What Could/Should The OG New Teen Titans Be Doing Now?

[El_Gato]

If anything, its DC's refusal to move past this that has held the Titans franchise back. I mean, people are forgetting that the most successful time in the Titans' history was when they had already moved past being sidekicks. The Titans were sidekicks back in the 1960s. By the NTT days, many of them were already adults and characters like Vic, Raven, Kory, and even Gar weren't sidekick-type characters in the first place. I mean, Donna got married and had a child as a Titan. Roy also had a kid as a Titan. I think we can safely say that many of these characters are past their adolescent stage.

Instead, let's actually let the Titans be adults. Let's introduce new teammates that aren't miniature copies of adult heroes in the DCU. I mean, Little Barda and Zachary Zatara? Come on...

Instead of the Titans just being littered with characters meant to be baby versions of Leaguers, create characters that are unique to the Titans. I mean, Mal Duncan, Bumblebee, Starfire, Vic, Raven, etc. all work because they are their own unique characters.

Do my eyes deceive me or am I actually agreeing with you for once? I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later lol

I would also add that DC needs to keep Dick, Tim and Damian's generations separate and stop mixing them!

Titans= Dick's generation (60's-mid 90's TT characters).

Young Justice= Tim's generation (mid 90's- mid 10's TT characters)

Supersons=Damian's generation (mid 10's- next 20 years lol)

[CRaymond]

Start with NTT. Add time.

1. Raven grows up with some Themysciran tough love. Lets go of daddy issues, accepts herself, and emerges actualized and empowered.

2. Beast Boy loses interest in Raven, realizes as his entire infatuation with cold girls is a problem.

3. Nightwing again shuts down Starfire's advances, realizes her emotional output was always way too much for him, and to continue would be toxic.

4. Raven and Robin have an emotional connection, choose to explore it slowly.

5. Starfire joins Cyborg in the Justice League, goes through a Wolverine phase, removed from active duty.

Wait for soap to dry.

1. Barda is elected High Chieftain of Apokolips under the slogan "Stronger Together". Cyborg, Halo, and Starfire are advanced to Apokolips' royal guard.

1a. Cyborg is hailed as a savior among the free cities of Apokolips, called Brother Box, Future Man, Victory, and "The Build" by various residents of the planet of gods.

1b. Starfire is in a polyamorous triad relationship with both Lightray and Orion. She loves her boys passionately and it's the happiest any of them have ever been.

2. Beast Boy matured, learned his passion was in helping emotionally needy persons, and gets his degree in child psychology. He's retired from superheroics, but works at superhuman rehabilitation and education as a teacher and counselor.

3. Damian leaves Gotham to assume leadership of the Assassin's Guild. Dick inherits control of Wayne Enterprises, he restarts Batman Inc under the name Robins, and begins an aggressive global civic leadership and athleticism organization, with himself as celebrity entrepreneur.

4. Raven is still with Dick, but they have a very open, cool and breezy relationship. They work well together.

[Ascended]

For this idea I would fully do a Young Justice and make current Roy a Clone, leading to the Discovery of the Real Roy (with 1 arm) being held at Cadmus with the real Conner Kent. Clone Roy could then- In shame of being a clone implanted with Roy's memories become Red Arrow while 1 Armed Roy becomes Arsenal with a Metal Arm given to him by either Luthor or some other shady character like Waller.

I did love the way that played out on the show. But I dunno if it'd be a great direction for the comics. The show was more contained, the narrative was more streamlined, and everything was easier to keep track of.

Im not saying it couldn't work or anything, but it'd need a deft hand at the wheel I think.

[Flash Gordon]

I always felt a fresh take on Starfire could have her joining the Justice League under Superman's guidance.

[9th.]

Of course, my ideas would work better if DC had been keeping the momentum going from Wolfman's run and hadn't removed them from having an X-Men level of importance... but, here goes...

Starfire would temporarily join the Omega Men in a new mini-series that unearths a secret alliance between Blackfire and another heavy hitter cosmic villain and would lead to a major event shining a light on DC's space heroes. A new ongoing Omega Men series would then spin out of it with Starfire, Tigorr, Donna Troy, Adam Strange, Captain Comet, Maxima, Kyle Rayner, Warhawk (an updated Thanagarian Hawkman Katar Hol, freeing Carter Hall for the Earth Hawkman) and Vril Dox.

Beast Boy would return to being called Changeling and with Robotman, Rebis and Bumblebee, would form a new Doom Patrol.

