25 Impressive Facts Even Serious Fans Didn’t Know About Teen Titans
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The Teen Titans goes some dark places that fans definitely didn’t know.
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The Teen Titans cartoon did some amazing things. It brought some layered but fun storytelling to Cartoon Network, a network mostly known for silliness. It introduced a lot of kids to DC comics, and reignited DC love for many fans were feeling empty after Batman: The Animated Series went away. It paved the way for brave shows like Young Justice and the new Voltron. But for all of these things it did, it was canceled too soon. So soon that its many fans didn’t really know what to do.
If Teen Titans had aired today, its cancellation would’ve been fought with online petitions, multiple trending hashtags, and probably even a Kickstarter for a fan-made Youtube series. To be fair, the fans of the time did band together and send letters to Cartoon Network which did inspire the release of Teen Titans Trouble In Tokyo. But the efforts of fans back them simply lacked the power of the internet. With that, who knows what we could’ve done with the show?
Fortunately, the internet does allow us to do one thing in a post-Titans world: find out a lot of bizarre and disturbing trivia. I’ve looked around and found out a lot about the show, and now I’ll share some of the more fascinating tidbits with you. Scroll on to find out which villains were too bad for TV, which voice actor almost ruined their voice, and the truly tragic fate of Terra.
25 Not On My Network
Several of the series’ villains were toned down a lot for TV. Two big bads that became less…bad…were Slade and Brother Blood. In the comics, the two are pretty messed-up and violent. Slade typically goes by Deathstroke, which as a name is already troublesome for a kids show, but there’s also the fact that he’s a mercenary and assassin for hire. Someone who takes lives to pay the bills is another big no-no for Cartoon Network, so the writers called him Slade and turned him into more of an “I want to take all the things” baddie. Brother Blood, meanwhile, leads a demonic cult in the comics. Again, not the best material for a network devoted to the 13-and-under demographic, so he was changed into a more generic criminal mastermind. Even with all these restrictions, however, I have to say the writers did a great job adapting these two for the series.
24 She’s A Bad Girl, And Not The Good Kind
The Terra arc in the show is some heartbreaking stuff. You see that she really wants to do good, but that she causes destruction wherever she goes. Her romance with Beast Boy is also adorable. So it’s all the more saddening when Slade gets into her head and turns her.
Unfortunately, the tragic Terra of the show is a lie.
If you were one of those kids who tried to pick up the comics after watching the show, you would’ve found that comics Terra is actually straight-up evil. She legitimately wants to destroy the Titans and works with Slade entirely willingly. Her outcome is also very final. When she meets her end, it’s definitively the end. That’s another thing the writers couldn’t do in a kids show, so they made her more sympathetic and even had her mysteriously revive and lead a normal, peaceful life.
23 That’s Just Not Right
In addition to being downright psychotic in the comics, Terra actually had a physical relationship with Deathstroke, which casts an eerie light on their relationship in the show. Comics Terra is older, so while her relationship with an adult man is still creepy, it is still the product of her making her own decisions (ill-advised as they may be). It’s sort of a Joker-Harley thing where she’s more obsessed than she is in true love. Show Terra, however, is shown to have no power in her relationship with Slade. Slade is very much stringing her along, doing what he can to cut her off from having anyone in her life but him. He’s like some sort of possessive boyfriend. Comparing the two relationships gets particularly dark when animated Slade says lines like “my control, her body.”
22 Every Teen’s Dream?
One of the coolest things about Teen Titans was Titans Tower. Who doesn’t want to live in their own giant tower with a huge TV, great view, and only four roommates? Seriously, as an adult, you really come to appreciate how great the space-to-roommate ratio is in that tower. Best of all, no parents! As a kid watching the show, that was the dream.
My own tower with no supervision? Sign me up!
Except for these kids, freedom seems to come at the cost of having their parents gone or oddly estranged. Raven’s parents are actually the only parents to appear in the show. The only other one that comes close is Robin with the silhouettes of his deceased folks in the episode “Haunted.” Maybe I’ll stick to not having a tower after all…
21 Popular Vote
As always happens with comics, the actual members of the Teen Titans frequently changed. New powered teens were discovered, and beloved members left or met a cruel fate in battle. Kid Flash was actually on the original team in the comics, but was only added later in the show. Tiny speedsters Mas Y Menos weren’t even in the comics and were created for the show. And of all the Titans, Raven was actually long gone in the comics by the time the show started airing. She met what seemed to be a very final fate. However, with the show becoming a hit, DC took notice of the changes it made. Raven included. Due to her rising popularity in the show, Raven was revived in the comics. That’s one way to come back to life!
20 Not For Kids
The episode “Mad Mod” was the first of what became a Teen Titans tradition. Before the season finale, which was usually a dramatic game-changer, there would be a silly episode to provide a breath of fresh air. “Mad Mod” brought the funny through a series of odd visual gags and references to older cartoons of the ’60s and ’70s.
One particular sight gag has the team chasing Mad Mod around in a Scooby Doo-esque scene.
