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  1. #16
    Mighty Member wonder39's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Primal Slayer View Post
    Thats partially why I dont like the burning orphan origin. Diana saves plenty of kids and should know where to go if parents arent around but for some reason she takes Donna? Doesnt know anything about possible family members out there that may be looking for her?
    And with the resources at her hand back then, do we think she didn't check that out ?

  2. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by Primal Slayer View Post
    Thats partially why I dont like the burning orphan origin. Diana saves plenty of kids and should know where to go if parents arent around but for some reason she takes Donna? Doesnt know anything about possible family members out there that may be looking for her?
    I mean, you could ask the same question about Batman and him taking in Dick and Jason. There has been all kinds of rational for justifying why he adopted them instead of handing them off to the orphanage or look for relatives.

  3. #18
    Fantastic Member donnafan's Avatar
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    In WW 1984, Lynda Carter played Asteria. In one of my revamped Donna origins, Donna was the daughter of Asteria and the granddaughter of the Titans of Myth Coeus and Phoebe. One version of the Greek myth about the goddess Asteria, the goddess of the stars, is that the daughter of the Titans Coeus and Phoebe was beautiful and pursued by Zeus. She tried to escape his relentless pursuit and a jealous Hera turned her into a sea bird.

    My revamped origin story had Asteria being pregnant by Zues, thus making Donna Diana's half-sister and related to the Titans of Myth, thereby explaining her powers and connection to Diana. Transformed, Asteria left behind an infant Donna who was rescued by Phoebe and brought to Themyscira. The baby was brought to Hippolyta who recognized that she had a connection to the gods and decided to adopt/raise her as her own. Donna's confusing past origins could be explained that these myths surrounding Donna's origins was a way to protect her from a jealous Hera who would be livid if she found out about Zues' child.
    Last edited by donnafan; 01-29-2021 at 02:19 PM.

  4. #19
    Astonishing Member OBrianTallent's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Natamaxxx View Post
    So...basically the direction everyone is pitching for Donna is “backwards”- as in rehashing her origin..?

    I would love to see Donna become a prominent leader and mentor to the Teen Titan and Young Justice teams while also serving as a diplomatic emissary/modern day historian of the Amazon’s (she’s still a photographer, right?). Perhaps based out of the Themiscyran embassy, where she documents the Amazon’s re-entry into the modern world but also jumping into to fight or help out whenever danger presents itself. This way she could be a semi-regular in all three titles which widens her presence beyond that of former side-kick to Wonder Woman.
    Sometimes to move forward, one has to take a few steps back..a course correction. Think of it as remodeling a house. To bring it into a more updated look, you have to tear some walls down, take it apart a little. Donna definitely needs to be deconstructed a little to find the gem of her character to be able to move forward. You have to know whete you've been to know whete you're going.

  5. #20
    Fantastic Member donnafan's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by OBrianTallent View Post
    Sometimes to move forward, one has to take a few steps back..a course correction. Think of it as remodeling a house. To bring it into a more updated look, you have to tear some walls down, take it apart a little. Donna definitely needs to be deconstructed a little to find the gem of her character to be able to move forward. You have to know whete you've been to know whete you're going.
    Agreed. Give her a proper, consistent origin that's not going to change with every writer so that the character can move forward instead of constant revising.

  6. #21
    Leftbrownie Alpha's Avatar
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    But the point is that giving her a clear origin doesn't equal finding a place for her in the present and future. And you could find a place for her in the present and future without worrying about her origin. To be clear, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with caring about her origin, just saying that it's not enough

  7. #22
    Extraordinary Member Primal Slayer's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by John Venus View Post
    I mean, you could ask the same question about Batman and him taking in Dick and Jason. There has been all kinds of rational for justifying why he adopted them instead of handing them off to the orphanage or look for relatives.
    Bruce had to go through the proper steps to adopt Dick and Jason, not to mention that he clearly felt a connection to them. And they were also old enough to know about their families. If Donna is just a baby its different, and it always begs the question of why doesnt Diana do it more often? You could go with her instantly connecting to Donna and knowing she had a greater destiny...but at least looking over it again, the writer does go out of their way to answer my 2nd own question so ill strike it from record.

  8. #23
    Astonishing Member 9th.'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alpha View Post
    But the point is that giving her a clear origin doesn't equal finding a place for her in the present and future. And you could find a place for her in the present and future without worrying about her origin. To be clear, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with caring about her origin, just saying that it's not enough
    It's not impossible but it makes it easier. A competent writer could bypass all that but I feel like they'd have to address the origin at some point anyway.
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  9. #24
    Fantastic Member Natamaxxx's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alpha View Post
    But the point is that giving her a clear origin doesn't equal finding a place for her in the present and future. And you could find a place for her in the present and future without worrying about her origin. To be clear, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with caring about her origin, just saying that it's not enough
    Exactly - and I think this is largely why Wonder Woman, WW-adjacent & general comic characters and books suffer. The constant need to go back a tweak this & adjust that based on (usually trivial) elements of a characters origin that doesn’t sit well with a particular writer or doesn’t quite fit into the story they want to tell. At some point, I wish editors would just put their foot down and say “work with what you’ve got”.

