Don’t Call Them Sidekicks
[The Titans break into a lair with allies]
Teen Titans, “Titans Together” (Season 5, Episode 12)
Cyborg: “Lesson number one: never throw me down a hole unless you make sure I stay there!”
Starfire: “The lesson two: we never give up!”
Raven: “Lesson Three: your secret lair isn’t very secret!”
Beast Boy: “Titans, together!”
The Teen Titans are one of DC’s most popular superhero teams. The team was created in 1964 following a team up in the series The Brave and The Bold. The Titans have been considered everything from a sidekick dumping ground to a new hero proving ground,
There have been hundreds of Teen Titans, but these ten tower above the rest.
Scene Select
#10 Tempest
Garth: “If I’m destined to be this great undersea defender, I can’t very well go around calling myself “Garth”, can I? From now on…You can call me Tempest!”
Tempest #2
Tempest is one of the founding members of the Teen Titans. Originally calling himself Aqualad, Tempest was the exiled prince of The Idyllists, a sibling species of Atlantis, He was adopted by Aquaman and trained to be one of Atlantis’ strongest warriors. Tempest has all of Aquaman’s abilities plus powerful magic from his Idyllic heritage.
Tempest’s story is convoluted, even by the Teen Titans standards. Make sense of it with our Aqualad backstory covering everything from his days as Aqualad to his final adventure in Blackest Night.
#9 Superboy
Miss Martian: [telepathically] “Superboy, are you online, or just pouting?”
Young Justice, “Alpha Male” (Season 1, Episode 13)
Superboy: [Fighting a giant wolf] “Busy. Call back later.”
Superman was murdered by the monster Doomsday in 1993. A quartet of knockoffs replaced Superman. The most popular was the half-human clone Superboy. He started as a showboater, but soon matured into a broody hero. Superboy has weaker versions of Superman’s powers plus a unique ability called Tactile Telekinesis.
There’s a lot more to Superboy’s backstory, including the identity of the human DNA donor. Check out our Superboy Backstory for that revelation.
#8 Arsenal
[Arsenal’s daughter has just been resurrected]
Arsenal: “I love them so much. Always have… I just took it for granted… for so long. They gave me a home and family and friendship. They made me want to be a better man. [hugs Lian] And now they’ve given me the greatest gift of all. No matter how impossible the odds, they’ll face it like heroes. Like Titans.”
Convergence: Titans
Roy Harper has used many identities over the years. He began as Green Arrow’s sidekick Speedy, matured into Red Arrow, and tragedy turned him into the living weapon: Arsenal.
Speedy was the first new member of the Teen Titans and has become one of their longest serving members. During his adventures with the Titans, Speedy fell in love with the villain Cheshire. A fling led to the birth of Speedy’s daughter, Lian Harper.
Speedy became a chew toy in the 2000’s. During the miniseries Cry For Justice, a villain called Prometheus cut off Speedy’s arm and blew up his city, killing Lian in the process. The trauma caused Speedy to become a murderous vigilante calling himself Arsenal. Thankfully, Arsenal got a happy ending in the event Convergence when Lian was resurrected.
#7 Kid Flash
Jinx: “Who are you?”
Teen Titans “Lightspeed” (Season 5, Episode 8)
Kid Flash: “Kid Flash, fastest boy alive!”
Jinx: “You supposed to be a good guy or something?”
Kid Flash: “One of the best.”
Kid Flash is another Titans founder Wally West is the nephew of Barry Allen, The Flash. While visiting his uncle at work, Wally was caught in a lab accident almost identical to the one that empowered the Flash. Barry helped Wally learn to control his powers and trained him to become Kid Flash.
Kid Flash was the most powerful member of the original Teen Titans, but spent more time clowning around than being a hero. He eventually became one of the DC Universe’s most powerful speedsters. Kid Flash also has the most experience utilizing the Speed Force, which has allowed him to perform reality-breaking feats of speed.
Wally West took on the mantle of The Flash following his uncle Barry’s death in the Crisis on Infinite Earths. He still works with the Titans, but usually spends his time with the Justice League.
