What To Do With Donna Troy

[Ascended]

If Abnett is writing it, she's probably going to be an ineffective alcoholic leader. So, meh...

Sometimes its hard to remember that this is the guy who co-wrote Richard Rider's post-Annihilation Nova series.

[RealWonderman]

If Abnett is writing it, she's probably going to be an ineffective alcoholic leader. So, meh...

Doesn't seem that way so far. She was mourning. Seems she'd ready to lead now in the story.

[kcekada]

Sometimes its hard to remember that this is the guy who co-wrote Richard Rider's post-Annihilation Nova series.

Ain't it the truth!

[Artemisfanboy]

The venn diagram of Diana being both a fated chosen one and one who makes world-changing choices leaves very little room for a "kid sister" to exist with similar characteristics to the Donna Troy character.

We both know that. What's distressing is that DC Editorial takes such a light touch it may as well be a third rail.

Please explain how and why Diana's status as a chosen one and somebody who makes major choices in universe precludes her from having a younger adopted sister. Because I certainly don't see how or why.

[Hypestyle]

what is the origin of Donna in the post... whatever this current accepted canon is called now?

[AmiMizuno]

That she was made to kill Diana. She was never saved by Diana.She got Diana's clay origin.

[RealWonderman]

That she was made to kill Diana. She was never saved by Diana.She got Diana's clay origin.

And the Amazons planted memories of the fire and rescue... or something. Or some memories... yet somehow she was still a young teen IRL, and a member of the Teen Titans IRL, and that is all canon and UGH. Once again, Donna's origin is a headache.

[Doctor Bifrost]

And the Amazons planted memories of the fire and rescue... or something. Or some memories... yet somehow she was still a young teen IRL, and a member of the Teen Titans IRL, and that is all canon and UGH. Once again, Donna's origin is a headache.

As usual, it seems that the writers dealing with her Teen Titans side and the writers dealing with her Wonder Woman connections didn't really coordinate on the subject. Or even give it much thought within their own arenas. And the editors didn't encourage anybody to figure it all out.

I understand perfectly well that Wonder Girl (the one later named Donna Troy) was an afterthought in the original Teen Titans, included by a writer who made false assumptions about some existing history. And that could lead to problems as they moved forward.

The appropriate solution would be to sit down and say "How can we explain Wonder Girl and enhance her position in the Wonder Woman mythos and the DCU in general in such a way that she no longer seems like an afterthought to attentive readers?"

Instead they picked this solution: "Let's make her Afterthought Girl! Every time we have an opportunity to clear up her backstory so it facilitates good stories and good character relationships going forward, let's instead do something half-baked, poorly thought out, brimming with plot holes, and intrinsically contradictory! It's be like a tradition."

I always wanted a better adult superhero name for Donna. All the other original Teen Titans (the males, let us be clear, who actually had backstories that connected them with their mentors) got names that (a) were recognizable as English words, and (b) reflected their appearance, backstory, powers, and/or heritage.Donna got Troia, which doesn't mean anything in English (doesn't even look like a word in the language), is related only to her last name (whose origins can also be vague), and means "slut" in Italian. Lucky her!

I wanted Dark Angel. I would have settled for Dark Star or even Dark Opal. But there are reasons not to go with any of those. Sometimes I imagine things like Star Opal. But I see I've been going about it all wrong.

Presenting: Afterthought Woman!

[kjn]

I always wanted a better adult superhero name for Donna. All the other original Teen Titans (the males, let us be clear, who actually had backstories that connected them with their mentors) got names that (a) were recognizable as English words, and (b) reflected their appearance, backstory, powers, and/or heritage.Donna got Troia, which doesn't mean anything in English (doesn't even look like a word in the language), is related only to her last name (whose origins can also be vague), and means "slut" in Italian. Lucky her!

It might be possible that you get your wish with the Titans show. They clearly show Dick Grayson in the transition from Robin to Nightwing, and here we are getting Donna Troy who has transited out from being Wonder Girl to being a civilian, and likely back to being a superhero. What better spot to introduce a new name, if DC wants to?

