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Azarath Metrion Zinthos! Possibly one of the most powerful members of not only the Teen Titans but maybe just in the DC universe of heroes, Raven! She comes from two worlds and does her best to fight for humanity. So how does someone end up wielding demonic might? Let’s find out!

Rachel Roth was born to Angela “Arella” Roth and the demonic Emperor Trigon, who had tricked Angela into believing he was just a mortal man. Arella would escape from Trigon with Rachel and take her to another dimension, Azarath, to be raised to control her emotions, and thus, her powers. She would find a parental figure in the mystic leader, Azar, where she would go by Raven, meanwhile her connection to Arella would grow distant since she only saw her mother as a source of would-be sadness as she had to train to control her emotions to not endanger herself or others.

Eventually, Raven would come of age and learn that Trigon had planned on taking over Earth. Knowing she couldn’t let this stand, she would attempt to get the Justice League to help her but her demonic aura made them distrust her. She would reunite the Teen Titans to aide her in fighting off her father and binding him away into another dimension. Raven would be able to build a family with the Titans as they fight all manner of threats.

Trigon would return to destroy Azarath and attack the Earth and take over his daughter but through the sacrifice of Raven’s life, they were able to stop Trigon and even able to resurrect Raven but she would vanish before she could reunite with her friends. Arella would go to seek out her daughter and letting the Titans continue with their own lives. When Arella and Raven were reunited, they would need to be rescued by the Titans. Raven would struggle with her good and evil natures, often needing her friends in the Titans to help stop the demonic side from winning out.

She would find complications with her emotional control as time went on, especially when she would find love. Sometimes the darkness would take over for a time and she would die time and again. She would find ways of gaining control and resurrect, the upside to demonic heritage is the mortality thing is more a technicality than a rule, now add that to being a superhero and it makes sense why she is always coming back. After one such resurrection she would develop feelings for teammate, Beast Boy, who was one of the first people she met and befriended on Earth. The two would become mentors to younger, actual teen-aged Titans, as they were now both in their twenties and worked together for many years.

In the New 52, Raven was the only daughter of Trigon, having had many sons for worlds he had planned to conquer. She was allowed to be raised among humans, Trigon believed this would allow her to truly gain power from her emotions but her mother was able to get her to Azarath to gain control of her emotions. While she would work with the Teen Titans, she would also work with the Phantom Stranger around the cosmos. In Rebirth, she would be recruited by Damian Wayne for the Teen Titans for his own plans shortly after her arrival on Earth from Azarath and begin a romance with Kid Flash.

There you have it! She’s been on the big and small screen in animated form. She’s been animated several different ways, she’s been in video games, and recently has entered live-action. No matter the form she takes on the screen, she has her demonic heritage and struggles with controlling her powers to some degree. Where will she go next? Who knows? See you next time!

Suggested Reading
DC Comics Presents #26
Teen Titans
New Teen Titans

Dr. Bustos
drbustos@comicattack.net