Donna Troy is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She is the original Wonder Girl, and later temporarily adopts another alias, Troia. Created by Bob Haney and Bruno Premiani, she first appeared in The Brave and the Bold #60 (July 1965) as Wonder Woman's younger sister and protégée, joining the Teen Titans during their second adventure. Donna has been commonly featured in stories involving the Titans, initially a group of superhero sidekicks which included Robin (Dick Grayson), Kid Flash (Wally West), and Aqualad (Garth), and is typically depicted as a founding member of the team.
Donna has appeared in numerous cartoon television shows and films. She made her live adaptation debut in the DC Universe/HBO Max series Titans, played by Conor Leslie.
Fictional character biography Introduction
In May 1947's Wonder Woman #23 written by William Moulton Marston and illustrated by Harry G. Peter, the titular heroine (also known as Diana) is shown in flashback having adventures as a little girl. Twelve years later in April 1959's Wonder Woman #105, writer Robert Kanigher reprised the formula, this time featuring a flashback tale of Wonder Woman when she was a teen. Playfully dubbed "Wonder Girl" by another character, this teenaged version would return several times in flashback stories over the next several years, paralleling similar exploits of Superboy, the teen persona of DC Comics' flagship hero Superman. After the shake-up in the comics industry caused by Fredric Wertham's Seduction of the Innocent, DC Comics sought to make the adventures of Wonder Woman appear more wholesome and family-friendly. The result was August 1961's Wonder Woman #124 (also by Kanigher and Andru), which kicked off a series of out-of-continuity "Impossible Tales" in which Wonder Woman appeared alongside the teen "Wonder Girl" version of herself, as well as a toddler version called "Wonder Tot", and her mother Queen Hippolyta, creating a "Wonder Family".
The "Impossible Tale" label was dropped as of Wonder Woman #150 (November 1964), though Wonder Girl continued as a regular fixture in the publication through #155 (July 1965), both side by side with Wonder Woman as well as in her own solo stories. During this five-issue period, Wonder Girl is no longer referred to as an "impossible" younger variant of Wonder Woman. Though Wonder Girl and Wonder Woman do not directly call one another "sister" in these issues, Hippolyta does refer to them as her daughters, and all three repeatedly identify themselves as a family. Additionally, Wonder Girl is temporarily promoted to the book's headliner, receiving three full-length solo stories, including top-billing with her own logo predominating Wonder Woman's on the covers of issues #152 and #153. In July 1965, Wonder Girl concluded her regular presence in the Wonder Woman comic book with issue #155, while simultaneously appearing as a member of the newly-formed Teen Titans in The Brave and the Bold #60, written by Bob Haney and illustrated by Bruno Premiani.
The Teen Titans began as a "junior Justice League" consisting of Robin (Dick Grayson), Kid Flash (Wally West), and Aqualad (Garth), the sidekicks of Batman, the Flash, and Aquaman respectively. Wonder Girl would establish herself as a central character in Teen Titans stories, continuing to appear with the team in December 1965's Showcase #59, and in their spinoff into the first volume of the monthly Teen Titans comic in January 1966. However, no narrative information regarding Wonder Girl's precise identity was depicted until July 1969's Teen Titans #22, in which Wonder Girl is unequivocally identified as Wonder Woman's younger sister, a discrete character with her own identity who adopts the alias Donna Troy. It is established that Donna had been rescued from an apartment fire as an infant by Wonder Woman. Unable to find the baby's birth family, Wonder Woman brings her to Paradise Island to be raised by her mother Hippolyta, eventually enlisting the Amazon scientist Paula von Gunther (herself an expatriate from "Man's World") to use advanced technology to grant the girl powers like Wonder Woman's.
Donna remains with the Teen Titans until the series' cancellation with issue #43 in February 1973. She is still part of the team when the comic picks up again with #44 in November 1976. Teen Titans is canceled again in February 1978 with issue #53, with Donna and the others, no longer teens, going their separate ways.
1980s revival Marv Wolfman and George Pérez revived the series yet again in 1980 as The New Teen Titans, with original members Wonder Girl, Robin, and Kid Flash joined by new heroes Raven, Starfire, Cyborg, and Beast Boy / Changeling. Donna is romantically involved with much older professor Terry Long, but along the way is put under the romantic spell of Hyperion, one of the Titans of Myth.The New Teen Titans #11 (September 1981)
Donna's origin is expanded in the January 1984 tale, "Who is Donna Troy?"The New Teen Titans #38 (January 1984) Robin investigates the events surrounding the long ago fire after finding Donna's doll in a box from a coal bin. He learns that Donna's birth mother was Dorothy Hinckley, a dying unwed teen who had placed her for adoption. After Donna's adoptive father Carl Stacey had been killed in a work-related accident, her adoptive mother Fay Stacey was forced to place her for adoption again, unable to raise the toddler because of mounting expenses. However, Donna became victim to a child-selling racket, which ended with the racketeers' deaths in a furnace explosion and the fire. With Robin's help, Donna is reunited with Fay, who had married Hank Evans and given birth to two additional children, Cindy and Jerry. Donna marries Terry Long in Tales of the Teen Titans #50 (February 1985).
