The Teen Titans are a

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

team appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

s published by

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

, frequently in eponymous monthly series. As the group's name indicates, the members are teenage superheroes, many of whom have acted as

sidekick A sidekick is a close companion or colleague who is, or is generally regarded as, subordinate to those whom they accompany. Origins The first recorded use of the term dates from 1896. It is believed to have originated in pickpocket slang of ...

s to DC's premier superheroes in the

Justice League The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived the ...

. The original team later becomes known as the Titans when the members age out of their teenage years, while the Teen Titans name is continued by subsequent generations of young heroes. First appearing in 1964 in ''

The Brave and the Bold ''The Brave and the Bold'' is a comic book series published by DC Comics as an ongoing series from 1955 to 1983. It was followed by a reprint miniseries in 1988, two original miniseries in 1991 and 1999, and was revived as an ongoing anthology ...

'' #54, the team was formed by

Kid Flash (Wally West) Wallace Rudolph "Wally" West is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics as the original Kid Flash and the third Flash. His power consists mainly of superhuman speed. The nephew of Iris West, he first appeared in ''Fla ...

Robin (Dick Grayson) Richard John "Dick" Grayson is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Batman, Teen Titans and Justice League. Created by writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane, he first appeared in ''D ...

, and Aqualad (Garth) before adopting the name Teen Titans in issue 60 with the addition of

Wonder Girl (Donna Troy) Donna Troy is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She is the original Wonder Girl, and later temporarily adopts another alias, Troia. Created by Bob Haney and Bruno Premiani, she first appeared in ''The Brave an ...

to their ranks. Over the decades, DC has cancelled and relaunched ''Teen Titans'' many times, and a variety of characters have been featured heroes in its pages. Significant early additions to the initial quartet of Titans were

Speedy (Roy Harper) Roy William Harper Jr. is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Roy is one of DC's most longstanding characters, originating in 1940s comics as Speedy, the teen sidekick of the superheroes Green Arrow and Black Can ...

Aquagirl (Tula) Aquagirl (also Aqua-Girl) is the alias used by several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, typically depicted as supporting characters of Aquaman originating from the realm of Atlantis (Aquaman), Atlantis. The fir ...

, Bumblebee (Karen Beecher), Hawk (Hank Hall), Dove (Don Hall), Harlequin (Duela Dent), and three non-costumed heroes: boxer

Mal Duncan Malcolm Arnold "Mal" Duncan, currently known as Vox (also known as the Guardian, Hornblower, and Herald), is a superhero appearing in media published by DC Comics. Introduced in April 1970, he is DC's first African-American superhero. Publication ...

, psychic

Lilith Lilith (; ), also spelled Lilit, Lilitu, or Lilis, is a feminine figure in Mesopotamian and Jewish mythology, theorized to be the first wife of Adam and a primordial she-demon. Lilith is cited as having been "banished" from the Garden of Eden ...

, and caveman

Gnarrk Gnarrk is a fictional character in DC Comics. He is a caveman who has been a member of various versions of the Teen Titans in the comic books in the early 1970s. Fictional character biography Pre-Crisis In pre-''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' continu ...

. The series would not become a genuine hit until its 1980s revival as ''

The New Teen Titans The Teen Titans are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, frequently in eponymous monthly series. As the group's name indicates, the members are teenage superheroes, many of whom have acted as sidekicks to DC ...

'' under writer

Marv Wolfman Marvin Arthur Wolfman (born May 13, 1946) is an American comic book and novelization writer. He worked on Marvel Comics's ''The Tomb of Dracula'', for which he and artist Gene Colan created the vampire-slayer Blade (character), Blade, and DC Comi ...

and artist

George Pérez George Pérez (; June 9, 1954 – May 6, 2022) was an American comic book artist and writer, who worked primarily as a penciller. He came to prominence in the 1970s penciling ''Fantastic Four (comic book), Fantastic Four'' and ''The Avengers (c ...

. This run depicted the original Titans now as young adults and introduced new characters Cyborg (Victor Stone),

Starfire (Koriand'r) Starfire is a superheroine created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez appearing in American comic books created by DC Comics. She debuted in a preview story inserted within ''DC Comics Presents'' #26 (October, 1980). Since the character's introd ...

, and Raven (Rachel Roth), as well as the former

Doom Patrol Doom Patrol is a superhero team from DC Comics. The original Doom Patrol first appeared in ''My Greatest Adventure'' #80 (June 1963), and was created by writers Arnold Drake and Bob Haney, along with artist Bruno Premiani. Doom Patrol has appear ...

member Beast Boy (Garfield Logan) under his new alias of Changeling, who would all become enduring fan favorites. A high point for the series both critically and commercially was its "

The Judas Contract The Teen Titans are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, frequently in eponymous monthly series. As the group's name indicates, the members are teenage superheroes, many of whom have acted as sidekicks to DC ...

" storyline, in which the Teen Titans are betrayed by their teammate Terra (Tara Markov). The 1990s featured a Teen Titans team composed entirely of new members before the previous members returned in the series ''Titans'', which ran from the late 1990s to the early 2000s. Subsequent stories in the 2000s introduced a radically different Teen Titans team made up of newer DC Comics sidekicks such as Robin III (Tim Drake), Wonder Girl II (Cassie Sandsmark), and Impulse / Kid Flash II (Bart Allen), as well as

Superboy (Conner Kent) Conner Kent is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared as a modern variation of Superboy in ''The Adventures of Superman (comic book), The Adventures of Superman'' #500 (June 1993), and ...

, some of whom had previously featured in the similar title ''

Young Justice Young Justice is a fictional DC Comics superhero team consisting of teenaged heroes. The team was formed in 1998 when DC's usual teen hero group, the Teen Titans, had become adults and changed their name to the Titans. Like the original ''Teen T ...

''. Later prominent additions from this era included Miss Martian (M'gann M'orzz),

Ravager (Rose Wilson) Ravager or Ravagers may refer to: Fictional entities * Ravager (DC Comics), a DC comics character ** The Ravagers (comics), a team name * ''Ravager'', a starship in '' Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords'' * HMS ''Ravage ...

Supergirl (Kara Zor-El) Supergirl (real name Kara Zor-El) is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She was created by Otto Binder and designed by Al Plastino. Danvers first appeared in the story "The Supergirl from Krypton" in ''Ac ...

Kid Devil Ra's al Ghul Nyssa Raatko Rag Doll Rag Doll is the name of several supervillains appearing in American comic book, American comic books published by DC Comics. The first, Peter Merkel, is a villain of the Flash (Jay Garrick), original Flash, ...

, Blue Beetle III (Jaime Reyes), and Solstice (Kiran Singh). Concurrently, DC also published ''Titans'', which featured some of the original and 1980s members now as adults, led by Dick Grayson in his adult persona of

Nightwing Nightwing is a superhero alias used by multiple characters in American comic books published by DC Comics. The most prominent bearer is Dick Grayson, the original Robin, who adopts the Nightwing identity to assert his independence from Batman. ...

. Important storylines for the 2000s era of Teen Titans included "

Titans Tomorrow "Titans Tomorrow" is a storyline of a possible alternate future in the DC Comics Universe, from ''Teen Titans'' vol. 3 #17–19 (2005), by Geoff Johns and Mike McKone. The story arc has been collected as part of the ''Teen Titans: The Future is No ...

" and the company-wide crossover ''

Infinite Crisis "Infinite Crisis" is a 2005–2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, ...

''. In the 2010s, ''

The New 52 The New 52 was the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire Line (comics), line of ongoing monthly superhero American comic books, comic books. Following the conclusion of the "Flashpoint (comics), Flashpoint" Fictional crossover, cros ...

'' reboot in 2011 added new characters Bunker (Miguel Jose Barragan) and Skitter (Celine Patterson) to the 2000s roster, although the volume proved commercially and critically disappointing for DC, leading to the return of the original Titans in 2016's ''

DC Rebirth DC Rebirth is a 2016 relaunch by the American comic book publisher DC Comics of its entire Line (comics), line of ongoing monthly superhero comic book titles. Using the end of The New 52 (2011–2016) initiative in May 2016 as its launching point ...

'' era, alongside a new cast of Teen Titans led by Robin V (Damian Wayne) alongside Aqualad II (Jackson Hyde) and Kid Flash III (Wallace "Ace" West), later joined by Red Arrow (Emiko Queen). Later storylines saw the elder Titans establish a Teen Titans Academy for young heroes and serving as the DC Universe's main heroes during ''

Dark Crisis "Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths", originally "Dark Crisis", is a 2022 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, comprising an eponymous central 7 issue mini-series by writer Joshua Williamson and artist Daniel Sampere, and a number of tie-in bo ...

