New Titans

by BuckJohnson

Six heroes. One city. One mastermind. This a reboot of the animated series, told in outlines of each episode. The characters and stories are familiar, but with new twists. The Titans will face off against threats such as the Fearsome Five, the Puppeteer, and many others while also trying to solve the mystery of the man behind it all: Who is Slade?

17. Season Two Update - Season One Q&A

Season Two of New Titans is currently in development. I haven't started writing the first episode yet, but I am in the brainstorming process where I decide what I want to do in this season besides the stuff that I already planned. Getting a lot of great ideas, including a way to start off the new season with a real bang. And I thought that since I am between seasons, this could be a good chance to give a behind-the-scenes retrospective of the first season and the creative process behind it. I've touched upon it in previous chapters, but I felt like more elaboration could be useful. So I came up with a bunch of questions that I want to answer.

1. What was my inspiration for New Titans?

The episode "Go!" was actually what got me to start thinking about New Titans. I found it weird that the origin episode for the team was at the end of the series instead of the beginning and its placement right before "Calling All Titans" didn't really make too much sense to me. I revisited the episode and noticed how characters were different from how they were in the rest of the series, implying character development that occurred between "Go!" and season one. This bothered me, among other problems that I honestly had with the original animated series. I wondered how different the animated series would be if it had started with "Go!" as its first episode and that led me to the idea of New Titans. I wrote the first outline and shared it with my friends. They liked it, so I continued writing outlines for the first season. And eventually, I decided they were worth sharing with new people. I also didn't expect my outlines to get so long, but as I kept writing I got a better idea of what I wanted to do with the characters and the story. Though I should also mention that New Titans isn't the first time that I wrote outlines for a reboot, since my first time was when I was giving suggestions to a friend for how they could reboot one of their fics. I think that experience prepared me for writing New Titans later.

2. What is my history with the Teen Titans?

I know for a lot of fans, the original animated series was their introduction to the characters or their biggest exposure. I am not one of those fans. I did catch a few episodes when I was a kid, but it honestly didn't stick with me so I have less of a nostalgic connection to the cartoon. My proper introduction to the Titans was actually some paperbacks of the Geoff Johns comic run that I had as a kid, which also included a Beast Boy comic mini-series that Geoff Johns wrote. This mini-series had Flamebird in it and is why she's a personal favorite of mine that I wanted to include in New Titans. These weren't just the first Teen Titans comics that I read. They were also some of the first comics that I have ever read. They left a huge impact on me and one of my reviewers pointed out that New Titans has a Geoff Johns feel. And while Geoff Johns certainly isn't a perfect writer, he's still one that helped me get into comics and wrote some of my favorite comics ever. I was eventually introduced to the New Teen Titans era thanks to my local library, which had collections of every issue up to the Judas Contract storyline. Reading through all of them was a blast. And finally I did get the chance to binge a lot of the original Teen Titans animated series, which I really liked. However, since my main exposure was the comics I did not hold the animated series to the same esteem that others did. I was especially annoyed with how the animated series had affected the comics that came after it and how the characters were seen. It also unfortunately led to an infamous reboot that flanderized the characters even more. And I still prefer the comics, honestly. However, I do appreciate the animated series for what it did and it still had the core element that makes the Titans my favorite superhero team: they're a family.

3. What did I want to do with the characters of New Titans?

I felt like the original animated series could have done more with its characters, which was one of my biggest goals with New Titans. First there's Robin, who was only ever implied to be Dick Grayson in the original animated series (which caused some confusion since a few people thought that the Robin in the cartoon was Tim Drake). He also never took off his mask. He was always Robin, never Dick Grayson. We don't even know if he told the other Titans his secret identity or not. I felt like that was a wasted opportunity for character development and I took advantage of it in New Titans. The New Titans version of Robin is kind of a deconstruction of the animated series Robin and how we never saw the face behind the mask. As shown in New Titans, always wearing the mask isn't exactly healthy. It's important for him to be Dick Grayson as well. I also wanted there to be consequences for Robin's actions in the first season, such as him not trusting his team and lying to them. Which is why a big part of "Mad Mod" was about showing the fallout of "Masks" and why Robin eventually stepped down as leader, which is not just better for the team but also better for him. I was careful with when I showed Dick Grayson's face in New Titans, having him either wear his mask or shades for most of the season. The mask also came with identity issues, something that will be developed more in the second season. You will definitely see more of Dick next season and I have very exciting plans for his character.

