevailing antagonist of the Titus arc. Growing up as an impoverished child born with a terrible curse, Titus believes he can only know happiness through becoming the new Satan. He is unimpressed by Lucifer's sudden caring demeanor, deeming him weak and unfit to hold the title of 'Satan'. He plans to fight Lucifer and take that title for himself, and will stop at practically nothing to reach this goal. As a child, he sold his soul to a demon in exchange for a "new life", which gave him both extensive knowledge on Lucifer, as well as supernatural powers that supposedly allow him a chance at overthrowing the Prince of Hell.

Appearance

Standing at 6'5", Titus is one of the tallest characters in the comic. He is second only to Raphael in height. His hair is black, unkempt in the front and buzzed in the back. He has six gold cartilage piercings, three on each ear. Titus is white-skinned, though a considerable time spent under the sun has given his skin a copper tone. The two jagged scars across his neck are the physical manifestations of the Biblical mark of Cain.

Zadkiel, upon meeting him, comments on his striking semblance to Lucifer.

Titus has an odd sense of style, often donning articles of clothing that greatly conflict with each other in both color and design. While his choice of clothing may be considered ridiculous and/or comical, the mismatched look he sports is actually that of a homeless person. Growing up, Titus was homeless for the majority of his life until he bought himself an apartment in his later years. Naturally, homeless people will wear whatever they can get, after all, clothes are clothes. It can be implied that Titus does not dress oddly entirely by choice, but rather because it is the only option available to him.

He is also rarely ever seen without his bright yellow visor that has his name neatly embroidered inside of it. The rest of his belongings are labeled with his name as well.

It is unknown whether or not Titus has a full alternative "form" like other demons do, since he became a demon through a contract rather than being created as one. From what has been seen of his form, he develops four irises with goat-shaped pupils, in which the innermost right is a striking bright blue. He can also release green, stony spikes from the palms of his hands at will.

Biography

The following is what Orangeplum has written about Titus on her Tumblr blog:

Titus is always seen wearing a visor and has a compulsive need to label his name onto his possessions. Growing up with a curse that ruined his life, Titus aspires to be the new Satan. He is unimpressed with Lucifer’s sudden caring demeanor, seeing Satan as a being of unparalleled cruelty and strength. He intends to lead fellow Fallen astray to create an army to get what he wants.

Personality

True to the proverb, what you get is what you give. Titus got very little growing up.

He is a product of his upbringing: blunt and apathetic. He seems to care very little for the well-being of others and will not hesitate to harm someone if it means he will get what he wants. He is motivated mainly by his hatred for his ancestor Cain and his twisted pursuit of happiness.

Contrary to popular belief, Titus does not do things without purpose. Growing up essentially as a survivalist, there was minimal room for Titus to make errors unless he wanted to hurt himself or die, so he has learned to calculate and plan the things he does efficiently. He has rhyme and motive to his reason and is not interested in gratuitous brutality - he simply does what he feels is necessary to keep himself alive and ensure his position as the new Satan.

However, through interactions with Natalie McAllister, a softer, more empathetic side of Titus is revealed. He becomes almost child-like in nature when listening her story at the warehouse and even displays concern for her in his own, subtle way when she is harmed by Jericho. Because of the social depravity and neglect he experienced in his childhood, Titus has an extremely difficult time conveying how he is feeling. He cannot own up to his emotions directly, and rather projects his thoughts and wishes through Natalie's made-up story about a beggar and a nurse.  

It is heavily implied throughout the later updates in the Titus arc that Titus suffers from depression. He was slighted a normal life from the moment he was born and only wishes to be happy. While Titus does possess the ability to feel remorse and empathy, these complex emotions are buried under so many layers of hurt that they rarely, if ever, surface.  

History

Titus as a homeless child

Titus is a descendant of the biblical figure Cain. In the Bible, Cain committed the first murder when he killed his brother Abel in a field out of jealousy. Cain did not own up to the murder when God asked him where Abel was, so he was punished in turn. No man should ever be saved if he encountered the Mark of Cain. Cain and his descendants were doomed to live impoverished and unfulfilling lives until they died.

Titus harbors a deeply rooted hatred for Cain for condemning him to a life of suffering and unhappiness. In his youth, Titus was a poor, abused street child that lived out of a dumpster. At one point, he encounters a demon that entices him with the offer of a new life in exchange for his soul. Titus agrees, and is given both an incredible gift and extensive knowledge on Lucifer. Convinced he is going to Hell no matter what he does in his life because of Cain's sin, Titus strives to become the new Satan to ensure his curse does not follow him after death. He spends the next fifteen years studying Hell and Lucifer, and then begins to gather an army of stray Fallen who agree that Lucifer has gone soft. He intends to overthrow Lucifer and assume the role of Satan at all costs.

Plot

The New Satan

Titus after stabbing Uriel

Titus is introduced overhearing a conversation between Laila Soullier and Kristi Lange about demons. That is all that is seen and mentioned of Titus until Jericho Fluffle, who turns out to be his lackey, is introduced. He uses Jericho as a middle-man to obtain information about Lucifer and his human contractee, Natalie McAllister.

