Warning! Spoilers ahead for Titans #12!The Titans have sadly wasted a hero who could have been the team’s best new member. To get rid of the super-team once and for all, Waller dispatched a powerful killing machine. Unfortunately, this villain is robbed of a potential redemption arc before they truly had a chance to shine.

In Titans #12 by Tom Taylor and Lucas Meyer, the team is under attack by Vanadia, a Titans fangirl who has been transformed into a cyborg and sent to destroy the Titans. Cyborg realizes that someone installed a filter to make Vanadia see the Titans as enemies, so the team restrains Vanadia so Victor can remove it.

Vanadia comes to her senses and apologizes to her heroes. Unfortunately, Raven (or rather, her dark side), arrives and shatters Vanadia into several pieces. Donna Troy picks up Vanadia’s head and assures her biggest fan that Vanadia saved the Titans.

Raven Just Killed the Titans’ Coolest Potential Member

Vanadia was once a young woman named Vanessa who wanted nothing more than to be a Titan. In the hopes of becoming superhuman, Vanessa signed up for a project led by Dr. T.O. Morrow to alter her physically. The project was a success, but unfortunately, Vanessa’s heart gave out and she died. However, Morrow saved her brain and had it placed in the body of an android that could mimic the powers of the Titans. Rechristened Vanadia, the young woman was made to believe that the Titans had been replaced by impostors and sent to Titans Tower to defeat them.

Vanadia’s role in Titans is pretty short-lived. She’s introduced, her background is shown, she fights the Titans, and is killed. It’s unfortunate because what little is shown of her makes for a compelling character. Vanessa was a huge Titans fangirl who did everything she could to be just like her heroes only to wind up being turned into a weapon against them. That’s an incredible storytelling opportunity that ends before it’s ever explored. There could have been a storyline that explored the fallout of Vanessa’s attack, but instead, a hero who could have made for an interesting Titan was killed.

Could the Titans Bring Vanadia Back?

Things aren’t looking too good for a Vanadia revival since her internal system read ‘critical failure’ before she died. While stranger things have happened, it seems unlikely at the moment. It’s a real shame because the Titans haven’t made much of an effort to expand their roster. Vanadia had just been introduced and just as readers were getting to know her, she was taken off the table. Hopefully, there is a way to bring her back so that Titans can follow up on Vanessa’s storyline. Otherwise, it’s a real waste to simply toss a good potential Titan out like that.

Titans #12 is available now from DC Comics.