One of the most famous teams in the DC Comics universe is the Teen Titans. Over the years, there have been countless renditions of the squad to appear in multiple lines of continuity, but, for the most part, there are critical moments in the team's history that have remained a prominent fixture and defined the team's members and the way that the characters have developed over the years.
More often than not, the Teen Titans have gone through more than their adult counterparts. Fighting crime on the street level and even on the front lines against some of the most dangerous villains that DC Comics has to offer has taken a heavy toll. Here are some of the most important moments in the Teen Titans' history.
6 The Judas Contract
The Judas Contract is a moment in Teen Titans' history that will define the team for decades as one of its most heartbreaking moments. Written by Marv Wolfman and drawn by the late great George Perez, the Judas Contract told the story of how Deathstroke, the world's greatest assassin, completely dismantled the Teen Titans as revenge for his son's death. By using and manipulating the young heroine, Terra, he made her infiltrate the team and cause chaos from within.
This nearly cost the entire team of heroes their lives as Terra leaks vital information to Deathstroke, which he then uses to take each one of them down one by one. The betrayal of Tarra Marcov shook the foundations of the Teen Titans to their core, permanently leaving scars both physical and mental. This moment in the Titans' history has laid the groundwork for all forms of the team within multiple universes of continuity and remains a crucial event that serves as motivation for new and old members of the team.
5 The Death of Superboy
Infinite Crisis is one of the largest events in the DC Universe, and the Teen Titans were right in the middle of the chaos. A rogue caped crusader from another universe who dubbed himself Superboy Prime sought to destroy the multiverse and began to wreak havoc on the prime earth citizens and heroes. Superboy Prime racked up a lengthy casualty list in his path of destruction, but possibly none greater than the young Superboy of the prime earth.
In a last-ditch effort to save the multiverse and prevent Alexander Luthor from destroying it, Superboy takes on Superboy Prime one-on-one. While he succeeds in destroying the machine Alexander Luthor was using, he perishes at the hands of Superboy Prime. Several long-standing members of the Teen Titans could not bare the loss of their teammates, let alone the mighty Kon-El. After this happened, the Teen Titans fell apart completely.
4 The New Titans
One year after the events of Infinite Crisis, Time Drake returns as the leader of the Titans, or what's left of them, anyway. In an attempt to breathe life back into the team, Robin and Ravager begin to induct new members. This triggers a grizzly chain of events and reignites the vengeance of Deathstroke when he learns that both his son and daughter are members of the new team.
The one-year later run of Teen Titans was spearheaded by Geoff Johns, who is accredited as one of the best writers of the DC universe. The run dives into the character flaws of each hero and how they have changed due to the events that occurred and losing so many in the wake of Superboy Prime.
3 Tim Drake Vs. Jason Todd
Jason Todd was the second Robin after Dick Grayson. He was found by Batman on the streets while trying to steal the wheels off of the Batmobile. Tragically, Jason made the ultimate sacrifice after the joker captured him in the DC Comics event “Death in the Family.” Years later, in Teen Titans Life and Death, Jason Todd would return from the dead and carve a path of vengeance in Gotham City. Fueled by the rage of being let down by the Batman, he turned to a life of blood and bullets and dawned the moniker Red Hood.
However, outside the main focus of his vendetta, Jason shifted his view to his replacement, Tim Drake. He approached Tim while he was leading the Teen Titans with a grudge to settle. Thinking himself the greatest Robin, he was offended at the thought that a prep school graduate could ever fill his shoes. Jason and Todd had a bare-knuckle brawl in the middle of Titans Tower that nearly brought the whole place down. In a thorough beating, Jason reminded Tim that he would always be better than him.
2 The Daughter Of Trigon
Perhaps one of the most significant events in Teen Titans history, the saga of the demon lord trigon was a perilous challenge that the Titans almost didn't make it out of. Due to frequent fighting and being surrounded by violence as a Teen Titan, Raven slowly lost her grip on the responsibility placed on her at her birth. As the daughter of Trigon, Raven was the only thing preventing him from entering the dimension of the living and burning the world to a cinder.
When Raven’s will finally broke, she was consumed by her father's hatred, and he was set free while Raven and the Titans were transported to Azarath. This event shatters the relationship Raven had with her friends and nearly destroys her confidence. For years to come, Raven was unable to trust herself as a member of the team, and the journey her character went on is seen as one of the most well told on her continuity.
1 The Clone Of Lex Luthor
No other bombshell had the same amount of weight as when it was revealed that Superboy was a clone. However, the story would go even further when it was also revealed that Superboy was also genetically related to Lex Luthor. Superboy was always struggling to keep his emotions in check and control his anger, but learning of his familial roots almost pushed him to the edge.
A step further was when Lex Luthor took control of Superboy via mental commands he had implanted in his memory during his creation. Luthor set Connor loose against his friends and nearly killed them all. This drove Connor away from the Teen Titans. He could not trust himself and didn't want to put his friends in danger due to his lineage even after freeing himself of Luthor's influence.