DC K.O. had a major impact on the direction of the DC Universe, and that included the New Titans rebrand. With the series getting a fresh start, New Titans quickly lived up to its new name thanks to some big roster changes. It wasn’t just about certain heroes leaving while others joined. We also saw a major shift in the team dynamic, with the new roster being built around the DC Universe’s next generation of heroes. This change has given the New Titans series a much-needed fresh direction, though it may not be good news for everyone involved. Let’s talk about it.
NEW TITANS ROSTER A MUCH NEEDED CHANGE
The post-DC K.O. direction for New Titans brought Jon Kent’s Superman, Stephanie Brown’s Batgirl, Wonder Girl, Red Devil, and newly introduced Eva onto the team. Terra was also brought back into the mix, as she benefited from the DCU villains recently being granted full amnesty. That is a lot of new members for one Titans roster. To make room, writer Tate Brombal had Donna Troy, Starfire, Arsenal, Raven, and Beast Boy leave the team, but more on them later.
We first got to see these roster additions in the three-part “The Future is Tomorrow” arc, which kicked off in New Titans #33. This arc worked more like a prelude, since the new members were already part of the team by the time the story began. Right away, they helped Nightwing, Cyborg, Starfire, and Terra defeat the rogue machine side of Cyborg after it trapped them in a simulation.
It wasn’t until New Titans #36 that we really got to settle into the new team dynamic. That issue showed the series shifting into a role where the original Titans are mentoring the next generation of heroes. It also made clear that Jon Kent, Stephanie Brown, Yara Flor, Edward Bloomberg, and Eva all have something to prove. In many ways, they reflect why the original Teen Titans came together in the first place. In the process, this gives Nightwing, Cyborg, Terra, and possibly other original Titans more to do, as they now have to balance mentoring these younger heroes with saving the day.
NEW TITANS BUILDING CYBORG EVENT
The DC K.O. event had a major impact on the DC Universe. From the New Titans rebrand to supervillains gaining full amnesty, its fallout has been explored the most in Justice League Unlimited, there have been a lot of major fallout from the event. One of the biggest things DC K.O. did was bring the Alpha Effect back into the DC Universe.
In New Titans #35, Cyborg revealed that he was affected by the Alpha Effect’s return during the Omega Tournament. That happened because the Mother Box in his hardware reacted to the Alpha Energy and mixed it with his Omega Energy. While it made him more powerful, Cyborg’s machine side gained a new level of sentience and created a mecha world where it trapped the Titans.
While the New Titans were able to overcome Cyborg’s corrupted half, the arc ended with Eva asking her mentor if he was going to tell the others about his secret. We still don’t know what that secret is, but Cyborg made it clear he wasn’t ready to tell his teammates as he continued working from his lab. What Cyborg is keeping from the New Titans remains a mystery, though we did get some hints at what it could be.
During “The Future is Tomorrow,” Nightwing asked Cyborg if what they were dealing with was another situation like The Technis Imperative from the 1999 JLA/Titans crossover event. Cyborg said they had not reached that point yet. Since he didn’t deny the similarities, leading to the possibility of a new version of that story taking place. This time it could be even bigger and tied to everything happening with Darkseid, especially given Cyborg’s connection to both the Omega and Alpha Effects. That could set up a Justice League Unlimited and New Titans crossover in 2027.
STARFIRE SERIES EXIT SPOTLIGHTED
New Titans #36 was the true fresh start for the series. That said, Brombal’s opening arc still had an impact. Outside of Cyborg, the character most affected by the storyline was Starfire.
For Starfire, the impact of the storyline was much more personal. During the story, we saw another tease of the romantic tension between Nightwing and Starfire pop back up. Unlike previous teases, though, this wasn’t something that suddenly brought the two of them together now or in the future. Instead, it became an eye-opening moment for Starfire, as she realized she not only needed move on but also give herself an actual direction in life.
As we see in her conversation with Nightwing in New Titans #36, Starfire realized she has always prioritized the team and her adoptive world over herself. That realization made her understand it was time to finally put herself first and find her own home, instead of always returning to what feels comfortable: the Titans.
The way Starfire framed this does not shut the door on her return to the Titans someday. Instead, it shows she is ready for her own graduation journey, like the ones Nightwing, Cyborg, and Wally West have had. With DC recently announcing an animated series starring Starfire, maybe we will also get a new solo series that explores her finding her place in the larger DC Universe.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE OTHER TITANS
Starfire hopefully getting a new direction is refreshing. We have seen how Dick Grayson and Wally West have established themselves beyond the Titans as solo heroes with their own titles. That makes the bigger question even more noticeable: what happened to the other original Titans?
As we saw in New Titans #36, Donna Troy, Arsenal, Beast Boy, and Raven were nowhere to be seen. There wasn’t even a mention of whether they left the team before the events of “The Future is Tomorrow,” the arc Brombal used to start his creative run. If that wasn’t enough, New Titans #33 brought up that the original Titans were stuck in a cycle of always doing the same thing as a team.
The fact that the fourth-wall breaking subplot Brombal introduced at the start of his run was not addressed is not a great sign for the Titans who disappeared. Unfortunately for Donna Troy, Arsenal, Beast Boy, and Raven, this is nothing new. These four in particular don’t seem to have much luck outside of Titans. At best, they tend to become supporting characters in other solo titles.
Donna Troy, Arsenal, Beast Boy, and Raven could still show back up in Titans as mentors, especially if Nightwing becomes too busy with upcoming Batman events. But as of now, there is no sign of them being major parts of New Titans or another title in the DC Next Level direction. Hopefully that changes in the near future for these great characters.
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