I don't entirely like what the original animated series did with Starfire, since that version of her is very different from the comic version but is the version that most people are familiar with and is the version that has become flanderized. Her broken English really infuriates me, since it makes no goddamn sense when every other Tamaranean we see in that show speaks perfect English despite having less interaction with humans. The New Titans version of Starfire speaks perfect English and she uses less alien terms, which makes some moments like when she calls Beast Boy a "bully" in the fifth episode of New Titans have more impact. The New Titans version of Starfire also doesn't need to be rescued as much as the animated series version, because I rewatched and analyzed every episode of the first season for New Titans and as I pointed out before she once had to be rescued TWICE in the opening action scene of "Masks" which really bugged me. The New Titans version of Starfire is a bit more like her comic counterpart, which is shown best when Slade attacks her in the finale and Starfire is pissed after what he did to Robin. That scene also hints at how powerful this version of Starfire could become, which will definitely be fleshed out more in later seasons. I said before that I did want to have Starfire to be more than Robin's love interest and that is why she isn't as close to Robin as she was in the first season of the animated series, but I'll get to that later. A lot of Starfire's storyline in the first season of New Titans is about her making a life for herself on Earth and even going to high school. But she was also the reason why the Titans were founded in the first place and because New Titans started with the origins of the Titans, this becomes relevant near the end of the season. Because Starfire was the first person that the Titans saved, when these strangers refused to let her surrender herself to the Gordanians. I think that Starfire, more than anyone else, believes in the Titans. She is the heart of the team. Family is a big theme in New Titans and it's definitely how Starfire sees the Titans.

Raven in the original animated series has kinda become the definitive Raven for a lot of people, despite the huge liberties taken with the character. I also took a lot of liberties with Raven, as I mentioned in earlier chapters. The New Titans version of Raven is, well, nicer. She opens up to her friends a lot quicker, though there's still a lot that she hasn't told them. A part of why I wrote Raven this way is admittedly because of my own biases. I once worked on a now cancelled fanfic called the Titans Project and in it Raven grew up on Earth with her grandfather instead of on Azarath, so she was a lot more human and vulnerable. Despite the Titans Project being cancelled, I got really used to thinking of some characters in a certain way for it and that thinking has since been carried to other projects. So how I wrote the New Titans version of Raven is similar to how I usually write her, someone less distant and more friendly. Though the New Titans version of Raven isn't an exact copy of the version from the Titans Project since in that fanfic her mother had been Native American and she had a very close sibling-like relationship with Dick Grayson. I was also inspired by how Raven was more timid in the episode "Go!" when compared to how she was in the rest of the series. That episode also set up what was perhaps my favorite friendship to develop in new Titans, the bond between Cyborg and Raven. I consider this friendship to be really underrated in the original animated series and I wanted to focus on it more. I also liked her interactions with Norman McCay, which was actually inspired by a moment from an issue of New Teen Titans. In that issue, Raven ended up in a church though she didn't believe in the Christian religion. Though the scene was brief and interrupted by the Brotherhood of Evil, a man of God still tried to reach out and help Raven since all were welcome. I liked this idea and decided to expand on it in New Titans by having her volunteer at a church and see the pastor as a father figure. This relationship will definitely come into play in future storylines, especially those involving Raven's birth father.

