In the June 1964 release of Brave and the Bold #54, writer Bob Haney and artist Bruno Premiani introduced DC Comics readers to a team comprised of heroes considered sidekicks at the time. Robin, Aqualad, and Kid Flash joined together to battle and eventually defeat Brom Stikk, also known as Mr. Twister. A year later, Wonder Girl joined the now-named Teen Titans.
A form of this group has been around in one form or another for over a half-century. The Titans have also changed considerably since their early days of simple criminals and hip teen talk. Some of these shifts have been for the better. Others have caused difficulties among team members.
10 They Aren't All Teens Anymore
When they first got together, the Titans were definitely in their mid-teens. When they disbanded in the mid-70s and got back together in 1980, they were in their late teens.
After that, the teams became a mix of younger and older members. It's why writer Marv Wolfman changed the title of the second volume of New Teen Titans to simply New Titans with issue 50. Since then, previous members of the team have joined other incarnations as mentors.
9 They Have Stronger Lineups
Yes, Kid Flash, Aqualad, and Wonder Girl added power to the original Titans lineup. Yet, none of them had developed their full potential. That would come much later as they matured and their powers changed. It might be why future teams amped up their power levels.
For instance, the original lineup of the New Teen Titans featured a trio of Omega-level heroes -- Cyborg, Starfire, and Raven. The 2003 lineup of Geoff John's team included the powerhouses Kon-El (Superboy) and Miss Martian. The reason for the increased power was to face greater enemies.
8 They Face Greater Threats
In the first half-dozen issues of New Teens Titans, Marv Wolfman and artist George Perez pitted the new team against the alien race called the Gordanians, Raven's father Trigon, and the Justice League. Every incarnation since then has battled Deathstroke at least once. Basically, the Titans no longer fight characters like Mr. Twister and the useless Dr. Light.
They've even had to fight threats within their own team. In "The Judas Contract," the Titans discovered one of their members, Terra, worked for Deathstroke. Later, they had to battle Raven as she was taken over by Trigon. The Rebirth era Teen Titans had to battle Damian Wayne's Robin after they learned he had kidnapped and killed several criminals.
7 A Robin Isn't Always Their Leader
The Teen Titans have always been considered a team led by one Robin or another. Dick Grayson, Tim Drake, and Damian Wayne have all led various incarnations. However, this isn't always the case.
Take the post-Zero Hour version of the New Titans. This group was led by Roy Harper, then known as Arsenal. A few years later, Dan Jurgens created a team of brand new heroes led by The Atom. In Titans Academy, there's no current Robin to be seen.
6 They're Heroes In Their Own Right
When they started, the Titans were called upon by other teenagers. While these young adolescents thought they were heroes to help all ages, others still thought of Robin, Kid Flash, and the others as teen sidekicks.
This hasn't been the case for modern versions of the team. First, sidekicks are passe. Tim Drake was is nearly an equal partner to Batman. Second, many of the Titans now have solo adventures outside of the team. Therefore, they're considered heroes in their own right. For instance, Wally West took on the Flash mantle after the original's death in Crisis on Infinite Earths.
5 Their Headquarters Has Improved
Similar to the Justice League when they began, the Teen Titans didn't have the most sophisticated of headquarters. Titans Lair was primarily a teenage hangout that they left via a military-grade helicopter. Their 1970s HQ was inside a disco nightclub.
It wasn't until New Teen Titans did the team get a top-notch headquarters: Titans Tower. Despite its destruction on several occasions, including being crushed by Trigon, the tower has been rebuilt. In some situations, Crisis on Infinite Earths is an example, Titans Tower has been a rallying point for the entirety of Earth's superheroes.
4 The Lineup Is More Diverse
The original Titans quintet was a white bread group. It took a decade for them to diversify with Mal Duncan and his girlfriend Karen Beecher, known as the shrinking and stinging hero Bumblebee. They took further steps during the New Teen Titans era by bringing in the African-American hero Cyborg and the alien Starfire.
This diversity has continued over the last four decades. The heroes that have been part of the Titans have come from across the globe and the galaxy. The most recent version of the team was comprised of Wallace West, the African-American Kid Flash, a darker-skinned Aqualad, and Crush, Lobo's powerful daughter.
3 Their Members Have Joined Other Teams
It seemed like the original members of the 1960s and 1980s versions of the Titans would never leave the team. In fact, the now-adult members of the first two incarnations have returned as a team. However, this doesn't mean they haven't diversified.
For instance, Nightwing, Starfire, Cyborg, Roy Harper (as Red Arrow), and Donna Troy have all been members of the Justice League during its history. Dick Grayson has also been the leader of an incarnation of the Outsiders. Before the promotion to Teen Titans, Tim Drake's Robin, Kon-El's Superboy, and Bart Allen's Impulse were founding members of Young Justice.
2 Team Members Have Died
The first years of the Titans' existence were good ones. Yes, they had their issues, both within the team and out in the world, but they remained a solid group. That changed starting in the 1980s.
For some reason, Marv Wolfman felt it was time to get rid of a few characters. The first one he killed was Terra. Then, in Crisis on Infinite Earths, Wolfman wrote the demise of new Titan Kole and former member Dove. Later in the run of New Titans, the writer killed off Titans West's Golden Eagle and Jericho. Donna Troy, Kon-El, and Bart Allen have all met their maker at one time or another in recent incarnations of the team.
1 They've Taken On An Educational Role
The Teen Titans are no longer a simple team. Similar to the role of Marvel's Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters, they are now an educational entity. This is courtesy of DC's Infinite Frontier era of comics.
Titans Academy is led by the adult team members -- Nightwing, Starfire, Raven, Donna Troy, Cyborg, and Beast Boy. Upperclassmen are represented by the team members formerly led by Damian Wayne. The rest of the students are new heroes who hope to eventually become a Teen Titan.