WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Teen Titans #36, by Adam Glass, Bernard Chang, Marcelo Maiolo and Rob Leigh, on sale now.
The current run of Teen Titans has sent Damian Wayne's motley crew of heroes in a perpetual state of turbulence, made even worse by the revelation that Roundhouse was the traitor gnawing away at the team over the months. His actions resulted in Djinn getting placed back in her ring and a mini-civil war erupting as Kid Flash/Wallace still believed his best friend could be redeemed.
But as Damian's team tries to find a way to save Djinn and recover in the wake of Roundhouse's brutal attack, one Teen Titan causes further issues as they're turned into a mass murderer thanks to the schemes of Lex Luthor from Year of the Villain.
This is none other than Lobo's daughter, Crush, who lost control and attacked her teammates at the end of the last issue. She had feelings for Djinn so she went off the rails, but as her temper boiled over, this issue opens with her somehow being controlled by the Main Man and heading to New York. It turns out Lex gave Lobo a mysterious means of controlling Crush due to the DNA she shares with him. Now, Lobo wants to exploit his daughter as she's reached the kind of rage level only he can weaponize.
Their first assault comes on an NYC bridge where there are massive casualties. The entire structure is filled with smashed-up cars, strewn with bodies as Lobo gloats as this is the child he's always wanted. Crush's target is actually a shape-shifting alien, who Lobo reveals they can kill as the bounty doesn't require him to be brought in alive. The Main Man manipulates his unwilling daughter and as the alien begs for mercy, Crush snuffs his life out by squashing his head with her boots. Lobo basks in the bloody glory, not caring that his daughter will likely be suffering from PTSD due to her actions.
It gets even worse when they tear up Coney Island hours later, which is all part of a trap Lobo has set to capture Crush's allies. But before the heroes arrive, bodies are scattered all over, not to mention mass destruction as the Ferris wheel and just about anything and everything in sight at the Brooklyn park has been torn asunder. By the time Damian and Co. land they realize they have to take Crush down the hard way because she's nothing more than a murder machine, and one who must be stopped.
However, things don't go according to plan and thanks to Lobo's sadistic mentorship, the violent father-daughter duo overwhelm the Teen Titans -- Damian, Wallace and Emiko/Red Arrow -- and chain them up for a buyer. Unsurprisingly, this person is the Other, who Damian has been tracking since he took over the team. The Other's been stalking and mentally torturing the Robin through a series of mind games and finally, at a mysterious location, he's revealed his presence with a mask, armor and staff that feels influenced by the God of War, Ares.
Lobo may have wanted to use Crush to kill her friends, but now they're both front row as the Other has the Titans at his mercy. It remains to be seen if Crush can break the hold and help her teammates out, but even if she does, she'll be scarred from her murderous actions. Crush has always wanted to be a warrior but as this issue shows, she still wasn't ready for this much brutality.
Teen Titans #37 goes on sale Dec. 18.