'' when the Justice League were declared dead. The Teen Titans have been adapted to other media numerous times, such as in the animated television series ''

Teen Titans The Teen Titans are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, frequently in eponymous monthly series. As the group's name indicates, the members are teenage superheroes, many of whom have acted as sidekicks to DC ...

'' and ''

Teen Titans Go! ''Teen Titans Go!'' is an American animated television series developed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic for Cartoon Network. It premiered on April 23, 2013, and is based on DC Comics' fictional superhero team the Teen Titans. The series ...

'', and the live-action television series ''

Titans In Greek mythology, the Titans ( ; ) were the pre-Twelve Olympians, Olympian gods. According to the ''Theogony'' of Hesiod, they were the twelve children of the primordial parents Uranus (mythology), Uranus (Sky) and Gaia (Earth). The six male ...

''. Within DC Comics, the Teen Titans have been an influential group of characters taking prominent roles in all of the publisher's major company-wide crossover stories. Many villains who face the Titans have since taken on a larger role within the publisher's fictional universe, such as the assassin

Deathstroke Deathstroke is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, the character first appeared in ''The New Teen Titans'' #2 (December 1980) as Deathstroke the Terminator. In his co ...

, the demon Trigon, and the evil organization

H.I.V.E. The Hierarchy of International Vengeance and Extermination (H.I.V.E.) is a fictional terrorist organization appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The H.I.V.E. organization has appeared in ''Teen Titans (TV series), Teen Titan ...

Publication history

Original incarnation

Robin (Dick Grayson), Kid Flash (Wally West) and Aqualad (Garth) team up to defeat a weather-controlling villain known as Mister Twister in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #54 (July 1964) by writer

Bob Haney Robert Gilbert Haney, Jr. (March 15, 1926 – November 25, 2004) was an American comic book writer, best known for his work for DC Comics. He co-created the Teen Titans as well as characters such as Lance Bruner, Metamorpho, Eclipso, Cain, and ...

and artist

Bruno Premiani Giordano Bruno Premiani (; January 4, 1907 – August 17, 1984
at the

. They appeared under the name "Teen Titans" in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #60 (July 1965), joined by Wonder Woman's younger sister Wonder Girl (Donna Troy). After being featured in '' Showcase'' #59 (December 1965), the Teen Titans were spun off into their own series with ''Teen Titans'' #1 by Haney and artist

Nick Cardy Nicholas Viscardi (October 20, 1920 – November 3, 2013), known professionally as Nick Cardy and Nick Cardi, was an American comics artist best known for his DC Comics work on Aquaman, the Teen Titans and other major characters. Cardy was induct ...

. The series' original premise had the Teen Titans helping teenagers and answering calls. Comics historian

Les Daniels Leslie Noel Daniels III, better known as Les Daniels (October 27, 1943 – November 5, 2011), was an American writer. Background Daniels attended Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where he wrote his master's thesis on ''Frankenstein ...

noted that Haney "took some ribbing for the writing style that described the Teen Titans as 'the Cool Quartet' or 'the Fab Foursome'. The attempt to reach the youth culture then embracing performers like

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

and

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

impressed some observers." Green Arrow's sidekick Speedy makes guest appearances before officially joining the team in ''Teen Titans'' #19. Aqualad takes a leave of absence from the group in the same issue, but makes several later guest appearances, sometimes with girlfriend

Aquagirl Aquagirl (also Aqua-Girl) is the alias used by several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, typically depicted as supporting characters of Aquaman originating from the realm of Atlantis. The first two incarnations ...

Neal Adams Neal Adams (June 15, 1941 – April 28, 2022) was an American comic book artist. He was the co-founder of the graphic design studio Continuity Associates, and was a Creator ownership, creators-rights advocate who helped secure a pension and re ...

was called upon to rewrite and redraw a ''Teen Titans'' story which had been written by

Len Wein Leonard Norman Wein (; June 12, 1948 – September 10, 2017) was an American comic book writer and editor best known for co-creating DC Comics' Swamp Thing and Marvel Comics' Wolverine (character), Wolverine, and for helping revive the Marvel sup ...

and

. The story, titled "Titans Fit the Battle of Jericho!", would have introduced DC's first

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

superhero, but was rejected by publisher

Carmine Infantino Carmine Infantino (; May 24, 1925 – April 4, 2013) was an American comics artist and editing, editor, primarily for DC Comics, during the late 1950s and early 1960s period known as the Silver Age of Comic Books. Among his character creations are ...

. The revised story appeared in ''Teen Titans'' #20 (March–April 1969). Wolfman and

Gil Kane Gil Kane (; born Eli Katz , ; April 6, 1926 – January 31, 2000) was a Latvian-born American comics artist whose career spanned the 1940s to the 1990s and virtually every major comics company and character. Kane co-created the modern-day vers ...

created an origin for Wonder Girl in ''Teen Titans'' #22 (July–Aug. 1969) and introduced her new costume. Psychic

Lilith Clay Lilith Clay, also known as Omen, is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Robert Kanigher and Nick Cardy, Lilith made her first appearance in ''Teen Titans'' #25 (February 1970) and commonly appears as ...

and

also join the group.

Beast Boy Beast Boy (Garfield Mark "Gar" Logan) is a superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity ...

of the

makes a guest appearance seeking membership, but was rejected as too young at the time; existing heroes

Hawk and Dove Hawk and Dove are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Steve Ditko and Steve Skeates, they appeared in ''Showcase (comics), Showcase'' #75 (June 1968) during the Silver Age of Comic Books. The du ...

, a duo of teenaged superpowered brothers, appear in issue #21; and time-displaced

caveman The caveman is a stock character representative of primitive humans in the Paleolithic. The popularization of the type dates to the early 20th century, when Neanderthals were influentially described as " simian" or " ape-like" by Marcellin B ...

aids the team in two issues. The series explored events such as inner-city racial tension and protests against the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

. One storyline beginning in issue #25 (February 1970) saw the Titans deal with the accidental death of a peace activist, leading them to reconsider their methods. As a result, the Teen Titans briefly abandoned their identities to work as ordinary civilians, but the effort was quickly abandoned. Along the way, Aqualad left the series and the character of Mr. Jupiter, who was Lilith's mentor and employer, was introduced. He financially backed the Titans for a brief period. The series was canceled with #43 (January–February 1973).

1970s revival

The series resumed with issue #44 (November 1976). The stories included the introductions of African American superheroine

Bumblebee A bumblebee (or bumble bee, bumble-bee, or humble-bee) is any of over 250 species in the genus ''Bombus'', part of Apidae, one of the bee families. This genus is the only Extant taxon, extant group in the tribe Bombini, though a few extinct r ...

and former supervillainess-turned-superheroine

Harlequin Harlequin (, , ; , ) is the best-known of the comic servant characters (Zanni) from the Italian commedia dell'arte, associated with the city of Bergamo. The role is traditionally believed to have been introduced by the Italian actor-manager Zan ...

in issue #48 and the introduction of the "Teen Titans West" team in issues #50–52 consisting of a number of other teen heroes, including Bat-Girl (Betty Kane) and

Golden Eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird of pr ...

. The revival was short-lived and the series was cancelled as of issue #53 (February 1978), which featured an origin story. At the end, the heroes realized that, now that they were in their early 20s, they had outgrown the name the "Teen" Titans. In the last panel, without speaking, they all go their separate ways. The title appeared again in 1999 for ''Giant Teen Titans Annual'' #1 (1967) (), a one-shot special that reprinted selected

Silver Age The Ages of Man are the historical stages of human existence according to Greek mythology and its subsequent interpretatio romana, Roman interpretation. Both Hesiod and Ovid offered accounts of the successive ages of humanity, which tend to pr ...

stories in the 1960s-style ''

80-Page Giant 80-Page Giant was the name used for a series of comic books published by DC Comics beginning in 1964. The series was named for its unusually high page count (the typical page count for American monthly comics at this time was 32 pages). The cover pr ...

'' format.

''The New Teen Titans'' (1980–1996)

DC Comics Presents ''DC Comics Presents'' is a comic book series published by DC Comics from 1978 to 1986 which ran for 97 issues and four ''Annual''s. It featured team-ups between Superman and a wide variety of other characters in the DC Universe. A recurring bac ...