#6 Beast Boy
Beast Boy: “I’m the entire animal kingdom crammed into one magnificent specimen.”
Justice League vs. Teen Titans (2015)
Raven: “You’re something crammed into something alright.”
Beast Boy originally wasn’t a Titan. He was a member of a lesser known team called the Doom Patrol. He joined up with the Teen Titans following a botched mission that ended with multiple team members dying. Beast Boy is a shapeshifter who can turn into animals. He has a storied Titans history from leading his own incarnation of the Titans to his romance with the traitorous Terra.
Beast Boy’s backstory might be the team’s most tragic. Grab some tissues and check it out.
#5 Troia
Wonder Girl: “I have no idea where I’m going to be tomorrow. But I accept the fact that tomorrow will come. And I’m going to rise to meet it.”
Teen Titans/Outsiders: Secret Files and Origins
Troia was created to be a member of the Teen Titans. This has caused countless arguments and retcons as DC argued whether Titans writers or Wonder Woman writers have the final say on her backstory, powers, and everything else. The only concrete facts are that Troia was once Wonder Girl, she was the first female Titan, and her powers are similar to Wonder Woman’s abilities.
Head down to the Wonder Girl backstory and we’ll try to untangle this Gordian origin story.
#4 Starfire
Starfire: [watching Blackfire get arrested] “Farewell, sister! Although you did betray and attack me, it was still very nice to see you.”
Teen Titans, “Sisters” (Season 1, Episode 2)
Starfire is the emotional core of the Teen Titans. She is the princess of the planet Tameran who was captured by a species called The Citadel. She eventually escaped and wound up on Earth, where the Titans protected her from the Citadel’s forces. A grateful Starfire joined the Teen Titans, becoming one of their most ferocious members.
This runaway princess has a screwed up origin. Our Starfire backstory has the details.
#3 Cyborg
Brother Blood: “I’ve combed through your blueprints, peeled back your armor, stripped off your machinery! But still you defy me! Where in this vile contraption is the part that allows you to RESIST?”
Teen Titans “Titans East” (Season 3, Episode 13)
Cyborg: “It’s not in the circuitry, is it? It’s not the machine that resists you… It’s me, my spirit. That’s the part you can’t break!”
Cyborg is a great mix of brains and brawn. Victor Stone was caught in a lab explosion while arguing with his father. He was converted into a cyborg to save his life. This has caused Cyborg a lot of depression and worrying if he is more machine than man. The Titans helped him overcome his issues and gain a spot on the Justice League.
Cyborg has some amazing tech at his disposal. Our Cyborg backstory has everything but the schematics.
#2 Robin
Static: “So where’s Robin?”
Static Shock “Hard as Nails” (Season 3, Episode 1)
Batman: “With The Titans.”
Static: “The who?”
Batman: “You’ll meet them someday.”
C’mon, you know who Robin is. All five Robins have been part of the Teen Titans at some point. Leading the team helped the original Robin escape from Batman’s shadow. He eventually ditched the Robin identity and took on the name Nightwing, cementing his growth from sidekick to superhero.
The Titans are a major part of the Robin legacy. Our Robin backstory focuses on Dick Grayson, but also has intel on Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown, and Damien Wayne: the son of Batman.
#1 Raven
Brother Blood: [blasting the Titans] “No! You stay away from me! You demon filth!”
Teen Titans: The Judas Contract
Raven: “They’re not demons. Let me show you one. [transforms into her true form] Azarath Metrion Zinthos!”
Our pick for the top Teen Titan is Raven, the rebellious daughter of the demon lord Trigon.
Raven is a sorceress who lived in the realm Azerath. She struggled to keep her emotions suppressed so her father couldn’t use her magic to reach Azerath. She eventually lost control and fled to Earth to find allies for a war against her father. After failing to sway the Justice League, Raven assembled a new incarnation of the Teen Titans.
Raven’s battles with Trigon have been at the core of the Teen Titans best stories. Our Raven backstory will fill you in on the rest of the tale.
Who is your favorite Teen Titan? Would you swap the rankings around? Let us know in a comment.
Jared Bounacos has written for Movie Rewind since 2016.
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