I honestly think that Cyborg is the best character in the original animated series and a lot of the episodes where he was the focus were some of my favorites. He's probably the Titan that I changed the least, though I did bring in elements from the comics that were missing from the animated series like Sarah Simms and Silas Stone. And as I mentioned earlier, I put a lot more focus onto his friendship with Raven. The scenes between them were a delight to write. Other than that, I don't have much to say except writing New Titans reminded me that I miss having Cyborg as a Titan since lately he's been on every team except the Titans. He's been on the Justice League, the Doom Patrol, the Outsiders… Though out of the three, he actually worked really well on the Doom Patrol and I like how different that version of the character is. Cyborg is usually portrayed as an inexperienced hero, but in Doom Patrol he's actually the most experienced superhero of the main characters. Cyborg in Doom Patrol also isn't bitter toward his father for turning him into what he is and isn't as upset about his cybernetics as he often is. It's a refreshing take on the character that does something new. But I also still really like the classic Cyborg we were originally introduced to in the 80s, which is the version used by both the animated series and New Titans. It's just nice to get some variety as well, which is why the legacy of the animated series has often frustrated me.

As my friends would tell you, my feelings toward Beast Boy are… complicated. Out of the Titans in the original animated series, he was my least favorite. Too often he didn't apologize or take responsibility for his actions, especially when it came to Terra where his rejection of her in "Betrayal" isn't addressed or acknowledged in "Aftershock" despite the part he played in pushing her toward Slade. He told Terra that it had all been her choice, even while Slade was literally torturing her when she resisted and when he was partially at fault as well. And don't even get me started on how unsympathetic he is in "The Beast Within" or how incompetent he was in "Titans Together." Then there's the effect that the animated series had on the comics, where Beast Boy lost a lot of his development and depth in order to make him more like his cartoon counterpart. Even other portrayals of the character, like in the second half of the latest Young Justice season, really get on my nerves. I miss how Beast Boy used to be, like in the New Teen Titans when he was Changeling and Geoff John's Beast Boy mini-series. But even though I'm not the biggest fan of Beast Boy, that didn't mean I would portray him negatively in New Titans. Because I have a saying. "There are no bad characters, just bad writing." I had the New Titans version of Beast Boy learn the value of an apology and taking responsibility much earlier, a lesson he won't forget. I also focused more on the admiration he has for Robin, fleshing out something we saw in "Go!" but never anywhere else in the series. Beast Boy's connection to the Doom Patrol is also brought up more, because it was honestly kinda retconned into the fifth season of the original animated series since only four seasons were initially ordered. Beast Boy in New Titans also has trust issues thanks to what went down in the Doom Patrol and a fear of failure. Basically, he's less of a comic relief in New Titans. He's the youngest member of the Titans and the former member of a superhero team, both factors which drive his characterization and his insecurities. Despite my mixed feelings toward him in the animated series, I still gave him plenty of focus and will continue doing so.

Then there's Donna Troy, who was also one of the reasons why I chose to start working on New Titans. Because I love Donna Troy and her absence from the animated series is part of why I prefer the comics. Of course, I don't blame the animated series for not having her. I'm well aware that it was because of dumb legal issues. But because of them, Donna never really got the exposure that she deserved despite being one of my favorite Titans. She deserved justice and I was determined to give her that justice in New Titans. Another unfortunate thing about her character is the mess that is her backstory. I kept to the backstory introduced in New Teen Titans, where she had been an orphan rescued by Wonder Woman and adopted by the Amazons. However, Donna's backstory isn't what defines her. I loved her friendships with Robin and Starfire in the comics, so both were carried over into New Titans. Donna actually replaced Starfire for parts of Robin's storyline because Robin had known her for much longer than Starfire. Out of the six main characters, she was the only one who knew his secret identity at the beginning of the story. So she was understandably very upset when he lied to her during "Masks." I actually considered giving Donna the moment in "Apprentice - Part Two" where Robin can't bring himself to use the thermal blaster. But ultimately I still gave that moment to Starfire, since I felt like it would be a big step in developing her relationship with Robin. Admittedly, part of why I promoted Donna to leader in the finale was to compensate for her being left out of adaptations for so long since I'm a huge Donna Troy fan. But I also felt like it made sense. The Titans needed a new leader for the direction that I was taking Robin and out of the main Titans, Donna was the most qualified. In the original animated series Cyborg was the leader when Robin wasn't around, but I didn't think it would work for New Titans because Cyborg was still relatively new to being a superhero while Donna was a lot more experienced.