'' #26 (October 1980) introduced a new team of Titans, anchored by Robin, Wonder Girl, and Kid Flash and soon followed by ''The New Teen Titans'' #1 (November 1980). The series, created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist

, re-introduced Beast Boy as Changeling and introduced the machine man Cyborg, the alien Starfire, and the dark

empath Empath (; ) is a term for people who have a higher than usual level of empathy. In parapsychology, the mechanism for being an empath is said to be psychic channeling; psychics and mediums say that they channel the emotional states and exper ...

Raven. Raven, an expert manipulator, forms the group to fight her demonic father Trigon the Terrible and the team remains together. Wolfman and Pérez's working relationship quickly evolved to the point where they were plotting the series jointly. Wolfman recalled that "once George moved to the same town I lived in, only five blocks or so away, we usually got together for lunch and would work out a story over the next few hours. In many cases I would then go home and write up a plot based on it, or sometimes George would take the verbal plotting we did and take it from there." The team's adversaries included

Deathstroke the Terminator Deathstroke is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, the character first appeared in ''The New Teen Titans'' #2 (December 1980) as Deathstroke the Terminator. In his co ...

, a

mercenary A mercenary is a private individual who joins an armed conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any other official military. Mercenaries fight for money or other forms of payment rather t ...

who takes a contract to kill the Titans to fulfill a job his son had been unable to complete. This led to perhaps the most notable Titans storyline of the era. 1984's "The Judas Contract", in ''Tales of the Teen Titans'' #42–44 and ''Tales of the Teen Titans Annual'' #3, featured a psychopathic girl named

Terra Terra may often refer to: * Terra (mythology), primeval Roman goddess * An alternate name for planet Earth, as well as the Latin name for the planet Terra may also refer to: Geography Astronomy * Terra (satellite), a multi-national NASA scient ...

with the power to manipulate Earth and all Earth-related materials. She infiltrates the Titans in order to destroy them. "The Judas Contract" won the

Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award The ''Comics Buyer's Guide'' (''CBG'') magazine administered the annual Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards from 1982 to circa 2010, with the first awards announced in issue #500 (June 17, 1983). Upon taking over as ''CBG'' editors, Don and Maggie ...

for "Favorite Comic Book Story" of 1984 and was later reprinted as a standalone trade paperback in 1988. Robin adopts the identity of

, while Wally West gives up his Kid Flash persona and quits the Titans. It also featured the introduction of a new member in

Jericho Jericho ( ; , ) is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, and the capital of the Jericho Governorate. Jericho is located in the Jordan Valley, with the Jordan River to the east and Jerusalem to the west. It had a population of 20,907 in 2017. F ...

, Deathstroke's other son. Other notable ''New Teen Titans'' stories included "A Day in the Lives...", presenting a day in the team members' personal lives; "Who is Donna Troy?", depicting Robin investigating Wonder Girl's origins; and "We Are Gathered Here Today...", telling the story of Wonder Girl's wedding. ''Tales of the New Teen Titans'', a four-part limited series by Wolfman and Pérez, was published in 1982, detailing the back-stories of Cyborg, Raven, Changeling, and Starfire. Wolfman wrote a series of ''New Teen Titans'' drug awareness comic books which were published in cooperation with The President's Drug Awareness Campaign in 1983–1984. The first was pencilled by Pérez and sponsored by the

Keebler Company The Keebler Company is an American cookie and former cracker manufacturer. Founded in 1853, it has produced numerous baked snacks, advertised with the Keebler Elves. Keebler had marketed its brands such as Cheez-It (which bear the Sunshine Biscu ...

, the second was illustrated by

Ross Andru Ross Andru (; born Rostislav Androuchkevitch, June 15, 1927 – November 9, 1993) Part 1: Animation: We Leave the Army", p. 21. In 1948, Andru's first professional work as a comic strip illustrator was drawing layouts for the ''Tarzan (comics), T ...

and underwritten by the American Soft Drink Industry, and the third was drawn by

Adrian Gonzales Adrian Gonzales (1937 – October 23, 1998) was a Filipinos, Filipino comics artist best known for his work on ''All-Star Squadron'', ''Arak (comics), Arak, Son of Thunder'', and ''Super Powers Collection, Super Powers'' for DC Comics. Career A ...

and financed by

IBM International Business Machines Corporation (using the trademark IBM), nicknamed Big Blue, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company headquartered in Armonk, New York, and present in over 175 countries. It is ...

''The New Teen Titans'' (vol. 2)

The ''New Teen Titans'' relaunched with a new #1 issue in August 1984 as part of a new initiative at DC informally referred to as "hardcover/softcover". ''The New Teen Titans'' along with ''

Legion of Super-Heroes The Legion of Super-Heroes is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino, the Legion is a group of superpowered beings living in the 30th and 31st centuries of t ...

'' and ''Batman and the Outsiders'' were the first and only titles included in this program. The same stories were published twice, first in a more expensive edition with higher-quality printing and paper distributed exclusively to comic book specialty stores, then republished a year later in the original format, distributed to newsstands. The title was renamed ''Tales of the Teen Titans'' with issue #41, while a new concurrently published series named ''The New Teen Titans'' (vol. 2) launched with a new #1 following the release of ''Tales of the Teen Titans'' #44 and ''Annual'' #3, the conclusion of the "Judas Contract" storyline. After both titles ran new stories for one year, with ''Tales of the Teen Titans'' #45–58 taking place prior to the events of ''The New Teen Titans'' (vol. 2) #1, and a filler issue reprinting a digest-only story and the original preview story from ''DC Comics Presents'' #26, the series began reprinting the first 31 issues of the "hardcover" series (sans several back-up stories focusing on Tamaran that ran in ''New Teen Titans'' #14–18), the first ''Annual'', and the lead story from the second ''Annual'', before being cancelled with issue #91. Issue #1 of ''The New Teen Titans'' (vol. 2) created controversy when Grayson and Starfire were depicted in bed together, although it had been established for some time that they were a couple. The initial storyline, "The Terror of Trigon", featured Raven's demon father attempting to take over Earth and Raven's own struggle to remain good despite Trigon's demonic blood inside her. Pérez left the series after issue #5.

José Luis García-López José Luis García-López (born March 26, 1948) is a Spanish people, Spanish-Argentines, Argentine comics artist who works in the United States, particularly in a long-running relationship with DC Comics. In addition to his storytelling art, he pr ...

followed Pérez as the title's artist and

Eduardo Barreto Luis Eduardo Barreto Ferreyra (March 1, 1954 – December 15, 2011) was a Uruguayan artist who worked in the comic book and comic strip industries including several years of prominent work for DC Comics. All of his children are artists. Two o ...

followed García-López.

Paul Levitz Paul Levitz (; born October 21, 1956) is an American comic book writer, editor and executive. The president of DC Comics from 2002 to 2009, he worked for the company for over 35 years in a wide variety of roles. Along with publisher Jenette Kahn ...

scripted or fully wrote issues #28–33 to give Wolfman time to catch up on his writing after he fell behind by taking on ''

Crisis on Infinite Earths ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' is a 1985 to 1986 American comic book fictional crossover, crossover series published by DC Comics. Written by Marv Wolfman and penciller, pencilled by George Pérez, it was first released as a 12-issue limited ser ...

'' and ''

History of the DC Universe ''History of the DC Universe'' is a two-issue comic book limited series created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez which was published by DC Comics following the end of ''Crisis on Infinite Earths''. Publication history ''History of ...

''.

Name changed to ''The New Titans''

Pérez temporarily returned with issue #50, when the series took the name ''The New Titans'' without the "Teen" prefix, as the characters were no longer teenagers. Issue #50 told a new origin story for Wonder Girl, her link to Wonder Woman having been severed due to

retcon Retroactive continuity, or retcon for short, is a literary device in fictional story telling whereby facts and events established through the narrative itself are adjusted, ignored, supplemented, or contradicted by a subsequently published work ...

s created in the aftermath of ''

''. Pérez sketched through issues #55, 57 and 60, while only providing layouts for issues #58–59 and 61, with artist

Tom Grummett Thomas Grummett (born 1959) is a Canadian comic book artist and penciller. He is best known for his work as penciller on titles such as '' The New Titans'', '' The Adventures of Superman'', ''Superboy'', '' Power Company'', '' Robin'', '' New Th ...

finishing pencils and Bob McLeod as inker. Pérez remained as cover inker to issues #62–67. He would return for the series finale #130 (Feb. 1996) providing cover art. Issues #60 and #61 were part of a five-part crossover with Batman, "A Lonely Place of Dying" and along with issue #65, featured the debut of Tim Drake as the third Robin. The brief return of Perez and the addition of Tom Grummett failed to move sales for the book, which were starting to decline. Furthermore, the addition of

Danny Chase Danny Chase (later called Phantasm) is a fictional superhero in DC Comics publications. Publication history Danny Chase/Phantasm first appeared in '' The New Teen Titans'' Annual (vol. 2) #3 and was created by Marv Wolfman and artist Mike Collin ...

