Terra
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Real Identity: Tara Markov
Affiliation(s): Teen Titans and Slade
Appearances: Terra, Titan Rising, Winner Takes All, Betrayal, Aftershock Part One, Part Two, and Things Change
Powers/Skills: Terrakinesis
Voiced By: Ashley Johnson
Tara Markov was orphaned at a young age and left to survive on her own in the United States of America. Alone and bitter, Markov travelled across the nation and manifested geomorphic capacities. She could control the earth and even flying islands. In time, she could even generate earthquakes, avalanches, and summon molten lava. However, Markov lacked control of her power, suffered from social disorders, was mentally unstable, and lost her moral compass of right and wrong. Her time was spent anywhere the wind took her, from Gotham City on the east coast to the west near Jump City. Markov's favorite places to stay were travelling circus, perhaps because of a kindred connection and a lack of a permanent home. But her exploits soon caught the attention of the super villain, Slade.
While in the outskirts of Jump City, Markov met the Teen Titans after tricking a giant scorpion into submission. They welcomed her into their fold and pleaded with her to stay with them at the Titans Tower. However, Robin and Raven were skeptical of her presence and decided to would be best to test her abilities with a training simulation. Meanwhile, Markov displayed the astonishing skill to eat Starfire's Tamaranian dishes and even thought Beast Boy was funny. Beast Boy was instantly in love with her. After beating Cyborg's record on the simulation, 1 minute 56 seconds versus 2 minutes and 17 seconds, Robin recognized she was impressive but needed more training with her powers. Markov was unaware of how apparent her lack of control was and confided in Beast Boy to keep it a secret. Slade put his plan into motion and began a series of manipulations that would secure Markov as his apprentice. When the Teen Titans investigating a diamond mine break-in, Slade appeared and offered his services to her. Now codenamed Terra, she began to lose control of her power and cause a cave-in.
Beast Boy rescued her from herself. However, back at the Tower, Robin revealed his insight to Terra. Angry and mistaken that Beast Boy told her secret, she ran off and accepted Slade's offer. After training Terra, Slade instructed her to return to the Titans and join the team permanently. While with the team, Terra would compile a complete analysis of each member and report back to Slade. Slade expedited the process by unleashing several mechanical worms on the Titans Tower. With even Raven's trust gained, Terra was accepted and provided her own room in the Tower and a personal Titans Communicator. In secret, Terra sent email bursts to Slade detailing the inner most secrets and weaknesses of the Titans and their Tower. Along the way, she took place in missions against villains like the Master of Games and the Amazing Mumbo. Her final task was to deactivate security but she felt pity for Beast Boy and took him away for a night of fun. When Slade revealed the betrayal in a House of Mirrors attraction, Beast Boy escaped heartbroken. After letting paranoia and self-doubt accumulate, Slade sent Terra to destroy the Titans.
Armed with a sophisticated neural interface, Terra was mentally linked with Slade and attacked each Titan one by one. To draw them apart, Terra freed Plasmus, Overload, and Cinderblock from prison. With the Titans hiding underground, Slade's forces marched across Jump City. Terra's unstable mind began to unravel as the Titans found her 800 meters underground. Terra felt powerless to resist Slade but Beast Boy continued to reason with her. After a volcano was triggered to destroy the city, Terra stayed behind and used her power to its maximum to stop it. Slade was killed upon being burned alive in the rising lava. From the psychological and physical stress, Terra was frozen in stone. The Titans vowed to find a way to reverse the effect someday. They visited her often and kept her room in the Titans Tower for that day. None of Raven's spells not any of Cyborg's chemical analysis could yield a cure.
While the Teen Titans were away fighting the Brotherhood of Evil, Terra was restored to normal whether it was by her own accord, nature, or outside influence. She retook her civilian identity and enrolled in a local private high school, Murakami School. Markov concluded she was never meant to be a hero and tried to move on with a normal life. Things seemed that way, until Beast Boy sighted her. He tried to remind her about the past but she refused to acknowledge it or that she had any powers. After Beast Boy encountered a Slade robot with intentions of convincing him to give up on her and the Titans' repeated messages for help against a mysterious beast, he accepted her choice and left. Whether or not she had a connection to the albino elemental monster is up to speculation. One thing was for sure, Markov was no longer a lost soul, she found what she had been searching for for so long.