While Titus waits on Jericho's reports on Natalie and Satan, he encounters Uriel by chance and recognizes him as an archangel. Titus' vendetta is revealed to extend outside of Cain and to the beings of Heaven. He follows Uriel to Anthea Rosenfeld's house, where Uriel asks her if she knew anything about Raphael's whereabouts. Mid-conversation, Titus thrusts a handful of spikes through Uriel, piercing Anthea with the same spikes in the process. Uriel's blood enters Anthea's bloodstream as Titus and Uriel fight, slowly killing her in the process. Titus subdues Uriel, bagging him in a sack with a blood seal and bringing him back to the warehouse to use at a later point.

After Jericho informs Titus that Satan does care about Natalie, Titus decides to lure Satan out to fight. He intercepts Natalie during a conversation with Laila and Kristi outside, impaling her in the stomach with a spike from his hand. Kristi yells at him, and is shortly pierced with a spike as well. Satan and Archangel Michael are both summoned because they feel the pain their contractees are experiencing. Satan's anger builds up as he is taunted by Titus, but is quickly quelled when he sees the painful state Natalie is in. Lucifer escapes with Natalie, and with his primary objective gone, Titus flees from the scene shortly after.

The Capture

When Natalie is released from the hospital, Jericho is ordered to fully gain Natalie's trust. Jericho eventually does gain her trust to the point where she even believes him over Satan at times. The tables quickly turn on Natalie after Satan leaves Natalie in a fit of anger over her choosing Jericho over him. After Satan leaves, Jericho tricks Natalie and brings her to Titus, who then takes her to an abandoned warehouse as a form of ransom to get Satan's attention. Titus provides her with clothing and food, but does not trust her alone, so he orders his guards to keep a close eye on her. Titus frequently eats with Natalie so she does not have to be alone.

Titus after telling Natalie about Cain and Abel

During one of their meals together, Titus tells Natalie what he intends to do with both her and Satan after he arrives, which is giving them a 'joint execution'. He subsequently tells her the story of Cain and Abel and why he believes he must become the new Satan.

Natalie in turn tells Titus a story to hold him over until Satan can come to her aid. This seems to work for a while, as Natalie's story about a beggar and a nurse appeals to Titus greatly.

Growing impatient of Satan's unperturbed attitude toward Natalie's three-day disappearance, Titus brings Uriel to a cliff overlooking two cities. Uriel demands to be released and Titus obliges, opening the sack toward the edge of the cliff. Uriel opens his eyes, thinking he is aiming at Titus, but instead ends up engulfing the two cities beneath him in fire. Titus packs Uriel back up and heads back to the warehouse. However, this fails to catch Lucifer's attention for more than a few minutes on a news reel.

Meanwhile, Uriel summons Raphael to help him after Natalie lets him out of the sack he was being held in. Raphael first leaves to inform Lucifer of Natalie's kidnapping, and then goes to Heaven to tell the other archangels about Titus, the warehouse, and Uriel's captivity. Michael, Gabriel, and their troops are en route to the warehouse to eliminate Titus.

Over time, Titus grows fond of Natalie, as he is shown practicing what to say when he brings her dinner to her one night. He is angered when Jericho carves a message in blood on her arm specifically to attract Satan. Jericho was growing impatient for Satan's arrival, as both Natalie being gone for three days and Titus using Uriel's light to blow up two towns was not quite piquing the devil's interest yet. Titus, upon hearing Natalie yell and examining the message on her arm, hits Jericho.

Titus before provoking Lucifer

The Arrival

Satan arrives at the warehouse shortly before the angels do. Titus jumps at the opportunity to fight him, and tries to provoke Satan by shooting a spike at Natalie. Satan deflects the spike and pushes her out of the way, much to Titus' amusement. As Satan becomes more hellish and enraged, Natalie realizes that he might actually kill Titus and Jericho. She feels like she has to stop it, and uses her contract to quiet Satan's mind, making Hell unable to control his body without his consent. After subduing Hell, Natalie and Satan make their great escape from the crumbling warehouse. Satan's passivity and unwillingness to fight angers Titus to no end and he takes it out on the angels who have started filling the warehouse. He slaughters multiple angels before leaving the scene as well.

Titus in a sewer the morning after the warehouse raid

The morning after the warehouse incident, Titus is shown inside of a storm drain brooding over what transpired. He rips off his visor and swears, upset that Satan will not give him what he wants. He is about to say that he just wants to be happy, but is cut off by flashbacks of Natalie that make him second guess the way he should go about his goal.

His contemplation leads him to finding Natalie's house and formally requesting a fight from Satan. He explains that he believes the title of 'Satan' should be held by someone who is unloved and unhappy. To Titus, Satan does not qualify for that position anymore because he has Natalie, someone who loves him unconditionally. Titus asks Satan for one chance to fight him. If he loses, he will leave them alone and never bother them again. Satan begrudgingly agrees, and the two meet in a clearing to settle things for good.