(a teenage psychic) drew negative fan response due to his abusive attitude towards the rest of the team. Believing Wolfman had grown stagnant, DC assigned Wolfman a new editor, Jonathan Peterson, and gave Peterson authority to override Wolfman over the direction of the book. With Peterson controlling the book's direction, the series was rapidly overhauled. The

Wildebeest Wildebeest ( , ,), also called gnu ( or ), are antelopes of the genus ''Connochaetes'' and native to Eastern and Southern Africa. They belong to the family Bovidae, which includes true antelopes, cattle, goats, sheep, and other even-toed ...

, a villain who used proxies and surrogates to hide his true identity while vexing the Titans, was expanded to a full army of villains called the

Wildebeest Society Wildebeest is the name of different characters appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. History Wildebeest I The first Wildebeest is a poacher, mercenary, and enemy of Chris King and Vicki Grant. Wildebeest Society The second Wild ...

and revealed to be a front for the remaining members of the supervillain group the

The group fell under the control of Titan Jericho, who in turn was being possessed by the corrupted souls of Azarath. During the "Titans Hunt" storyline that followed (#71–84), Cyborg was destroyed and rebuilt, along with being lobotomized; Danny Chase and Arella (Raven's mother) were killed and resurrected as the ''

gestalt Gestalt may refer to: Psychology * Gestalt psychology, a school of psychology * Gestalt therapy Gestalt therapy is a form of psychotherapy that emphasizes Responsibility assumption, personal responsibility and focuses on the individual's exp ...

'' being Phantasm (an identity created by Chase early in the series); while Raven, Jericho, and

were killed. New character

Pantha Pantha (Rosabelle Mendez) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She is a member of the Teen Titans who gained cat-like abilities from experimentation by the Wildebeest Society. Pantha was killed by Supe ...

(based on plans for a female Wildcat character Wolfman conceived in the mid-'80s) joined the team, along with Deathstroke and Red Star. Deathstroke was also given his own solo book and the team received its first crossover tie-in since ''Millennium'', with ''The New Titans'' #81 being part of the "War of the Gods" storyline. Peterson also saw the launch of ''Team Titans'', which featured a new genetically modified (and heroic) doppelganger of Terra and Donna Troy, who was depowered in the "Total Chaos" crossover. Peterson left the book before "Total Chaos" concluded, leaving Wolfman to deal with the fallout from Peterson's editorially mandated storylines, including the final break-up between Starfire and Nightwing as a couple, the return of Speedy as Arsenal, and the resurrection of Raven as a villain. Following ''Zero Hour: Crisis in Time!'', the series saw a revamp: Nightwing was removed from the series by Batman editorial and a roster of new young heroes such as

Damage Damage is any change in a thing, often a physical object, that degrades it away from its initial state. It can broadly be defined as "changes introduced into a system that adversely affect its current or future performance".Farrar, C.R., Sohn, H., ...

and Impulse were inserted into the team to try and renew interest, along with Team Titan survivors Mirage and Terra II. New Green Lantern

Kyle Rayner Kyle Rayner (), one of the characters known as Green Lantern, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character is depicted as being associated with the Green Lantern Corps, an extraterrestrial police force of ...

was also brought onto the title and given a prominent romance with Donna Troy, whose marriage with Terry Long had collapsed in the pages of ''Team Titans'' before the book's cancellation. Sales saw a collapse and despite several crossovers with other books (''Damage'', ''Green Lantern'', ''Darkstars'', and ''Deathstroke''), the series was cancelled with issue #130. The series finale saw the return of Blackfire as an ally, as the Titans purged Raven of evil once again to prevent Raven and the revived Citadel Empire from reconquering the Vega star system.

''The New Teen Titans'' and the ''Uncanny X-Men''

''The New Teen Titans'' was widely thought of as DC's answer to the increasingly popular ''

Uncanny X-Men ''Uncanny X-Men'', originally published as ''The X-Men'', is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics since 1963, and is the longest-running series in the List of X-Men comics, X-Men comics franchise. It features a team of super ...

'' from

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

, as both series featured all-new members and depicted young heroes from disparate backgrounds whose internal conflicts were as integral to the series as was their combat against villains. The two teams met in the 1982

crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Music Albums * ''Cross Over'' (album), a 1987 album by Dan Peek, or the title song * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'', an album by Intrigue * ''Crossover'', an album by ...

one-shot entitled "Apokolips... Now", which teamed

Darkseid Darkseid () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer-artist Jack Kirby, the character first made a cameo appearance in ''Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen'' #134 (December 1970), before being fully in ...

, Deathstroke and

Dark Phoenix "The Dark Phoenix Saga" is an extended X-Men comic-book storyline published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist John Byrne, the storyline first appeared in ''X-Men'' #129 (January 1980). It focuses on the superhero Jea ...

against both teams. The story was written by

Chris Claremont Christopher S. Claremont (; born November 25, 1950) is an English-born American comic book writer and novelist. Claremont is best known for his 16-year stint on ''Uncanny X-Men'' from 1975 to 1991, far longer than that of any other writer,Clarem ...

and drawn by

Walt Simonson Walter Simonson (born September 2, 1946) is an American comic book writer and artist, best known for a run on Marvel Comics' ''Thor'' from 1983 to 1987, during which he created the character Beta Ray Bill. He is also known for the creator-owned ...

and Terry Austin.

''New Titans: Games''

In 1989, Marv Wolfman and George Perez began planning a prestige format special, their first work together on the franchise since Perez left after ''The New Teen Titans'' (vol. 2) #5. The project was put on hold when it was decided instead to have Perez return to the main book as artist and for their first project back together to be "Who Is Wonder Girl?" instead. Over the course of 1989 and 1990, George Perez and Marv Wolfman continued to work on ''Games'' with over half the project being completed. But the ascension of Jonathan Peterson as editor of the series, and Perez moving off of New Titans in order to work on ''

The Infinity Gauntlet ''The Infinity Gauntlet'' is an American comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics. In addition to an eponymous, six-issue limited series (comics), limited series written by Jim Starlin and Penciller, pencilled by George Pérez and Ron ...

'' for Marvel led to the book being shelved. In the early '00s, Marv Wolfman and George Perez approached DC about completing the book as a stand-alone graphic novel. The book was completed in 2010 and published in 2011. The plot had the New Titans be forced by King Faraday to go after a mysterious mastermind who forces his victims to play deadly "games" for his amusement. In the interim, Wolfman had rewritten the plot (most notably, changing the original ending where Nightwing personally executes the main villain of the series after his "games" result in the death of longtime Titan ally Sarah Simms and the maiming of Danny Chase) though retained several key details (the death of Simms and Chase losing his hands) and several additional twists (the introduction of a previously unknown sibling of Raven, the revelation that the main villain was a schizophrenic King Faraday, and the destruction of Titan Tower) that make it impossible to fit into canon, reducing it to an alternate universe side story in Teen Titans lore.

''Teen Titans Spotlight''

Due to fan backlash over the hardcover/softcover move to the direct market with the main title, a new newsstand Titans book was launched in August 1986 called ''Teen Titans Spotlight''. The series was an anthology series and featured individual members of the Titans in solo stories, often spanning multiple issues. The series also focused on former members of the group (such as Hawk and Aqualad) and the Brotherhood of Evil, detailing the formation of the second version of the group. As the move to the direct market effectively limited ''The New Teen Titans'' ability to be part of company-wide crossovers, two issues of ''Spotlight'' tied into the ''Millennium'' crossover event, with the second issue being the coda for the event. The series failed to catch on and was cancelled in 1988, along with ''Tales of the Teen Titans''.

''Team Titans''

The Team Titans were one of 100 groups sent back through time to prevent the birth of Lord Chaos, the son of Donna Troy and Terry Long. Their mission was to kill the pregnant Troy before she could give birth.

Mirage A mirage is a naturally-occurring optical phenomenon in which light rays bend via refraction to produce a displaced image of distant objects or the sky. The word comes to English via the French ''(se) mirer'', from the Latin ''mirari'', mean ...

Killowat Killowat (Charlie Watkins) is a fictional character appearing in media published by DC Comics. Publication history Killowat first appeared in ''Team Titans'' #1, and was created by Dan Jurgens. Fictional character biography Killowat originates ...

