For a team that started with three sidekicks and a character that wasn't supposed to exist, the Teen Titans have become one of the greatest superhero teams in comics. Formed by Robin, Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, and Aqualad, the team has gone on to have hundreds of members and appear in thousands of stories. There have been so many members of the Teen Titans over the years that no one would blame you if you thought every teen hero in the DC Universe had been a member at some point.
But the reality of the situation is that there have been a number of teen heroes who have never joined the Teen Titans. For some, it's because they are on another team. For others, it may just be that the opportunity never really presented itself. Whatever the case, here are 10 powerful teen heroes from DC that never joined the Titans...
10 Superboy (Jon Kent)
The third Superboy, Jon Kent, is the son of Superman and Lois Lane, and you may think that he would be the perfect choice for the Teen Titans, but it never happened. Even though Robin is his best friend and the leader of the current version of the Titans, this Son of Steel was denied membership because he wasn't actually a teen when he tried to join.
Since then, Jon spent a few years on another Earth and came back well into his teen years. But before the Teen Titans could offer him a spot on the team, Jon went off to the 31st Century and joined the Legion of Super-Heroes. Maybe one day this Superboy will join the Teen Titans, but at the moment it doesn't seem likely.
9 Wonder Twins
Created for 1977's All-New Super Friends Hour, Zan and Jayna, better known as the Wonder Twins, didn't make their in continuity DC Comics debut until 1996, and aside from some cameos, they didn't actually have a place in the DCU until their recent miniseries by Mark Russell and Stephen Byrne placed the alien twins as high school students who are also interns at the Hall of Justice.
The Wonder Twins recently joined the newly reformed Young Justice, DC's other big teen team, so it doesn't; look like they'll be a part of the Teen Titans anytime soon, but it can only be a matter of time before the two teams cross paths.
8 Mary Marvel
Quite a few members of the Shazam Family could be members of the Teen Titans, including Shazam himself, but it is somewhat surprising that Mary Marvel never joined the team. Captain Marvel Jr., or Shazam Jr. as he is called these days, was a member of the Teen Titans for a period, but Mary has somehow never been a Titan.
If she were to join the team, Mary would quickly become one of the most powerful members and a huge asset, but she likely wouldn't agree with how the current Robin, Damian Wayne, runs the team.
7 Impulse (Iris West)
The daughter Wally West, Iris West, was just starting her superhero career when her uncle Barry Allen, the second Flash, created the Flashpoint and erased her, her brother Jai, and her dad Wally West, from existence. Now that she is back in the DC Universe, she may want to take some time to get to know her mom Linda Park again, but sooner or later, she'll be joining a team. The only problem is, the Teen Titans already has a Kid Flash, does it need an Impulse too?
6 Stargirl
After discovering that her stepfather Pat Dugan was the original Star-Spangled Kid, Courtney Whitmore takes on the name and became a teen hero in her own right. Courtney didn't follow the normal teen hero path and skipped over the Teen Titans to join the Justice Society of America early in her career. As a member of the Justice Society, Courtney was given the Cosmic Rod when Starman retired, and she took on the name Stargirl.
Stargirl would be a big get for the Teen Titans, but joining the team could be seen as a step backward for her. After all, she is already a valued member of the first-ever superhero team, why would she join another one?
5 Cyclone
The granddaughter of Ma Hunkel, the first Red Tornado, Cyclone first appeared in the instant classic alternate future series Kingdom Come before making her in continuity debut a decade later in Justice Society of America in 2006. Maxine Hunkel was kidnapped by the mad scientist T.O. Morrow when she was just six-years-old. Before she was saved, Morrow injected the young girl with nanobytes that gave her the power to manipulate the wind.
Like Stargirl, Cyclone joined the Justice Society instead of becoming a member of the Teen Titans. Like the other members of the JSA, Cyclone recently returned to the DC Universe at the end of Doomsday Clock.
4 Jakeem Thunder
When an aging Justice Society co-founder Johnny Thunder began to suffer from dementia, he put his genie Thunderbolt into a pen for safekeeping. Without realizing it, Jay Garrick, the original Flash, accidentally gave the pen to a young boy named Jakeem Williams. When it was discovered that Jakeem was the new partner of the genie, the newly reformed Justice Society offered to train him. Jakeem jumped at the chance. Like the other members of the Justice Society, Jakeem disappeared during the New 52 years but returned at the end of Doomsday Clock.
3 Lightning
Another character originally created for Kingdom Come only to be introduced into the DCU proper later, Lightning is the younger daughter of Black Lightning. Born with their powers, Jennifer Pierce and her older sister Anissa were not allowed to become heroes until they finished school. Seeing how Anissa, who took on the superhero name Thunder, was struggling to learn to be a hero, Black Lightning asked the Justice Society to train Jennifer. Lightning hasn't been seen in the comics since Flashpoint and unlike the other teen members of the Justice Society, she did not appear with the team in Doomsday Clock.
2 Black Alice
On the same day that Lori Zechlin found her mother dead from a drug overdose, she discovered that she had the power to borrow the magical abilities of superheroes or supervillains. Taking on the name Black Alice, Lori begins hunting down drug dealers in her home town. Her actions catch the attention of the Birds of Prey, who try to help Black Alice deal with her powers.
Black Alice constantly teeters on the line of hero and villain. She helped the Shadow Pact battle the Spectre and refused to join the Secret Society of Supervillains, but she also tried to kill Black Canary and joined the Secret Six. Perhaps if she had become a member of the Teen Titans, her path would have been different.
1 Stanley Dover And Spot
When he was six-years-old, Stanley Dover found a monster in the sewers. The big pink furred creature was more frightened of Stanley than Stanley was of it, and soon the two became friends. Stanley named the monster Spot and brought it home without knowing that his new best pal was actually a demon called "The Beast With No Name" who was exiled from Hell for being too nice.
Stanley and Spot have never really started their superhero careers, but they have helped save the world from time to time, most notably joining the other magical heroes to summon the Spectre during Infinite Crisis. All they need is an invitation to join the Teen Titans and they could be on their way to being great heroes.