Arella

Origin

Angela Roth grew up in a restrictive home with a fanatically religious father. Growing tired of abuse, both physical and mental, Angela fled her Gotham home at the age of seventeen. Her parents either didn’t notice or didn’t care.

Angela stumbled upon a Church, where she felt welcome for the first time in her life. But this ‘church’ was actually a demonic cult with a most sinister agenda. Unbeknownst to Angela, she was a member of a cult trying to bring the devil to Earth. Instead, the cult brought Trigon in the guise of a handsome man with gold-flecked eyes. Angela was whisked away to his dimension, became his wife and carried Trigon’s seed, which was to be Raven. After the conception, Trigon showed her his true form and cast her back to Earth.

This despairing, weak-willed woman was about to commit suicide when she was stopped by a messenger who brought her to Azarath, where she began a new life. It was here that she was given the name Arella, which means “The Messenger Angel.”

Through the birth of Raven, Trigon’s evil came to Azarath. Azar, the teacher and guide of the Azarathians, took Raven under her tutelage, while Arella was reassigned to temple duties. When Azar died, Arella resumed raising Raven and was alarmed at her daughter’s distant manner. When Raven turned eighteen, she sensed Trigon’s power returning and fled to Earth.

Trigon

Arella remained on Azarath, and during the Titans’ first encounter with Trigon, she eventually rescued Raven from him. After the Titans combined their powers and banished Trigon into the Netherverse, Arella assumed the duties of guarding the doorway against any attempt by Trigon to return by throwing herself through the portal, much to Raven’s grief.

Trigon however eventually returned when his influence over Raven reached a powerful level due to her own actions and after he had consumed much of his own universe to escape the Netherverse. In the ensuing battle, Arella and the Titans were pitted against Trigon and a possessed Raven. When Trigon was destroyed and Raven’s body disappeared, Arella embarked on a quest to find her daughter when the Titans became bogged down with other duties. Arella found Raven, as did the forces of Brother Blood who had been following her for that purpose, who captured both mother and daughter. Though Arella had a hard time in the prison as Raven slowly lost her mind to Brother Blood. The two were rescued by Robotman, Azrael and the New Teen Titans after Raven shattered Brother Blood’s mind. Arella was injured in the battle by one of Bloods henchmen, but recovered when Jason Todd was able to partially get through to Raven.

Arella then established a ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. It was designed to be a haven for young women that had lost their way in life, much like Arella had years ago.

Titans Hunt

Shortly after this, current and former members of the Titans (including Raven) were hunted and captured by the Wildebeest Society, for unknown reasons. During the Titans Hunt, a vicious version of a soul self savagely attacked Arella’s ranch, killing all inhabitants except Arella. Devastated and alone, Arella vowed to join the Titans Hunt and find her daughter.

Deathstroke, Nightwing, Troia, Pantha, Phantasm, Arella and Red Star joined forces to track the Titans down. Upon locating the captured Titans, the heroes were shocked to learn the identity of the leader of the Wildebeests was their own teammate, Jericho.

It seems the tainted souls of Azarath regained their strength and merged with Jericho shortly after Trigon’s second defeat. The souls now needed powerful vessels for each of them to survive. Now possessed by this force, Jericho sought to acquire superhuman beings as vessels for the souls of Azarath. He used the Wildebeest Society as a front to kidnap the Titans to house the tainted souls of Azarath. Now tainted by this evil force, Jericho also acquired new abilities to help in his mission: a savage and powerful soul self that took the form of a lion and a healing ability that repaired his throat and enabled him to speak. Arella realized it was Jericho that destroyed her ranch.

Phantasm

A battle in the remains of Azarath concluded with the destruction of the Wildebeest society and the death of Jericho himself. But the Azarathians were still not defeated, instead they passed from Joey and into Raven. In a final effort to end this threat forever, the former Phantasm Danny Chase, and Arella, attacked the Azarathian possesed Raven. Their own energies combined with the force from Azarath and drove away the evil. In an explosion that saw the dissipation of one energy wave, the other energies somehow combined, resulting in the physical death of Raven, Arella and Danny.

While Raven would eventually return after her maddened spirit consumed the soul of another woman. Danny and Arella merged with the purified spirits of Azerath and together took up the identity of the Phantasm.

Powers and Abilities

Arella possessed various sensory/mystical abilities she learned while living in Azarath making her powerful enough to at least slow Trigon down.

Titans Animated

Arella is Raven’s mother and resided in the dimension of Azarath, both of which are introduced in The Prophecy. Knowing not what else she could do to prevent the prophecy of her birth Raven returned to Azerath seeking help in stopping her it from coming true, but she finds most of the city deserted before she encounters Arella before a temple. However Arella can only reinforce what Raven feared, that there was nothing she could do to stop Trigon before she and the city vanishes, revealing Trigon had already raised the city to the ground and that it was all an illusion to further break Raven down. Neither Azerath or Arella are seen again in the series. The spinoff comic series Teen Titans Go! Raven is seen visiting Azerath and Arella when she grows an additional pair of eyes, though this is all an illusion created by Phobia, playing on Raven’s fear of becoming like Trigon.

Unlike the comicbook version, the animated Arella have some Asian features rather than Caucasian and also shares her daughters unusual shade of hair colour, possibly a left over effect from her interaction with Trigon.