Donna Troy Appreciation 2023

[Primal Slayer]

Not mutually exclusive to being a hero.




Done under Hippolyta's orders.

Misfits don't follow traditional hero standards. When she took over for Diana she went as WW.

Never said it wasn't done under her order.

Fun Facts about TVs 70's Wonder Girl:

- Character was based on the comics Wonder Girl, Donna Troy, including the diagonal star pattern across her chest
- TV producers felt the name Donna was too close to Diana so, they changed it to Drusilla
- Actress Debra Winger played Wonder Girl and producers planned to spin off the character to her own show
- Winger didn't want to be typecast as the character and turned down the spin off and instead, bought her contract from the studio
- Winger later "punked" David Letterman in an appearance on Late Night show by revealing her Wonder Girl outfit underneath her clothes

They confuse me lol. In what world is DONna close to DIana. It's Arrow all over again "Dinah is an old sounding name. Flashforward to s5 and they introduce Dinah Drake"

It was sad how Dru dissappeared.

[Phoenixx9]

They confuse me lol. In what world is DONna close to DIana. It's Arrow all over again "Dinah is an old sounding name. Flashforward to s5 and they introduce Dinah Drake"

It was sad how Dru dissappeared.

The only thing I can say, and this is certainly no excuse, but "picture-people" plain and simple. This was how the TV/Movie industry workers were called back when, and they really had no idea of comics, while many thought they were "dumb" and "for kids". They had no clue to the characters, continuity and disparity of what they were doing when they did "a simple name change". They also didn't give the viewing audience much credit, that we would get confused between "Donna" and "Diana", lol.

[Digifiend]

It hasn't worked, and it's been broken since TROIA. It's like calling Nightwing, 'Dicko' ..or 'Ricardo'. It's terrible. It's broken.

Westo. Gnaarko...

I love George Perez as an artist and a Latino, but that Titans of Myth thing was a bridge too far, even for me. It's like, when comics guys, who really wanted critical acclaim [That's forgivable.] started raking comics too seriously and cramming what used to be simple, imaginative storytelling with overly complex junk. For me, the Titans and the Seeds and the little balls swinging all over the place...too much!

On TV, Wonder Girl was Diana's teenybopper sister from the Island. Fumbling her way onto a top secret military base, she tells the guard, " I'm Major Trevor's niece", after telling Trevor she's Diana's sister. Backstory, secret identity...all done, neat and simple!

Can you imagine her trying to explain that Titans thing..."Well, ..at the dawn of time, there was a god war, and my adoptive elders, the TITANS, were ejected into space, where they made some little, flying balls..."

Yawn.

I want some comic genius to check his or her ego at the door and give us a slightly revised version of her original 2-3 panel comic book origin, ..back! Please!

Further, I want it established that she was adopted by Steve's or Gen. Darnell's family, upon moving to America and joining the Titans - a permanent tie to Diana's MW friends, like Babs Gordon being Comm. Gordon's daughter. I also want her given a proper codename, because people in comic books have those. Part of the fun!

It would've been much simpler if they'd just said some other Amazon rescued her from the fire instead of Diana, when Diana could no longer have done it because she was rebooted. Then they'd have just needed a new explanation for Donna's codename. Changing it would've still been needed though as it was nonsensical that Wonder Girl was a more experienced hero than Wonder Woman. Of course, it would've been even simpler if Wonder Woman hadn't rebooted without Titans also rebooting. If either neither had rebooted or both did, the Donna origin problem would've been avoided.

Donna Troy is not exactly a common name. The fact she is referred to by that name as opposed to any of the monikers she's had shows it does work. No one complains Artemis doesn't have a code name.

True. If Donna had a solo book, they could just call it Troy.

slight flaw in your argument... "slight"..... you're actually talking about 3 different characters who were at some point "Wonder Girl".

Wonder Woman TV series Wonder Girl was an Amazon named Drusilla.

The simple origin you talk about for the original Wonder Girl in the comics.... wasn't really Donna Troy.

It was kind of a workable origin story... kind of... The Titan of Myth one was a lot better IMO.No one except me. Too many characters in DC use the name Artemis.