Nightwing would take the experience he gained from his time with Spyral to form a new Outsiders. His team would consist of Black Lightning, Red Arrow, Cheshire, Katana, Nemesis, Bronze Tiger and Manhunter Kate Spencer. They would use covert operations tactics in combating organized crime rings, with a focus on the streets, while also giving shelter to runaways and kids falling on the wrong side of the tracks.

Raven would join Shadowpact, which would really just be a new Justice League Dark without a League affiliation. Lilith would also be a member and it would give DC a chance to really show how different they are from each other.

Cyborg and Deathstroke would reform Justice League Task Force, with Jericho, Lobo, Artemis and a few others. Cyborg would also be used to link Project Cadmus with STAR Labs and their main focus would be dealing with Queen Bee and the new HIVE.

Wally West and an alternate reality Terra (the one from Team Titans) would form a new Forgotten Heroes that has ties to Multiversity. The concept would be similar to Exiles, with the team visiting both entirely new realities and ones already seen in various Elseworlds tales in search of the missing Team Titans members. Waverider, Shikari (from DnA's Legion run), Triumph and the Helena Wayne Huntress would also be members.

DC needs to hire you now because I love all of this

[Incognito]

Of course, my ideas would work better if DC had been keeping the momentum going from Wolfman's run and hadn't removed them from having an X-Men level of importance... but, here goes...

Starfire would temporarily join the Omega Men in a new mini-series that unearths a secret alliance between Blackfire and another heavy hitter cosmic villain and would lead to a major event shining a light on DC's space heroes. A new ongoing Omega Men series would then spin out of it with Starfire, Tigorr, Donna Troy, Adam Strange, Captain Comet, Maxima, Kyle Rayner, Warhawk (an updated Thanagarian Hawkman Katar Hol, freeing Carter Hall for the Earth Hawkman) and Vril Dox.

Beast Boy would return to being called Changeling and with Robotman, Rebis and Bumblebee, would form a new Doom Patrol.

Nightwing would take the experience he gained from his time with Spyral to form a new Outsiders. His team would consist of Black Lightning, Red Arrow, Cheshire, Katana, Nemesis, Bronze Tiger and Manhunter Kate Spencer. They would use covert operations tactics in combating organized crime rings, with a focus on the streets, while also giving shelter to runaways and kids falling on the wrong side of the tracks.

Raven would join Shadowpact, which would really just be a new Justice League Dark without a League affiliation. Lilith would also be a member and it would give DC a chance to really show how different they are from each other.

Cyborg and Deathstroke would reform Justice League Task Force, with Jericho, Lobo, Artemis and a few others. Cyborg would also be used to link Project Cadmus with STAR Labs and their main focus would be dealing with Queen Bee and the new HIVE.

Wally West and an alternate reality Terra (the one from Team Titans) would form a new Forgotten Heroes that has ties to Multiversity. The concept would be similar to Exiles, with the team visiting both entirely new realities and ones already seen in various Elseworlds tales in search of the missing Team Titans members. Waverider, Shikari (from DnA's Legion run), Triumph and the Helena Wayne Huntress would also be members.

DC needs to hire you.

----------

Of course, my ideas would work better if DC had been keeping the momentum going from Wolfman's run and hadn't removed them from having an X-Men level of importance... but, here goes...

Starfire would temporarily join the Omega Men in a new mini-series that unearths a secret alliance between Blackfire and another heavy hitter cosmic villain and would lead to a major event shining a light on DC's space heroes. A new ongoing Omega Men series would then spin out of it with Starfire, Tigorr, Donna Troy, Adam Strange, Captain Comet, Maxima, Kyle Rayner, Warhawk (an updated Thanagarian Hawkman Katar Hol, freeing Carter Hall for the Earth Hawkman) and Vril Dox.

Beast Boy would return to being called Changeling and with Robotman, Rebis and Bumblebee, would form a new Doom Patrol.

Nightwing would take the experience he gained from his time with Spyral to form a new Outsiders. His team would consist of Black Lightning, Red Arrow, Cheshire, Katana, Nemesis, Bronze Tiger and Manhunter Kate Spencer. They would use covert operations tactics in combating organized crime rings, with a focus on the streets, while also giving shelter to runaways and kids falling on the wrong side of the tracks.

Raven would join Shadowpact, which would really just be a new Justice League Dark without a League affiliation. Lilith would also be a member and it would give DC a chance to really show how different they are from each other.

Cyborg and Deathstroke would reform Justice League Task Force, with Jericho, Lobo, Artemis and a few others. Cyborg would also be used to link Project Cadmus with STAR Labs and their main focus would be dealing with Queen Bee and the new HIVE.