In true fashion, an upbeat song plays over the weird antics. The song is K2G by Puffy AmiYumi, complete with Japanese lyrics. It seems like a fun, innocent song until you see the translated lyrics. It turns out that the song is actually all about the singer looking for some “adult” fun. I imagine the producers thought they could sneak it because it was in a different language. But the internet, like Baskin Robbins, always finds out.
19 Who Was That Masked Man?
Red X was one of the coolest original creations of Teen Titans the show. Starting off as an alternate costume Robin used to trick Slade, the look became popular enough to warrant a comeback. This time with a mysterious thief wearing the mask. The identity of the new Red X is never revealed in the show. However, there is some slight implication and fan theory that it was meant to be Jason Todd, known as Red Hood in the comics. This theory is further supported by a special Teen Titans minisode that aired on the web. In the minisode, there’s a joke where Beast Boy yells at Red X that he think’s he’s Jason Tood. While the minisode is questionable in its canonicity, it’s still an interesting move by the writers.
18 Makeover
It wasn’t enough to redesign main antagonists like Slade and Brother Blood, director Glen Murakami basically built a new Titans universe from the ground up. This even applied to more minor characters like Gizmo, who was actually a little person in the comics. He was made a simple small child for the show. Jinx was entirely changed for both sensitive reasons and to make her more of a foil to Raven. Her goth look in the show gives her the vibe of some sort of modern witch, one that revels in her dark powers while Raven tries her best to contain hers. But in the comics, she was an Indian woman who wore a white cloth bikini and gold jewelry. So she had more of an exotic enchantress vibe. Don’t know why they changed her ethnicity, but the clothes were probably a smart switch.
17 Denied
We could have actually gotten a much different Titans series and much earlier. There was a series in development in the late ’80s about the teen heroes, which means the Titans could have existed alongside the classic DC cartoons of the ’90s. Unfortunately, it was one of those classic cartoons that led to the downfall of the planned Teen Titans series. The series was still in the very early stages when the people behind it discovered that the rights for an animated version of Robin were already claimed and being used in the Batman animated series. Without their trusty leader, the Titans had no chance. Which was probably for the best, as the show we eventually did get was awesome. Still, it would have been interesting the see the Titans appear alongside the intelligent, groundbreaking DC series of the time.
16 Unlikely Origins
The show’s unique visual style came from a very adult source. Glen Murakami has said that the animation and art style for Teen Titans were inspired by the anime FLCL. An iconic anime, it is known for its very odd story, great animation, and mature coming-of-age themes. Particularly those of teenage desire and love. That certainly makes it an interesting inspiration for a kid’s show that already had to change several characters and storylines to accommodate nervous censors. Obviously, Murakami didn’t use the adult themes, but some visual easter eggs snuck their way in, such as Beast Boy’s moped being a reference to FLCL’s Haruko and her Vespa. It’s too bad Beast Boy never got to keep that moped. That whole episode with the alien fast food joint has to be my favorite of all time.
15 Azarath Metrion What Now?
Of all the Teen Titans, Raven has to be the most overpowered. Considering her superpower isn’t really a power other than “she’s magic” she doesn’t seem to really have limitations or weaknesses. While that might work in the crazy world of comics, Murakami wanted all the cartoon Titans to have distinguishable flaws to make them more relatable. So rather than have her just able to do magic whenever she wants, she was given a special phrase that she has to say to pull out her best spells.
Everyone knows Raven’s magic words: Azarath Metrion Zinthos.
But do you know what they mean? While Azareth was revealed to be the name of Raven’s homeland, the other two words have been confirmed to mean….absolutely nothing. Well. That was a decade of wondering down the drain.
14 That Won’t End Well
Cartoon catches some slack for supposedly doing the same thing all the time. The network is bashed for relying on random-ness based humor rather than original storytelling using animation. Particularly when it comes to the maligned spin-off Teen Titans Go. But it certainly wasn’t this way for original Teen Titans.
One account tells that the creative team was urged to be more daring.
One writer recalls that they were specifically approached by Sam Register, the VP of Cartoon Network at the time, and told to “do things they weren’t supposed to do.” This is what led to a show that was memorable for its mature storylines and quality humor. Funny, then, that the spin-off show is such a cookie-cutter silly Cartoon Network show.
13 Nightwing What Even Is That Outfit?
One look at the classic Teen Titans and it becomes very apparent that they needed a modern update. Despite that, Glen Murakami had different reasons for redesigning the characters for the cartoon. He said in an interview that the animation medium cannot always faithfully reproduce the complex designs of a comic book character. For instance, Raven’s dress in this picture. The long dress with slits on the side would have been hard to animate as she flew around and fought, so he chose to give her a leotard instead. Something that pays homage to her design while being easier to put in motion. Also, he wanted them to have scrawny, awkward bodies instead of the typical bulky superhero bodies. That was to make them look more like actual teens. I’d say it was a success. Although part of me wants to see that that fabulous Nightwing costume would look like animated…
12 Give More Terra
I really liked Terra. I thought her powers were cool and that she really added something to the team. And her and Beast Boy were just so cute together. So I found myself wanting her in more season two episodes. Unfortunately, she just had to go and become a villain. Terra’s betrayal and inevitable fate were already tragic enough, but the writers actually did want her to put her in more episodes. The original plan was to have her be around more so that she really felt like part of the the team.
