Terra (comics)
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Terra is the name used by three fictional superheroines published by
DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
. The first Terra, Tara Markov, is an antiheroine eventually revealed to actually be a supervillainess working as a
double agent In the field of counterintelligence, a double agent is an employee of a secret intelligence service for one country, whose primary purpose is to spy on a target organization of another country, but who is now spying on their own country's organ ...
. She was created by
Marv Wolfman Marvin Arthur Wolfman (born May 13, 1946) is an American comic book and novelization writer. He worked on Marvel Comics's '' The Tomb of Dracula'', for which he and artist Gene Colan created the vampire-slayer Blade, and DC Comics's ''The New Te ...
and
George Pérez George Pérez (; June 9, 1954 – May 6, 2022) was an American comic book artist and writer, who worked primarily as a penciller. He came to prominence in the 1970s penciling ''Fantastic Four'' and '' The Avengers'' for Marvel Comics. In the 198 ...
, and debuted in '' New Teen Titans'' #26 (December 1982). The second Terra, a doppelgänger of Tara Markov, debuted in ''New Titans'' #79 (September 1991) and was created by Marv Wolfman and
Tom Grummett Thomas Grummett (born 1959) is a Canadian Cartoonist#Comic books, comic book artist and penciller. He is best known for his work as penciller on titles such as ''Teen Titans, The New Titans'', ''Superman (comic book)#1986 revamp, The Adventures o ...
. The third Terra, Atlee, debuted in ''
Supergirl Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. The character made her fir ...
'' (vol. 5) #12 (January 2007) and was created by
Jimmy Palmiotti James Palmiotti (born August 14, 1961) is an American writer and inker of comic books, who also does writing for games, television and film. Early life Palmiotti attended the High School of Art and Design in New York City. Career Palmiotti sta ...
,
Justin Gray Justin Gray is an American comic book writer working mostly for DC Comics. Career Gray has often collaborated with fellow writer Jimmy Palmiotti on series such as ''Hawkman'', '' Jonah Hex'', '' Power Girl'', ''21 Down'', ''Uncle Sam and the F ...
, and
Amanda Conner Amanda Conner is an American comics artist and commercial art illustrator. She began her career in the late 1980s for Archie Comics and Marvel Comics, before moving on to contribute work for Claypool Comics' '' Soulsearchers and Company'' and Har ...
.


Publication history

The character was created with an intended finite life span. Co-creator Pérez stated that he and Marv Wolfman knew, "from the very start, that this girl was going to be a traitor and that we were going to kill this character off." When creating the look of the character, Pérez noted that: A new Terra appeared in ''Supergirl'' (vol. 5) #12 while a ''Terra'' limited series was being developed, written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray, with illustrations by Amanda Conner. Gray commented about the series, "Terra as a character has never had a definitive origin. That includes Terra 1 and 2. This mini will address that fact in some surprising ways and open the door to a new corner of the DCU. Aside from that the emphasis will be on heroism, true blue hero stuff." Palmiotti later stated, "Terra is an enigma for obvious reasons. Every hero in the DCU is in the dark about who she is and why she’s doing what she’s doing, which is running around the planet saving and helping people. We’ve been working with Terra for months and months trying to find and develop what’s special about her. In the end, it was a very simple angle, make Terra a super''hero'' with plenty of emphasis on heroism. Everything she does is to help other people and in the service of life." The 4-issue miniseries was temporarily shelved for a number of reasons, until its biweekly publication spanning November and December 2008. The new Terra previously appeared in ''
Teen Titans The Teen Titans are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, frequently in eponymous monthly series. As the group's name indicates, the members are teenage superheroes, many of whom have acted as sidekicks to DC ...
'' vol. 3 #52–54 as part of "The Titans of Tomorrow...Today!" storyline and in the first issue of the ''
Terror Titans The Terror Titans are a supervillain group in the DC Comics. They are a mirror group to the Teen Titans. They first appeared as a team in ''Teen Titans'' (vol. 3) #56 (February 2008), though Clock King and Dreadbolt appeared in shadow form at the ...
'' limited series. Following this, she briefly appeared in ''Teen Titans'' vol. 3 #69 in the climax of the recruitment drive storyline, and became a supporting character in the ongoing ''
Power Girl Power Girl, also known as Kara Zor-L and Karen Starr, is a superheroine appearing in American comic books by DC Comics, making her first appearance in ''All Star Comics'' #58 (January/February 1976). Power Girl is the cousin of the superhero Supe ...
'' series.