Wally West and an alternate reality Terra (the one from Team Titans) would form a new Forgotten Heroes that has ties to Multiversity. The concept would be similar to Exiles, with the team visiting both entirely new realities and ones already seen in various Elseworlds tales in search of the missing Team Titans members. Waverider, Shikari (from DnA's Legion run), Triumph and the Helena Wayne Huntress would also be members.

DC needs to hire you. I think they should bring back Omega Men and insure it into the Young Animal imprint.


-----

My ideas for the Freaky Four (that could be a name for them, since the OG5 titans are called the Fab Five).

- Cyborg stays with the Justice League, and he got his history with the Titans back. Instead of the "Am I man or machine'' story, Cyborg's story should have elements of the fourth world he could have the Forever People as his 'Gotham Knights' and a cosmic viewpoint of what it means to be a new god. I would like to see Cyborg having a villain with organic technology and bio-augmentation, also his mother box allows him to travel to other world so he should have stories setting on Earth to Cosmic-scale.

- After seeing an image of Starfire in a Justice League team, Instead of coming back to the Titans I want to see Starfire to join the JLA.

- Raven is now slightly older, and she joins a mystically-inclined team (JLD or Shadowpact). Also, if her second mini-series does well just like the previous version, they should explore the concept of Nevermore (from TT animated series) into the comics, and also I would have Raven the power of 'Emotion Duplication', where her emotions manifests in physical reality from her mind. I think Raven should have a little flavour of 'Legion' but it will be more about emotions than identities.

- Beast Boy, like Raven should be older. I would simply have him join the Doom Patrol, and give him a mini-series because he is the only one out of the F4 who doesn't have a series in the New 52/Rebirth, I would have Control Freak (from the TT animated series) to be his 'villain', and they could fight whether its physically when they are fighting, playing games or just having nerd debates on the internet.

Do my eyes deceive me or am I actually agreeing with you for once? I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later lol

I would also add that DC needs to keep Dick, Tim and Damian's generations separate and stop mixing them!

Titans= Dick's generation (60's-mid 90's TT characters).

Young Justice= Tim's generation (mid 90's- mid 10's TT characters)

Supersons=Damian's generation (mid 10's- next 20 years lol)

Same, I don't like it when they keep on mixing the Titans. This is how I see it (or how I would do it).

Dick's generation - Generation D?
- Nightwing, The Flash (Wally West), Troia, Arsenal, Tempest, Lilith, Bumblebee, Herald, G'Nark, Cyborg, Starfire, Beast Boy, Raven, Jericho & Kole (and Terra)

Tim's generation - Generation T?
- Red Robin, Kon-El, Wonder Girl, Impulse, Aqualad, Miss Martian, Speedy (Mia Dearden), Blue Beetle, Traci 13, Kid Devil, every Titan that appeared from YJ to Pre-Flashpoint.

Damian's generation - Generation W? (W for Wayne)
- Robin, Superboy, Kid Flash (Wally West II), Red Arrow, Nobody, Bunker, Power Girl (I wouldn't mind have the New 52/Rebirth titans join Damian because they are relatively new), the indigo lantern that appeared in the previous TT series, pending...

[Kyer]

I want Wally to get a job with Linda as his wife and Barry/Iris and Dick as his best buds. The problem with Wally as a full-time Flash is that you end up with stories like Fast Money. Nobody wants a repeat of that drivel.

Wally is not a genius like Barry, but he is intelligent. Bruce Wayne Tech could hire him as a part-time engineer/mechanic. A job working under another superhero would fix the issue of needing time to suddenly drop all and be a Flash since his employer could give him a job that doesn't require punching a clock.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

I thought of Raven working at Mystic U as a teacher or in a team like the Terrifics would be a good place for her.

[Green Goblin of Sector 2814]

Do my eyes deceive me or am I actually agreeing with you for once? I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later lol

I would also add that DC needs to keep Dick, Tim and Damian's generations separate and stop mixing them!

Titans= Dick's generation (60's-mid 90's TT characters).

Young Justice= Tim's generation (mid 90's- mid 10's TT characters)

Supersons=Damian's generation (mid 10's- next 20 years lol)

I’m not saying there should be no legacy characters on the Titans whatsoever. Donna, Dick, and Wally, for example, are integral characters to the franchise. But we don’t need to be creating baby versions of C-list DC characters specifically so they can be on the Titans.

I agree about keeping the generations a bit more separate though. Though, I don’t think age should be determinative in that. I’d say Rose Wilson, despite being around the same generation of Tim, has closer ties to the Titans than YJ generation because of her being Slade’s daughter and being Nightwing’s former mentee.

[Ascended]

I thought of Raven working at Mystic U as a teacher or in a team like the Terrifics would be a good place for her.