I'll briefly talk about Kid Flash, though there is a reason why he is only part-time besides the in-universe reason he gave Robin. There just wasn't as much as I could do with Kid Flash as I could with the other Titans. Having him as a part-time member meant that I didn't have to use him in every episode. I originally was going to have him appear even less in New Titans, but decided to give him more of a more recurring role as a reference to him being a founding member of the New Teen Titans in the comics. My favorite stuff that I did with him was with his friendship with Robin, like when the two hung out in "Mad Mod" or when Kid Flash hugged him in the finale. There was also the stuff with Jinx, which I'll get into.

4. What pairings can you expect?

Robin and Starfire are definitely endgame, that I can promise now. Their relationship was downplayed more in the first season, though this is because of the point Robin was at. I actually don't want Starfire to fall in love with Robin. I want her to fall in love with Dick Grayson. And that wasn't possible in the first season because Robin's flaws prevented him from revealing his secret identity to his teammates. Since there will be more Dick Grayson next season, there will also be more development of his relationship with Starfire. I also wanted to spend the first season more focused on their individual characters rather than their romance, especially in Starfire's case since I didn't want her to just be a love interest. Didn't want to rush their romance either, wanted to take the time to properly develop it. The same applies to Kid Flash and Jinx. Their potential romance has been set up, but it will be a slow burn. Especially since I established Jinx as someone that doesn't easily open up, meaning that she won't be switching sides anytime soon. Their last meeting didn't go too well, though a big reason for that is because the Headmistress was present and Jinx couldn't risk looking weak in front of her. Jinx's redemption is going to be an uphill battle. There were some teases of a potential romance between Beast Boy and Raven, but I'm keeping my options open for both of them. I have very mixed feelings on the BBRae pairing, since I have seen it done poorly so many times and the fans of the pairing can be pretty toxic sometimes. Especially towards poor Terra. If BBRae does happen, it will be much healthier than it usually is. However, there will be no romance between Beast Boy and Terra. I want to do something different with Terra and I honestly don't think her feelings for Beast Boy were romantic in the animated series, but that's my own interpretation. As for Cyborg and Sarah Simms, I'm not completely sure on what I want to do with them. They did date in the tie-in comics to the animated series (which I am taking inspiration from), but in the New Teen Titans comics they stayed as friends. Marv Wolfman, writer of the New Teen Titans, once said this about the possibility of a romance between Cyborg and Sarah: "Not necessarily. At first I thought of it. And then decided there was nothing wrong with a good healthy friendship that isn't based on a sex. I received a letter that sort of helped me change my mind, from a black leader who felt that we had seen a lot of interracial relationships, but we haven't seen that many good, solid black-black relationships to show that a black hero doesn't always go together with a white heroine and vice versa. And that sort of got me thinking. That came very early in the relationship, that it made a lot more sense in terms of their needs to be very good friends on a platonic friendship level. He has no girlfriend who he is totally in love with in a sexual way at this time. He's just very good friends with her, And that in itself is a slightly different relationship." I have my issues with Marv Wolfman, but I see where he's coming from and I might follow his example. Because New Titans isn't just about the romances, it's also about the platonic friendships which we sometimes don't get enough of in fiction. Like Donna and Robin or Cyborg and Raven. Or like how Aquagirl and Aqualad don't have a romantic relationship in New Titans. Babs and Dick also have no romantic feelings for each other in New Titans, they're just really good friends. Cyborg could get a love interest in later seasons, but he doesn't necessarily need one. Though Aqualad and Donna did have a previous relationship in New Titans, they're not going to get back together. However, Donna is getting a love interest that will be introduced next season.

