The Teen Titans are one of DC’s biggest and most unique superhero teams. The original team was founded when three sidekicks, Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad, came together to prove they didn’t need their mentors’ supervision to be heroes. Eventually, their cooperation blossomed into a true team, but it wasn’t until the second incarnation that their popularity exploded. The Teen Titans everyone knows includes mainstays like Starfire, Cyborg, Raven, and the like, popularized by Marv Wolfman’s legendary New Teen Titans and immortalized by the Teen Titans cartoon on Cartoon Network. Ever since, this incarnation has haunted the Teen Titans, and DC has consistently tried to capture this energy again.
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Unfortunately, with the original team having long moved into adulthood, it’s impossible to make those Teen Titans again, and for every step forward DC took with the team, they always took two steps back into nostalgia. Now, after decades, DC is finally evolving their number one teen team. Teen Titans (2026) #1 features a brand-new team on an adventure that feels fresh and, most importantly, like it’s made for teenagers, about teenagers, without talking down to them. It’s a fantastic step in the right direction, and shows that DC is finally capitalizing on all the potential the Teen Titans have always had.
A Modernization That Actually Feels Modern
The new team includes young heroes who have never rocked the Titans name before, including Cheshire Cat (Lian Harper), Fairplay (the son of Mister Terrific), Proxy, and Wildcard. Proxy and Wildcard are entirely new heroes, boasting telekinesis that is proportional in strength to the number of peope around him and bad-luck inducement, respectively. They’ll eventually be joinde by Flatline, and Eugene Choi, a currently depowered member of the Shazam Family, hangs around as their friend. On top of all that, Red Hood of all people is acting as their mentor.
Everything about this team screams modern. For one, their costumes are all street-wear inspired as oppossed to traditional superhero suits. This team actually didn’t start calling themselves the Teen Titans. Instead, the main crew met on a Discord server made for teenagers with superpowers called the Teen Titans, and they eventually decided to start hanging out in person. They are called to arms when another friend from that server goes missing at a rally meant to teach non-powered kids how to survive in a superhero world, shunting a chance to train with Nightwing to follow Red Hood on the case he was hired for.
Steps Towards a Brand-New Beginning
Everything about these new Teen Titans screams that DC is finally willing to try something different with them. Between debuting two entirely new characters and the rest of the team being filled with genuinely obscure characters, the company is clearly trying to make these Titans distinct from their predecessors. They also shine with a very teenage energy. This isn’t just in how they talk and dress, although this is probably the best depiction of how teens talk in a comic without it coming across as patronizing or cringe, but in how they clearly want to do their own thing.
This team doesn’t feel like they’re bucking off everything that came before. They clearly respect the older generations of heroes, but they also acknowledge that they want to fight for the future in their own way. It’s not quite rebellion, but an assurance that the world will need their unique brand of heroism. Heck, this is exemplified in how they chose to team with Red Hood, who is the number one symbol of rebellion in DC. They don’t totally get along with him, but they do align with him, showing how they want to find their own path that isn’t rejection or total acceptance of how things are. They’re kids finding their path.
For the first time in decades, this series also feels like it’s actually being marketed towards teenagers. Everything, from the designs to Red Hood being the Robin of choice, shows that DC is trying to draw in teens to read this book. It isn’t beating the audience over the head with it or going so over the top that it drives everyone away, either. I’m nowhere near being a teenager, but I still enjoyed it, which is a great sign that DC is actually respecting their younger audience.
This is what the Teen Titans were always meant to be. This is a book about teens that reflects their actual struggles and dynamics in a way that would make them want to read more. It’s a great first start and a total revolution of what the Teen Titans are. I can’t wait to see more of what DC does with them in the near future.
Teen Titans #1 is on sale now!
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