Terra

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

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.

In Their Own Story

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.

Reader's Guide

In September 2011, The New 52 rebooted DC's continuity. In this new timeline, Terra is re-established as a member of Caitlin Fairchild's Ravagers. The team also includes Beast Boy, Thunder and Lightning, and a new character: Ridge. Terra and Beast Boy develop a strong bond while imprisoned in the Colony, a prison run by the villain Harvest where he experiments on and tortures superpowered teenagers. After escaping the Colony, Terra and Beast Boy are separated from the other Ravagers and hide in a cave. Brother Blood forces Beast Boy to experience dreams of his teammates in danger and covered with blood in an attempt to access the Red, a mystical force that connects all animal life. Due to his connection with the Red, Beast Boy is the only one able to sense the evil intents of Brother Blood and therefore the key Blood was looking for. After sensing his presence, Terra is convinced to help rescue the remaining Ravagers, who were captured by Blood to be used as a sacrifice.

Did You Know?

• Tara Markov debuted in New Teen Titans #26 (December 1982), created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez.
• Co-creator Pérez stated they knew 'from the very start, that this girl was going to be a traitor and that we were going to kill this character off.'
• Terra met Deathstroke when she was fifteen and had a relationship with him.
• In Blackest Night, Terra's corpse was reanimated as a Black Lantern and used an illusion cast by Lilith Clay to seduce Beast Boy.
• The third Terra, Atlee, debuted in Supergirl (vol. 5) #12 (January 2007) and was created by Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray, and Amanda Conner.