Huh? There's two others. Artemis of the Amazons, and Artemis Crock, the JSA villain Tigress who was adapted in the Young Justice cartoon as a hero who initially used no codename but later took her comic counterpart's codename. Both probably named after the character from the myths.

The WG who wasn't Donna, I assume you mean the original pre-Teen Titans Wonder Girl? That was just a younger Diana teaming up with her adult self - said to be imaginary stories at the time, would probably be similar to the All-New X-Men/X-Men Blue (which was the original five from the 60s transplanted to the present) nowadays. That's more convoluted than Donna's rescued from a fire by Diana origin.

Fun Facts about TVs 70's Wonder Girl:

- Character was based on the comics Wonder Girl, Donna Troy, including the diagonal star pattern across her chest
- TV producers felt the name Donna was too close to Diana so, they changed it to Drusilla
- Actress Debra Winger played Wonder Girl and producers planned to spin off the character to her own show
- Winger didn't want to be typecast as the character and turned down the spin off and instead, bought her contract from the studio
- Winger later "punked" David Letterman in an appearance on Late Night show by revealing her Wonder Girl outfit underneath her clothes

What's wrong with the name Donna? Drusilla sounds like a villain, like how you get obsessed women about to marry being called Bridezilla, and like the 101 Dalmatians villain Cruella. And it most definitely has no connection to the Greco-Roman myths, unlike Donna.

[Agent Z]

Huh? There's two others. Artemis of the Amazons, and Artemis Crock, the JSA villain Tigress who was adapted in the Young Justice cartoon as a hero who initially used no codename but later took her comic counterpart's codename. Both probably named after the character from the myths.

There's also the goddess Artemis who does occasionally show up in Wonder Woman and the Female Fury Artemiz who appeared in John Ostrander's Suicide Squad. Even before the Bana Artemis, the pre-crisis era had an Amazon named Artemis who was a sort of predecessor for Diana.

[wonder39]

It would've been much simpler if they'd just said some other Amazon rescued her from the fire instead of Diana, when Diana could no longer have done it because she was rebooted. Then they'd have just needed a new explanation for Donna's codename. Changing it would've still been needed though as it was nonsensical that Wonder Girl was a more experienced hero than Wonder Woman. Of course, it would've been even simpler if Wonder Woman hadn't rebooted without Titans also rebooting. If either neither had rebooted or both did, the Donna origin problem would've been avoided.

True. If Donna had a solo book, they could just call it Troy.

Huh? There's two others. Artemis of the Amazons, and Artemis Crock, the JSA villain Tigress who was adapted in the Young Justice cartoon as a hero who initially used no codename but later took her comic counterpart's codename. Both probably named after the character from the myths.

The WG who wasn't Donna, I assume you mean the original pre-Teen Titans Wonder Girl? That was just a younger Diana teaming up with her adult self - said to be imaginary stories at the time, would probably be similar to the All-New X-Men/X-Men Blue (which was the original five from the 60s transplanted to the present) nowadays. That's more convoluted than Donna's rescued from a fire by Diana origin.

What's wrong with the name Donna? Drusilla sounds like a villain, like how you get obsessed women about to marry being called Bridezilla, and like the 101 Dalmatians villain Cruella. And it most definitely has no connection to the Greco-Roman myths, unlike Donna.

I believe Drusilla is ancient Roman, actually. They may have wanted something not as common / modern/ etc sounding as " Donna" and something more " authentic" sounding

[astro@work]

I believe Drusilla is ancient Roman, actually. They may have wanted something not as common / modern/ etc sounding as " Donna" and something more " authentic" sounding

That's what I always assumed. I honestly never got a "Donna" feel from Drusilla, but since she was the 1940's Wonder Girl (and seemingly a true Amazon) it left the door open for a modern Donna in the later years.
Unfortunately they never went there and the Wonder Girl idea died with the 1940's adventures.

[John Venus]

If we go by her original origin and Donna is a 'mortal adopted by the Amazons' then doesn't it make sense that she has a regular name instead of something 'exotic'?

Diana is also a fairly common and ordinary name as well.

[wonder39]

That's what I always assumed. I honestly never got a "Donna" feel from Drusilla, but since she was the 1940's Wonder Girl (and seemingly a true Amazon) it left the door open for a modern Donna in the later years.
Unfortunately they never went there and the Wonder Girl idea died with the 1940's adventures.