Is Mystic U going to be a thing? I thought it was just a "flashback" mini with Zee?

Never really thought of Raven as a teacher......but it does have an odd appeal.

I always wanted to see her in a JLD type of book. But then, I think Raven lends herself very well to the more twisted, horror side of magic and have always wanted to see a little bit more "Exorcist" in her stories.

[Ascended]

So....BEAST BOY. I said I had an idea that would piss off his fans. Here it is.

First thing, we're making him a supporting character for Cyborg. Vic's solo title is now where Gar lives. These two bring out the best in each other, they make each other more fun, and their bromance is one of the best in comics. And Gar just doesn't strike me as a solo character. I mean, any character can carry their own book with the right recipe, but I think Gar actually has more to offer as a foil for other characters. So he's going to be Cyborg's Jimmy Olsen, his Falcon, his friend and sometimes heroic partner, with more panel time than anyone other than Sarah Charles (and Vic himself, obviously). And like all first-line supporting characters, Gar will get his own subplots and moments to shine.

Second thing, we change his name back to Changeling. Or we find a new name for him. Not Beast Boy. Under no circumstances will he be called Beast Boy ever again. Worst name in comics.

Then we're going to have him semi-retire from the hero game and pursue a career as an actor. He's already been down this road, but we're going to drive it again. And this time, we'll do it right.

So Gar becomes successful doing a series of talking animal films for a Disney-like company. He makes money, and the kids love him, but he's a joke in Hollywood. He gets hired because getting Gar Logan and a can of paint is cheaper than CGI.

Eventually, Gar finds his niche as an actor and becomes the ANDY SERKIS of the DCU. He's the character actor who does all the mo-cap stuff and brings crazy and ridiculous characters to life and gives them a presence in a way only a shape-shifter can. He eats up roles like Gollum and Caesar and spits out Academy Award nominations.

Suddenly he has respect. Influence. People adore him. They listen to him. And at some point Gar is asked to speak at a charity event for kids who are stuck on the sidelines of society; the ones with mental/physical problems that no one wants. The kids who are....Doomed. And with his time in the Doom Patrol floating in his mind, Gar makes a speech that leaves people in tears and brings in more money than this charity has ever seen. And in a stroke of illumination, Garfield Logan finds his purpose.

Using his celebrity like a social weapon, Gar begins a Hollywood crusade to help underprivileged kids. He maybe even takes the Doom Patrol name and turns it into a national charity for struggling kids. And for the first time in his life, Garfield Logan feels like a hero.

He still helps out the heroic community when they need him (hence the need for the Changeling name). He keeps his costume in his closet, and sometimes he goes out on patrol with Vic, just for old time's sake. But he's learned that he can do a lot more as a socially active celebrity than he ever was able to do as a shape-shifting Titan.

[Shockingjustice]

So....BEAST BOY. I said I had an idea that would piss off his fans. Here it is.

First thing, we're making him a supporting character for Cyborg. Vic's solo title is now where Gar lives. These two bring out the best in each other, they make each other more fun, and their bromance is one of the best in comics. And Gar just doesn't strike me as a solo character. I mean, any character can carry their own book with the right recipe, but I think Gar actually has more to offer as a foil for other characters. So he's going to be Cyborg's Jimmy Olsen, his Falcon, his friend and sometimes heroic partner, with more panel time than anyone other than Sarah Charles (and Vic himself, obviously). And like all first-line supporting characters, Gar will get his own subplots and moments to shine.

Second thing, we change his name back to Changeling. Or we find a new name for him. Not Beast Boy. Under no circumstances will he be called Beast Boy ever again. Worst name in comics.

Then we're going to have him semi-retire from the hero game and pursue a career as an actor. He's already been down this road, but we're going to drive it again. And this time, we'll do it right.

So Gar becomes successful doing a series of talking animal films for a Disney-like company. He makes money, and the kids love him, but he's a joke in Hollywood. He gets hired because getting Gar Logan and a can of paint is cheaper than CGI.

Eventually, Gar finds his niche as an actor and becomes the ANDY SERKIS of the DCU. He's the character actor who does all the mo-cap stuff and brings crazy and ridiculous characters to life and gives them a presence in a way only a shape-shifter can. He eats up roles like Gollum and Caesar and spits out Academy Award nominations.

Suddenly he has respect. Influence. People adore him. They listen to him. And at some point Gar is asked to speak at a charity event for kids who are stuck on the sidelines of society; the ones with mental/physical problems that no one wants. The kids who are....Doomed. And with his time in the Doom Patrol floating in his mind, Gar makes a speech that leaves people in tears and brings in more money than this charity has ever seen. And in a stroke of illumination, Garfield Logan finds his purpose.

