So, I was originally writing a list of what I consider the Worst 2 Best of the DCEU films, but due to the short number of films in comparison to the MCU, I didn't feel that there was really enough to constitute a blog focused on it. So, for all intents and purposes, that blog is never going to happen. But if you want an abridged version of the list worst to best:
- BvS.
- Justice League.
- Man of Steel.
- Suicide Squad.
- Aquaman.
- Shazam.
- Wonder Woman.
Therefore, instead of that, I wanted to experiment a little. I'm going to try pitching a proposal for a different DC related property that could work well with new viewers and older fans; the Teen Titans. This could be a TV show or series of films, but this is nonetheless what I would personally propose for a live action version of one of the most well known teams in DC Comics, with some reference to other versions of the characters. I have divided this into sections, so it would be easier to identify where one discussion point starts and another one ends. That way, I also won't end up rambling about other details that aren't relevant to the main point of the topic of discussion.
With that said, let's begin with:
Who are our Titans?
For the sake of my proposal, I wanted to do something that I have yet to see done with other TV or film versions of the Teen Titans; have the team made of both lesser known members and people who haven't been Titans before who could work within the context of the narrative.
Normally when one thinks of the Teen Titans, they would probably think of Beast Boy, or Nightwing, or Starfire, or Wonder Girl, or Raven; major players of the Titans who are normally front and centre in a group shot of members of the team throughout the years. Unfortunately, even though these people are legacy characters for a reason, that does mean that other potentially noteworthy teammates get overshadowed or flat-out ignored by modern writers who are only concerned with the bigger names.
That's not to say that none of those characters are worthy of the recognition that they get, but I think drawing attention to lesser known Titans can help expand on the popular image of the team without degrading the images of the other more well known members. I also feel that there are other characters who would make great additions to the Titans but have never been given a chance to so before, at least to my knowledge. It would be a great way to bring them to the spotlight and have them stand out from their original depictions. Also, they will be teenagers in this story; they're commonly known as the TEEN Titans after all.
Naturally, we start with our leader. Normally the team is lead by one of the Robin's, switching between Dick Grayson/1st Robin/Nightwing, Tim Drake/3rd Robin/Red Robin, and more recently with Damian Wayne/5th Robin. One could also imagine Jason Todd/2nd Robin/Red Hood as a member of the team, but due to his drastically different approach to crime fighting in comparison to the others I don't think he would fit. For the sake of this proposal, he doesn't exist. Otherwise, which of these Robin's would be the team leader?
The answer; none of them.
As I said, I want to bring in lesser known characters or people who would fit perfectly on the team. I had to think about this for a while, but the obvious came to me while I was brainstorming. The leader of the team should not be any of the Robin's, but instead a character known as Stephanie Brown.
Stephanie, also known as the Spoiler, hasn't really been showcased that often in other media outside of the comics to my knowledge. She's apparently a reoccurring character in the Young Justice cartoon, but I haven't been watching that so I'm not sure how that version of the character worked out. For those unfamiliar, Stephanie took on the role of Robin for a while, as well as Batgirl, but eventually stuck to her role as the Spoiler and has remained a reoccurring member of the Bat Family ever since.
One thing that I want each team member to have is a crux that hinders them from performing to the best of their abilities, but do get resolved as they work and come together as a cohesive team and family unit. In Stephanie's case, her crux is that she is the daughter of Arthur Brown, who is also the C-list supervillain Cluemaster. Stephanie's alter-ego comes from wanting to "spoil" her fathers schemes, as he was not only an unrepentant criminal but also a neglectful father due to constant incarceration. Her journey with this story is going to revolve around overcoming her hatred for her father; not necessarily forgiving him, but moving past her rage so that she can lead the team more effectively and open herself up as she learns to trust people.
And on an unrelated note, I would choose her over any of the Robin's because of her outfit; it's a unique one for a team leader and sets her apart from the other Robin's who have lead the team before. Variety is the spice of live after all.
Next up, we have the duo of Mal Duncan and Karen Beecher.
Mal and Karen, better known as The Hornblower/Guardian/Herald/Vox and Bumblebee respectively, have appeared in other major media outside of comics; namely, the original Teen Titans cartoon that lasted from 2003 to 2006, although the relationship between those two characters were never established in said cartoon. Basically, they were originally introduced in the comics as boyfriend and girlfriend and they would eventually get married and become temporary members of the Doom Patrol. They even have a kid in the current Rebirth launch for DC, which is pretty cool.
Admittedly, I had a hard time deciding on their dynamic with the team, as I didn't want to resort to the "couple who constantly bicker over menial things" troupe that I often find with soap operas and teen dramas. Instead, I wanted their crux to be born over the difference between how their powers operate. In the comics, Mal initially has a mystical horn that would allow him to bend space and transport him to anywhere he wanted, whereas Karen initially used electrical tech to give her a pair of stingers as well as solar powered wings for flight, though she would eventually get real powers anyway.
