Starfire has changed dramatically in her comic book appearances over the years. For this reason, it is unsurprising that there are many shifts from what fans might expect from the character in the Titans show. Starfire has constantly evolved over time and has been a mainstay of teams like the Outlaws and the Teen Titans for years now.
First brought to the screen in the animated Teen Titans show, the version known as Cory Anders in the Titans live-action series made significant changes to any previous version of the character seen in animation or comic books. These are some of the biggest differences,
6 Her Origin
There have been many shifts in the origin of Starfire over the years, but the general gist has always remained the same and involves her being a princess from the planet Tamaran. However, where in the comics her sister, Blackfire, was expelled from their planet and returned with an army from a neighboring planet to destroy her parents and take the throne, there have been changes in the Titans version of her origin.
In the show, Cory came to Earth not to escape her sister, but instead to track down Rachel after discovering that her powers posed an apocalyptic threat. In her absence, Blackfire killed their parents, which she did in the comics while Starfire was present. Starfire was then enslaved by her sister and exploited before finally escaping to Earth. Strangely, given the darker style of Titans, Starfire’s origin is one element that has been lightened somewhat from the comics.
5 Her Powers
The manifestation of Cory’s powers in the series has some differences from her comic book counterpart. In Titans, she is able to project flames from her hands which are powered by the sun. In the comics, the blasts of energy that she is able to fire are far less easily explained, and manifest as what is commonly referred to as “star blasts.”
In the comics, Starfire is able to traverse great distances at incredible speeds which was a power almost entirely left out of the show. When she is initially introduced to the show, it is with amnesia, and she surprises herself by burning a series of victims to death throughout the early episodes of the dark first season. Starfire has never been known to resort to such gruesome methods in the comics, and the limits of her powers are shown to be very different.
4 Her Sister
Besides her origin story being changed, there is a great deal about Blackfire which has also been changed for the show. Not only has the order of their births been switched from the comics, but so too has much about the justifications for why Blackfire hates her sister so much. In fact, the huge twist around Starfire’s origin revealed in season three was completely invented for the show.
This was to do with the power of fire, which Cory was actually born without. However, her parents claimed that she had the powers, and when her sister was born with the abilities her sister lacked, their parents took them from Blackfire to give them to Starfire. This brutal origin revelation was a huge shift from the comics when both sisters always had the powers of their home planet.
3 Her Costume
While Starfire has had some intriguing and varied costumes over the years, fans weren’t happy with how Titans handled her fashion choices in the first two seasons. By the third season, Cory had finally adopted a superhero costume that had a very similar appearance to some of her looks from the comics, albeit a somewhat modernized look.
Through the first two seasons though, fans were angered by the strange purple top and coat combination that she wore most of the time. The changes have pleased fans and made this aspect of Starfire better resemble both her comic book counterpart and a superhero in general.
2 Her Relationship With Nightwing
Titans has not, as yet, fully explored the comic book background that Starfire and Nightwing have together. Despite them having a one-night stand, they have not gone any further in ending up together romantically. This is quite a different story in the comics, where the pair nearly ended up getting married.
Starfire in DC Comics has been married twice to Tamaranean men, and she had a wedding with Dick Grayson which was interrupted by Raven, who had turned evil at this point. She murdered the priest before he finished the ceremony and the pair didn’t stay together for long after this tragic event. Titans has steadfastly refused to provide a further relationship between the pair, however, despite providing a history of romance between Dick and other heroes such as Dove.
1 Her Personality
Besides killing people and being much more stand-offish than other, more recognizable versions of the character, Cory in Titans has proven to be completely different in personality. Both animated Teen Titans and comic book versions of Starfire are generally a lot more upbeat, comical, or just confused about the customs of Earth.
However, the show’s Starfire is a serious character, with a darker nature and a less humorous disposition. The show has a darker tone overall than most versions of these characters, but it is a major shift for Starfire to almost never provide any comic relief for the team.