, Redwing,

Nightrider Night Rider, Nightrider, or variants thereof may refer to: Literature * ''Night Rider'' (novel), a 1939 novel by Robert Penn Warren * ''Night Rider'', a 2001 novel by W. A. Harbinson written under the Shaun Clarke pseudonym * Nightrider (DC C ...

, Prestor Jon, and

Battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

made up the team.

''Teen Titans'' (vol. 2) (1996–1998)

''Teen Titans'' was written and penciled by

Dan Jurgens Dan Jurgens (; born June 27, 1959) is an American comic book writer and artist. He is known for his work on the DC Comics, DC comic book storyline "The Death of Superman" and for creating characters such as Doomsday (DC Comics), Doomsday, Hank H ...

. It began in 1996 with a new #1 (October 1996), with Pérez as inker for the first 15 issues.

Atom Atoms are the basic particles of the chemical elements. An atom consists of a atomic nucleus, nucleus of protons and generally neutrons, surrounded by an electromagnetically bound swarm of electrons. The chemical elements are distinguished fr ...

, who had become a teenager following the events of ''Zero Hour'', leads the brand-new team (of Prysm, Joto,

Risk In simple terms, risk is the possibility of something bad happening. Risk involves uncertainty about the effects/implications of an activity with respect to something that humans value (such as health, well-being, wealth, property or the environ ...

, and

Argent In heraldry, argent () is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it. In engravings and line drawings, regions to b ...

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

became a mentor about halfway through and Captain Marvel Jr. joins the team. The series ended in September 1998. A contest was held in the letters pages to determine who would join the team.

Robin Robin most commonly refers to several species of passerine birds. Robin may also refer to: Animals * Australasian robins, red-breasted songbirds of the family Petroicidae * Many members of the subfamily Saxicolinae (Old World chats), inclu ...

(Tim Drake), won the vote, but editors on the Batman titles banned his appearance, forcing Jurgens to use Captain Marvel Jr. instead. His inclusion failed to boost sales and the series was then cancelled.

''Titans'' (1999–2003)

The team returned in a three-issue miniseries, ''JLA/Titans: The Technis Imperative'', featuring nearly every Titan and showcasing the return of Cyborg. This led into ''Titans'', written by Devin K. Grayson, starting with ''Titans Secret Files and Origins'' #1 (March 1999). This team consisted of Nightwing, Troia, Arsenal, Tempest, the Flash, Starfire, Cyborg, Changeling, Damage and Argent. One new member,

Jesse Quick Jesse Belle Chambers is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Chambers, who mainly uses the superhero name Jesse Quick and briefly Liberty Belle, is the daughter of Golden Age of Comics, Golden Age heroes Johnny Qui ...

, joined. This team lasted until issue #50 (2002). The West Coast branch of the team, Titans L.A., appeared once, in the pages of ''Titans Secret Files and Origins'' #2. Between ''Teen Titans'' and ''Titans'', a new generation of young heroes formed a team in ''

'', consisting of Superboy, Robin, Impulse,

Wonder Girl Wonder Girl is the alias of multiple list of superheroines, superheroines featured in comic books published by DC Comics. They are associated with the superheroine Wonder Woman and possess Amazons (DC Comics), Amazonian powers. The Wonder Girl a ...

Secret Secrecy is the practice of hiding information from certain individuals or groups who do not have the "need to know", perhaps while sharing it with other individuals. That which is kept hidden is known as the secret. Secrecy is often controver ...

, and

Arrowette Arrowette is a superheroine that appear in American comic books published by DC Comics. Publication history The Bonnie King version of Arrowette appears in ''World's Finest Comics'' #113 and was created by Dave Wood and Lee Elias. The Cissie Ki ...

. The two series concluded with the three-issue miniseries '' Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day'', which led to two new series: ''Teen Titans'' and '' Outsiders''.

''Teen Titans'' (vol. 3) (2003–2011) and ''Outsiders'' (vol. 3) (2003–2007)

Writer

Geoff Johns Geoffrey Johns (born January 25, 1973) is an American comic book writer, screenwriter, and film and television producer. Johns's work on the DC Comics characters Green Lantern, Aquaman, Flash (comics), Flash, and Superman has drawn critical accl ...

' ''Teen Titans'' series began in 2003, after a three issue miniseries entitled ''Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day'', which saw Lilith's death and Donna Troy sent to another world after seemingly dying, along with the disbanding of the 1998–2002 Titans roster and the Young Justice team. The relaunch came on the heels of the debut of the ''

'' cartoon on

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...

and reflected DC Comics chief executive Dan DiDio's desire to rehabilitate the Titans as one of DC's top franchises. Launched at the same time was a companion series, a revived version of ''The Outsiders'' which featured Nightwing and Arsenal, along with several other Titans members (Captain Marvel Jr. and Starfire). The series featured several of the main teenage heroes from the Young Justice roster (Robin, Superboy, Wonder Girl, Impulse) and Starfire, Cyborg and Changeling (now rebranded Beast Boy to reflect the cartoon). Raven later returned to the team, reborn in a new teenage body while Jericho was brought back, having escaped death by possessing and laying dormant inside his father Deathstroke's mind. The series renewed interest in the Titans, but drew sharp complaints due to shifts in the personalities of the various Young Justice characters. Most notably, the decision to have Impulse rebrand himself Kid Flash and the decision to Jettison his happy-go-lucky person in favor of a more serious personality. The series, under Geoff Johns, also dramatically retconned Superboy's origin with the revelation that he was a hybrid clone based on the combined DNA of Superman and Lex Luthor (a possibility Johns had first suggested in a fan letter published in the Superboy comic book several years before he was employed by DC). Under Geoff Johns, the Teen Titans were front and center during the build-up and events of the ''

'' crossover. During the lead-in of the crossover, Donna Troy came back in a four-part crossover miniseries with The Outsiders called "The Return of Donna Troy" while Superboy and Cassie Sandsmark became a couple. During ''Infinite Crisis'', Superboy was killed by his evil doppelganger Superboy Prime, Cyborg was severely damaged by cosmic forces unleashed by Alexander Luthor Jr., Starfire was lost in space with several other heroes, while Kid Flash became lost in the Speed Force, re-emerging in the Flash uniform and having aged to adulthood after a failed attempt to stop Superboy Prime.

''One Year Later'' and the post-Geoff Johns Titans

Following the events of ''Infinite Crisis'', the Teen Titans fell into a state of chaos. Wonder Girl quit the group to join a cult she believed could resurrect Superboy, while Robin took a leave of absence to travel the globe with Batman and Nightwing. Beast Boy and Raven attempted to keep the Titans going, resulting in a massive open call membership drive that saw a large number of heroes come and join the roster, which was anchored by Beast Boy and Raven. New members include Miss Martian, Kid Devil, Zachary Zatara, Ravager, Bombshell (who like Terra I, was a traitor working for Deathstroke), Young Frankenstein, and Osiris. During this period, Osiris was driven from the team due to a smear campaign launched by Amanda Waller after she manipulated him into killing a super-villain. The smear campaign against Osiris, along with the war between Black Adam and Intergang, led to Black Adam declaring war on the world. In the ensuing series of battles against the super-hero community, the Titans fought and lost a bloody battle with the villain, culminating in the deaths of Terra II and Young Frankenstein. The deaths led to Beast Boy resigning from the team to join the Doom Patrol along with Herald and Bumblebee, while Raven took a leave of absence to purge Jericho of the dark forces that were corrupting him. Robin and Wonder Girl eventually rejoined the Titans (now located in San Francisco, California) and helped foil Bombshell's plan to frame Miss Martian as Deathstroke's latest mole in the team and allowed Raven to cleanse Jericho of the Azarathian corruption that had turned him evil. Geoff John's final arc on the series would introduce a new villainous "Titans East" team, led by Deathstroke and Batgirl Cassandra Cain. Soon after, events related to the ''

Countdown A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and eve ...

