Speedy (Mia Dearden)
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Mia Dearden is a DC Comics superhero, the second character to take the mantle of Green Arrow's sidekick Speedy. Created by writer Kevin Smith and artist Phil Hester, she first appeared in Green Arrow vol. 2, #2 (May 2001). She is notable as one of the few HIV-positive characters in comic books.
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[edit] Character history
Mia Dearden is a teenaged runaway who was abused by her father. Unable to survive on her own, she falls in love with a man who offers her shelter and food in exchange for exploiting her in a child prostitution ring. Mia is rescued from one of her clients, a depraved local politician, by the Green Arrow, who had just returned to Star City from the dead. Sent by Green Arrow to see Oliver Queen (his real identity) for help, Mia sees through Queen's disguise and becomes his new ward. Mia continues to work with Oliver, who was busy trying to reconstruct his own life, and after coming upon her crossbow, Ollie begins to train her as an archer. Mia continually petitioned Green Arrow to allow her to serve as his sidekick, but Oliver continually demurred, not wanting to put another youngster at risk.
Mia appears in Green Arrow as a supporting character until 2004, when writer Judd Winick revealed that she was HIV-positive, a legacy of her prostitute past. With this knowledge, Mia redoubles her efforts to convince Green Arrow to let her become the new Speedy, and Green Arrow finally relents. Mia takes up the Speedy mantle[1], and subsequently Oliver decides that she would do well to join the Teen Titans. In order to 'earn' her spot on the team, Cyborg has the new Speedy face off against Robin. While Robin beats Speedy, Mia proves herself to be a very skilled fighter and worthy Titan. Shortly thereafter her first official mission with the Titans, she reveals to the team that she is HIV-positive, to which they all accept.
The first Speedy, Arsenal (Roy Harper), gives Mia a set of his old arrows, including a mysterious blue arrow labeled: "Only use in an emergency". Roy himself doesn't know what it does. Mia is been tempted to use the arrow a few times: once on her first mission against Dr. Light; the second was against a possessed Superboy, Indigo, Lex Luthor and Brainiac; the third was when they faced off against the demon servents of Brother Blood. Finally she does use the arrow, which turns out to be a Phantom Zone arrow, stolen from Superman's Fortress of Solitude by Roy when he was Speedy. Mia uses the arrow to attempt to trap Superboy-Prime; however, he is able to escape almost immediately, apparently through his super strength.
After the events of Infinite Crisis, Mia recuperates from injuries on an island with Green Arrow and his son Connor Hawke, returning approximately a year later [2]. In her time on the island, Mia trained in new styles of fighting and healing, and working as a team with Green Arrow.
[edit] Powers and abilities
Mia possesses no superhuman abilities, but is an accomplished archer. Unlike Connor Hawke, who relies on simple wooden shafts, Mia, like Queen, employs trick arrows. In addition to a bow, Mia is also proficient with a crossbow, much to Queen's chagrin.
Mia is HIV positive, and as such she is forced to take large doses of anti-retroviral drugs with all the intendant side effects. Due to her condition, she also has to be very careful when injured in combat.
