Now I'm thinking about a version of the Defiance arc where Tanya doesn't snap when or why she does. Priest's decision to make her homophobic doesn't quite gel for me, given that her prior appearances were (a) World's Finest alongside Karen and Helena, who are very couple coded within that run and (b) on the Titans alongside Miguel Barragan/Bunker who was openly gay in that same book and she seemed to get along with him fine.
I am aware that there's disagreement on this, but I'm in the camp who reads Slade-Tanya as a grooming narrative and I wonder if, if Priest hadn't had to make decisions around DC editorial protecting Slade's marketability, he would have gone there more explicitly. We know he wanted to go deeper with Tara and the ramifications of CSA. Certainly the way Slade goes about building Team Defiance *for her* with the killing strategically to set up public opportunities for the team to Do Heroics is a staggering manipulation. The slow dance scene, the dog stuff, how Slade clearly cares about her in a deeply uncomfortable way, etc.
She's the only one who wholly buys into this new team and their mission. Rose and Joey have their own agendas, Wally (Ace) is there to spy on behalf of the Titans, Tara is there on Adeline's mission.
But Tanya is there for Slade. She believes in Slade with near-unshakable faith.
What happens to Tanya if the team just keeps going a little longer? What happens if Slade decides he likes playing hero and wants to keep up the game? What if Tanya doesn't learn it's a setup when she does?