'' story arc impacted the Titans. Duela Dent and Bart Allen are killed; Cyborg leaves, and

Supergirl Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Supergirl (Kara Zor-El), Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. Th ...

joins and Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes), Blue Beetle is invited to train, but the two eventually leave, with the members joining the Justice League of America and Justice League International, respectively. The Titans fight the future, evil adult versions of the group (

) and Clock King and the Terror Titans, who are part of Darkseid's underground fight club for metahumans. After the ''Batman R.I.P'' storyline, Robin leaves and Wonder Girl leads the team. Red Devil loses his powers after Brother Blood absorbs them. Miss Martian returns with several teen heroes liberated from the Dark Side Club. A new team is formed: Wonder Girl, Blue Beetle and the now-powerless Red Devil are joined by Kid Eternity and Static, with the new Aquagirl, Miss Martian and a reformed Bombshell (DC Comics), Bombshell signing up. In the ''Blackest Night'' crossover, several dead Titans are resurrected as members of the Black Lantern Corps. In the ''Titans: Blackest Night'' miniseries, an emergency team consisting of Donna Troy, Cyborg, Wonder Girl, Starfire, Beast Boy, Kid Flash and the new Hawk (Holly Granger), Hawk and Dove (Dawn Granger), Dove, is formed to defend the Tower. In the ensuing battle, Hawk is killed after her predecessor Hank Hall tears her heart out. At the end of the ''Blackest Knight'' crossover, Hank Hall is resurrected and resumes his partnership with Dove. In the main series, Ravager and Jericho fight their father Deathstroke and the dead members of the Wilson family, resurrected as Black Lanterns. During this time, several back-up stories begin to run in the series: one called "The Coven", starring Black Alice (comics), Black Alice, Zachary Zatara and Traci Thirteen and later, one starring Ravager. Later storylines involve the corruption of Wonder Girl at the hands of various factors (designed to address complaints about the character's abusive attitudes towards her teammates post-''Infinite Crisis''), Kid Devil is killed in battle, while Kid Eternity is revealed to have been beaten to death by the Calculator after being kidnapped by him. J. T. Krul became the writer with issue #88 and penciler Nicola Scott became the book's artist. The issue's teaser shows a line-up of Superboy, Wonder Girl, Raven, Beast Boy, Kid Flash and Ravager. The Titans undergo this roster change in issue #87, the final issue before Krul's run. Following a mission to an alternate dimension to rescue Raven, the team splits. Bombshell and Aquagirl are missing in action, Miss Martian is in a coma and she and a powerless Static leave with Cyborg to go to Cadmus Labs to find a way to restore his powers. Damian Wayne, the current Robin, is announced as a new team member, officially joining in #89. A series for Static was announced. In January 2011, new Titan Solstice (character), Solstice debuted in the January 2011 ''Wonder Girl'' one-shot. She entered the main ''Teen Titans'' title following the crossover with the ''Red Robin (comic book), Red Robin'' series. During the crossover, Tim asks the Titans for help in tracking down the Calculator after he tries to kill his friend, Tamara Fox. Tim rejoins the team as Red Robin (rather than Robin) but Cassie would remain the leader. Following this, Damian quits the team. The book concluded with a three-part storyline spanning issues #98–100, which saw Superboy-Prime return to destroy the team. A large group of former Titans arrived and the series ultimately ended with Prime trapped in the Source Wall, seemingly for all eternity. The remainder of the issue consisted of pieces of artwork showcasing the various Teen Titans who appeared in that incarnation of the title, contributed by various DC artists.

''Titans'' (vol. 2) (2008–2011)

A second ongoing Teen Titans series, titled ''Titans'', launched in April 2008 with a cover date of June 2008, written by Judd Winick. The first issue was drawn by Ian Churchill and Norm Rapmund and the second was by Joe Benitez and Victor Llamas. The opening storyline follows the events of the ''Teen Titans East Special'' one-shot released in November 2007, revealing that Cyborg's team survived the attack, except Power Boy, dead after being impaled. The team's new line up consists of former ''New Teen Titans'' Nightwing, The Flash (Wally West), Donna Troy, Beast Boy, Raven, Cyborg, Red Arrow and Starfire. In the series' first story, Trigon makes a series of attacks on every member, former or current, of the Teen Titans and Trigon has "another child" that, unlike Raven, will assist him in his attack. After reclaiming Titans Island and establishing a headquarters on the East River, Cyborg sets out to create an East Coast Titans team. During a training session, the team was massacred by an unseen force. Though Cyborg survives, Titans' members past and present are attacked by demonic entities across the globe. Raven, sensing Trigon's presence once again, calls upon her former Titans allies to defeat her fiendish father. After rescuing several Titans and questioning Trigon himself, the Titans learn that Trigon's three children have prepared his second invasion for him. Raven's three grown half brothers – Jacob, Jared and Jesse are responsible. Working as a team, the Titans thwart the Sons of Trigon and stop Trigon's invasion plan. Following this adventure, Raven chooses her adopted family over her biological family, Red Arrow decided to join his former teammates (although both he and Flash retain their JLA membership) and the Titans were back together as a team. Following this, the team settles at Titans Tower (the New York base), to recover from the events. While Dick and Kory attempt to make a decision on where their relationship will lead, Raven and Beast Boy go out on a "not-a-date". During this, Raven reveals that since she faced her brothers, she has begun to feel as if she is losing control and slipping back under her father's influence. Although Beast Boy rejects the idea, he is unexpectedly blind-sided as Raven gives in to her darker side, under the influence of her half-brother's coaxing. Using her teleporting powers, she and the sons of Trigon vanish, leaving a distraught Beast Boy to warn the others. Using a gemstone that carries Raven's pure essence within it, the Titans free Raven of her father's evil. As a result, Raven leaves each Titan with an amulet that can be used to cleanse any evil influence from her body. Following this, Jericho arrives, frantically asking for help to separate himself from Match's body. Jericho has turned renegade again and fights the Titans. He is under the control of the numerous people that he has taken command of over the years. Nightwing resigns from the Titans due to Batman and Robin (comic book), his new responsibilities in Gotham.

''Brightest Day: Titans – Villains for Hire''

A San Diego Comic-Con International, Comic-Con announcement stated that Cyborg, Donna Troy and Starfire were leaving the team to pursue the JLA. Red Arrow, with his daughter Lian, has already relocated and is no longer involved with the Titans, but he got a spotlight in issue #23 after what happens to him in ''Justice League: Cry for Justice'' #5. After a series of spotlight issues, ''Final Crisis Aftermath: INK'' writer-artist creative team Eric Wallace and Fabrizio Fiorentino took over. Deathstroke took over the team with the Tattooed Man and Cheshire (comics), Cheshire. One of the new members included Carla Monetti a.k.a. Cinder, a young redheaded woman with the ability to manipulate fire. Osiris (DC Comics), Osiris, a member during the ''One Year Later'' gap, who had been brought back to life after the events of ''Blackest Night'', returned as a member. The final issue of the limited series, ''Justice League: The Rise of Arsenal'' ended with an advertisement stating that Arsenal's storyline would continue. The team debuted in the one-shot issue ''Titans: Villains for Hire'', where they are hired to assassinate Atom (Ryan Choi), Ryan Choi (the Atom) in his home in Ivy Town. The issue quickly became the subject of controversy due to Choi's violent death. Allegations of racial insensitivity dogged DC over the decision to kill off a relatively high-profile Asian character. Following the one-shot, in the team's inaugural storyline they were hired to assassinate Lex Luthor following the events of ''War of the Supermen''. This is revealed to be a ruse set up by Luthor and Deathstroke to draw out the real assassin, a shape-shifter named "Facade", who had apparently killed and impersonated a woman on Luthor's security detail. Following several adventures, the Titans are confronted by Atom (Ray Palmer), Ray Palmer and the Justice League for their hand in Ryan's murder. The Titans are nearly defeated, but manage to escape thanks to an intervention from the newly resurrected Isis (DC Comics), Isis. Following the battle with the Justice League, ''Titans'' concluded with a two-part storyline which saw Jericho's return. The series ended with Arsenal battling Slade for control of the team and the Titans ultimately disbanding and Arsenal taking Jericho under his wing, leaving Slade alone once again.

