Young Justice: Outsiders could use Tara to integrate a classic tale: The Judas Contrac. Don’t worry, we have a Terrafic synopsis for you.
Warning: Spoilers ahead for those who have not watched Young Justice: Outsiders‘ midseason finale.
We’re four days into the Young Justice: Outsiders midseason break, and we aren’t adjusting well to the lack of Outsiders content. Yes, we survived five years without the Young Justice animated series after it was canceled by Cartoon Network, but we’re beginning to remember that same pain again.
We haven’t even endured our first Friday without any Outsiders episodes, and we’re already finetuning our fan theories, and we aren’t alone. Everyone has a theory from how the series could be moving toward the iconic battle between Trigon and Darkseid or the theory that Dr. Jace will follow her archetypal role as an evil scientist.
Theories aside, we already know that the series will introduce at least one classic DC Comics tale, specifically the tale of Tara (or Terra) and her betrayal. Terra and The Judas Contract are heavily intertwined, so let’s dissect how the series might incorporate The Judas Contract storyline and how that might affect a certain Markov.
The midseason finale left us with a familiar theme in Tara Markov’s storyline, namely her proclivity for two-timing. We’re specifically talking about how she immediately contacted Deathstroke after the team saved her from the meta-human fight club and concurrent auctions. Granted, we all know her rescue was a trap for her to get closer to the Outsiders.
Tara has set similar hoaxes to get cozy with other teams of heroes. In the animated Teen Titans animated series and the Tales of the Teen Titans comics, she concocted lies to earn the Titans’ trust and to become a full-time member of the team. Working as a double-agent with a less than heroic mission, she gained intel and led the Teen Titans to a trap orchestrated by Slade Wilson.
Although Young Justice season 3 doesn’t revolve around the Titans, Tara Markov’s transition to her villainous Terra alias will play a critical role in the series, regardless of whether or not her villainous arc is temporary, permanent, or ends in her ultimate demise.
How the Young Justice’s version of Tara could change
Young Justice has already altered Tara’s origin story a bit. Unlike her original comic incarnation, who was exiled from Markovia because her dad didn’t want the public to know he had an affair (and Tara was that product of that affair), Tara Markov is a welcomed member of the Markovian royal family. Though, we should probably specify that she was welcomed in the Markov royal family, seeing as Markovia still has a ban on meta-humans.
Based on the animated versions of the Outsiders team members, the series has clearly changed some aspects certain characters’ origin stories, especially with the Markov family. Even in her short time on Young Justice, we already know that Tara Markov wasn’t ostracized and orphaned by her parents because of her powers.
The Young Justice: Outsiders changes to Tara’s character offer a supplementary backstory to the original Tara Markov’s meta-human origin story. While her related comics explain that the Markovs are a family of meta-human, she wasn’t able to activate her meta-human gene until Dr. Jace helped her. However, the comics were a bit vague on how Dr. Jace activated her gene, so season 3 helps clarify any gaps in how she got her geokinesis abilities. It’s an extension of her story. Though the series changed a bit of her comic book transition to villainy, Tara isn’t unlike her comic book counterpart.
Tara hasn’t tested her Terraific moniker yet, but the midseason finale foreshadows her canonical betrayal of another heroic team. See, Terra has a history of working with Deathstroke the Terminator in an attempt to kill the Teen Titans. Despite her pseudo-death-defying mythos centered around the contract and Titans-riddled mythos, the series could use Terra’s undercover deception to slowly build up the Teen Titans. This could set up another season based around the Titans entirely.
Conversely, the series could just swap the Teen Titans with the Outsiders. That might seem like an obvious creative decision, seeing as this season is about the Outsiders team. However, this season could use Tara’s association with The Judas Contract as a subplot to officially bringing in the Teen Titans team in an impending season.
Whether or not the series could use this as a way to change aspects of Tara’s lore, she is still collaborating with Deathstroke with something. While the series could change her motive to infiltrate the Outsiders entirely, it seems like her antagonistic subplot points to The Judas Contract.
The infamous contract
To summarize, The Judas Contract started when Deathstroke agreed to take on his son’s unfinished contract to kill the Teen Titans. Slade Wilson recruited Tara Markov, codename Terra, to pose as a good guy to join the Titans and gather intel and ultimately lure them to their deaths. However, it just ended with Terra dying, and inherent trust issues for the Titans.
Although Young Justice could suddenly choose to debut The Judas Contract without Tara or vice versa, both the contract and Terra are interdependent of each other. Beyond relying on one another, The Judas Contract also creates necessary character development and overall changes for the Teen Titans. While the Young Justice series doesn’t focus on the Titans, it could use the contract (and obviously Tara) as a way to announce that the Outsiders are officially a team.
In the comic iteration, the contract helped convince the Teen Titans to become a permanent team. Since the Outsiders haven’t explicitly formed any plans to stay a team, Terra and the contract could convince the pack of stray to officially become and stay a team.
In defense of Terra (kind of)
Even though we’re Terra apologists, we can’t speak for Tara Markov’s anticipated villainous actions on Young Justice yet, seeing as she hasn’t done anything yet or been given the opportunity for redemption. In the comics, Terra was naturally vulnerable after she was disowned by her family. Without her family around, it’s understandable that she’d have a warped moral compass. Combined with her eagerness to be accepted by anyone and Deathstroke’s manipulation in general, she was bound to fail as a hero, at least the first time Terra debuted in the DC Comics scene.
Although the first Terra died after the contract crumbled, another version of Terra was reborn as a hero. Granted, Terra II was never Tara Markov, but because of some genetic modification, she mirrored the original Terra’s appearance. With her abilities to manipulate and move terrain, she was basically Terra just with an affinity for heroism. Since Terra II paralleled the real Tara Markov in many ways, she also met her demise during the Zero Hour crisis event.
Though Terra I and Terra II both died, the original Terra was also inevitably reborn (but as a sometimes hero, sometimes antihero, and sometimes villain). Beyond that, there have been other Terra, including a shapeshifter who briefly took on the original Terra’s form and Atlee (who donned the Terra alias).
Regardless of what versions of Terra the series decide to incorporate, Young Justice could use the tragic theme of death and pseudo-resurrection in Terra’s storyline to introduce the heroic version of herself (even if Terra II isn’t actually Tara Markov).
This would give Brion Markov a chance to grieve over his sister and gain some closure, as he did in Outsiders (1993), and would give the apparent copycat a chance to rebuild some relationships within the DC Universe Outsiders team. Regardless of what details Young Justice: Outsiders changes, there are some questionable plot points we don’t want to see the series retell.
Obviously, we hope that Young Justice doesn’t retrofit the gross relationship between her and Deathstroke. We understand that Terra’s origin as a villain started with Slade manipulating her when she was in a vulnerable state (because she’s been through a lot). However, we’re not ready to see Deathstroke take advantage of Terra in a romantic way, implicitly or otherwise.
Not to mention, we’ll never be ready to rehash the fallout from her infatuation with him either (you know, the fallout that made Terra into a stalker who willingly died in the aftermath of her battle against the Titans because Deathstroke rejected her).
Whether Young Justice: Outsiders changes certain details in Tara Markov’s transition to Terra, The Judas Contract, or her overall central conflict, we hope that series will continue its theme of supplementing Terra’s narrative. Even if she does fall in line with her canon end at The Judas Contract, the series still has plenty of room to expand Terra’s character development. After all, there are still a lot of opportunities for both Terras.