Tara Markov


Fictional character biography

Tara Markov, half-sister of Brion Markov (
Geo-Force Geo-Force (Prince Brion Markov) is a fictional superhero character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Markov is the younger Prince Twin of Markovia and the elder brother of Terra. One of the founding members of the superhero group ...
), was the illegitimate daughter of the King of Markovia. While in Markovia, she came under the care of a Dr.
Helga Jace Dr. Helga Jace is a fictional character in the DC Comics Universe. She is a supporting character of the Outsiders (comics), Outsiders and was the scientist responsible for bestowing the different earth-controlling powers upon Terra (comics), Princ ...
and, through her experiments, Terra obtained Earth manipulation powers—specifically, the ability to control all forms of earthen matter. After obtaining these powers, her father requested that she leave Markovia for the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, to prevent the scandal of the king having an illegitimate daughter from becoming public. Unlike her more heroic brother, Geo-Force, Terra had deep-rooted psychological issues including
malignant narcissism Malignant narcissism is a psychological syndrome comprising an extreme mix of narcissism, antisocial behavior, aggression, and sadism. Grandiose, and always ready to raise hostility levels, the malignant narcissist undermines families and organiz ...
, believing that, with their powers, they should rule Earth rather than help the weaker masses. As a result of this belief, Terra became a hitwoman, doing dirty work for others. A notable client was
Deathstroke the Terminator Deathstroke (Slade Joseph Wilson) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, the character debuted in ''The New Teen Titans'' #2 in December 1980 as Deathstroke the Te ...
, who she met when she was fifteen and with whom she had a relationship. She joined the Teen Titans, fooling them by staging a battle against Deathstroke. She then operated as a spy for Deathstroke, eventually giving him the information he needed to kidnap the Titans, with no regrets. Eventually, the captured Titans were held in a stronghold of Deathstroke's contractors, the H.I.V.E.; Nightwing, and Deathstroke's son, Joseph Wilson ( Jericho), raided the complex to rescue them, but were captured. When presented to Deathstroke and the organization in general, Jericho possessed his father and freed the Titans, who then attacked the H.I.V.E. Not knowing of Jericho's powers, Terra believed Deathstroke to have turned against her. In retaliation, she went berserk. When the misunderstanding was cleared, she was still murderously furious at Deathstroke for going "soft" with love for his son. Changeling (better known as
Beast Boy Garfield Mark Logan, better known as Beast Boy, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He has also gone under the alias Changeling. Created by writer Arnold Drake and artist Bob Brown, he is a shapeshifter who po ...
), in an attempt to stop her rampage, shape-shifted into a small fly, then flew into her eye as a way to distract her. This finally pushed her over the edge as she pulled the whole H.I.V.E. complex down upon herself while trying to kill the Titans. Despite the discovery of her true intentions of joining them, a statue of her was placed in the memorial in
Titans Tower The Teen Titans are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, frequently in eponymous monthly series. As the group's name indicates, the members are teenage superheroes, many of whom have acted as sidekicks to DC ...
. Her true activities were never made public, with her brother simply being told that she had died in battle. Subsequently, Batman eventually revealed the truth to him in an issue of ''Batman and the Outsiders'', prompting Brion to change his costume to green and gold, as he considered the original brown and orange too similar to the outfit worn by his sister. In ''DCU: Last Will and Testament'', Deathstroke takes credit for Terra's insanity by claiming he gave her the same serum he used on Cassandra Cain and his daughter,
Rose Wilson Rose Wilson is a fictional character appearing in American comic book, American comic books published by DC Comics. She was created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist Art Nichols, first appearing in a 1992 issue of ''Deathstroke the Terminator'' #1 ...
, telling Geo-Force that "the problem with Terra was that we waited too long. By then the psychosis was so bad, she tried to kill us all." This contradicts his earlier account of her lifelong insanity in the Titans stories following "The Judas Contract," although it is possible that Terra had mental issues from the start and that Deathstroke's serum served to exacerbate them, to the point where Terra had her psychotic break that resulted in her death. The 2008 ''Terra'' miniseries had intended to explain that Terra was driven insane by an element called "quixium" harvested from Strata, which had been used by Markovian scientists to grant her earth-based superpowers. With a year-long delay in the publication of the ''Terra'' miniseries and the interim release of ''DCU: Last Will and Testament'', this plot point was dropped completely. According to Justin Gray, "Terra 1 stays as she is in LW&T. The brain damage was part of the initial story (before LW&T) that connected all three Terras and Geo-Force to Strata, the book needed to be changed to reflect LW&T, the double ship made changes to issue #2 impossible. It happens and we all did what we could to make it work."


''Blackest Night''

In the first issue of ''Blackest Night: Titans'', Terra's corpse is reanimated as a Black Lantern, seducing
Beast Boy Garfield Mark Logan, better known as Beast Boy, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He has also gone under the alias Changeling. Created by writer Arnold Drake and artist Bob Brown, he is a shapeshifter who po ...
using an illusion cast by
Lilith Lilith ( ; he, לִילִית, Līlīṯ) is a female figure in Mesopotamian and Judaic mythology, alternatively the first wife of Adam and supposedly the primordial she-demon. Lilith is cited as having been "banished" from the Garden of Ed ...
to mask her decayed appearance. During the battle of the Black Lantern Titans, they were overwhelmed. Hawk ( Holly Granger) plunges her hand into
Dawn Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the appearance of indirect sunlight being scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc has reached 18° below the observer's hori ...
's chest. Dawn suddenly radiates a white energy that completely destroys Holly's body and ring. Dawn then turns the light on the other Black Lanterns, destroying all but Hank Hall,
Tempest Tempest is a synonym for a storm. '' The Tempest'' is a play by William Shakespeare. Tempest or The Tempest may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Films * ''The Tempest'' (1908 film), a British silent film * ''The Tempest'' (1911 film), a ...
, and Terra, who quickly retreat. Terra then travels to the Outsiders' base to see her brother. She claims to have broken free of whatever force was controlling her as a Black Lantern, and begs Geo-Force and the other Outsiders to kill her. However, this was later revealed to be a ruse, a way of getting Geo-Force to display the strongest emotions possible. After a mostly one-sided battle, Terra's body is turned to stone by Geo-Force, and her ring is destroyed by
Halo Halo, halos or haloes usually refer to: * Halo (optical phenomenon) * Halo (religious iconography), a ring of light around the image of a head HALO, halo, halos or haloes may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Video games * ''Halo'' (franch ...
.


