Terra is the name used by multiple characters appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first Terra, Tara Markov, joins the Teen Titans as a double agent for Deathstroke. Markov was created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, and debuted in New Teen Titans #26 (December 1982). The second Terra, a more heroic doppelgänger of Tara Markov, debuted in New Titans #79 (September 1991) and was created by Marv Wolfman and Tom Grummett. The third Terra, Atlee, debuted in Supergirl (vol. 5) #12 (January 2007) and was created by Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray, and Amanda Conner. The Tara Markov incarnation of Terra has appeared in multiple television series and movies, including Teen Titans (2003) and its spin-off media, voiced by Ashley Johnson; Teen Titans: The Judas Contract, voiced by Christina Ricci; and Young Justice, voiced by Tara Strong.
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:
I wanted her to be cute but not beautiful. She looked like a young girl. I gave her a substantial overbite, her eyes were wide, her body was slim, she wasn't particularly busty. I wanted her to look almost elven, so that when you see her for the first time wearing full-make up and dressed in a provocative outfit where you know she's just been in bed with Deathstroke that it does jab you a bit. "Whoa, good God! This little girl is a slut!" 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 superhero with plenty of emphasis on heroism. Everything she does is to help other people and in the service of life." The four-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 vol. 3 #52–54 as part of "The Titans of Tomorrow...Today!" storyline and in the first issue of the Terror Titans 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 series.
Fictional character biography
Tara Markov Tara Markov, half-sister of Brion Markov (Geo-Force), is the illegitimate daughter of the King of Markovia. While in Markovia, she comes under the care of Helga Jace and, through her experiments, Terra gains the ability to control all forms of earthen matter. After obtaining these powers, her father requested that she leave Markovia for the United States to prevent the scandal of the king having an illegitimate daughter from becoming public. Unlike her more heroic brother, Geo-Force, Terra has deep-rooted psychological issues including malignant narcissism, believing that, with their powers, they should rule Earth rather than help the weaker masses. As a result of this belief, Terra becomes a hitwoman, doing dirty work for others. A notable client is Deathstroke, who she met when she was fifteen and with whom she had a relationship. In the 1984 storyline "The Judas Contract", Terra joins the Teen Titans as a spy for Deathstroke, giving him the information he needs to capture the Titans. Deathstroke's son Joseph Wilson (Jericho) and Nightwing raid the H.I.V.E. stronghold where the Titans are being held in an attempt to rescue them, but are captured. When presented to Deathstroke, Jericho possesses his father and frees the Titans. Not knowing of Jericho's powers, Terra believes Deathstroke to have turned against her and goes berserk. When the misunderstanding is cleared, she is still furious at Deathstroke for going "soft" with love for his son. While attempting to kill the Titans, Terra destroys the H.I.V.E. complex and is killed when it collapses.
Blackest Night In the 2009 event Blackest Night, Terra's corpse is reanimated as a Black Lantern and seduces Beast Boy using an illusion cast by Lilith Clay to mask her decayed appearance. When Hawk (Holly Granger) attempts to take the heart of her former partner Dawn Granger (Dove), Dawn radiates a white energy that destroys Holly's body. Dawn turns the light on the other Black Lanterns, destroying all but Hank Hall, Tempest, and Terra, who 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 is revealed to be a ruse, a way of getting Geo-Force to display the strongest emotions possible. After a mostly one-sided battle, Geo-Force petrifies Terra's body while Halo destroys her power ring.
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