10 Best Teen Titans

The Teen Titans are one of the most storied teams in comics. First introduced as the sidekick team, the Teen Titans would grow and change over the years, becoming an important part of the DC superhero ecosystem. The Teen Titans have been home to some of the greatest teen heroes in the history of comics, telling stories that have pulled fans in and entertained them for decades. The Teen Titans may not be at the same league as teams like the Justice League in the hierarchy of heroes anymore — the Teen Titans have had a rough time since the New 52 — but the team has still done an amazing job of introducing entirely new heroes to fans.

The Teen Titans kicked off with an embarrassment of riches when it comes to members and that’s something that has stayed consistent throughout their existence. The Teen Titans have taken young heroes and made them into icons, and the best Teen Titans are some of DC’s most popular characters. These ten Teen Titans are the top of the pecking order, fighting evil and creating a family of characters unlike any other.

10) Tim Drake

Tim Drake was a founding member of Young Justice, and participated in the battle against the Superman robot that killed Donna Troy in Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day. Tim would end up joining the new Teen Titans team that came out of the situation, joining New Teen Titans alums Starfire, Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy, as well as Impulse, Superboy, and Cassie Sandsmark. Robins have always been a very important part of the Teen Titans, and Tim Drake kept that legacy alive. He was able to become the team leader, and helped get his teammates through battles with Deathstroke, Jericho, the Titans of Tomorrow, Doctor Light, Brainiac, Indigo, Lex Luthor, and many more. Tim was already used to team work, having worked as a sidekick and as a partner to heroes like Batman and Spoiler, so he took to the team life with aplomb. While he was a part of the New 52 Teen Titans as well, the worst version of the team, we shouldn’t hold that against him, because his first few years as a Titan are outstanding.

9) Superboy

So, on the one hand, Superboy was taken control of by Lex Luthor during his original run with the Teen Titans and fought the Titans and the Outsiders alongside Brainiac’s “daughter” Indigo (I know it’s more complicated than that, but we don’t have time), but that story was awesome, so we aren’t going to hold that against him. Superboy joined the Teen Titans with the Young Justice’s core members, and it was the first time that a Superboy had ever been a Teen Titan. Superboy’s run with the Teen Titans, up until his death in Infinite Crisis, was his best run. His budding romance with Cassie was awesome, and it was always fun seeing him and his husband Tim work together (you’ll never convince me that they aren’t married emotionally). Superboy added a lot of power to the Teen Titans, and grew as a character. Seriously, go back and read that Geoff Johns run again; this is peak early ’00s Johns, and you can feel the affection he has for Superboy on every page. Much like Tim Drake, we don’t hold the New 52 Teen Titans against him, mostly because nothing about the New 52 Superboy makes any sense.

8) Ravager

Rose Wilson was pulled into her father Deathstroke’s grudge against the Teen Titans. He manipulated her into hating the group and she even put out her own eye to be more like him. She helped him fight the Teen Titans, but after Infinite Crisis ended and “One Year Later” began, when DC books picked up a year after the event story, Ravager was a member of the Teen Titans. She was mouthy and violent, but she also ended up softening, becoming a great Teen Titan. She was basically the new Terra, and fans kept wondering when she was betray the group to her father. She never did, though, and became an exemplary Titan. The Teen Titans’ history with characters named Ravager is complicated, but Rose was able to overcome all of that and became the coolest new Teen Titan in years.

7) Beast Boy

Garfield Logan contracted a rare illness and was given a blood transfusion from a green monkey, gaining the power to transform into any animal. He was adopted by Steve Dayton, Mento of the Doom Patrol, and Elasti-Girl, hanging around with them before joining the New Teen Titans and becoming one of the greatest Teen Titans ever. Brass tacks — a lot of Beast Boy jokes from New Teen Titans are misogynist and definitely of their time. His girl crazy persona was… a choice. However, he’s still an amazing character. There’s so many sides to Beast Boy — the joker, the sad teen who just wants to be normal, the womanizer, the best friend, the little brother, and the great boyfriend — and that’s before we get to his heroism. Beast Boy is an amazing hero, and could fit into any superteam. He chooses to make the Titans his home because his friends helped him feel like a normal kid (seriously, go hunt down Tales of the Teen Titans #50, the wedding between Donna Troy and Terry Long, to see a side of Beast Boy you didn’t even know existed; it’s brilliant).