The New 52

In September 2011,
The New 52 The New 52 is the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero comic books. Following the conclusion of the " Flashpoint" crossover storyline, DC canceled all its existing titles and debuted 52 new serie ...
rebooted DC's continuity. In this new timeline, Terra/Tara is re-established as a blonde earth-powered heroine who is part of Caitlin Fairchild's team The Ravagers. The team also includes
Beast Boy Garfield Mark Logan, better known as Beast Boy, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He has also gone under the alias Changeling. Created by writer Arnold Drake and artist Bob Brown, he is a shapeshifter who po ...
, Thunder and Lightning and a new character Ridge. The Ravagers are a group of super-powered teens who have escaped the plans of Harvest in The Culling. The team was formed after the
Teen Titans The Teen Titans are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, frequently in eponymous monthly series. As the group's name indicates, the members are teenage superheroes, many of whom have acted as sidekicks to DC ...
and the Legionnaires stuck in the present day were abducted by Harvest, and then later stopped the villain and escaped. Not surprisingly in the series Terra and Beast Boy develop a strong bond with each other which started in a place named The Colony where super-powered teenagers are deprived of their origins and family and kept as prisoners by a creature named Harvest where they suffer tortures, experiments and fight each other to remain only the strongest teens to be used by Harvest as a team to serve his purposes. In this place, Terra defends Beast Boy from being attacked by other super-powered prisoners as he returns the favour later when Terra was in danger, saving her. Once free of the Colony, Terra and Beast Boy separated from the rest of their fellow Ravagers, hiding together in a cave. Later Beast Boy started having nightmares with the remaining Ravagers all covered with blood. It was later revealed that the one causing his nightmares was
Brother Blood Brother Blood is the name of two supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first iteration, Sebastian Blood VIII, is a power hungry priest and the head of the Church of Blood, as well as the eighth person in the DC ...
as he was targeting the one who could be used as a key to help his master gain access to The Red. Due to his connection with The Red, Beast Boy was the only one who could sense the evil intents of Brother Blood and therefore the key Blood was looking for. After sensing his presence, Terra was convinced by Gar to help the remaining Ravagers who were captured by Blood to be used as a sacrifice in his ritual and they eventually manage to stop and defeat Blood. After those events, Fairchild led the team to a place in Los Angeles. There the team is confronted by
Superboy Superboy is the name of several fictional superheroes appearing in American comicbooks published by DC Comics. These characters have been featured in several eponymous comic series, in addition to ''Adventure Comics'' and other series featuring ...
and Niles Caulder. Caulder is introduced as a long time associate of Fairchild. Later Fairchild and Caulder introduce the team to a deep underground science facility, which provides headquarters and combat training for the team in their campaign against the organization of N.O.W.H.E.R.E. Meanwhile, Harvest sent
Rose Wilson Rose Wilson is a fictional character appearing in American comic book, American comic books published by DC Comics. She was created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist Art Nichols, first appearing in a 1992 issue of ''Deathstroke the Terminator'' #1 ...
and Warblade to recapture them. As the series progresses, Terra and Beast Boy begin developing romantic feelings for each other. Later Terra reveals her feelings for Gar by teasing him: "Why in the world haven't you tried to kiss me yet?" After they do kiss, they become a couple. When
Rose A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be ...
and Warblade have difficulties in capturing the Ravagers, Harvest makes a deal with Deathstroke to hunt down the Ravagers and attack each one using a special weapon called the Abeo Blade. Succeeding in invading Caulder's place, Deathstroke manages to "kill" Ridge (in his human form - a child), Caulder himself, Thunder and Lightning using the weapon and also cuts Warblade's head off. As Deathstroke chooses an already injured Beast Boy as his next victim, a desperate Terra tries to stop him in fear of losing Gar. But her attempt falls short as she is hit and burned by Deathstroke's Abeo Blade to which a horrified Garfield sees right before his eyes. After losing Terra pure rage takes command of Beast Boy as he tried to avenge her but with no success. After the battle with Beast Boy, Deathstroke proceeds and hits Rose and then Fairchild with the Abeo Blade finishing his job. Later it is revealed that the Abeo Blade was not a killing weapon and instead of a teleportation device, sending Rose and the Ravagers except Beast Boy back to the Colony once again. As part of the deal, Harvest gives Rose and Terra to Deathstroke.


DC Rebirth

Tara made her return in Deathstroke as a member of the new team Defiance.