5. How many seasons will New Titans have?

At least six. After that, I'm honestly not completely sure. I do have ideas for future storylines, but I don't know how many episodes they will take up. I do know that each season will take up sixteen episodes and that the sixth season will be based on storylines from the tie-in comic to the animated series, which was something of a continuation. At maximum, New Titans will have ten seasons. I won't go any higher than that. As for now, I'll just have to see how things play out.

6. What have been my favorite characters to write for in New Titans?

Out of the main six, definitely Donna Troy. She's been screwed over so much by reboots and legal issues, so writing her in New Titans was a cathartic experience after a lot of frustration as a fan. But there is a character that I enjoyed writing even more than her… Slade. How the original animated series chose to adapt Deathstroke was really interesting and what they ended up with was what I would describe as the show's boogeyman. The New Titans version is less boogeyman, but I still tried to stay faithful to Ron Perlman's take on the character by having him as a criminal mastermind and terrorist rather than just an assassin and mercenary for hire like he was in the comics. Throughout New Titans I have tried to add more elements from the comics while still being a reboot of the animated series. This applies to Slade as well. A big part of the first season is slowly revealing who Slade exactly is, including his history and motivations. Though parts of his history, like what exactly happened in Markovia, have yet to be revealed. While being a boogeyman worked for the original animated series, I wanted to take Slade in a different direction by making him more human. I wanted Slade to be a man. Unlike the irredeemable Slade from the animated series, the New Titans version of Slade isn't a complete monster. He has nobler motivations, a sympathetic backstory, a genuine friendship with Wintergreen, a dead son that he mourns, and he even had a twisted affection for Robin. But he was still utterly ruthless and even cruel if he felt like he needed to be. I wanted to show many sides of Slade during the first season, even including some vulnerability and hints of insanity. This Slade actually reminds me of Doctor Doom, honestly. He mixes technology with magic (like he did with Brimstone), believes the world would be better following his vision, wears a mask, and even has robotic duplicates. I look forward to doing even more with Slade in later seasons, because I have a lot planned for him.

7. Why is Batwoman in New Titans?

Some of you might have been surprised by the large supporting role played by Kate Kane in New Titans. I can explain why I chose her, though it is a bit complicated. It started with the Wayne Enterprises building seen in Jump City during the season one finale of the original animated series. I wanted to flesh out Jump City more in New Titans, which meant recurring locations like S.T.A.R. Labs or Murakami High. I decided that the Wayne Enterprises building would be another good recurring location and that for some world-building I could have Wayne Enterprises collaborate with S.T.A.R. Labs to build the Titans Tower which would explain the different vehicles that the Titans have access to like the T-Sub or the T-Jet. Because of Wayne Enterprise's role, I thought the building should also have a representative. Somebody left by Bruce Wayne to be a help to the Titans and Robin if needed. At the time, I wasn't sure who the representative should be. Maybe a Lucius Fox type, though it had to be somebody Bruce would trust. I was trying to create a supporting cast for New Titans, which brings me to Murakami High and its students. I knew that Bette Kane had to be one of Raven and Starfire's classmates, because as I mentioned before I think she is a really underrated character. I had Bette show the two around, but then felt that maybe it shouldn't be a coincidence that Bette had been the one to do it. That is when I had the idea to make Kate Kane (Bette's cousin) the representative at Wayne Enterprises, since she would be someone that Bruce Wayne trusted and someone that could tell Bette to help out two new students. It was a weird choice, but thought I could make it work. And I really like what I came up for her. There are other reasons why Kate is in this story:

-Her role in Robin's storyline. I used Kate as a mentor figure for Robin, someone who advises him to be Dick Grayson more and not to become the mask. Donna also tried telling him this, but Kate is someone closer to home (aka Gotham) and Batman. She's a member of the Batfamily that he can confide in more, since I wanted to keep both Babs and Bruce in Gotham.