6) Starfire

Starfire came to Earth after her planet was conquered, looking for help from the greatest heroes in the cosmos. The Tamaranean princess could have become consumed with rage and hatred for the world. Instead, she found friendship and belonging with the New Teen Titans, fighting alongside the team that would replace her family. Starfire is a bubbly ray of sunshine at the best of times, and in combat is a bruiser of the highest magnitude. Starfire was part of one of DC’s most popular relationships of the ’80s with Nightwing, and has become one of the most beloved heroes in the history of superheroes thanks to her roles in the ’00s Teen Titans cartoon and Teen Titans GO! Starfire is a GOAT by any stretch of the imagination — this is a woman who spars against Donna Troy, who was trained by Wonder Woman, and wins. Brains, beauty, kindness, and brawn make Starfire one of the best Titans ever.

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5) Raven

Raven is easily the most powerful Teen Titan, but that’s not the only reason she’s so high on this list. The daughter of Trigon is an amazing character, and while she’s been involved in a lot of “having to fight her dark side” stories, there’s so much more she can do. Getting to watch her learn about love and friendship from the Teen Titans was a treat for fans, as she transformed from someone who constantly had to control her emotions to someone that loves freely. Her growth as a character has been tremendous, and she has always had some of the best costumes in the history of the Teen Titans. Raven is a favorite on the cosplay circuit, and massively popular thanks to the Teen Titans animated series’. She’s even starred in a bunch of YA comics that fans love. Raven is the real deal.

4) Cyborg

Cyborg has had several different origins over the years, but they’re all basically the same — a scientist father uses technology to give his son his body back, whether that be with cybernetic technology or a Mother Box. Cyborg is another character that readers got to witness grow, overcoming the obstacles of being different and the loss of parts of his body to become an amazing hero. His Mother Box upgrade made him more powerful and useful than ever, and he spent almost a decade as a member of the Justice League, helping found the New 52 version of the team. Cyborg is massively popular, and is one of the best tanks in comics. His relationship with Beast Boy is one of the most fun in comics, and he’s another Titan that became a household name because of his excellent portrayals in media outside of comics. Cyborg’s oeuvre of stories is also one of the most varied of the Teen Titans, and hopefully soon DC will find a way to make him the solo star he’s always deserved to be.

3) Donna Troy

Donna Troy is one of the most complicated, if not the most complicated, characters in comics. She was created as a retcon — Wonder Girl was put on the original Teen Titans, but was actually Diana as a teen like Superboy — and has suffered greatly thanks to the vicissitudes of DC continuity. However, subtract her insane origin from the character and you have an amazing heroine, one who has risen to leadership of Titans. Donna Troy has always been one of the more powerful Titans, but what made her such a great part of the team isn’t her muscle, but her heart. She was always there for everyone, and is a rock of love and strength. And sure, the relationship with Terry Long was creepy, but that doesn’t mean we should throw out Donna. Donna is an icon — I’ve sometimes called her because the Jean Grey of DC because of her multiple resurrections and confusing stories (how are Jean and the Phoenix related again? Who was responsible for the destruction of the D’Bari? It’s all retcons) — and has always been one of the guiding lights of the Teen Titans. The Teen Titans would be a much worse team without her.

2) Nightwing

Dick Grayson helped found the Teen Titans, and led them for years. The Teen Titans were the place Dick went to be around people his own age, and he excelled in that environment, growing as a leader and hero. He gave up the Robin mantle and became Nightwing with the New Teen Titans, becoming his own man, and growing into one of DC’s greatest heroes. Dick Grayson has even replaced Batman, and is currently the next step down from the Trinity in the hierarchy of DC heroes. Nightwing is the perfect Titan, a hero who would do anything for his friends, and has gotten them through some scrapes that would kill other heroes. Nightwing is a legend, but he never would have become one with the Teen Titans. However, the Teen Titans never would have become a legend without him either.

1.)Wally West/Kid Flash/Flash III

Wally West is one of the three founders of the Teen Titans, and is also the most successful Teen Titan. As Kid Flash, Wally played a crucial role in the Teen Titans and New Teen Titans, working with his friends to save the day. The fading of his power saw him leave the group to retire, but Crisis on Infinite Earths saw him come out of retirement to help save the Multiverse. Wally became the first sidekick to take his mentor’s place, and soon became the greatest Flash of them all. Wally graduated, something that wouldn’t have been possible without his time with Teen Titans. The Teen Titans helped mold him into the hero he is today, and he remains the group’s greatest success story.

Who do you think are the best Teen Titans? Sound off in the comments below.