“YOU CAN’T SAY NO TO THE ANGEL OF DEATH (OR CAN YOU?).” Mal defeats Azrael the Angel of Death and acquires his horn, which bestows powers on him. He uses his powers to summon the Titans to help him defeat a street gang that is blowing up the people who are rebuilding their neighborhood.
After Speedy belittles his contribution to the team, Malcolm Duncan abandons his newly adopted Guardian identity, and quits the Teen Titans. Fifteen years before this incident, Gotham City's Clemont Street was home to a street gang, called the Wreckers. The Wreckers were both a nuisance, and a boon, to the neighborhood. Their leader, Steve Macchione, was drafted into the army. His predilection for destroying things served him well in the Army's demolition division. An unauthorized test of a new explosive earned Macchione a dishonorable discharge. Macchione returned to find that his old neighborhood was undergoing renovations.
Macchione re-assembles the Wreckers, intent on keeping the city from destroying Clemont Street, in the name of progress. The Wreckers plant explosives in a nearby meat market. As fate would have it, Duncan is in a phone booth, venting to his girlfriend, Karen Beecher, when he sees the Wreckers leaving the building. Duncan gives chase, just as the explosives detonate, burying Duncan in debris. Duncan awakes to find himself face-to-face with the Angel of Death, Azrael. The Angel of Death has come to claim Duncan's life. Duncan willfully defies Azrael. The Angel of Death agrees to fight Duncan for his life. A vicious battle ensues with Duncan's life, literally, at stake.
Duncan triumphs, winning his life, as well as Azrael's undying fury. Azrael tells Duncan that should he lose even one single battle, regardless of circumstances, he will claim Duncan's life. The Angel, Gabriel, bequeaths his horn to Duncan. By simply blowing Gabriel's horn, Duncan will become the equal of any opponent. Duncan awakes to discover Gabriel's horn in his hand. The encounter with Azrael was not a dream. Speedy resigns his membership in the Teen Titans, over guilt for prompting Duncan to resign. Duncan blows Gabriel's horn, summoning the Teen Titans to his side. Before he lost consciousness, Duncan overheard the Wreckers' plan to target the Wayne Foundation.
Robin, Aqualad and Kid Flash head to the Wayne Foundation, while Wonder Girl, Speedy, and Duncan track the Wreckers back to their hangout. While Kid Flash scours the Wayne Foundation for the bomb, Robin and Aqualad engage the Wreckers. Kid Flash arrives with the bomb, hurling it into the fountain. The blast wave of the explosion throws Kid Flash back into Robin, and Aqualad, rendering them all unconscious. The Wreckers escape, to rendezvous with the rest of their gang, back at their hangout. Macchione booby traps the entirety of Clemont Street, laying a trap for the police. The Teen Titans walk right into Macchione's kill zone.
Duncan keeps Speedy from being killed in an ambush. Wonder Girl deflects the iron spikes launched from a gate. The Wreckers move in to engage the Teen Titans. Blowing Gabriel's horn, Duncan restores, and summons, Robin, Kid Flash and Aqualad. While the Teen Titans take out the other Wreckers, disabling all the booby traps, Duncan battles, alone, against Macchione. After a pitched battle, Duncan is triumphant. Speedy and Duncan rescind their resignations. Speedy invites Duncan to join his rock band. In gratitude for keeping the Wreckers from destroying the Wayne Foundation building, Bruce Wayne offers to construct a new headquarters for the Teen Titans.
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