Tara Markov doppelgänger

Terra was introduced as a young girl from the early 21st century who had been exposed to a DNA
virus A virus is a submicroscopic infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of an organism. Viruses infect all life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea. Since Dmitri Ivanovsk ...
designed to transform her into a genetic doppelgänger of the original Terra. As part of the
Team Titans A team is a group of individuals (human or non-human) working together to achieve their goal. As defined by Professor Leigh Thompson of the Kellogg School of Management, " team is a group of people who are interdependent with respect to info ...
, Terra went back in time to the year 1992 to stop the birth of Teen Titan
Donna Troy Donna Troy is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She is the original Wonder Girl and later temporarily adopts another identity, Troia. Created by Bob Haney and Bruno Premiani, she first appeared in ''The B ...
's firstborn son, who would grow up to be the tyrannical Lord Chaos. Terra shared a mutual attraction to the Teen Titan Changeling. Unfortunately, despite their attraction, Changeling was openly hostile toward Terra II due to his own emotional scars from being used by the original Terra. The final issues of ''Team Titans'' revealed that the group's mysterious "leader" was Hank Hall, former Titan Hawk, who became the renegade time-traveling villain Monarch. His attempts to erase the universe from existence as part of Hal Jordan's plan to remake the universe during " Zero Hour" resulted in the erasing of the future that gave birth to the Team Titans. Only Terra and Mirage survived due to the aid of the
Time Trapper This is a list of fictional characters from DC Comics who are enemies of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Legion of Super-Heroes enemies In alphabetical order (with issue and date of debut appearance). In other media See also List of Superman en ...
. After the events of "Zero Hour," Terra and Mirage joined the main Teen Titans team. Once there, they were told that they, along with fellow time traveler Deathwing (an evil version of Dick Grayson from the Lord Chaos future timeline), were really from the present day. The Time Trapper had whisked them away from the present to place them within Monarch's army of Titans to keep track of Monarch's schemes. After ''New Titans'' was canceled, Terra remained in limbo until the 1998 revival of the Teen Titans. In the 1999 ''Titans Secret Files'' special, Terra visits Geo-Force and undergoes genetic tests to determine her identity. When she expresses her fears that she is the original Terra, Geo-Force (who discovers that the test results confirm only what was previously known, that she was a genetic match for his sister) informs her that she is not his sister and destroys the test results. Later, under circumstances which have yet to be explained, Terra also becomes affiliated with the Outsiders. In the " Titans Tomorrow" storyline, the Titans glimpse a grim possible future, and Terra (in a costume modeled closely after her original) is a member of the Titans East, a more benign rival group that opposes the fascist future versions of the current Teen Titans. This future's version of Beast Boy, calling himself Animal Man, still bears a grudge against Terra and wants nothing to do with her. Terra is one of the many Titans who answer the summon to help Conner Kent defeat Superboy-Prime in ''
Infinite Crisis "Infinite Crisis" is a 2005–2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, ...
'' #4, working with
Sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class o ...
to hit Prime with a mass of earth in an attempt to stop him.


''52''

Terra is a member of the Teen Titans group, led by Beast Boy, who fights
Black Adam Black Adam, real name Teth/Theo-Adam, is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He was created by Otto Binder and C. C. Beck, and first appeared in the debut issue of Fawcett Comics' ''The Marvel Family'' comi ...
during the ''
World War III World War III or the Third World War, often abbreviated as WWIII or WW3, are names given to a hypothetical worldwide large-scale military conflict subsequent to World War I and World War II. The term has been in use since at ...
'' storyline. In their second encounter with the crazed Marvel, she catches Black Adam off guard by crushing him between two massive boulders. Although this maneuver hurts Adam, it fails to disable him, and in a fit of anger he punches through her chest, killing her instantly. Instead of pursuing Black Adam, the Titans stay behind to bury their fallen comrade.


Origin

The mystery of the second Terra's origins was addressed in the 2008 ''Terra'' miniseries. She had been born in an underground world called Strata and sent away by its members to establish relations with the surface world. She allowed the Stratans to surgically alter her to resemble the original Terra, believing surface-dwellers would more easily accept her if she reminded them of one of their own. They used an element called "quixium" to grant her earth-based powers similar to that of her predecessor, a process that, when combined with the original Terra's DNA, had the unfortunate side-effect of total memory loss.


Atlee


Fictional character biography

A new Terra named Atlee appears in ''Supergirl'' vol. 5 #12 (January 2007), sporting a new outfit and black hair. She emerges near a party Supergirl is attending, fighting a creature from a civilization under the Earth's surface. While Supergirl expresses disdain for the superhero activities which interfere with her personal life, Terra counters by saying that being a superhero is simply the right thing to do; she does not comprehend Supergirl's complaints. Together they defeat the monster by collapsing the ground under it. Terra then departs. The ''Terra'' miniseries revealed that she is a member of an alien race called Stratans who live below the Earth's surface in a massive cave called Strata which is actually the empty spacesuit of a long dead cosmic extraterrestrial, and possesses a rare mutation granted by a unique ore called "quixium" that grants her the earth powers she wields.


Titans of Tomorrow...Today!