I just look at it as tv continuity.... It's just one of the Infinite Earths, and on this one, WG is an Amazon named Drusilla ☺️

[wonder39]

If we go by her original origin and Donna is a 'mortal adopted by the Amazons' then doesn't it make sense that she has a regular name instead of something 'exotic'?

Diana is also a fairly common and ordinary name as well.

Well yes, but if you're talking about the TV series, that's not their version of Wonder Girl. In that, Diana had a sister named Drusilla who was one of the Amazons. They didn't go the adopted sister route.

[wonder39]

It would've been much simpler if they'd just said some other Amazon rescued her from the fire instead of Diana, when Diana could no longer have done it because she was rebooted. Then they'd have just needed a new explanation for Donna's codename. Changing it would've still been needed though as it was nonsensical that Wonder Girl was a more experienced hero than Wonder Woman. Of course, it would've been even simpler if Wonder Woman hadn't rebooted without Titans also rebooting. If either neither had rebooted or both did, the Donna origin problem would've been avoided

Well wasn't there talk of Perez's first year on WW being her year one, and then after that moving to present day? Then there would have been no need to reboot Donna. But the PTB liked the idea of Diana being the new one on the block, so they kept that idea, which then screwed over Donna's continuity, requiring tinkering.

[marhawkman]

Well wasn't there talk of Perez's first year on WW being her year one, and then after that moving to present day? Then there would have been no need to reboot Donna. But the PTB liked the idea of Diana being the new one on the block, so they kept that idea, which then screwed over Donna's continuity, requiring tinkering.

This is why I've taken to referring to that "reboot" process as "continuity mangling".

[Phoenixx9]

Well wasn't there talk of Perez's first year on WW being her year one, and then after that moving to present day? Then there would have been no need to reboot Donna. But the PTB liked the idea of Diana being the new one on the block, so they kept that idea, which then screwed over Donna's continuity, requiring tinkering.

Yeah, that's a(nother) shame for Donna! She cannot catch a break!

[Koriand'r]

It hasn't really worked, imo. It's just what's been there. I still liked it to "Tom Smith with save the day! ", or " Help me Bob Jones!"

The full use of first and last name every time is just so odd and forced...

Her name isn't like that though. To me it's a callback to names like Dick Tracy, Flash Gordon, Buck Roger's, Vandal Savage, Solomon Grundy...or more modern names like Jean Grey, Emma Frost or Veronica Cale. Donna Troy has a certain ring to it, that Bob Jones doesn't have.

That's why it works as well as any codename.

[thefinalguy]

Her name isn't like that though. To me it's a callback to names like Dick Tracy, Flash Gordon, Buck Roger's, Vandal Savage, Solomon Grundy...or more modern names like Jean Grey, Emma Frost or Veronica Cale. Donna Troy has a certain ring to it, that Bob Jones doesn't have.

That's why it works as well as any codename.

When you have "it," nothing else needs to be done. There are codenames that could work for Donna but "Donna Troy" is a unique name, I doubt whatever it is would catch on. Hence "Troia".

The same goes for Jean Grey, went back to Marvel Girl a few years ago, and is anyone really interested in referring to her as that? Just doesn't have the same ring.

[wonder39]

Her name isn't like that though. To me it's a callback to names like Dick Tracy, Flash Gordon, Buck Roger's, Vandal Savage, Solomon Grundy...or more modern names like Jean Grey, Emma Frost or Veronica Cale. Donna Troy has a certain ring to it, that Bob Jones doesn't have.

That's why it works as well as any codename.

For me, that might be the case if it had always been the name she used instead of a codename ( a la Flash Gordon, Dick Tracy, etc). All of those people ( minus Jean Grey) have only used their actual name

It's not about it being a unique name. It's that it's her civilian identity, and she's had proper code names for her heroic identity.

Had she just been "Donna Troy" the whole time, for me it would be a different story.

Did Troia not work because it didn't work, or did Troia not work because soon after, she's depowered and basically is just herself for so long. Did it not work, or was it just eclipsed by her decades of having to be her civilian self?