The Fight

Titus smiling at Natalie's story

Before the fight begins, Natalie offers to tell Titus the ending to her story. He listens intently as Natalie finishes the tale with the beggar child going off to live on his own, content with the memories and friends he made along the journey. Titus inquires where the child goes, and Natalie says he goes someplace where he is never alone again, and that he finds a sense of peace. This puts Titus at ease, and he smiles for the first time in front of Natalie. He is finally ready to fight Satan.

Titus during the duel between him and Satan

Titus and LSatan begin to fight and things heat up fairly quick. In a matter of minutes, the clearing flares up and the ground starts to crack and gape in some places.

Despite Titus' best efforts, he cannot overpower Satan, and Satan reminds him that the only being capable of equaling him is Michael. In the middle of their conversation, a figure comes out of nowhere from behind Natalie and drives a spear through Titus' chest. As he yanks the spear out of Titus, he introduces himself as Raguel and that he is Michael's new second-in-command. He explains that his mission is to eliminate Titus, which he has just done. Raguel threatens to take on Satan if he does not leave, even in light of Michael's orders to leave Natalie and Satan unharmed. Titus, clinging to Satan's shoulder to keep himself upright, tells him to get Natalie and go. He is going to take Raguel on himself.

The End

After Satan and Natalie leave, Raguel finishes off Titus by slicing him in half at the abdomen. The last seen of Titus is when Raguel drags the top half of Titus' corpse through Heaven to show Michael that he had done his job.

Relationships

• Jericho Fluffle - Titus does not particularly care for Jericho and uses him as means to get useful information on Satan and Natalie. At the warehouse, it is evident that Titus does not tolerate any of Jericho's nonsense. The fact that Titus left him after the destruction of the warehouse shows that he thought the boy was just as expendable as the rest of his followers.

• Natalie McAllister - Titus develops a soft spot for Natalie despite being very reluctant to in the beginning. He is deeply fascinated with her made-up story about a beggar and a nurse, in which he projects himself as the beggar and Natalie as the nurse. Natalie is completely unaware how much meaning the story carries for Titus. Their time together in the warehouse is very reminiscent of the story One Thousand and One Nights, in which a captive woman entertains the king, her captor, with enticing stories that put off her execution for 1,001 nights until he has a change of heart and decides to let her live.

• Satan - Titus views Satan as a has-been who is undeserving of the title 'Satan' now that he has Natalie. He refuses to call him Satan because of this, and always refers to him as Lucifer. Since Satan has somebody who cares about him, Titus believes he is in the right to assume the role of Satan. It is hinted that Titus looked up to Satan enough at one point to physically model himself after him, as pointed out by Zadkiel.

Quotes

"I'm the new you."

―Titus introducing himself to Satan

""Satan" is just a title. It means adversary. It was given to you, it can be given to someone else. The fact that you rushed over here as quickly as you did proves you care. "Satan" should not care. You've run your course. You're not suited for this role anymore."

―Titus taunting Satan

Titus: ".... He rescues her. The End."

Natalie: "No! He gets the snot beat out of him."

Titus: "WHAT."

—Titus in disbelief over a part of Natalie McAllister's story

"How can the hero lose? That is bad storytelling. Absurd."

―Titus rebuking the end of Natalie McAllister's story

Satan: "Hmm... this fire's getting pretty hot. Are you sure you can stay in here much longer without catching alight?"

Titus: "Well, then I suppose we should hurry this along."

—Satan taunting Titus in the warehouse

"Peace.... That doesn't sound too bad..."

―Titus to Natalie McAllister after hearing the conclusion to her story

Spoken about Titus

"Everybody's talking about you. Demons. Angels. The idea of someone staging a coup on Lucifer has never even been a possibility! I heard you got your ass handed to you. But damn! You look just like Lucifer! Was that intentional, to copy him? Aside from that visor that's oddly out of place."

―Zadkiel meeting Titus

Trivia

• Titus' name is derived from the Latin word "titulus", meaning "title of honor", referencing his goal of stealing the title of Satan from Lucifer.
• Titus chose his last name "Alwright" to convince himself he would be "alright" in the end and that he would make it out of being a poor homeless child.
• His headcanon voice is Keith Szarabajka, specifically his role as Rudinger in Tales from the Borderlands.
• Titus has a compulsive need to sew his name onto everything he owns.
• Titus' spikes are a mixture of calcium and stone, which is a nod to the story of Cain and Abel.
• Releasing the stone spikes from his palms used to cause Titus an immense amount of pain, but since he has built up such a high pain tolerance, he barely feels them anymore.
• Titus saved up a lot of money growing up by working different jobs. He lived in an apartment with no furnishings and he only spent money on groceries. Even after death, his bank account is full of thousands of dollars.
• Though it is never mentioned in the comic, Titus can feel strong auras. They gave him headaches growing up. Orange describes his power as a "side effect of self-preservation from Cain’s curse." This explains how Titus was able to kidnap Uriel without seeing his face first: He sensed a stronger aura nearby.
• Titus was originally supposed to have an estranged daughter who reminded him of Natalie, explaining his soft spot for her, but the idea was scrapped.