Patricia Arias (died May 14, 2018) was the wife of a late unnamed man, the adoptive mother of Samantha Arias and the adoptive grandmother of Ruby Arias.
Biography[]
Original Multiverse[]
Early life[]
Patricia Arias and her husband owned a farm outside National City. At some point, Patricia's husband passed away, much to her heartbreak. Unwilling to remarry, Patricia devoted herself to taking care of the farm, believing she would never have a family again.[1]
Finding and raising Samantha[]
One day in 1989,[2] Patricia discovered a crashed pod from space near her farm and found a baby girl inside. Moved by how helpless and scared the infant was, Patricia took the baby in and named her Samantha, whom she raised as her own daughter. Wanting Samantha to have a normal childhood, Patricia kept her alien heritage a secret, planning to reveal the truth once her adoptive daughter turned 18.[3]
As Samantha grew up, Patricia took her swimming on Mondays and Wednesdays.[4]
Unbeknownst to either of them, Samantha was a Kryptonian Worldkiller, with a sinister inner force manifesting from a young age; one such episode had Samantha repeatedly doodling an ominous symbol. Frightened of the consequences and not wanting her daughter to be taken away, Patricia severely punished Samantha in an attempt to suppress these urges, which often set the two at odds.[1]
When Samantha was 16,[2] she became pregnant by an unnamed boy. Furious, Patricia berated her daughter for being irresponsible and urged Samantha to terminate the pregnancy so their lives could go on. However, Samantha refused, wanting to keep the baby, so Patricia kicked her out. The two hadn't spoken since and Patricia never even knew the name of her adoptive granddaughter.[3][1]
Reconnecting with her daughter[]
12 years later, Samantha paid a surprise visit to Patricia, searching for answers to her past. Surprised but ultimately overjoyed to see Sam again, Patricia warmly invited her adoptive daughter inside and brought them some tea. Things were tense between the two, which Patricia tried to defuse by asking why Sam didn't bring her daughter. However, she couldn't remember the girl's name and floundered for a moment. Aggravated, Sam revealed her daughter's name was Ruby. An argument between the two ensued, in which Sam was still bitter that Patricia left her to fend for herself when she became pregnant with Ruby while Patricia claimed that she didn't want her daughter to leave, but Sam's choice to become a teen mother came with consequences. After the argument passed, Patricia wondered why Sam had even come. Sam vaguely explained that some strange things have been happening and asked if anything similarly out of the ordinary occurred in her childhood. Surprised, Patricia quickly denied this and remained evasive when Sam asked for any information on her birth mother. However, when Sam revealed she wasn't hurt during a shooting at a press event because her skin had become bulletproof, a shocked Patricia relented and asked Sam to follow her.
Patricia reveals to Samantha the pod that brought her to Earth.
Patricia led Samantha outside to a shed, where a large object was covered with a tarp. When Sam pulled it back to reveal a space pod, Patricia explained that she'd lied about adopting Sam; in reality, she found an infant Sam in the pod and decided to take her in. Patricia reflected on her confusion of not knowing where Sam was from or who left her in the pod and why, but knew for certain the child needed a family. Patricia had promised to tell Sam the truth when she turned 18, but her daughter had already left by then. When the time came, Patricia believed that keeping Sam ignorant of her origins was for the best since her daughter had her own family now. Sam examined the pod and caused it to turn on, much to both of their surprise. To further the surprise, a crystal beacon emerged from the pod, which Sam took.[3]
Death[]
Patricia dies with Supergirl at her side.
Supergirl and J'onn J'onzz go to Patricia's house to warn her about Reign, and Patricia finds out that Sam is Reign. Later, the villain shows up at the house and stabs Patricia after she confronts her while trying to reach Sam. She was then taken to D.E.O. headquarters where she asked Kara to tell Ruby that she loved her which she promised to do before she died of her injuries.[1]
New Multiverse[]
Alternate timeline[]
In an alternate timeline created by Mxyzptlk to answer Kara Danvers's musings on telling Lena Luthor her secret identity earlier, the events of Patricia's life changed. In this timeline, Patricia was a witness to Reign battling Supergirl, Lena, and Mon-El at her house, with Patricia pleading for the life of her daughter, Samantha. Supergirl survived the brutal fight, but Lena, Mon-El, and Reign were killed, leaving Patricia to mourn her daughter.[5]
Legacy[]
When Sam returned to the Dark Valley to drink from the Fountains of Lillith in order to energize herself to battle Reign, Patricia told her which half of the fountain gave water that would strengthen her in order to right her wrongs as a mother, allowing Sam to use powers similar to Reign's. Patricia's death was avenged when Sam killed Reign.[6]
Personality[]
Patricia was a loving mother and very protective. She only wants the best for her daughter and was disappointed when her daughter became a teen mother.[3] She was a strict disciplinarian to Samantha and they never got along, punishing her a lot. Their relationship got worse when she was pregnant with Ruby and stopped speaking after that.
Appearances[]
Supergirl[]
Season 3[]
- "Damage" (mentioned)
- "Wake Up"
- "For Good" (mentioned)
- "In Search of Lost Time" (mentioned)
- "Shelter from the Storm"
- "Battles Lost and Won" (vision)