The supervillainess known as Volcana was originally named Claire Selton. As a teenager, Claire showed an aptitude for pyrokinesis — the ability to start fires with one's mind. Her parents sent her to Metropolis' Center for Paranormal Studies so that she could learn to control and develop her power, but she was soon taken by government agents who had big plans for her. According to the director of the Center, the agents "stripped away her past, code-named her Volcana, and tried their hardest to turn her into a living weapon."