Teen Titans: DC’s Sensational Team of Adolescents Explained
They’re titans, they’re teens, and they’re sometimes very tiny—but no matter their size, they’re a team for the ages—meet the Teen Titans!
No matter how old you get, teen team stories never lose their appeal. This is definitely true of DC Comics’ on-again, off-again title Teen Titans. They’re a troupe made up of DC’s best sidekicks and young adults, and thanks to some incredible animation, they’re a household name for a new generation. From team lineups to appearances, channel your teen self once again, superhero style.
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The Founding of the Teen Titans
The team’s first appeared in The Brave and the Bold #54 in 1964. The team was initially made up of three popular sidekicks: Kid Flash (Wally West), Robin (Dick Grayson), and Aqualad (Garth). In issue #60, the team added Wonder Girl (Donna Troy) to their ranks, and thus the original Teen Titans were formed.
The original team quickly grew to include more members. Speedy (Roy Harper, who is confusingly Green Arrow’s sidekick, joins the team, along with Aquagirl (Tula), Bumblebee (Karen Beecher), Hawk & Dove (Hank & Don Hall), and more. The series was eventually canceled, but the team’s popularity persisted.
The New Teen Titans
In the 1980s, the series returned under the guiding hand of Marv Wolfman and George Peréz. The New Teen Titans aged up the original team members and added several new members, too. Starfire (Koriand’r), Cyborg (Victor Stone), Raven (Rachel Roth), and Beast Boy/Changeling (Garfield Logan) are all now some of the most beloved members of the team.
The Next Generation
In the 90s, the initial team grew up, and so it was time for the team to change again. The original heroes formed a new group called just the Titans. Under the leadership of Dick Greyson, now using the name Nightwing, this team of grown-up sidekicks has seen its own on-screen reimagining.
In the 2000s, another popular Teen Titans lineup made a big impact on the team’s visibility. The lineup featured Robin (Tim Drake), Wonder Girl (Cassie Sandsmark), and Kid Flash/Impulse (Bart Allen), and Superboy (Kon-El).
If this team sounds familiar to you, that’s because it’s has several members in common with the hit animated series Young Justice. Don’t worry, the comics soon added Ms. Martian (M’gann M’orzz). While there was no Aqualad, the writers did introduce Ravager (Rose Wilson), Supergirl (Kara Zor-El), Kid Devil, and the Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes).
The Teen Titans & Their Hit Animated Shows
DC has an incredible legacy when it comes to animation. In the late 60s, we met the Justice League, and in the 90s, Bruce Timm revitalized the world with Batman: The Animated Series. But when it comes to the modern era, it’s the teen teams that are carrying the torch.
Clever hit shows like Young Justice, Teen Titans, and Teen Titans GO! have been a hit with the fandom. Kids of all ages can tell you all about Raven’s issues with her dad or Dick’s weird issues with control.
D&D, RPGs, & More
Bringing the Teen Titans to a DnD campaign would be a ton of fun. Plus, there have been enough members on the team that you can mix and match to your campaign’s needs.
According to our expert homebrewer Meaghan, Raven is a Tiefling or a Drow, and “a Warlock, I think. Her dad is her patron and she’s mad about it.”
Beast Boy is a Druid—that one’s easy. For Starfire, I was stumped until Meaghan suggested her as an Aasimar Sorcerer. “Some can fly,” she said. “I feel like she should glow (even if they don’t.) They’re otherworldly and weird, but in an anesthetic ‘be not afraid’ kind of way.”
Both Cyborg and Robin can work flexibly based on what your party needs. It seems like Victor would be a Warforged or a Human Revenant and Fighter/Artificer duel class. Robin could really be a Fighter, Rogue, or a Monk. Monks do lots of jumpy stuff with a bo staff, which seems just about perfect.