''The New 52'' (2011–2016)

DC Comics relaunched ''Teen Titans'' with issue #1 (cover dated November 2011) as part of DC's New 52 event, written by Scott Lobdell with former ''Justice League'' artist Brett Booth providing interiors. The relaunch was controversial, because it was originally designed as a direct continuation of the previous Teen Titans series before Dan DiDio declared that all previous incarnations of the Titans never existed; this in spite of the fact that early issues of the 2011 series (as well as "Red Hood and the Outlaws" and "Batwoman") made explicit mention of the previous Teen Titans teams. The new team is formed by Tim Drake, now rebranded as "Red Robin" to protect teenage heroes from a villain known as Harvest and his organization "N.O.W.H.E.R.E." A running theme for the 2011–2014 series was Harvest kidnapping young heroes for experimentation and enslavement as part of the villainous scheme for world domination. The 2011–2014 series featured several crossovers, "The Culling (comics), The Culling", which had the team meet the Legion of Super-Heroes, as well as "Death of the Family", which focused upon a meeting of Batgirl, Red Hood and the Outlaws, and the Titans, as the Joker kidnapped Red Hood and Red Robin. The 2012 "Zero Month" issue provided the ''New 52'' origin of Tim Drake, recasting him as a young computer hacker who was adopted by Batman to protect him from retaliation by the Penguin. The 2011–2014 series and Scott Lobdell's writing drew negative reviews, though the Lobdell-created character Bunker (character), Bunker was positively received by fans. Criticism included the meandering Harvest/N.O.W.H.E.R.E storyline, an arc that revealed Kid Flash (Bart Allen) as a futuristic fundamentalist Christian terrorist hiding in the 20th century, as well as the elimination of the franchise's lore. The character of Raven and Trigon was originally embargoed by Lobdell, but the characters were brought back due to fan demand. The 2011 series also spawned a short-lived spin-off, ''The Ravagers'', which ran for 10 issues and featured Beast Boy, Terra and Caitlin Fairchild, Caitlyn Fairchild of ''Gen¹³, Gen¹³'' in major roles. The series was relaunched in July with a new issue #1 with Will Pfeifer as writer. The series continued with the characteristics of the main characters, but ignored the events of the Ravagers spin-off, presenting Beast Boy both green and in line with his animated series characteristics. The series also added an African American version of the super-heroine Power Girl to the roster. Due to the backlash against the removal of the previous incarnations of the Titans (and the ripple effect it had upon characters such as Nightwing and Donna Troy), DC launched a new miniseries called "Titans Hunt", which restored the original 1960s version of the Titans to canon. The series states that all memory of the original Titans was erased by Lilith to protect the team from Mr. Twister. It also alludes to further reality alterations to the DC Universe; these are then picked up on in the ''

'' initiative, beginning a week after "Titans Hunt", which restores Wally West to canon, along with various aspects of the Pre-''Flashpoint'' continuity.

''DC Rebirth'' (2016–2020)

The June 2016 ''

'' relaunch established two Titans teams: the Titans, with Nightwing, The Flash (Wally West), Lilith, Arsenal, Donna Troy, the Bumblebee and Tempest; and the Teen Titans, consisting of Damian Wayne as Robin, Wallace West as Kid Flash, Jackson Hyde as Aqualad, Beast Boy, Starfire and Raven. ''Titans'' writer Dan Abnett confirmed in an interview with ''Newsarama'' that ''Titans'' characters the Hawk and the Dove, the Herald, Gnarrk and others would be appearing in the new series as well. After the Lazarus Contract event, Wallace West is fired from the Teen Titans and joins Defiance, Deathstroke's version of the Titans. However, Wallace returns to the Teen Titans in issue #14. In ''Super Sons'' #7, Superboy (Jonathan Samuel Kent) acts as a temporary member. As part of the "New Justice" banner for DC Comics, both teams underwent changes in their roster, with Nightwing, Donna Troy, Raven, Natasha Irons, Steel (Natasha Irons), Beast Boy, Miss Martian and eventually Kyle Rayner, Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner), and Robin, Kid Flash, Red Arrow (Emiko Queen), Crush (Lobo (DC Comics), Lobo's daughter), Djinn, and Roundhouse for the Teen Titans. The ''Titans'' series ended its run at issue #36 (April 2019), while ''Teen Titans'' is ended its run in November 2020 at issue #47.

''Infinite Frontier'' (2021–2022)

In the ''Teen Titans Academy'' series, the adult generation of Titans (Nightwing, Starfire, Donna Troy, Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Raven) serve as faculty of a new superhero academy designed to mentor the heroes of tomorrow. Its upperclassmen are the active Teen Titans squad (Bunker, Roundhouse, Crush, Kid Flash III, Red Arrow II, and Jakeem Thunder), while its new students include three bat-themed Gotham residents (the brawny Megabat, techy Bratgirl, and bat-like metahuman Chupacabra) collectively known as the Bat Pack; the established superhero Shazam (DC Comics), Billy Batson / Shazam; paraplegic speedster Bolt (DC Comics), Bolt; EMP-generating Brick Pettirosso; nonbinary ragdoll and apprentice to Doctor Fate (Khalid Nassour), Doctor Fate, Stitch (DC Comics), Stitch; Raven's star pupil, Dane; tubular shapeshifter Marvin "Tooby" Murakami; ice-wielder Summer Zahid; simian superhero Gorilla Gregg, nephew of Gorilla Grodd, Grodd; Dial H for Hero, Hero dial wielder Miguel Montez; green-prehensile-haired Tress; and the amnesiac, super strong, Matt Price. As the new students and faculty of the academy attempt to establish their new school, they are plagued by appearances of someone assuming the costume of Red X, once worn by Dick Grayson and another mysterious copycat. As time goes on, the team discover that Dane is the half-demon antichrist, and under the alias Nevermore (The Raven, reflecting his similarities to Raven), is destined to bring about the apocalypse. In the first story arc's conclusion, the mysterious third Red X is revealed to be Brick, operating under the false belief that Dick Grayson is his father; he was manipulated by the second Red X, who bears a longstanding grudge against Grayson. Dane and Brick's attacks on the Academy cause the structure to collapse, but the students manage to prevent all but minimal casualties. Matt Price fires optic blasts in the final confrontation, indicating to onlookers that he might be Kryptonian, but Grayson deduces he must be something else, as the blasts give off no heat, more closely resembling Darkseid's Omega Beams. ''Teen Titans Academy'' is one of the series which leads directly into the events of the major company crossover "Dark Crisis, Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths", which sees Nightwing, the Titans, and the other younger heroes step up in the Justice League's absence to defeat a possessed

's dark army and save the multiverse.

''Dawn of DC'' (2023–present)

Following the events of "Dark Crisis" and during the run of writer Tom Taylor (writer), Tom Taylor on ''Nightwing'', Superman approaches Nightwing with the proposition that he serves as the leader of the new superhero team who succeeds the Justice League following their disbanding. This leads to Nightwing unveiling a new Titans Tower in Blüdhaven with the team consisting of him, The Flash (Wally West), Donna Troy, Beast Boy, Cyborg, Starfire, and Raven. This will lead into a new Titans series written by Taylor and illustrated by Nicola Scott. The Titans' first challenge brings them into conflict with Brother Eternity, a Tamaranean named Xand'r who used to work for the royal family of Tamaran before betraying them to the Citadel, whom has taken over the Church of Blood (now renamed the Church of Eternity) and infuses Tempest with a parasite to turn him against the team. This later leads to the events of ''Titans: Beast World'' where Amanda Waller and Doctor Hate (revealed to be Raven's demonic half having escaped her gem and taken on a new form styled after Doctor Fate) take advantage of Beast Boy becoming a Starro, Star Conqueror to defeat Brother Eternity's master, a Star Conqueror known as the Necrostar, and use him as part of a plot to transform the superheroes and supervillains into mind-controlled animals. Although the Titans do return everyone to normal, Waller frames the Titans as the culprits for the attack and confiscates the Hall of Justice (comics), Hall of Justice. In addition, Hate defeats Raven during the incident, imprisons her in her own gem, and poses as her to infiltrate the Titans. Tempest, freed from the parasite, then finally joins the team.

Titans Tower

Titans Tower is the headquarters of the Teen Titans. The first tower was located in New York City, while later series depict it in California, usually the San Francisco Bay Area. Although the location and appearance of the tower has changed throughout the various series, there are a few defining characteristics, such as always being shaped to resemble the letter "T". The latest Titans Tower is located in Blüdhaven, now being rebuilt over a destroyed prison. This acts as the headquarters for a new team of Titans, who now act as the world's protectors after the Justice League has gone into a hiatus.

Enemies

Collected editions

Silver Age ''Teen Titans''

''New Teen Titans''

''New Titans''

''The Titans''

''Teen Titans'' (vol. 3) (2003–2011)

Note: Issues #27–28, penciled by artist Rob Liefeld and written by Gail Simone, are not collected in any of the trade paperbacks and were reprinted in ''

: Brightest Day'' #3 (Feb. 2011), which also included ''Legends of the DC Universe'' #26–27 (tying in with characters spotlighted in ''Brightest Day''). Issues #48–49, which tie in with the "Amazons Attack!, Amazons Attack" Wonder Woman story, are likewise not collected in any trade paperback.