I'd also say that the show does a much better job at defining Donna in relation to Diana. Because the earlier retcons were all focused on making Donna's backstory unique to her, and thus became obsolote once anything happened to Diana's backstory. But they were not focused on defining Donna's personality or relation to Diana, which should have been a much more stable ground to work from.

I think I've mentioned my idea that if Diana is a (near) goddess with Amazon training, then Donna can be a human with Amazon training, and Cassie can be a (near) goddess but no training until she gets associated with Diana. That gives a clear take on relative skills and power levels. And if Donna was a human child who was adopted by the Amazons, and then choose to go back to find her roots in Man's World, we get something that can easily develop into the Donna of the Titans show. She went back not to change Man's World (like Diana), but to find her own place and context in it. She found that she could help Diana more by acting as her undercover helper—not being built like a goddess helps with that—and that her mundane skills could be used to assist Diana at least as much as her Amazonian skills. In short, she acted like Wonder Woman's Clark Kent. And from there it's just a short step to trying to change the world as a "normal" human, because she thinks that's where she can do the most good.

Ie, make Donna into someone who complemented Diana, not a pure sidekick or a direct antagonist.

[Phoenixx9]

But I like Donna really strong, almost at Diana's level and far stronger than Cassie.

[AmiMizuno]

I wonder why can't Donna and Diana have the same origins of how they got their powers. In one origin Donna got her powers through Amazon tech.

[Agent Z]

I wonder why can't Donna and Diana have the same origins of how they got their powers. In one origin Donna got her powers through Amazon tech.

They could just bring back Amazon training as a source of powers for Diana and Donna.

[Doctor Bifrost]

They could just bring back Amazon training as a source of powers for Diana and Donna.

Then we basically have a whole island's worth of Wonder Woman-level Amazons, give or take - comparable to the whole planet of Daxam, only without any concerns about lead. (Well, there are fewer Amazons than Daxamites, but you know what I mean.)

I expect, and prefer, that the Amazons be somewhat stronger, faster, and more skilled than the vast majority of non-meta humans - but not vastly so. I expect Diana and Donna to be a lot more powerful than than the average Amazon, and so I think they should have a separate source for their powers. (The gifts of the goddesses is typical, and appropriate, for Diana. If something else is used for Donna, it shouldn't be something that is easily replicable.)

[Agent Z]

Then we basically have a whole island's worth of Wonder Woman-level Amazons, give or take - comparable to the whole planet of Daxam, only without any concerns about lead. (Well, there are fewer Amazons than Daxamites, but you know what I mean.)

I expect, and prefer, that the Amazons be somewhat stronger, faster, and more skilled than the vast majority of non-meta humans - but not vastly so. I expect Diana and Donna to be a lot more powerful than than the average Amazon, and so I think they should have a separate source for their powers. (The gifts of the goddesses is typical, and appropriate, for Diana. If something else is used for Donna, it shouldn't be something that is easily replicable.)

Two ways to circumvent that problem:

1) An island is a lot smaller than a planet. So as you said, there won't be as many Amazons as Daxamites.

2) Not all Amazons have to be on Wonder Woman's level or have the same powers. A lot of shonen have the characters' powers come from the same source but not be on the same level as Diana or Donna. I.E we can have Amazons who train in animal communication or weapons creation but not physical enhancing like Diana and Donna.

[kjn]

But I like Donna really strong, almost at Diana's level and far stronger than Cassie.

No problem if you have a different preference. I just explained how I would approach the Diana, Donna, and Cassie's differences and their relationship.

Two ways to circumvent that problem:

1) An island is a lot smaller than a planet. So as you said, there won't be as many Amazons as Daxamites.

2) Not all Amazons have to be on Wonder Woman's level or have the same powers. A lot of shonen have the characters' powers come from the same source but not be on the same level as Diana or Donna. I.E we can have Amazons who train in animal communication or weapons creation but not physical enhancing like Diana and Donna.

On the other hand, a planet is a long way away. Themyscira is right here on Earth, just shielded.

I think a key part here is that DC has never really managed to get a satisfactory and stable version of Themyscira and Amazon society going. Because Donna is just as tied to that as she is to Diana.