Challenge the patriarchy. From the first comic she picked up, Lydia found herself enamoured with women willing to challenge the status quo. She briefly attended art school, hoping to create artwork that provoked social change. She was asked to leave after clobbering a classmate for getting handsy. If she were going to change the world, she decided she’d need to become a woman of action.

Turning to the comics she read as a kid, Lydia trained in martial arts and studied criminal psychology. The first time she took to the streets of Vanguard, she encountered the Meddler attempting to rob a jewelry store. Quickly dispatching him, one of the city’s superheroes arrived, taking credit for her efforts. Vowing to be as good as the muscle-brained heroes, she pushed herself harder. Believing Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, Hellcat is born.

With a new suit and arsenal, she focuses on the scum not worth the effort of superheroes. Her name is whispered by residents of the Ward who notice a drastic dip in crime. Over the next few months, she teams up with Safeguard to take down supervillains. He eventually asks her out on a date. Of course, involves beating up bad guys. He proposes to her in an empty storefront, and when she says yes (contingent on her being able to wear the pants at the wedding), he confesses the space is for her lifelong dream of owning a comic book store.

Lydia opens WTF! Comics, and soon after has a baby. Safeguard hangs up his suit and becomes a stay-at-home dad, leaving the heroing to his wife. Her reputation as a vigilante becomes widespread after saving the Mayor from an intergalactic bounty hunter. Hellcat skips her award ceremony, opting to remain in the shadows. She eventually meets Griffin Smith, and they quickly hit it off. When she discovers he’s an artist, she begs him to partner with her in creating a comic.