WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Titans United #1 on sale now from DC Comics.
Over the past several years, Kite Man has gone from being one of Batman's strangest obscure villains to a fan-favorite character, complete with his own catchphrase, "Kite-Man, back, hell yeah!" However, the Titans aren't too excited to see him at the moment.
In Titans United #1 by Cavan Scott, Jose Luis, Jonas Trindade, Rex Lokus and Carlos M. Mangual, a strange encounter with a man who mimicked the powers of the Titans lead to a tragedy when he was killed. But his demise was only the prelude to more danger when Kite Man reappeared after a long absence, now apparently wielding the powers of Raven as he thoroughly trounced Hawk and Dove. But this new powerset is just another step in Kite Man's recent evolution from a joke character to a serious threat to the Infinite Frontier.
The Titans were still reeling from an encounter with Evan Morton, a small-time crook who was trying to turn his life around, but suddenly got uncontrollable powers. The Titans failed to save him, but this wasn't the end of the problem. Not long after, a call came in from Hawk, who begrudgingly admitted that he and Dove were getting beaten by Kite Man. But both had a good excuse as to why: the normally powerless villain had somehow gained access to what appeared to be Raven's magic, hinting that he may also be afflicted with the same condition as Evan.
But While this might make Kite Man a victim of circumstance, at the moment, he is a credible threat to two highly powered individuals. It's the most distance Kite Man has put between himself and the total loser who was introduced to the DCU so long ago.
Kite Man was first introduced in 1960's Batman #133 by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang. He was a villain who used kites for all of his crimes, usually performing heists to steal large amounts of money. In his first appearance, he almost killed Robin, but since then Kite Man became something of a joke in comparison to other DC villains, a combination of his choice of theme, dimwitted personality, and lack of powers.
This went on for most of his career until Tom King's run on Batman. Prior to this, not much was known about Chuck Brown's origins beyond a childhood fascination with kites. It's not the most intimidating backstory, nor is it a plausible reason for why he would stick a giant kite on his back and commit crimes. That all changed during the "War of Jokes and Riddles" storyline.
Detailing Batman's earlier years, it also tells how Kite Man came to exist. He was originally a low-level criminal operating during a war between the Joker and the Riddler. But he did it only to support his son, who he bonded with while flying kites. Sadly, he caught the attention of both sides of the war and as a consequence, the Riddler poisoned the string Chuck's son used to hold onto the kite. The poor boy died not long after, leaving Chuck with a desire for revenge. He created the persona of Kite Man and joined the Joker's side of the war.
But this was only the beginning of the tragedy of Kite Man. He later helped Batman apprehend both the Joker and Riddler, being a key factor in ending the war and saving an untold amount of lives. But at the end of it all, the Riddler revealed that everything, his son's death, his transformation into Kite Man, even their collective defeat at the joke villain's hand, was all engineered by the Riddler to make the Joker laugh.
This turned Kite Man from the joke of the underworld to perhaps one of the most tragic villains in the DCU, caught in the crossfire of more dangerous villains and completely helpless to stop any of it.
But he's not helpless anymore. Having access to the powers of the Titans bumps Kite Man up from a tragic character to a credible threat. He's already defeated Hawk and Dove and he's had experience fighting Batman. If any of that translates to how he utilizes his new powers, then he's become a major villain.