-Her role in Slade's storyline. As I mentioned in a previous chapter, there is a weird connection between Slade and the Kane family since Slade was married to a woman in the military whose last name was Kane. Probably just a coincidence, but I've had a headcanon for a while that Adeline Kane is somehow related to Kate's father. And I do have plans for Slade's wife, Adeline. She is in this story, so the connection to the Kane family will be brought up again. Plus Slade's fight with Batwoman in episode eight was actually the first time we've actually seen a fully geared Slade in combat, so I thought having him defeat Kate would be a good showcase of his abilities.

-The recent Batwoman television series. There's a lot of people that don't like it, including a friend of mine. And the series has done a few things to make me cringe, the biggest example being when a villain outs Batwoman as a lesbian to Gotham City. I like Batwoman and I mentioned my philosophy earlier. "There are no bad characters, just bad writing." So part of why I made Kate a supporting character is to show how she can be done well. And it worked, since my friend really liked what I did with Kate.

-Diversity. Though it's not really a reason I included her and is more of a plus. I believe that diversity is important and I did want to include LGBTQ characters in New Titans. After all, the Titans are already a very diverse group of characters that all come from different backgrounds and can offer different perspectives. Kate is a lesbian, though admittedly it hasn't really come up in New Titans yet. This is because I put her character first, not her sexuality.

Kate does a lot for the story. She moves the story along, connects elements of the world together, and offers new viewpoints. I don't regret including her and I really enjoyed writing her. And yeah, Kate didn't become Batwoman until long after the New Teen Titans era in the comics. But so what? This isn't the comics. It's a new universe with its own timeline. I could have Kate become Batwoman earlier and it shouldn't be an issue as long as it helps the story that I'm trying to tell. Also, Kate is part of the reason I added Maggie Sawyer. I felt like the Titans should have an ally in the police, deciding on Maggie Sawyer since handling superpowered menaces was her original job in the comics and because she is one of Kate's love interests which I thought could be something interesting to possibly develop in later seasons.

8. Do I have a dream voice cast for New Titans?

No, I do not. I'm not really good with thinking about these types of things, though I would really appreciate it if anyone sent their suggestions because I would be interested in hearing them. There is only one voice actor that I know I would pick for New Titans… and that would Ron Perlman to reprise his role as Slade. Because there's really no one else worthy to replace him. As Deathstroke, maybe. But not as Slade.

9. What can be expected in Season Two of New Titans?

Season Two will be Terra's story. In the original animated series she didn't really spend that much time as a Teen Titan, which fans felt was a wasted opportunity because her betrayal would have had more impact if we saw more of her as a member of the team instead of most of her adventures with the Titans happening off-screen. I'm actually moving the episode where she's introduced to the beginning of the season instead of being the third episode, since I think it would better help set up the main story of the season. "How Long is Forever?" will be saved for much later in that season and I actually have some interesting plans for that episode. A few other episodes will be moved around as well to help the storyline. Markovia will also play a big role in season two after its importance was only hinted at in season one. The Cult of Skath will come into play in season two, a threat that Raven and others will have to face off against. And it's all heading to a climax even bigger than season one's where a lot more is at stake. New heroes, new villains, a date with destiny… and someone from Arkham Asylum who's come a long way just to see Robin.

That's what I felt like talking about the most, though I'm not yet done. I thought it would be fun to open up a Q&A. With both me, the writer, and the characters. If you have any questions that you want any particular Titan to personally answer, now's your time to ask. And if you have any questions about the larger world, lore, or the creative process, feel free to direct your questions at me. Ask as many as you want and about anything, go wild.