''Titans'' (vol. 2) (2008–2011)

''The New 52'' ''Teen Titans'' (vols. 4–5) (2011–2014)

''DC Rebirth'' ''Titans'' (vol. 3) (2016–2019), ''Teen Titans'' (vol. 6) (2016–2020)

''Teen Titans Academy (2021–2022), Titans United (2021)''

In other media

Television

* The Teen Titans appear in a self-titled segment of ''The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure'', consisting of Roy Harper (character), Speedy, Wally West, Kid Flash, Donna Troy, Wonder Girl, and Garth (comics), Aqualad. * Hanna-Barbera planned to make a Teen Titans TV series, set in the same universe as ''Super Friends'', though nothing came of it. * The New Teen Titans appear in the 1984 Keebler PSA "New Teen Titans Say No to Drugs", consisting of Wonder Girl, Starfire (Teen Titans), Starfire, Raven (DC Comics), Raven, Cyborg (DC Comics), Cyborg,

, Kid Flash, and Protector (DC Comics), Protector. * The Teen Titans appear in a Teen Titans (TV series), self-titled TV series, initially consisting of founding members Dick Grayson, Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, Raven, and Beast Boy. Additionally, Thunder and Lightning (comics), Thunder and Lightning, Isaiah Crockett, Hot Spot,

, Titans East, Red Star (comics), Red Star, Kole,

, Melvin, Timmy Tantrum, Teether, Bobby, Kid Flash,

, Bushido (character), Bushido, Mal Duncan, Herald,

, and Jinx (DC Comics), Jinx appear as honorary members throughout the series. * The Teen Titans serve as partial inspiration for ''Young Justice (TV series), Young Justice''. * The Teen Titans appear in the ''Mad (TV series), Mad'' short "Teen Titanic", consisting of Robin, Raven, Cyborg, Beast Boy, Starfire, Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes), Blue Beetle, Conner Kent, Superboy, Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, and Kaldur'ahm, Aqualad. * The Teen Titans appear in the "New Teen Titans" segment of ''DC Nation Shorts'', consisting of Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, Raven, and Beast Boy. * The Teen Titans appear in ''

'' (2013), consisting of Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, Raven, and Beast Boy. * A Teen Titans animated series meant to be loosely set in the DC Animated Universe was planned, but abandoned. * Two iterations of the Titans appear in a Titans (2018 TV series), self-titled TV series, with the first incarnation consisting of founding members Dick Grayson (Titans character), Dick Grayson, Aqualad, Wonder Girl, and

as well as later recruit Jericho while Grayson eventually joins Starfire (Teen Titans), Kory Anders, Raven (DC Comics), Rachel Roth, and Beast Boy, Gar Logan to form a new incarnation years later. As the series progresses, Jason Todd, Rose Wilson, Superboy, and Krypto join the group while Aqualad, Wonder Girl, and Hawk and Dove rejoin. * The Teen Titans appear in the ''DC Super Hero Girls (TV series), DC Super Hero Girls'' episode "#TweenTitans", consisting of preteen incarnations of Robin, Starfire, Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Raven.

Film

* The Teen Titans appear in ''Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo'' (2006), consisting of Dick Grayson, Robin, Starfire (Teen Titans), Starfire, Cyborg (DC Comics), Cyborg, Raven (DC Comics), Raven, and

. * In May 2007, Warner Bros. announced a ''Teen Titans'' film was in development, with Robin (character), Robin as a confirmed member and Akiva Goldsman and Mark Verheiden writing the film. In 2014 however, Goldsman announced the development of ''

'' (see above), leaving the film's production in question. Heroic Hollywood's El Mayimbe later announced on ''Collider (website), Collider Heroes'' that Warner Bros. was developing both a ''Teen Titans'' film with Cyborg, among others, and an all-female group of heroes. * The Teen Titans make a non-speaking background cameo appearance in ''Justice League: The New Frontier''. * The Teen Titans appear in films set in the DC Animated Movie Universe (DCAMU): ** They first appear in ''Justice League vs. Teen Titans'', consisting of Starfire, Raven, Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes), Blue Beetle, and Beast Boy as well as new recruit Damian Wayne, Robin and occasional ally Dick Grayson. ** The Teen Titans appear in ''Teen Titans: The Judas Contract'', consisting of current members Starfire, Blue Beetle, Raven, Beast Boy, and Robin as well as founding members Dick Grayson, Roy Harper (character), Speedy, Wally West, Kid Flash, and

. ** The Teen Titans appear in ''Justice League Dark: Apokolips War'', consisting of Dick Grayson, Starfire, Blue Beetle, Raven, Beast Boy, Robin, Speedy, Kid Flash, Bumblebee, Conner Kent, Superboy, Donna Troy, Wonder Girl, and Ace West. * Two incarnations of the Teen Titans appear in ''Teen Titans Go! vs. Teen Titans'' (2019), with both consisting of Robin, Beast Boy, Cyborg, Starfire, and Raven. * A live-action Teen Titans feature film was reported to be in development as part of the DC Universe (franchise), DC Universe (DCU) media franchise at DC Studios in March 2024, to be written by Ana Nogueira.

Video games

* The Teen Titans appear in a Teen Titans (2005 video game), self-titled video game (2005), consisting of Dick Grayson, Robin, Starfire (Teen Titans), Starfire, Cyborg (DC Comics), Cyborg, Raven (DC Comics), Raven, and

. * The Teen Titans appear in a Teen Titans (2006 video game), self-titled video game (2006), consisting of Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, Raven, and Beast Boy. * The Teen Titans appear in ''DC Universe Online''. * The Teen Titans make non-speaking cameo appearances in Cyborg and Starfire's endings in ''Injustice 2'', with Cyborg, Starfire, Superboy,

, and Beast Boy appearing in the former ending and Robin, Raven, Starfire, Cyborg, and Beast Boy appearing in the latter ending.

Miscellaneous

* The Teen Titans appear in ''Teen Titans Go! (2004 comic series), Teen Titans Go!'' (2004), primarily consisting of Dick Grayson, Robin, Starfire (Teen Titans), Starfire, Cyborg (DC Comics), Cyborg, Raven (DC Comics), Raven, and

. Additionally, a villainous alternate universe incarnation of the Titans called the Teen Tyrants appear in issue #48, consisting of Red Robin (identity), Red Robin (Robin's evil counterpart), Tempest (Garth (comics), Aqualad's evil counterpart), Arsenal (Roy Harper (character), Speedy's evil counterpart), Red Raven (Raven's evil counterpart), and Blackfire (Starfire's evil counterpart). * The Teen Titans appear in ''Smallville Season 11'', consisting of Conner Kent, Superboy, Speedy (Mia Dearden), Speedy, Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes), Blue Beetle, Miss Martian, Wonder Twins, Zan and Jayna, and Raven. This version of the group are students of Flash (Jay Garrick), Jay Garrick's school for the gifted. * The Teen Titans appear in the ''Injustice: Gods Among Us (comics), Injustice: Gods Among Us'' prequel comic, consisting of Conner Kent, Superboy, Beast Boy,

, Starfire, and Tim Drake, Red Robin. Additionally, Dick Grayson, Cyborg, and Raven appear as former members.

Publication history

Original incarnation

1970s revival

''The New Teen Titans'' (1980–1996)

''The New Teen Titans'' (vol. 2)

Name changed to ''The New Titans''

''The New Teen Titans'' and the ''Uncanny X-Men''

''New Titans: Games''

''Teen Titans Spotlight''

''Team Titans''

''Teen Titans'' (vol. 2) (1996–1998)

''Titans'' (1999–2003)

''Teen Titans'' (vol. 3) (2003–2011) and ''Outsiders'' (vol. 3) (2003–2007)

''One Year Later'' and the post-Geoff Johns Titans

''Titans'' (vol. 2) (2008–2011)

''Brightest Day: Titans – Villains for Hire''

''The New 52'' (2011–2016)

''DC Rebirth'' (2016–2020)

''Infinite Frontier'' (2021–2022)

''Dawn of DC'' (2023–present)

Titans Tower

Enemies

Collected editions

Silver Age ''Teen Titans''

''New Teen Titans''

''New Titans''

''The Titans''

''Teen Titans'' (vol. 3) (2003–2011)

''Titans'' (vol. 2) (2008–2011)

''The New 52'' ''Teen Titans'' (vols. 4–5) (2011–2014)

''DC Rebirth'' ''Titans'' (vol. 3) (2016–2019), ''Teen Titans'' (vol. 6) (2016–2020)

''Teen Titans Academy (2021–2022), Titans United (2021)''

In other media

Television

Film

Video games

Miscellaneous

See also

Notes

References

External links