Atlee appears as a future version of herself in ''Teen Titans'' vol. 3 #52-54 as part of the "Titans of Tomorrow...Today!" storyline


Terror Titans

During the '' Final Crisis'' crossover, a group of teen supervillains calling themselves the
Terror Titans The Terror Titans are a supervillain group in the DC Comics. They are a mirror group to the Teen Titans. They first appeared as a team in ''Teen Titans'' (vol. 3) #56 (February 2008), though Clock King and Dreadbolt appeared in shadow form at the ...
begin abducting teenaged metahumans to use as competitors in the Dark Side Club, an underground arena where the young heroes are brainwashed and forced to fight to the death for spectators and wealthy patrons. After learning of the abductions, Terra goes on the run, eventually meeting up with fellow teen superheroes
Aquagirl Aquagirl (also Aqua-Girl) is the alias of several fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, depicted as the female counterpart to Aqualad and the junior counterpart of Aquaman. Originally, the first two incarna ...
,
Molecule A molecule is a group of two or more atoms held together by attractive forces known as chemical bonds; depending on context, the term may or may not include ions which satisfy this criterion. In quantum physics, organic chemistry, and bioche ...
,
Offspring In biology, offspring are the young creation of living organisms, produced either by a single organism or, in the case of sexual reproduction, two organisms. Collective offspring may be known as a brood or progeny in a more general way. This ca ...
, Zachary Zatara, and the Star-Spangled Kid. While deciding on a course of action, the teens are ambushed by the Terror Titans, who proceed to overpower and capture them, killing Molecule in the process. Atlee and the others are taken to the Dark Side Club and subjected to the
Anti-Life Equation The Anti-Life Equation is a fictional concept appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. In Jack Kirby's Fourth World setting, the Anti-Life Equation is a formula for total control over the minds of sentient beings that is sought by ...
, which causes them to become slaves to Darkseid and his cadre of followers. After winning several matches in the tournament, Terra is made a member of the Clock King's Martyr Militia, a team of brainwashed superhumans he plans to use on an attack in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
. Atlee and the others are ultimately freed from the Anti-Life Equation when
Miss Martian Miss Martian (real name: M'gann M'orzz; alias Megan Morse) is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Sharon Leal portrayed the character in the Supergirl (season 2), second season of the Arrowverse series ''Supe ...
, Rose Wilson, and
Static Static may refer to: Places *Static Nunatak, a nunatak in Antarctica United States * Static, Kentucky and Tennessee *Static Peak, a mountain in Wyoming **Static Peak Divide, a mountain pass near the peak Science and technology Physics *Static el ...
lead a rebellion against the Terror Titans and capture the various members of the Dark Side Club.''Terror Titans'' #1-6 (2008–2009) In the aftermath of the successful rebellion, Atlee accompanies her rescuers and fellow survivors to Titans Tower in
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
, hoping to take some time to recuperate. While resting, Atlee is offered a spot on the Teen Titans by
Wonder Girl Wonder Girl is the alias of multiple superheroines featured in comic books published by DC Comics. Donna Troy, the original Wonder Girl, was created by Bob Haney and Bruno Premiani and first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #60 (June/July ...
, which she politely declines, saying that she wishes to distance herself from the tragedy surrounding the membership of the previous two bearers of the Terra identity.''Teen Titans'' vol. 3 #69 (2009)


Power Girl sidekick

Rested from her stay with the Titans, Atlee returns to be the sidekick of
Power Girl Power Girl, also known as Kara Zor-L and Karen Starr, is a superheroine appearing in American comic books by DC Comics, making her first appearance in ''All Star Comics'' #58 (January/February 1976). Power Girl is the cousin of the superhero Supe ...
, successfully helping her save
Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
from the Ultra-Humanite.''Power Girl'' vol. 2 #1-3 (2009) After that, she elects Manhattan as her base of operation, to benefit from the constant mentoring of Power Girl both in establishing and maintaining a human identity, and in her superhero persona. She takes on an Australian accent in her civilian identity, finding the half-truth of her being from "down under" quite humorous. She and Power Girl begin a close friendship, going to movies and even shopping together at an IKEA-esque
Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Swe ...
n furniture store. Atlee also decides to drop her Australian accent, instead claiming that her new cover identity is that of a spy, something Power Girl finds quite humorous. Terra helps Power Girl during her battle with Satanna, and later ends up discussing the possibility of joining the
Justice Society Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...
or the Teen Titans. Power Girl notices that Atlee's demeanor has changed, and begins to suspect that something is wrong. It is eventually revealed that Atlee had been kidnapped by Ultra-Humanite and had her brain removed for him to place his brain in her body, due to Power Girl crippling his body in a former fight. Eventually, Power Girl is able to retrieve Atlee, now trapped in the crippled simian body of the Ultra-Humanite, and bring her back to Strata. There, Atlee is given her body back and the Ultra-Humanite is turned into the human Gerard Shugel. In this occasion, Atlee expresses no desire to stay in Strata, asking Power Girl to bring her back to the surface world, to which she has grown a liking, as soon as possible.''Power Girl'' vol. 2 #11 (2010) In ''
Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...
'' #600, Atlee appears alongside fellow teen heroines Batgirl and
Supergirl Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. The character made her fir ...
as part of an all-female team designed to repel a faux-alien invasion. After the battle is over, Atlee proclaims that she thinks she could take Wonder Woman in a fight, a notion that Stargirl scoffs at.