  10. #25
    hate cant reach you here Harpsikord's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Natamaxxx View Post
    Exactly - and I think this is largely why Wonder Woman, WW-adjacent & general comic characters and books suffer. The constant need to go back a tweak this & adjust that based on (usually trivial) elements of a characters origin that doesn’t sit well with a particular writer or doesn’t quite fit into the story they want to tell. At some point, I wish editors would just put their foot down and say “work with what you’ve got”.
    You're right to a certain extent, but sometimes the different origins that are told and that are changed are actively damaging. DC editorial not allowing Diana to be a veteran hero hurt both her and Donna and all of the Amazons as a result of the fact that it existed, and then later the John Byrne origin being established instead of a version of the classic origin also hurt Donna. The New 52 origin where she's made as an anti-WW weapon of mass destruction is also probably the worst thing that's really ever happened to her. She's never really recovered even when being put back to default settings since at least the Byrne retcon; she was fine if not entirely connected to Diana with the Titan Seed origin.

    That said if we want to exclusively look forward, I've got more ideas for that too.

    I mentioned that I think that Donna should be the lynchpin of the Titans and I maintain that's true. I'd even take it a step further and make Donna the woman in charge - even when there are other so-called leader characters like Dick Grayson or Starfire Donna stepping up into the position of leader in Abnett's Titans and then leading them in Death Metal felt earned. Donna is the one character from the Fab Five that was originally created for the run, even if that was a mistake. She was the one that gave them their name. She is, inarguably, a very important part of the Titans mythos and I'd cement her as that. She's also an Amazon who has had years of battle and leadership training and while in Wolfman's run the reason she was defined as not being a leader was because she chose not to be, I don't think that she would now. I'd also be willing to say, again as an Amazon. that there's a part of Donna that enjoys battling. She thinks there's a bit of fun in it. It comes naturally to her because that's her culture.

    If we're saying that Diana is a superhero through and through and she's up on what can be assumed to be this unapproachable pedestal I'd make Donna the more relatable Wonder Woman, even if she doesn't use that as her codename. Donna is fun and down to earth in her everyday life. Where Diana chooses to be a hero at all times, Donna's just a person who does good things because she's capable of it when no one else is. She operates in her spare time, in her real life, as a photojournalist for a highly publicized and popular magazine in New York City, since if that's where the Titans are based that's also where Donna lays her head. Ideally I'd give her a new love interest in the event that Roy Harper is dead and not an option, but if he's not I'd like to see the two of them back together; they could co-parent Lian as boyfriend/girlfriend and as a power couple. But, assuming he IS gone, Donna would be with a civilian cast member. Probably a redhead because let's be honest... our girl has a type.

    Everyone seems to have a thing for putting Wonder Woman up against street level foes and while Donna is also significantly stronger than that, I'd throw her against them more than Diana because she CHOOSES to take care of those threats. I'd also elevate Shimmer and Jinx as villains of her as opposed to exclusively Titans rogues, and on top of that I'd include Vanessa Kapatelis as the Silver Swan as one of her rogues for a while, but the overall plan with Vanessa would be a redemption arc into an anti-hero who sometimes leans on the edge of being a villain; maybe she's Donna's own Cheetah? A friend who is just so out of reach, whose jealousy and want to be greater pushes them over the edge and who Donna is trying to save and give the benefit of the doubt at all costs.

    I'd also make Yara her Wonder Girl, not Diana's.
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  11. #26
    Extraordinary Member Restingvoice's Avatar
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    Never read anything Donna, but my impression of her from all the screenshots is a kind girl next door, friend, sister, and leader. Very down to earth compared to the mythical action of Diana. So my main focus will be on that.

    Backstory wise I prefer the Titans, it matches that she gave the name to Teen Titans. I have no problem if she has a backstory of being created for an evil purpose but raised in kindness as Diana's sister, the underlying theme being nature vs nurture. Titans of course will be a constant thorn.

    So the A-plot, the main attraction is her social life. The B plot, the fights, will be against the Titans initially, at least, if we're following Greek myth, we found out that it's not as black and white as that. The book will be more drama and action I imagine, with bright tone similar to Conner's Starfire series, but much less bimbo-istic of course.

