TheTeen Titansare one of DC’s most powerful teams, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the Justice League. When the League is off-planet or unavailable, it’s the Titans who step in to save the world. While their adventures as youngsters were often light-hearted, they’ve also been through their share of trauma, and now I’m afraid they’re going to be forced to relive all of it.
As DC moves into the All In initiative,it seems that life is better than it’s ever been for everyone on Earth - except for the Titans. Instead of celebrating new beginnings and bright futures, theTitans are trapped looking over the worst things they’ve ever experienced, and if they can’t face their trauma, reliving it might just destroy them inTitans#17 by John Layman and Pete Woods.
TITANS #17 (2024)
November 20th, 2024
Variant Covers:
Rahzzah, McFarlane Toys, and Edwin Galmon
It’s a new day in the DCU, and the future is bright! Why, then, are the Titans looking backward, reliving their most horrific and traumatic moments, again and again, stuck in an endless loop? And who’s the temporal tyrant behind this time-bending torment? Here’s a hint: Time will tell.
Every superhero has overcome tragedy to become the person that they are, but reliving that trauma over and over could break anyone, and theTitans have gone through plenty of trauma over the years.
From dead parents to losing their children, the Titans have been through everything, and reliving all of it will be a complete nightmare — and I can’t wait to see it.
DC’s Titans Face a “Major Death,” Changing the Fan-Favorite Team Forever
The Titans have only grown since the inaugural issue. However, with an impending death on the horizon, the team will soon be one less member.
Roy Harper Has Experienced More Trauma Than Most
As Speedy, Red Arrow, and Arsenal
Roy Harper’s history is more than difficult. He started out as Speedy, the sidekick to Green Arrow, and quickly found a place for himself in the Teen Titans. It was here that he, eventually, made friends with his fellow members. While these were pretty good days for Roy, they didn’t last. Eventually, Roy became addicted to heroin due to how alone and depressed he felt. Roy’s addiction is a major low point in his life and an ongoing struggle for his character, and it was only made worse by the factGreen Arrow immediately abandoned him and tossed him out on the streetwhen he discovered it.
As if that wasn’t tragic enough, even after Roy embraced recovery and put the worst of his addiction behind him, the horrors weren’t over for him. The finale ofJustice League:Cry for Justiceby James Robinson and various artists would bethe worst thing to ever happen in Roy’s life. Prometheus set off a bomb in Star City, which obliterated several buildings, and unfortunately caused the death ofLian Harper, Roy’s little daughter.This death is by far the most horrible event to ever happen to Roy — even beyond his own death — and now, he’s going to have to live through it again and again, digging his daughter’s body out of the rubble.
Never fear: Roy and Lian reunited for the first time in well over a decade in 2023’sGreen Arrow#1 by Joshua Williamson and Sean Izaakse.
Cyborg Lost His Mother - Violently
Victor Stone Isn’t All “Booyah”
One of the major traumas of Cyborg’s life, which resulted in him becoming the man he is today, is the loss of his mother.How his mother died depends on the version of the character’s history. Sometimes his mom was killed in a massive explosion caused by Darkseid’s forces, and sometimes his mom was killed by a giant gelatinous monster from a portal his father accidentally opened (I personally prefer the giant gelatinous monster, but to each their own).
Either way,the death of Cyborg’s mother has haunted him, because it was the first person he ever failed to save. After gaining his cybernetic implants, Victor has done everything he can to live up to the version of himself his mother would be proud to see.
Beast Boy Faced a Major Betrayal Alongside the Titans
The Judas ContractStory Changed His Life Forever
One of the biggest shared sources of trauma for theTeen Titans was Tara “Terra” Markov.It’s unknown if she will make an appearance as they relive the worst things to happen to them, but it wouldn’t be surprising. Terra was a member of the Titans who ultimately betrayed them and sided with Deathstroke. She very nearly brought about the destruction of the entire team, and she left plenty of members traumatized from the encounter. But there’s no one she hurt more than Beast Boy.
Terra’s iconic betrayal takes place in the classicNew Teen TitansstoryThe Judas Contractby Marv Wolfman and George Pérez.
Beast Boy cared for Terra a lot, and she used those feelings to manipulate him. After she died, Beast Boy struggled to get over it, and this wouldn’t be the last time that Deathstroke had a hand in Beast Boy’s misery. During the events ofDark Crisis on Infinite Earthsby Joshua Williamson and Daniel Sampere, Deathstroke announced the war between the dark army and the heroes of the DC Universe by capturing Beast Boy, who he promptly shot in the face during the siege of Titans Tower. It was such a brutal moment that Beast Boy struggled to control his shapeshifting powers for months after it happened, and I really can’t blame him.
Teen Titans Body Paint Cosplay Showcases the Most Underrated Superpower
Teen Titans villain Terra got a heroic redesign in the New 52, now brought to life (along with her powers) by body paint cosplay artist Melissa Croft.
You Can’t Take Gotham Out of the Robin
When it comes to traumatized individuals, I can’t name a member of the Teen Titans who’s had itworse than Nightwing. He witnessed his own parents die — and recently found out that he was meant to die, not his parents. Nightwing has been abused by partners in the past, such as Tarantula, and he’s allowed evil people to be murdered in front of him. Batman’s upbringing of Dick Grayson, of course, left just a bit of a dent on his self-worth. There are countless ways to describe how Nightwing has gone through terrible experiences, and this new Titans villain will have a plethora of moments to bring up to torture him.
So many Titans have been traumatized over the decades that it’s almost impossible to explore them all.
So many Titans have been traumatized over the decades that it’s almost impossible to explore them all. Wally West has gone through his own issues, especially during the events ofHeroes in Crisisby Tom King and Clay Mann.Raven has a literal Demon Kingas a father who has been trying to manipulate her into ending the world. Donna Troy witnessed the death of her childandwas killed and later brought back to life. There are so many options for the villain to choose from, and I’m personally not sure if I’m ready to see the Titans go through all of this again.
The Titans Have to Overcome Their Worst Moments to Survive
They’re Stronger Together
It almost seems like one of the job expectations at this point - that if someone signs up with the Teen Titans, they will at some point be traumatized, if they aren’t already. There are plenty of characters that came onto the team with trauma, like Cyborg and Nightwing, and there are plenty more who got that trauma after leaving the team, like Roy. It’s unclear exactly who this new villain is that’s putting theTitansthrough their worst moments yet again, but he has plenty of options to choose from when it comes to how to torment them.
Teen Titansis a superhero animated TV series based on the DC Comics team of the same name. Airing from 2003 to 2006, the show follows five young heroes—Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, Raven, and Beast Boy—as they battle villains while navigating adolescence. The series was widely praised for its blend of action, humor, and character development, and it spawned a popular spin-off,Teen Titans Go!.