The New 52

Atlee debuted in the New 52 continuity in ''Starfire'' #3. She has also appeared in Harley Quinn's Rebirth series befriending Harley and helping her and Power Girl take down an alien overlord. Mostly she and Harley watched as Power Girl reluctantly agreed to go on a date with him, got mad, and pummeled him as she has in similar situations in the past. They were just deciding what to do with him, as he had been previously buried in a cocoon, when he wandered off and got hit by a truck. Atlee and Harley then decided to hit the town with a few of Harley's friends.


Powers and personality

Despite her horrific ordeal at the hands of the Dark Side Club and her earlier appearances as a serious, keeps-to-herself, quiet and polite young woman, Atlee's personality is on the opposite end of the spectrum from the original Tara. As Tara mostly hid a brooding, dark personality, Atlee's true self seems to be the one of a cheery, peppy, and nonsensical adolescent, completely innocent about surface life, and hailing from a society who apparently banished malice and human greed from their lifestyles. As a result, she takes an early veneration for Power Girl, seldom leaving her side. She also shows a deep craving for human "pop culture," a permanent fixture of the 2009 ''Power Girl'' series being Atlee comically commenting and trying to emulate fictional characters from various movies. Atlee's powers are currently limitless, while she limits herself to "harmless" feats such as growing large formations of rock with the slowness needed to avoid a geological hazard, and using floating rocks as projectiles and to levitate around, Gerard Shugel, the Ultra-Humanite, while residing in her body, was able to shift nearby
tectonic plates Plate tectonics (from the la, label=Late Latin, tectonicus, from the grc, τεκτονικός, lit=pertaining to building) is the generally accepted scientific theory that considers the Earth's lithosphere to comprise a number of large ...
with ease or cause volcanoes to erupt at his will. He surmises that Atlee has always had this amazing amount of power, but willingly chose to limit herself in fear of the damage she could cause.


Other versions


Earth-33

On Earth-33, a world of magicians, Terra is an earth mage, who appears to be one with the soil.


Future Terra

The future Terra, of the Teen Titans, is re-imagined as a resistance member, fighting for the freedom of hundreds of alien worlds. She partners with Nightrider until they are folded into a larger resistance cell.


Earth One

In '' Teen Titans: Earth One'', the first Terra re-introduced as a founding member of the Titans. Here she is a troubled, short-tempered girl with issues with her alcoholic mother with the ability to control the earth around her, and in a relationship with
Cyborg A cyborg ()—a portmanteau of ''cybernetic'' and ''organism''—is a being with both organic and biomechatronic body parts. The term was coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline.
.


Flashpoint

In the alternate timeline of the '' Flashpoint'' event, Terra joined the Amazons'
Furies The Erinyes ( ; sing. Erinys ; grc, Ἐρινύες, pl. of ), also known as the Furies, and the Eumenides, were female chthonic deities of vengeance in ancient Greek religion and mythology. A formulaic oath in the ''Iliad'' invokes the ...
, and it was through her that New Themyscira was saved from destruction when
Aquaman Aquaman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in '' More Fun Comics'' #73 (November 1941). The character is a pastiche of Namor. Initially a ...
flooded Western Europe. Later, Terra was targeted by
Siren Siren or sirens may refer to: Common meanings * Siren (alarm), a loud acoustic alarm used to alert people to emergencies * Siren (mythology), an enchanting but dangerous monster in Greek mythology Places * Siren (town), Wisconsin * Siren, Wisc ...
and
Ocean Master Ocean Master is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Bob Haney and Nick Cardy, and debuted in ''Aquaman'' #29 (September 1966). Ocean Master is the alter ego of Orm Marius, the half ...
, but their plans were foiled when
Hippolyta In Classical Greek mythology, Hippolyta, or Hippolyte (; grc-gre, Ἱππολύτη ''Hippolytē'') was a daughter of Ares and Otrera, queen of the Amazons, and a sister of Antiope and Melanippe. She wore her father Ares' ''zoster'', the Gr ...
's sister Penthesileia showed up. Terra joined them because her half-brother
Geo-Force Geo-Force (Prince Brion Markov) is a fictional superhero character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Markov is the younger Prince Twin of Markovia and the elder brother of Terra. One of the founding members of the superhero group ...
, was used by Aquaman to sink Western Europe.


Dark Multiverse

In ''Dark Multiverse: The Judas Contract'', Dick Grayson unwittingly makes things worse when he talks with Terra about his plans to retire as Robin, explaining that he feels it is important to move on from being a student to find your own way in the world. Terra's twisted psyche causes her to take that idea to its worst extreme as she turns on Slade and orders Wintergreen to subject her to the same drugs that transformed Slade into his current state, with her previously enhanced physiology allowing her to come through the process far more easily than Slade did. With her enhanced powers, Terra renames herself Gaia and destroys Titans Tower by throwing it into the space along with Starfire, Raven, Cyborg, and Wonder Girl, and subsequently attacks Dick in his room. Dick is briefly rescued by Wally, and the two call Superman for help, but Gaia's heightened powers allow her to even defeat Superman by drawing all of Earth's kryptonite to her, subsequently triggering massive earthquakes just to make it clear to the few survivors of this attack that she is now in control of Earth.