The writers wanted us to become very invested in her so that her betrayal would hit all the harder.
Unfortunately, they only had so many episodes and so little room for an extra Titan. Due to time constraints, Terra was only given a few precious episodes of happiness before her story came to an end.
11 Odd Woman Out
Poor Starfire. As a a literal alien, she often felt like the odd duck of the team. She couldn’t grasp Earth humor, she ate weird food, and she was actually much older than the rest of the team. As if to add insult to injury, even the writers were determined to make her an outcast. Every season was planned to have a certain Titan at the center of it. Season one was Robin, two was Terra, three Cyborg, four Raven, and five Beast Boy.
Starfire was the only Titan to not get a season dedicated to her.
Since the show ended after season five, she never got the chance. She did get an expanded role in the movie, but that’s not really the same. Oh well, at least she will have a long life, outliving her teammates by centuries and so watching them grow old and…oh.
10 Too Spicy For TV
While Murakami mostly nailed it with his various redesigns of the Titans characters, one of them almost didn’t make it. That would be Raven’s father Trigon the Terrible. Trigon almost had to be redesigned due to feedback the Broadcast Standards Department. Apparently, they were concerned that he looked a little too much like Satan. Which makes some sense. After all, Trigon is a demon lord, and there are only so many ways to draw a demon and still have it be recognizable. Trigon’s design for the show did eventually make it in, so there was relatively little fuss. Still, it’s funny to think that there’s a such thing as “almost too much Satan.” Like, how does one measure the appropriate amount of devil?
9 Toys For Boys
The idea that there should be boy toys and girl toys has plagued superhero media for a long time. It’s the reason why Black Widow action figures are so rare. And it’s the reason Teen Titans’ spiritual successor, Young Justice, was ultimately canceled. American toy companies seem to be addicted to the idea that girls don’t play superheroes, and boys don’t want female figures.
Ban Dai got the rights to make the Teen Titans toys simply by going against this idea.
Every other company rejected bidding to make Titans merchandise because “the girls were as strong as the boys.” The only way they would make Titans toys was if they didn’t have to make Starfire and Raven figures. Ban Dai didn’t care about that, so it got the contract to make the toys.
8 Terra-ble Fate
Okay, I’m sorry about that title. So remember how I said Terra met her maker in the comics? Well, she actually did get to come back to life in a somewhat recent DC comics storyline…but her return was a lot more messed-up than it was in the show. In the event Blackest Night, a Black Lantern is born that has the power to bring back anyone as a zombie. This leads to a saddening and compelling bunch of comics where the DC heroes are confronted by long-defeated foes or haunted by the return of lost loved ones. The Titans were no exception. Terra was returned to the fold as an undead, but it wasn’t long before she went back to her evil ways. In a truly crushing battle for Beast Boy, he had to put the zombified Terra back in the ground for good.
7 Starfire…The Cooler Starfire
For those who loved Starfire’s innocence and purity in the show, I have some bad news for you. If you should ever try to read the comics, you’ll find a much more adult Starfire, complete with bigger proportions a very revealing costume.
This Starfire is far from the naive girl of the show.
As an experienced alien adventurer, she’s been around the galactic block a time or two. She’s also been known to have quite a few lovers in the past, as opposed to being dedicated to Robin. Of course, some might find this to be a good thing. I’m sure more than a few had a crush on Starfire, so seeing a legal version of her might be a happy thing. It certainly helps that many cosplay girls love to don the adult costume for some risqué shoots.
6 The Beast Within
Beast Boy can take on a horrifying form known as The Beast. It’s the center of an episode called “The Beast Within,” in which Beast Boy is doused in some chemicals that make him unable to control his transformations. He becomes a sort of werewolf-like super beast that acts purely on instinct, savagely beating his teammates. His rampage only ends because he summons all of his willpower to control himself (and because Raven gets through to him). Cyborg creates an antidote, and that seems to be that. However, in “The End Part 1,” Beast Boy becomes The Beast once more in a desperate attempt to stop Slade from getting to Raven. So it seems that this terrible beast, whatever it is, is just something that lurks inside Beast Boy forevermore. And the Titans never really talk about that.
Sergio is the Lead News Editor for TheGamer. But usually he asks people to call him “Serg” because he wants to sound cool like the guy from System of a Down. He began as a convention reporter for FLiP Magazine and Albany Radio’s The Shaw Report to get free badges to Comic-Con. Eventually he realized he liked talking to game developers and discovering weird new indie games. Now he brings that love of weird games to TheGamer, where he tries to talk about them in clickable ways so you grow to love them too. When he’s not stressing over how to do that, he’s a DM, Cleric of Bahamut, cosplay boyfriend, and occasional actor.
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