AirDave

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What If...Marv Wolfman and George Perez Could NOT Create NEW Teen Titans?

I had created this list before as @airdave817.

So, Titans is being developed for DC's Digital Service. There's been no official launch date as yet, but it is expected for "fourth quarter", possibly October.

http://www.dccomics.com/blog/2017/04/25/titans-and-young-justice-outsiders-to-debut-on-upcoming-dc-branded-digital-service

Brenton Thwaites as Robin
Brenton Thwaites as Robin

What if Marv Wolfman and George Perez couldn't rename Beast Boy Changeling? What if they couldn't create Cyborg, Raven and Starfire? What if they HAD to use sidekicks and make The New Teen Titans work that way? The conceit is that that had already happened. Teen Titans was cancelled and then brought back. That return saw Mal Duncan take on roles as The Guardian and The Herald. But even Mal was a new character. So was Lilith. There was a Titans West. But that didn't work out. I would argue The New Teen Titans worked because of the technology and gadgetry of Vic Stone's Cyborg; the Gothic mysticism of Raven; and the science fiction angle of Koriand'r. I might lose that argument, but I'd still argue it. The core group: Dick, Donna, Wally, Gar - not to mention the classic Fab Five line-up - was straight up super-hero action. Written by dudes that were...just a little disconnected in the generation gap.

Still, what would a Teen Titans team look like if Marv and George had to use established sidekicks and not create NEW Teen Titans?

I definitely welcome suggestions: from the Golden, Silver and Bronze age. The characters must be established, not new creations. So, no Jaimie Reyes as Blue Beetle, unfortunately. Here are my choices, let me know what you think and what your choices might be.

List items

  • Dick Grayson's Robin would probably still be the leader. Titans could still be linked to the Batman Family books.

  • Although the Silver Age Robin-Jimmy Olsen World's Finest partnership is probably more Old School than Super Sons; Jimmy would be perfect as an adventurer, Elastic Lad and perhaps the original Dial "H" for H-E-R-O. The conceit might be to redesign the dial as a communicator or "cell phone". The Titans would be connected to the Superman Family books and Legion of Super-Heroes.

  • One of the biggest blunders of the Silver Age was killing off the Kents and Superman/Clark Kent's decision not to mentor or raise his cousin Kara - due to appearances. Shunting her off to an orphanage and having her adopted out may have created a positive adoption story, but it also amounted to "super-dickery". I'm an adoptive parent of two sons and a daughter. Supergirl's story is a great, positive adoption story; still, a misstep for The Man of Steel. Still it would be cool to see Dick, Jimmy and Kara similar to Dick, Wally and Gar. Maybe see Martha and Jonathan in a role similar to Alfred Pennyworth as a mentor and role model to the young heroes. More so than say the introduction of Loren Jupiter.

  • Okay, so maybe this line-up is starting to look like the Geoff Johns or Will Pfeiffer line-up. But it would be kinda cool to see Dick and Jimmy pine over Kara (like Roy did over Donna), will she pines over Freddie.

  • ...Until they discover that Freddie's CM3 has a sister, Mary. I could see Kara, Freddie and Mary alternating on adventures.

  • With Jimmy appearing as Elastic Lad, Chris would be the next "H" Dial operator.

  • I would see Sanderson as an older Titan; more of an advisor or mentor to Dick Grayson and the younger group. On Earth-B(ob Haney) that would un-write the Seven Soldiers/Law's Legionnaires being time lost.

  • One of the cool post-Crisis elements was connecting the JSA and the JLA through Dinah Lance replacing Diana Prince. Merry, the Gimmick Girl would be a cool homage to The Golden Age. I could see her part of the Titans kind of like Betty "Bette" Kane or Duela Dent.

  • Looking for gizmos and gadgets? Sylvester Pemberton could be the Titans' version of Q. Or maybe that would be Pat Dugan. Plus, there could be a brotherhood between Pat and Alfred.

  • Don't forget, Donna Troy was a new, original character for the classic Teen Titans, wasn't she? The Wonder Tot and Wonder Girl stories were Diana before she became a completely new and separate character. I could see Marv Wolfman using Wally; although he's mentioned writing for a speedster is not easy. I could see Wally, Roy, Garth and Gar appearing sporadically. Donna would be another character to alternate with Kara and Mary.

  • The challenge with Betty/"Bette" is that, like Duela, she is kind of a joke character. Not really a super-hero, but more of a fangirl cos-player. If she really got into it, she would probably be the first token casualty. But she would maintain a light-hearted approach.

  • Ted is really no different than Jaimie Reyes. A legacy character. Charlton Comics' Peter Parker. But another gadget and gizmo expert. He could probably come up with something better than the Titans' copter. He might also connect the team to STAR labs.
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