In other media


Television


''Teen Titans''

*Terra appears in ''
Teen Titans The Teen Titans are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, frequently in eponymous monthly series. As the group's name indicates, the members are teenage superheroes, many of whom have acted as sidekicks to DC ...
'', voiced by Ashley Johnson. Like many characters in the series, Terra's backstory and appearance were modified for the series. The character was portrayed as a more sympathetic and tragic heroine rather than an irredeemable
psychopathic Psychopathy, sometimes considered synonymous with sociopathy, is characterized by persistent antisocial behavior, impaired empathy and remorse, and bold, disinhibited, and egotistical traits. Different conceptions of psychopathy have been u ...
villainess. Unlike her comic book counterpart, Terra has little control over her powers, which is a source of shame for her, and ultimately leads her to betray the Titans. She met the Titans after being chased by a giant
scorpion Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the order Scorpiones. They have eight legs, and are easily recognized by a pair of grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back and always en ...
, which they helped her defeat. Beast Boy also develops a crush on her, which she is initially unaware of. However, she confides to him her problems controlling her powers, which he agrees to keep secret. Later, during an encounter with
Slade Slade are an English rock band formed in Wolverhampton in 1966. They rose to prominence during the glam rock era in the early 1970s, achieving 17 consecutive top 20 hits and six number ones on the UK Singles Chart. The ''British Hit Singles ...
, he tells Terra that he knows everything about her, including her lack of control over her powers and all of the disasters that she has caused as a result, and that this is the real reason why she is constantly on the move. Terra agrees to work for him in exchange for training to master her abilities, and eventually returns to Titans Tower as a double agent. At this point, Beast Boy confesses to Terra his infatuation with her, and the two go out. While they are away, Titans Tower is attacked by Slade's robots, which were able to infiltrate the Tower because of Terra disarming their security system. When Terra confesses to Beast Boy what she had done, Beast Boy rejects her. Now given a metallic suit with Slade's insignia on the chest, Terra vows to destroy the Titans. She appears to succeed in doing so and takes over Jump City, but begins to regret her actions. When it becomes apparent that Terra has failed to kill the Titans, Slade takes control of her and forces her to attack Beast Boy, nearly killing him. Terra is able to overcome her control and triggers a volcanic eruption that kills Slade and threatens to destroy the entire city, but sacrifices herself to stop the eruption and is turned to stone in the process. Later, after returning home from defeating the Brotherhood of Evil, Beast Boy is shocked to find a girl that looks like Terra at a local school, apparently unharmed. While she claims to have no recollection of her previous life, it is revealed that the statue Terra turned into had vanished. After failing to convince the girl to return, she ultimately tells Beast Boy to let go of the past.


''Teen Titans Go!''

*Terra appears in ''
Teen Titans Go! ''Teen Titans Go!'' is an American animated television series developed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic for Cartoon Network. It premiered on April 23, 2013 and is based on the DC Comics fictional superhero team. The series was announce ...
'', again voiced by Ashley Johnson. This version is a recurring enemy to the Teen Titans, but is friends with Raven and Starfire. Additionally, Beast Boy still has a crush on her, which she is aware of and annoyed by.


''Young Justice''

*Terra appears in ''
Young Justice Young Justice is a fictional DC Comics superhero team consisting of teenaged heroes. The team was formed in 1998 when DC's usual teen hero group, the Teen Titans, had become adults and changed their name to the Titans. Like the original ''Teen ...
'', voiced by
Tara Strong Tara Lyn Strong (née Charendoff; born February 12, 1973) is a Canadian-American actress. She is known for her voice work in animation, websites, and video games. Strong's voice roles include animated series such as '' The New Batman Adventure ...
. She was one of many teenagers who were captured by a meta-human trafficking ring and experimented on to have their powers activated. Unlike her other incarnations, she is the Princess of Markovia and has older fraternal twin brothers, Prince Brion/Geo-Force and Crown Prince Gregor who became king after his parents, King Viktor Markov and Queen Ilona DeLamb, were assassinated. During the time she was missing, she became a member of the
League of Shadows The League of Assassins (sometimes renamed the League of Shadows or Society of Shadows in adapted works) is a group of supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The group is depicted as a collective of assassins who ...
under Deathstroke and conducted assassination work for them until the titular Outsiders became a potential threat to Deathstroke and his allies. In "True Heroes", Terra allows herself to be "rescued" by the Outsiders to secretly infiltrate them and learn their weaknesses for her master Deathstroke; however, she later truly joins them in the season three finale.


