The Teen Titans are one of the most iconic DC Comics teams out there. After all, this group of youngsters gave young comics readers the chance to dream about adventures with teenage superheroes and sidekicks their age. Three decades after their first appearance in 1964, the “teens” in Teen Titans grew out of their sidekick roles. Come 1995, these youngsters became their own full-fledged DC heroes – the Titans.
With Teen Titans spawning a 2003 cartoon series and Titans sporting its ongoing live-action adaptation in 2018, it’s easy for fans to zig-zag back and forth from both series. After all, does the light-hearted cartoon classic hold a candle to its darker and edgier live-action counterpart?
Characters: Teen Titans Reintroduces Teen Heroes
Given its animation style and “villain of the week” approach, Teen Titans became a great way for younger audiences to get introduced to these superhero youngsters. Contrary to other superhero adaptations, Teen Titans begins with the Titans assembled on the get-go. This approach gave the cartoon time to flesh out character relationships through equal amounts of quirky interactions and drama.
Unlike overly-angsty or overly-goofy superhero dynamics in shows today, Teen Titans balanced character development to make the heroes very recognizable to viewers. Being the leader, Robin is always “the man with the plan.” Likewise, Cyborg and Starfire usually alternate being the emotional centers of the team. Meanwhile, Beast Boy’s comedic charm matches Raven’s charismatic brooding.
Characters: Titans Shows Maturing Youngsters
When Teen Titans ended in 2006, it was one of the most seminal DC Comics adaptations to date. So when Titans began showing in 2018, it gave an extremely new look to the classic cast. Minus Cyborg, Titans features the same starring characters: Robin, Beast Boy, Starfire, and Raven. However, unlike a team assembled from the start, Titans reveals a fractured past that all of them have to overcome.
Built as a more mature show, it’s evident that Titans had a grittier approach to character development. This time around, the central cast all had previous traumas and issues to overcome. In order to become Titans, the heroes have to mature. These issues include Robin’s struggles going outside Batman’s shadow, Starfire’s amnesia, Beast Boy’s traumatic past, and Raven’s unexplained origins.
Verdict: Teen Titans Has More Accessible Characters
Despite the fresh and more mature take of Titans, Teen Titans has the more iconic interpretation of these characters. Fans who want to get to know the Teen Titans can more or less find an accurate depiction of these comic characters in the cartoon.
Granted, the rather childish approach of Teen Titans may not tackle some of the darker matters of the comics. However, the cartoon does not shy away from exploring mature themes and developing the characters accordingly.
Premise: Teen Titans Is Approachable
Being a “villain-of-the-week” cartoon, Teen Titans has an extremely straightforward premise. At its core, the heroes regularly respond to threats to Jump City. Each episode establishes a villain the Teen Titans will try to outmatch, all the while tackling funny and humorous teenage hijinks.
Thanks to this accessible premise, anyone can watch an episode of Teen Titans and not feel lost. On top of that, some episodes can become extremely character-centric, giving viewers an allowance to learn more about a Titan’s story without sacrificing its straightforward premise.
Premise: Titans Brings A Twist To DC History
Unlike other DC Comics shows that often begin with an origin story, Titans starts in the middle of a crisis. The story begins when Rachel Roth (Raven) seeks Dick Grayson for help, as mysterious forces are trying to pursue her. Chance encounters with Garfield Logan (Beast Boy) and Kory Anders (Starfire) lead to them joining Raven and Robin.
Before fans can say they formed the Teen Titans, Titans pulls yet another surprise out in the open. Apparently, Dick already led a first version of the Titans, composed of himself, Donna Troy, Dawn Granger, and Hank Hall (the latter two known as Dove and Hawk).
Verdict: Titans Establishes Intrigue On The Get-Go
Teen Titans has an extremely approachable premise, however, Titans has an air of mystery that modern DC Comics shows desperately need. While Dick tries to resolve his own issues with Batman, the arrival of Rachel, Gar, and Kory leads to them getting intertwined in puzzling events. In the first season, the forces in pursuit of Rachel prove world-threatening, with Dick and his makeshift team seemingly the only ones who can stop them.
Thanks to Titans' gritty premise, the show's mystery and darker elements feel quite grounded.
Story: Teen Titans Shows Teens Growing Into Titans
Since the cartoon adapts some of the most iconic Teen Titans storylines from the comics, viewers get a pretty concrete grasp of the characters and their stories. While some might argue that the “monster of the week” approach hurts the show, it’s this formula that establishes much-needed familiarity with the heroes.
Thanks to the rather repetitive comedic elements and themes around friendship and family, fans can get easily attached to the Teen Titans. As such, when the stakes are set, viewers get eased into more serious storylines much faster.
Story: Titans Reestablishes Strength In Adversity
Titans capitalizes on its more mature themes to tell gripping stories. Each Titan has to “re-establish” control over their own lives, and the starting subplot of Dick’s fractured relationship with Batman interjecting with his sudden mission to protect Rachel is captivating.
And with the big reveal of having a disbanded original team, there’s a lot to unpack in just the first season of Titans. At its core, each season develops personal plots that revolve around the individual characters' attempts to reassert control over their lives. Titans is a great story for anyone looking for remarkable tales of overcoming adversity.
Verdict: Titans Strays From Conventional DC Material
Contrary to Teen Titans, Titans sticks to its more mature approach in terms of both character development and plot progression. Whereas Teen Titans tries to adapt more popular stories from the comics, Titans establishes its own mythos. With this in mind, Titans leaves a lot of room to adjust its take on DC lore and capitalize on the growing metaverse that the DCEU has begun propagating.
The Better Series: Titans
Compared to Teen Titans, Titans is permitted more room to explore complex and mature themes. In today’s age where superhero media tend to fall on the extremely gory or the extremely light-hearted, Titans serves as a healthy middle-ground that could be more or less described as hard superhero drama.
This is not to take anything away from Teen Titans, as the cartoon holds up very well and offers a great mix of drama, action, and comedy.