  12. #27
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    I would keep it as simple as possible. If Diana has been active in man’s world since WW2, then I’d have Donna be the orphaned survivor of a shipwreck who washed up on Themyscira after Diana had left. Hippolyta rescued her and Donna received Amazonian training and potentially abilities from the purple healing ray. Donna decided to return to man’s world to help her heroic adoptive sister (and because she had a desire to return home).

    I’d need be, Donna could be blessed by the Titans of Myth / some god which explains how and why she washed up on Themyscira in the first place.

    Once in man’s world, Diana and Donna form a strong, sisterly bond. Ideally it would have started when Diana visited home, but I think the current status quo is that Diana can’t return to Themyscira? It’s hard to keep up.

  13. #28

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    Quote Originally Posted by Primal Slayer View Post
    Bruce had to go through the proper steps to adopt Dick and Jason, not to mention that he clearly felt a connection to them. And they were also old enough to know about their families. If Donna is just a baby its different, and it always begs the question of why doesnt Diana do it more often? You could go with her instantly connecting to Donna and knowing she had a greater destiny...but at least looking over it again, the writer does go out of their way to answer my 2nd own question so ill strike it from record.
    I mean it could underscore Diana's empathy. A baby, no known relatives, a corrupt and untrustworthy foster care system. Even with Batman you get rationales like 'Bruce took Dick in to protect him from Tony Zucco'. Maybe Diana took her to Themyscria for temporary protection but ultimately ended up being adopted by them. Diana was the only 'baby' at Themyscira for a long time so maybe they took a shine to a second one.

    There is also a lot of characters born special in WW mythos; Diana whether its her Zeus origin or clay origin, Cassie as the daughter of Zeus, I like Donna Troy's relatively grounded origins.

    Quote Originally Posted by Agent 86 View Post
    I would keep it as simple as possible. If Diana has been active in man’s world since WW2, then I’d have Donna be the orphaned survivor of a shipwreck who washed up on Themyscira after Diana had left. Hippolyta rescued her and Donna received Amazonian training and potentially abilities from the purple healing ray. Donna decided to return to man’s world to help her heroic adoptive sister (and because she had a desire to return home).

    I’d need be, Donna could be blessed by the Titans of Myth / some god which explains how and why she washed up on Themyscira in the first place.

    Once in man’s world, Diana and Donna form a strong, sisterly bond. Ideally it would have started when Diana visited home, but I think the current status quo is that Diana can’t return to Themyscira? It’s hard to keep up.
    Huh. I had a similar take as well. In my version, Donna was a ship wrecked orphan rescued by a teenage Diana and raised on Themyscira as an adopted sister. It keeps that bare bones of her original origin 'rescued by Diana, raised on Themyscira' but changes the actual incident surrounding her rescue. She could meet he Titans of Myth later on but the bare bones of her original origin are kept intact.

  14. #29
    Extraordinary Member Drako's Avatar
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    I think no one here is asking for a solo book, this ship pretty much sailed years and years ago. So we need at least a place we can see her regularly.

    Step 1: Fix her damn origin. There is a bunch of good pitches here, so is not dificult to come up with a retcon for her. Stick with this new origin.

    Step 2: Let her be in the upcoming WW book by Becky Cloonan. She can be part of Diana's suporting cast. Diana might be the hero less conected with her legacy and she should interact with them. Cassie should be here too.

    Step 3: Let her main appareances be on the Titans book. Let her shine there and don't screw her or the Titans over. I think the Academy motif is perfecty for her. This franchise still has potential and DC shouldn't keep them in the mud.
    Last edited by Drako; 02-03-2021 at 12:49 PM.
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  15. #30
    Astonishing Member Tzigone's Avatar
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    I think no one here is asking for a solo book, this ship pretty much sailed years and years ago. So we need at least a place we can see her regularly.
    This is why I miss having a few good anthology titles. Back in the day we could have The Atom or Elongated Man with regular appearances even those like Roy Harper with short term ones. I like a the idea good Titans title, but honestly I feel like that ship might have sailed years ago, too.

    In the spirit of writing her present/future, rather than past, I'm not going to touch her origin (though I certainly have opinions). I'd probably have her a photographer, simply because it's the only occupation for her I know of. Develop some civilian supporting casts (I really do like having civilians around). One or two photographers she is either in a partnership with or shares professional space with. Have a model friend or two (and Vixen and some modeling heroines/heroes could guest in this capacity - you could even have Booster show up). Mythology - either Diana is mythology-heavy or Donna is. Not both. They need to be overtly distinguishable and not fill the same sort of niche. Decide her income level and treat her like that's her income. She used to be highly successful and highly paid, but with continuity what is is (or new photographers scooping her old jobs) that could change. I'd perceive her as 30 or more by this point, so while she might be adjusting to change, she shouldn't be still in a "finding herself" sort of pattern. Obviously, people can do that at any age, but if you establish that as a norm, she never actually complete the finding.

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