Using his celebrity like a social weapon, Gar begins a Hollywood crusade to help underprivileged kids. He maybe even takes the Doom Patrol name and turns it into a national charity for struggling kids. And for the first time in his life, Garfield Logan feels like a hero.

He still helps out the heroic community when they need him (hence the need for the Changeling name). He keeps his costume in his closet, and sometimes he goes out on patrol with Vic, just for old time's sake. But he's learned that he can do a lot more as a socially active celebrity than he ever was able to do as a shape-shifting Titan.

I like the rest of your idea but demoting Gar to a supporting character, especially a side character to Cyborg of all people, seems disrespectful and a step back.

[Ascended]

I like the rest of your idea but demoting Gar to a supporting character, especially a side character to Cyborg of all people, seems disrespectful and a step back.

I know. Its not going to get much support from his fans.

The thing is, I want Gar out of the Titans. I feel like he's done what he can do on that team, and what can be said about "Gar the Titan" has been said. Its time to move on. I'm also kinda on a "post-spandex" kick where I want to see more characters exploring other kinds of heroism, which isn't the best platform for a DC comic book series (it'd be sorta boring). And I do think that Gar and Vic work best together, so even if Gar was on a team somewhere, I'd still want him in Vic's title. He would make the book *so* much better! And whether he's part of a team or a quasi-sorta co-star/supporting character in someone else's solo, his development is still going to move through subplots. The main difference is, as a supporting character, he isn't required to punch people as often, which opens up new avenues to explore the character. But I know his fans would never get behind this idea.

That said, if they wanted to try this "celebrity activist, part-time hero" thing out with a Young Animal or Vertigo-esque title? I'd try it. I just think Gar has more potential outside the heroic community than he does inside it.

EDIT: And what do you mean, "Cyborg of all people?" Victor Stone is a national treasure!

[oasis1313]

You guys are having some FANTASTIC ideas!!!!!!!

[OBrianTallent]

One Titans idea I had would be a little more...maybe grand in scope I guess? I would actually start with where there story is now and would also fold into where it looks like the JL is going in a few months with a Justice League "Line." the JL has effectively disbanded the team and are debating what to do with them, that decision is to make them members of the Justice League...along with quite a few more members making the League an actual League and not just a group of seven or so heroes. However instead of them appearing in the Justice League book, they would maintain their own series and work more as an auxiliary team. Kind of along the lines of what is coming in the JL weekly mini series where Superman has his team, Wonder Woman hers...this would be Dick's team. A lot of people would look at this as either the "B" team or whatever, but it's all in how the characters are handled. It could even be a story beat where someone says they asked for the Justice League not the junior league and their reply is something along the lines of them being the first line of defense. The idea is to take the Justice League into a Justice League Unlimited frame but instead of just having a large jumble of heroes working together, they operate as smaller units inside a larger framework. (Think of the X-Men frame...Uncanny, X-Factor, X-Force, New Mutants or even the current Blue, Gold, Red...) It would be Justice League, Justice League of America, JL: Titans, JL: Outsiders, JL: Teen Titans...the titles wouldn't even have to change, it would be something as simple as the JL being the corner banner box and where the characters operate. (Although I would fully see Damien taking his team back to their tower. I would also see the Outsiders operating "outside" the League's line of site...Batman's black ops group.)
The Titans would almost always be Dick, Donna, Wally, Roy, Garth, Lilith, Raven, Karen, Gar and Vic but occasionally because of who was there we might also see Hawk, Dove, Ryan Choi, Firestorm, Jessica Cruz or whomever. What would set the Titans apart is the interpersonal relationships they have developed. What made the New Teen Titans (and the X-Men of that era) so popular isn't that they were Robin/Nightwing, Starfire, Wonder Girl/Troia, Raven, Kid Flash, Cyborg, Changeling but that they were Dick, Donna, Kory, Raven, Gar, Vic and Wally. We saw Wally at college, Donna building her photo business and her (poor) relationship with Terry. We saw Kory being a model and dating Dick Grayson....basically we saw them live their lives not just be super heroes. (It's one of the things that I think is missing in a whole lot of modern comics, it's all even driven even in the regular titles. It's not about characters any more.) That would be the mainstay of the Justice League:Titans. We would see them in their private lives as well as their public/heroic lives. Also, when new heroes show up, the Titans would arrive to assess them...is there potential for good or for some kind of crazy to happen. This would also allow for new characters to come onto the team and build new relationships and also allow current members to operate with the main Justice League title.
The key thing though would be to give the title reason both in universe and out to exist and grow while maintaining a separate identity for it.