I’ve been sort of following Teen Titans on Cartoon Network, and I began to wonder: What are their origins? I don’t even mean how they got together as a team. I mean, individually, where did they come from and why are they here, according to the comics? It seems to be a question that’s mostly ignored in the series.
Robin was trained by Batman.
Starfire is Koriand’r, an alien princess (and refugee?) from the planet Tamaran.
Raven is an empath and the daughter of Trigon, a demon.
Beast Boy is a mutant, if I recall correctly.
Cyborg is, well, a cyborg.
I’m not sure how that particular team got together in the comics, but the original Teen Titans line-up in the '60s was just teen sidekicks of established heroes: the first Robin (Batman), Kid Flash (Flash), Wonder Girl (Wonder Woman), Aqualad (Aquaman), and Speedy (Green Arrow).
The cartoon members were more or less on the team during the '80s, and they were all protrayed as a lot older in the comic. Robin, for example, had already adopted the identity of Nightwing (although the cartoon Robin is based on the current Robin, Tim Drake, and not the one who grew up and became Nightwing).
I don’t know if his origin has been changed in current continuity, but in the original Doom Patrol comics, he was a normal child whose father, a medical researcher, subjected him to a ray that turned him into a green monkey. (This was done to cure him of a disease that green monkeys are immune to.) He was supposed to change back to normal after 24 hours, but he retained the green color and was left with the ability to change into animals.
Heh heh, I think I prefer the mutant explanation! 
No kidding. The Golden and Silver Ages of comics had some pretty wretched character origins.
One that stands out in my mind is the origin of the Golden Age speedster known as the Whizzer (heh) who got his powers from an injection of mongoose blood. I mean, huh?
Like the awful curse of colorblindness that turned the Rainbow Raider evil.
I just saw the new episode. I like the way they’ve drawn Aqualad. What a hottie.
And I had no idea Beast Boy was so competitive.
I liked tonight’s episode. Aqualad seems to have gotten a similar update that Aquaman did in a Justice League episode I saw a while back. I’m also surprised that a lot of the time I couldn’t tell it was Wil Wheaton providing the voice for the 'Lad.
For some reason that I can’t really logically explain, Beast Boy strikes me as the very competitive type. I want to say that it’s from him always wanting to be the center of attention, but, on further reflection, I can’t really think of any instances of where that was so.
I will say this, though. I really like Beast Boy, but his superpower seems to be the least effective of all the Teen Titans. The only times I can think of where he’s been helpful transforming into an animal was the end of “Final Exam” and in “Nevermore.”
he doesn’t seem to use his powers very effectively, anyway. Every time he turns into a really cool animal like a T-Rex the villain takes him out in like three seconds. He only does anything important when he’s a starfish or something.
Let us not forget the Black Condor, who could fly. He was taught to fly by the flock of Mongolian condors who had adopted him as an orphaned infant…
blink blink Whaaaa? That was Wil Wheaton?
Does Warner Brothers have special voice-altering filters that they use in all of their animated series, or something? I still have a hard time believing that Mark Hamill does the voice of the animated Joker…
What is it with superheroes and their need to hang out with same-sex teenagers?
Its the tights.
Yep, that was the former Wesley Crusher. Like I said, I couldn’t really tell it was him aside from a couple moments. Those moments were when Aqualad and Beast Boy were arguing. Something about the stressed and angry voice reminded me of Wesley Crusher in any episode where he yelled about something.
And, I never knew that Mark Hamill was the voice of the Joker. That’s a new one on me.
Now the hot girl-on-girl action possibilities of Wonder Woman and Wondergirl are intriguing. Especially if someone gets tied up with the magic rope. The others, though, have a high “eeww” factor. Especially, for some reason, Green Arrow and Speedy. Wait, Captain America and Bucky is even ickier. (Insert obligatory Human Torch and Toro “flames” joke here)
Why can’t more superheroes take a vow of celibacy?
Mark Hamill has not only been Luke Skywalker, but now pretty much the best screen Joker ever. His voice is what in my head I’ll always imagine as the Joker’s voice. Same with Bruce Timm’s Batman, really.
But Wondergirl wasn’t Wonder Woman’s sidekick. Until WG was thrown into the Titans, she was basically the teenaged version of Wnder Woman, more akin to Superboy than Robin. Only later did they come up with the backstory that she was a baby rescued by Diana from a fire raised on Paradise Island.
The all-time “eeww” factor for hero/sidekicks has gotta be for Mr. Scarlet and Pinky.
Bill
The absolute worst was Green Lantern’s sidekick on SuperFriends. He was an utterly useless little green man that RODE AROUND ON GREEN LANTERNS ASS WHEN THEY NEEDED TO FLY SOMEWHERE. His name was Kairo.
That must have a steep learning curve.
Don’t forget his secret ID was a U.S. Senator. Y’see when Black Condor first arrived in the U.S. from the distant wilds of Mongolia, he met a senator who he just happened to be a dead ringer for. And when the senator was killed, BC decided to step in and take over his identity.
This version of the Titans (the cartoon cast plus Kid Flash and Wonder Girl) was brought together by Raven to help protect the world from her father Trigon. She went to the Justice League first, but they turned her down.
Robin became Nightwing about 4 years into the comic run of New Teen Titans.
Bill