Post-Crisis Crisis on Infinite Earths (1985–1986) rewrote the history of many DC Comics characters; Wonder Woman's own pre-Crisis history was written out of existence, and the character was reintroduced in Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #1 (February 1987) as a new arrival from Themyscira (formerly known as Paradise Island). With the character of Donna tied predominantly to the Titans, her origin was retconned to fit into the new continuity created by Wonder Woman's relaunch, one severing her direct ties to the Amazons. In the storyline "Who is Wonder Girl?" featured in The New Titans #50–54 (December 1988–March 1989), the Titans of Myth enlist Donna's aid against the murderous Sparta of Synriannaq. It is revealed that the Titan Rhea had rescued a young Donna from a fire; Donna and Sparta were one of 12 orphans who had been raised on New Cronus by the Titans as "Titan Seeds", their eventual saviors.
The Seeds had been given superhuman powers, and named after ancient Greek cities. Called "Troy", Donna (like the others) had eventually been stripped of her memories of her time with the Titans of Myth, and reintroduced into humankind to await her destiny; Sparta had retained her memories, and the knowledge had eventually driven her mad. Killing her fellow Seeds to "collect" their powers and destroy the Titans of Myth, Sparta is ultimately defeated by Donna and the only other Seed left alive, Athyns of Karakkan. In The New Titans #55 (June 1989), Donna changes her identity from Wonder Girl to Troia and adopts a new hairstyle and costume incorporating mystical gifts from the Titans of Myth.
Lord Chaos During the "Titans Hunt" storyline, Donna discovers she is pregnant; in The New Titans Annual #7 (1991), a group calling themselves the Team Titans appears, intent on killing her. They come from a future in which Donna's son is born with the full powers of a god and full awareness of them, which drives him mad. He instantly ages himself, kills his mother, and becomes a dictator known as Lord Chaos. The Team Titans travel back to the past to kill Donna before her son can be born. Donna eventually gives birth to Robert; to prevent him from becoming Lord Chaos, she sacrifices her powers and becomes a normal human.The New Titans #89–92 (August–November 1992). DC Comics.
Eventually, Donna rethinks her decision and asks the Titans of Myth to grant her powers again; her request is rejected. She then joins the Darkstars. During the Zero Hour crisis, her farm in New Jersey is destroyed and all the Team Titans are wiped out of existence except for Terra and Mirage. Her marriage in ruins, Donna loses custody of her son to her now ex-husband Terry.The New Titans Annual #11 (1995).DC Comics. Donna rejoins the New Titans for a time, with her Darkstar suit giving her the ability to aid them. She dates Kyle Rayner for a while and retires from the Darkstars, leaving her powerless. Donna and Kyle break up immediately following the death of her son, stepdaughter and ex-husband in a car accident.Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #121. DC Comics.
Magical duplicate Her post-Crisis origin was updated in the late 1990s. This version had it that she was originally created by the Amazon sorceress Magala as a magical duplicate of the young Princess Diana of Themyscira (a nod to the original Wonder Girl) to be a playmate for Diana, who was previously the only child on the island. However, Donna was soon kidnapped by the Dark Angel (a World War II villainess and sworn enemy of Queen Hippolyta, Diana's mother), who thought the girl was Diana.Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #131–135
Dark Angel cursed Donna to live endless variants of a life characterized by suffering, with her life being restarted and erased from the world's memory when Donna was at her lowest. Even Donna would forget her past lives until the moment at which Dark Angel would arrive to restart her life, at which point she would immediately recall all of her past suffering. With the help of Wonder Woman, Hippolyta, and the third Flash (her former Titans teammate, Wally West), the only people who remembered the previous version, Donna was restored. Somehow, she also regained her powers, presumably because that was how Wally remembered her. Initially, she was concerned that she was not the "same" Donna, but an idealized form based on Wally's memories. She has since accepted that this is not the case.Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #136
Shortly afterwards, the Titans gathered together to save their friend Cyborg. They came into conflict with the JLA, but they saved their friend. During this incident Donna was seemingly reunited with her son via virtual reality, but with the aid of Nightwing, realized it was not real.JLA/Titans #1–3 After that, the original five Teen Titans, including Troia, decided to reform the team.Titans #1 A subsequent battle with Dark Angel suggested her constant rewriting of Donna's history involved Hypertime.Titans #23–25 It is not clear how this ties in with later revelations.
Realizing that Donna was created from a portion of Diana's soul, Queen Hippolyta accepted Donna as a blood-related daughter and held a coronation on Themyscira to formally introduce Donna as the second princess of Paradise Island.Wonder Woman Secret Files #3 This aspect brought Donna more in-line with her Pre-Crisis Themyscirian origins. After her coronation, Donna and Diana's bond as sisters grew stronger. The two Amazons shared a high end apartment in New York CityWonder Woman (vol. 2) #170 and Donna became more active in life on Themyscira. While the Amazons of Bana-Mighdall saw Diana as an official moderator between the Themyscirian Amazons and themselves, Donna made strides in becoming an accepted member of both tribes in their eyes.Wonder Woman Secret Files #3 and Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #168–169 While aiding the Amazons, Donna also came into contact with the villain Angle Man who immediately became enamored with her. After their awkward yet flirtatious first meeting, a seriously wounded Angle Man later teleported himself to Donna seeking her help after being attacked by The Cheetah.Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #180–187