How would you retcon Donna's certain origin

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

I'd crib Arisia's origin from Justice League and have her be a shipwrecked orphan from somewhere. I was leaning towards Bialya because I wanted to set Queen Bee as one of her "rogues" but I don't remember if Bialya is near a body of water.

[marhawkman]

The main problem I see with this is that it doesn't allow Donna much time with the other Amazons on Themyscira, to form a bond with them and become like a daughter to Hippolyta, before she becomes Wonder Girl and joins the Teen Titans.

It could be a few years I think. Obviously that's not quite the same as growing up with them. But enough time to get to know them and stuff.

[WonderScott]

We've discussed this a lot on other threads, but I'd absolutely go back to basics...

An infant, or child, or tween rescued by Diana during her adventures in Patriarch's World and brought to Themyscira to be raised by Hippolyta and the Amazons as an adopted sister to Diana, an adopted daughter of Hippolyta, and an adopted princess of paradise, who is granted Wonder-like powers from an adventure with Diana, Hippolyta, and the Amazons and a particular foe I've written about in my Wonder Woman Series Bible Thingee.

This is who Donna Troy is. She's not dark or vengeance incarnate or soulless. She's what happens and what's possible when girls and women from Patriarch's World grow up and experience Amazon philosophy and education and freedom and love.

[witchboy]

The original Donna is the one that worked the best.
Let the Earth 1 Donna Troy slip through the cracks of the multiverse into the prime universe and just go from there. Let her form new close relationships with the modern versions of her friends and family.

[marhawkman]

We've discussed this a lot on other threads, but I'd absolutely go back to basics...

An infant, or child, or tween rescued by Diana during her adventures in Patriarch's World and brought to Themyscira to be raised by Hippolyta and the Amazons as an adopted sister to Diana, an adopted daughter of Hippolyta, and an adopted princess of paradise, who is granted Wonder-like powers from an adventure with Diana, Hippolyta, and the Amazons and a particular foe I've written about in my Wonder Woman Series Bible Thingee.

This is who Donna Troy is. She's not dark or vengeance incarnate or soulless. She's what happens and what's possible when girls and women from Patriarch's World grow up and experience Amazon philosophy and education and freedom and love.

The only thing I would change is making her a demi-titan. Titans can be nice people.

[Agent 86]

I'd make Donna the sole survivor of a shipwreck who is rescued by Diana from the seas surrounding Themyscira and then adopted by Hippolyta.

Diana and Donna spend time together as sisters before Diana leaves for man's world. Donna continues her Amazonian training and eventually follows her big sister into man's world.

I don't mind the "rescued from a fire" origin, but I have a hard time believing any government would allow "Wonder Woman" to adopt a child and then ship her off to Themyscira to be raised by Queen Hippolyta. I guess Batman could have forged all of the necessary papers / pulled all the necessary strings to enable it to happen, but I don't see Diana resorting to those measures. Why would Diana care so much for one orphan girl in man's world where there are thousands, if not millions, of orphaned girls who should all be taken to Themyscira?

[Harpsikord]

An infant Donna Troy gets rescued from a housefire by the Titaness Phoebe, and is turned into what is known as a "Titan Seed" in order to survive. As she's still an infant, the Goddess gives her to the queen of the Amazon's, Hippolyta, to raise without telling the queen or the other Amazon's of her heritage and abilities. When Diana goes to Man's World, assuming it was ten years ago like canon, Donna is only eleven years old and eventually makes the trip when she's fifteen or sixteen, becoming the first Wonder Girl.

[AmiMizuno]

I honestly think maybe she should just be a normal baby. That maybe how she gets her powers due to the titans but she herself was a normal maybe.

[Agent Z]

I'd make Donna the sole survivor of a shipwreck who is rescued by Diana from the seas surrounding Themyscira and then adopted by Hippolyta.

Diana and Donna spend time together as sisters before Diana leaves for man's world. Donna continues her Amazonian training and eventually follows her big sister into man's world.

I don't mind the "rescued from a fire" origin, but I have a hard time believing any government would allow "Wonder Woman" to adopt a child and then ship her off to Themyscira to be raised by Queen Hippolyta. I guess Batman could have forged all of the necessary papers / pulled all the necessary strings to enable it to happen, but I don't see Diana resorting to those measures. Why would Diana care so much for one orphan girl in man's world where there are thousands, if not millions, of orphaned girls who should all be taken to Themyscira?

