These days, if you're a major superhero and don't have a team of protégés or an extended "family," you're practically behind the times. Superman has the Superman Family. Batman has the Bat-Family. The Flash has the Flash Family. Wonder Woman has the Wonder Family.
They travel in packs now. If you don't know your heroes well, you might not even recognize half the people in their orbit. Even Green Arrow—who built his career on a Batman-inspired playbook—ended up forming the "Arrow Family," complete with sidekicks like Speedy, Red Arrow, and Arsenal.
Donna Troy is one of the most famous members of Wonder Woman's extended family—second only to Diana herself. Her origin story, however, is so tangled it could fill a whole book, rewritten over and over thanks to DC's endless parade of reboots—Crisis events, reimaginings, soft resets, hard resets—you name it. The details keep shifting, and tracking her exact history is like trying to hold water in your hands. Before Jack Kadere ran into her, he couldn't have guessed which version of her backstory she was living out.
As the saying goes: the more famous you are, the more complicated things get.
Jack held Kate in his arms, resting his chin on her shoulder while watching the battle in the distance between the woman who could only be Donna Troy and the God of War, Ares.
One of Donna's most well-known origins tells of a sorceress on Themyscira who created her using a magic mirror to copy Diana herself. This "twin" possessed her own independent will and personality. In that version, she was abducted as a child by a dark entity who mistook her for Diana, setting her on a cycle of hardship and tragedy. Years later, Diana, Queen Hippolyta, and the Flash managed to rescue her.
Possessing most of Diana's powers, Donna eventually took the name "Wonder Girl" and wore gear nearly identical to Wonder Woman's. She became a protégé of the Justice League and a founding member of the Teen Titans—the team of young heroes and sidekicks that included the first Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad, and Speedy. She even served as Wonder Woman herself for a time when Diana stepped away from the role.
In later years, as the League's roster evolved, Dick Grayson—by then operating as Nightwing—invited her to join the Justice League's ranks. Donna proved her worth by defeating Prometheus, a villain dangerous enough to take down the entire Arrow Family single-handedly.
Still… as far as "copies" go, some live up to the legacy better than others.
Back in the present, Kate clearly wasn't paying attention to the battle outside. Without Diana's divine senses, she couldn't see the distant flames or hear the ringing of metal. Her focus was entirely on Jack behind her. A small movement from her hand sent a shiver up Jack's spine—his own enhanced senses making every touch feel amplified.
In the distance, fire consumed the night.
Ares extended one hand and snapped his fingers. The ground trembled violently, and something massive erupted upward—slabs of earth and metal tearing free as if the ground itself were his weapon. Donna darted aside with Amazonian speed, but the gap in power between them was clear. Within moments, she stumbled, and a heavy metal plate slammed down from nowhere, pinning her to the ground.
"You are of Themyscira," Ares said in a deep, resonant voice, eyes flashing with malice. "But you are not Diana. Who are you?"
"Donna Troy," she growled through clenched teeth, straining against the metal. "And I'm the one who will defeat you."
She pushed with all her strength, but the plate didn't budge.
Ares tilted his head. "You are not my sister… then you are nothing to me."
With a wave of his hand, a wrecked car from the burning streets behind him tore free from the asphalt and hurtled toward her like a missile.
Donna closed her eyes, bracing for the impact—
CRASH!
—but instead of pain, there was only the heat of flames nearby.
She opened her eyes. A tall, armored woman stood before her, braced behind a circular shield. The armor was distinctly Amazonian—elegant but built for war—and her presence radiated authority.
"Are you… Diana?" Donna asked, stunned.
Without answering directly, Diana bent down and slammed her shield against the metal plate trapping Donna.
BANG!
The restraint shattered into fragments. Donna rolled to her feet, retrieving her silver lasso.
"What's your name?" Diana asked quickly, eyes locked on Ares even as she spoke.
"Donna Troy," she replied firmly. "Queen Hippolyta herself sent me to kill Ares."
Diana froze for half a heartbeat, her jaw tightening. Hippolyta had sent her? That meant Jack's earlier suspicions about her mother's plans might be correct.
Her gaze shifted back to Ares, her expression now deadly serious. The God of War smiled faintly, clearly relishing the confrontation to come.
"Ares, I will defeat you," she declared in a steady voice. "I'll restore peace and kindness to humanity—so the crisis that could destroy the gods will never be born."
Ares glanced between Diana, with her shield raised, and Donna, gripping a silver lasso. A slow, cold smile curved across his face.
"War comes from humanity's own choices," he said. "I only whisper to them, inspire them to forge stronger weapons… but I never make them use them."
"They choose war themselves. Humanity destroyed the Earth's peace and beauty. Join me, sister—let us reclaim the world from them and restore it to what it was meant to be." He extended a hand toward her, his tone almost gentle.
"You will not succeed," Diana said, shaking her head.
Ares chuckled, his laughter growing darker. "Just you two?"
"Exactly!" Donna shot back, hurling her silver lasso toward him. Diana, as if reading her mind, charged forward with her shield raised.
Snap!
The Truth Lasso coiled tightly around Ares's arm just as Diana reached striking distance.
But Ares only sneered. He stomped the ground with crushing force—sending Diana flying backward in an instant. At the same time, he yanked the lasso and flung it aside.
Bang!
Donna was jerked off her feet, colliding mid-air with Diana. Both hit the ground hard, grunting in pain before scrambling up to try again.
It didn't matter.
The old god's strength was overwhelming. One moment Diana was sent hurtling away, the next Donna, then both together—again and again.
It was pure domination.
"So intense…" Jack Kadere murmured from his vantage point, watching with a shiver of excitement.
Without sparing a glance at Kate, who lay slumped and battered near the window, he grabbed a shirt, slipped it on, and vaulted out into the fray.