Films

*Terra appears in the mid-credits of the animated film '' Justice League vs. Teen Titans''. *Terra appears in '' Teen Titans: The Judas Contract'', voiced by Christina Ricci. In this version, her origins started as a child shortly after her powers emerged. Seeing her as a
witch Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...
, the entire town turned against her because of her powers, and she would've been killed had it not been for Deathstroke's intervention. She poses as the new Titans member while secretly working as a double-agent for Slade (whom, just like in the DC comics, she also has romantic feelings towards). She acts cold and distant toward the Titans despite their welcoming attitude, but warms up to them over time and even kisses
Beast Boy Garfield Mark Logan, better known as Beast Boy, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He has also gone under the alias Changeling. Created by writer Arnold Drake and artist Bob Brown, he is a shapeshifter who po ...
. The day after her one-year anniversary party with the Titans, she and Slade capture all of them (minus Nightwing) and bring them to Brother Blood. However, due to Nightwing's absence, Slade hands Terra over to fill in his spot for the machine that Brother Blood uses to absorb the Titans' powers. When she is saved by Nightwing and awakens, she is enraged that Slade had played her all along and (apparently) kills him. Too ashamed to face her former friends/allies after betraying them, she chooses to bring down the whole fortress on herself. Beast Boy digs her up, and she dies in his arms. *Both the ''Teen Titans'' and ''Teen Titans Go!'' versions of Terra have non-speaking cameos in ''
Teen Titans Go! Vs. Teen Titans ''Teen Titans Go! vs. Teen Titans'' is a direct-to-video animated superhero film, and a crossover between the television series ''Teen Titans Go!'' and the original ''Teen Titans'', both of which are adapted from the DC Comics superhero team of ...
''.


Video games

*Terra is an unlockable playable character in ''
Teen Titans The Teen Titans are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, frequently in eponymous monthly series. As the group's name indicates, the members are teenage superheroes, many of whom have acted as sidekicks to DC ...
'', voiced again by Ashley Johnson. She is unlocked for the "Master of Games" multiplayer mode after the player completes the "Dock Duel" level. *Terra is a playable character via downloadable content in '' LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham'' in the Heroines and Villainesses Pack, alongside Batwoman,
Killer Frost Killer Frost is a name used by several female supervillains and superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics: Crystal Frost, Louise Lincoln, and Caitlin Snow. Each different individual in the DC Universe assuming the Killer Frost ...
, Mera,
Power Girl Power Girl, also known as Kara Zor-L and Karen Starr, is a superheroine appearing in American comic books by DC Comics, making her first appearance in ''All Star Comics'' #58 (January/February 1976). Power Girl is the cousin of the superhero Supe ...
, Plastique, The Spoiler, Raven, Starfire, and
Vixen Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...
. In the game, her own unique Earth-based abilities enable her to fly over a rock board (a trait which was used in the comics), shoot rock beams, break through cracked LEGO walls, dig and sink into swamp pools. *The ''Teen Titans Go!'' incarnation of Terra is also present in '' Lego Dimensions'', with Ashley Johnson reprising her role once again. The player assists her in a sidequest to retrieve a flash drive in Titans Tower, but battles her after discovering that the flash drive contains secret files of the Titans. After her defeat, she is crushed by falling trash from the ceiling and surrenders. *In ''
Injustice 2 ''Injustice 2'' is a 2017 fighting video game it is the sequel to 2013's '' Injustice: Gods Among Us'' and is the second installment in the ''Injustice'' franchise based upon the DC Universe. It is developed by NetherRealm Studios and publishe ...
'', Tara Markov is mentioned in the Multiverse scenario "Tremor" in which Deathstroke uses her to terraform the Earth causing sudden Earthquakes on every continent which is represented in battle by the "Terraforming" active modifier which causes earthquakes that briefly stun the combatants on the ground during a match. *In the ''
DC Universe Online ''DC Universe Online'' (''DCUO'') is a free-to-play action combat massively multiplayer online game set in the fictional universe of DC Comics. Developed by Dimensional Ink Games and co-published by Daybreak Game Company and WB Games, the game w ...
'' episode "Teen Titans: The Judas Contract", Terra is the final boss of the "Titans: H.I.V.E. Reborn" raid. Upon defeat, she loses control of her powers and is buried beneath a volcanic eruption. *Terra appears as a playable character in ''
Lego DC Super-Villains ''Lego DC Super-Villains'' is a Lego-themed action-adventure platform video game developed by Traveller's Tales. The fourth installment in the '' Lego Batman'' series of games, it is a spin-off that focuses entirely on villains of the DC Univers ...
''. While she does not have any speaking lines, her vocal effects were provided by
Laura Bailey Laura Bailey is an American voice actress. She made her anime debut as Kid Trunks in the Funimation dub of ''Dragon Ball Z''. Her other anime credits include Emily / Glitter Lucky in ''Glitter Force'', Tohru Honda in ''Fruits Basket'', Lust in ...
.


Miscellaneous

*Terra makes a few appearances in ''Teen Titans Go!'', a comic book series set in the same universe as the ''Teen Titans'' animated series. She appeared in issue #11 ("Countdown"), #12 ("Magic & Misdirection") and #51 ("Metamorphosis"). Issue #51 is set after the series finale of the animated series. Terra's brother, Geo-Force, arrives at Titans Tower and relates Terra's origin: she was the princess of Markovia and, along with her brother, was experimented on by sinister interests within the royal court, which gave them both earth-based superpowers. Feeling exploited, Terra ran away, leading to the events of the animated series. At the end of the story, Geo-Force and Beast Boy consider visiting Terra at her school, but decide to leave her be, as she is the happiest she has ever been.


References


External links

* * *
Unofficial Terra I biography

Unofficial Terra II biography

Unofficial Terra III biography

Terra (''Teen Titans'' animated series) biography
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