Warning! Contains spoilers for Titans #11!

The Titans manage to inspire tons of people every day, living up to the ideal superhero job of being a role model. Unfortunately, their next big villain was only created due to being inspired by the Titans. While she wanted nothing more than to be a hero, Vanessa ended up becoming a monster.

In a preview for Titans #11 by Tom Taylor and Lucas Meyer, the tragic backstory of the Titans’ next big villain, Vanadia, is revealed. The young Vanessa spent hours watching the Teen Titans on the news. She was deeply inspired to follow in their footsteps. All she wanted was to be a hero, and she worked hard to make that happen.

Vanessa went to every physical class she could attend. She became an expert in marathon running, MMA fighting, and weight lifting. While she was certainly fit and skilled enough to fight crime, she wasn’t quite yet a superhero, which is when she signed up for a project at STAR Labs.

The Titans’ New Villain Vanadia Wanted to Be a Hero – And Was Corrupted

Panels from Titans #10 by Taylor, Meyer, Adriano Lucas, and Wes Abbott

Vanessa hoped that the STAR Labs experiment would be what gave her superpowers. This would allow her to finally become a hero like Starfire or Donna Troy, whom Vanessa deeply looked up to. But this wasn’t the case. While Vanessa did get superpowers, her body was also destroyed, and as seen in Titans #10, she seems now to be little more than an android that Amanda Waller controls. It’s a heartbreaking backstory, that Vanessa was transformed into the Titans’ biggest threat as Vanadia.

Amanda Waller seems to be the mastermind behind Vanessa’s transformation, and it’s no surprise. Waller is all about control, and she absolutely despises super-powered beings. The STAR Labs experiment was likely meant to simply lure someone in who Waller could experiment on. The idea of Vanadia, someone with all the powers of the Titans, is shockingly similar to the Amazo Justice League that Waller will control during the upcoming Absolute Power event. Taking someone who was inspired by heroes and corrupting them into her own use is perfectly in line with Wallers’ methods.

Once the Titans’ Biggest Fan, Vanadia Is Now Their Biggest Threat

Character Design Cover by Lucas Meyer

While it’s true that heroes should inspire people to be better, this can sometimes have disastrous effects. Vanessa’s heart was in the right place, and she truly did want to save lives and be a member of the Titans. But the world is a far more complicated place than that, and Vanessa’s single-minded desire leads her to a place where she was unwillingly transformed into a villain. The most heartbreaking aspect of this backstory, though, is the fact the Titans will now fight her without ever knowing that Vanessa truly was their biggest fan.

Titans #11 is available May 21st from DC Comics.