Teens like hanging out together, they can get into all kinds of hijinks when this happens. Like fighting monsters and criminals, maybe even grab some pizza together. You know, teen stuff. That’s what the Teen Titans began as and even with all the chaos over the years, it still can be. So what got these teens working together and form a team? Let’s find out!
Once, the small town of Hatton Corners was in terrible danger, a villain calling himself Mister Twister after gaining access to a magical staff that let him control the elements used it to threaten the town for ransom. Thankfully, Robin, the boy wonder, Kid-Flash, the fastest teen alive, and Aqualad, the Atlantean hero, were all coming to town for a teen-led protest. The three would unite to fight against Mister Twister and save the town. Realizing that like their mentors, they could help the world more as a team, they founded the Teen Titans.
The trio were funded by their mentors and even got a new recruit in Wonder Girl, the lass of might, to aide them in bolstering their numbers. They would also get Speedy, the teen arrow, as a part-time member, these were just the beginning of their ever growing roster. The teens would find many a strange enemy to deal with but it was the demon, Trigun, who would start a new era of the Teen Titans.
Along with the original team, Trigun’s daughter, Raven, would call out to other teen heroes, Beast Boy, Starfire, and Cyborg to aide in stopping him. When they had finished the battle, the new heroes decided to become full-time members of the Teen Titans. The team would go on to have many adventures, finding love with one another, and growing together. Soon, the Teen Titans became just The Titans so show they were all adults now and recruited even more heroes to their cause.
Seeing a new generation of teen heroes seeking guidance, Cyborg, Beast Boy, Raven, and Starfire would reclaim the Teen Titans moniker and help raise the next era. They would gain heroes like the new Robin, Kid-Flash, Wonder Girl, and Superboy. This team would lead to the biggest growth of the team as more and more teen heroes would come out of the woodwork to join the team over the years. Their roster would reach double digits and have teams for all manner of missions, pending on the powers necessary.
Something the Titans were no stranger to, sadly, was the death of members. Over the years, they would lose teammates, this would often cause some of the surviving team members to leave to recover. This would sometimes have a new hero, taking on the mantle of the one who left. Another thing, pretty much every Teen Titans team has had a Robin in it, not the same Robin, but one is usually there.
There you have it! The Teen Titans are one of the first times a group of young heroes formed their own team, not just junior members of their mentor’s team. Since then, they’ve been animated on the big and small screen, been made live action on the small screen, and many members often guest in other shows. See you next time!
Suggested Reading
The Brave and the Bold #54
Teen Titans
The New Teen Titans
Dr. Bustos
drbustos@comicattack.net