Maybe she spends a bit of time with Donna and gets to know her better after the fire? I mean, just because you adopt one kid doesn't mean you have to adopt them all.

[daBronzeBomma]

The daughter of Hades and Cheetah, rescued from a housefire caused by Cheetah's escape portal, sent by Diana to be raised on Themyscira, teleports to Diana as a teenager, joins Teen Titans as Wonder Girl, abducted by Trigon, revealed to have psychic & magic powers, becomes Raven.

This has never been published, right? Just an idea you had?

Because it is ... intriguing.

Never thought of the Cheetah (Priscilla/Debbie/Barbara) as being maternal in the slightest. Her as Donna's mom certainly would certainly open up new storytelling possibilities within the Wonderverse.

Buy now I have to ask:

Who officially are (or have been) Donna Troy's bio-parents?

Main canon and official AU and official non-print media versions allowed.

[AmiMizuno]

It’s never stated who her parents were. Also why should it be a Greek god? If anything shouldn’t it be a little Egyptian? I rather have it be more open to other mythos.

[CRaymond]

This has never been published, right? Just an idea you had?

Yep. It's a consolidation of squicky concepts in an effort to bolster Diana's presence in the DCU, and bring Raven's brand closer to Diana's.

Donna's a character profile without a solid character foundation. Raven's character does nothing but circle her foundation. I see it as fertile ground for a mash-up.

Start with Cheetah as an immortal villain who invents and discards identities throughout her early career, until she goes into hiding as a paranormal researcher Angela Roth. She uses mystical artifacts to build a portal to Hades to obtain Styx's invulnerability, but ends up a prisoner of divorced Hades. Cheetah introduces herself as Arella. Cue Beauty and the Beast story. Trigon is reinterpreted as a Fourth World god of conquest, invades Elysium. Cheetah is pregnant and escapes with the Underworld's heir, so Trigon pursues.

Trigon's arrival on Earth alerts the JL. The New God monologues about his claim on the child, so it's a race to find the baby before the Fourth World does. Cheetah does a Moses-meets-Zeus repeat by leaving her baby for Diana to find, and giving Trigon a stone to devour. (If the baby is ingested, its claim on Elysium confers to Trigon.) Meanwhile, Zatanna senses the baby is the child of a god, so Diana decides to hide it somewhere gods can't reach: Themyscira. When Cheetah discovers Diana gave her baby away, but also made her baby incredibly safe, she is CONFLICTED. Cheetah's animosity for Diana needs to be complicated, nuanced, layered, deep and storied.

The girl that would be Donna/Raven grows up on Themyscira in the shadow of her "big sister", excelling at magical study despite rigorous combat training. At 15, she wills herself to find Diana in Man's World, her first teleport. She becomes Wonder Girl. Once Trigon finds her, she's led to believe HE is her father, as she grew up knowing her father is a god. Trigon exploits this confusion, and chooses to entice her to his side. She rebels, accepts her dark powers, and becomes Raven: the Themysciran omen for death.

So now Trigon isn't really her father, isn't really a "god of rape" eww, Arella isn't fridged into a character-less womb, Cheetah is brought closer into the main DCUniverse, Both Cheetah and Donna/Raven are given direct Greek myth elements in their origins, etc etc. It's headfanon, but I like it.

[AmiMizuno]

But cheetah is more closer to African religious. Why should cheetah be closer to the Greeks? I wouldn’t it be better for her if that in a twisted one if she can’t have one god power she goes to another? On rebirth we see her near a abandoned Amazons city. Which seems to be close to Banas location. Why not have her be using the Banas to get something to make her a goddess?

[CRaymond]

But cheetah is more closer to African religious. Why should cheetah be closer to the Greeks? I wouldn’t it be better for her if that in a twisted one if she can’t have one god power she goes to another? On rebirth we see her near a abandoned Amazons city. Which seems to be close to Banas location. Why not have her be using the Banas to get something to make her a goddess?

1. You're allowed to run wild with your ideas, same as I.

2. Cheetahs were originally all over the Ancient world, not just Africa.

3. I am ALL for more global mythologies to be explored and represented in Wonder Woman's adventure, just not with Diana's arch-enemy. The Cheetah can exploit gods all over the world, but I think her most significant crimes with regard to Diana, should be against the Greek Pantheon.

4. I don't like the Banas.

[Jim Kelly]

Until you can control the rest of the DCU's continuity, Donna Troy will never have a stable origin story. DC doesn't consider her important enough to shape the continuity to fit her origin, but they consider other character origins so important that hers has to change to fit theirs.