I think having that distinction between the two would help them stand out from each other as well as provide great comedic moments for when they try to one up each other before seeing the advantages the two could make by combining Karen's technical know-how with Mal's affinity for magic, thus allowing for the creation of newer gadgets for the team to use and for the pair to settle their differences.
Next up, we have Iris West II.
I think it's fair to say that a Titans team could always use a member of the Speed Force; enter the daughter of Wally West and Linda Park, initially starting off as Impulse before becoming the next Kid Flash. Typically, she and her twin brother Jai are both connected to the Speed Force, but Iris is more attuned to it than her brother so for the sake of this proposal, as well as to make room on the team and to not have two Speedsters, Jai is not in the story. Her gimmick is that, along with having the traditional abilities of a hero connected to the Speed Force, she can create small "cocoons" that allow her to freeze her targets in time as a means of taking them down. Granted, she is first shown using these powers when under the control of supervillainess Queen Bee, but let's just say that didn't happen with this version of the character.
While not necessarily a thing in the comics, I think it would work great if her crux was for her to feel personal insecurities as she tries to live up to the legacy left not only by her father, but all the other Flash's as well. She could try to constantly outdo her abilities as a means of proving to herself that she is worthy of people's respect and to wear the title of a hero. This can naturally backfire, either by over-exhausting herself or accidentally getting the others hurt in her pursuits, but the team can be there to support and remind her that she doesn't have to be the exact copy of the Flash or Impulse; she can be the hero that she wants to be without having to almost literally model herself after her predecessors. She can find her own path that can make her predecessors proud but also allows her to stand out among them and the team.
Next up, we have Miguel Jose Barragan.
Miguel, also know as Bunker, is a more recent character who has flat-out not appeared in anything major outside of the comics. This is kind of a shame, as he has a pretty cool power set: he can create purple energy constructs with his thoughts that get stronger and more dense the bigger they are, hence why he often uses them for boxing gloves and giant walls. Though, I personally would change the colour of his constructs to blue if only because this team seriously needs some blue to break up the colour palette. But there is one other major detail in relation to Miguel's character:
Yep. Miguel is the first openly gay character to be a member of the Titans, which thus leads me to his crux. And no, it's not that he's out of the closet and the rest of the team are uncomfortable with it; it's that his relationship with his boyfriend is put in a bit of a bind because of Miguel's alter-ego as a superhero. In the comics, his boyfriend is simply known as Gabriel (or Gabe, if you prefer) who is also a metahuman, though not much is seen of him in the comics. I want to bring Gabe in as a side character who helps Miguel at some points, but is continuously worried that one day he'll wake up to see Miguel battered and bruising after a day at work. Thus, Miguel will endeavour to try and balance his job as Bunker with his personal life with Gabe, while still keeping a hold of his traditional optimism in both cases.
Also, I'm not going to bring in a character who is randomly homophobic and is never seen again like in the comics; Miguel and Gabe are in a relationship and that is it in regards to how Miguel's sexuality plays into his character. A person's sexual preference should not be the only thing you remember about them, after all. Isn't that right, IT Chapter 2 (review
here, by the way)?
As for the final team member, I was originally going to bring in Joseph Wilson, also known as Jericho, but that would require the storyline with his father Slade and I don't want to use Slade as the villain for this proposed story. Instead, I've brought in some foreign support. Ladies and Gentlemen, give a grand "Privet" to Leonid Kovar.
For those not aware, Leonid was the original Starfire in the early years of the comics, but when Koriand'r came onto the scene in the Wolfman run, Leonid's name was changed to Red Star. His power set is simple; he's a pyrokinetic, with his powers coming from an unknown alien space ship that crashed into Russia years ago. He has appeared in the Teen Titans cartoon with a different characterisation compared to his traditional socialist morality, being more of a humble, yet troubled loner.
The latter is the characterisation that I'm using for this proposal, as the cartoon version had him lacking control over his powers and needing to keep his emotional state under wraps in order to not accidentally cause a nuclear fallout. That's his crux for this story; his novice capabilities of keeping his emotions in check and balancing them out with his powers. It's not necessarily a Hulk-type character, as any extreme emotion could potentially set off a the nuclear reaction in his body. It's just that his interaction with the team is going to help him build his confidence and better control his powers as a result.
So, that's our team; a masked vigilante who has issues getting over her father being a criminal, a couple who are strained because of their different types of powers, a little girl trying to live up to the legacy of her family, a gay man who tries to balance his hero life with the life with his boyfriend, and a man who has trouble controlling his emotions which could cause his powers to go haywire. A well-rounded, diverse team of characters with their own issues to work with and can come together as not only a group of heroes, but potentially a family unit as well.
Still, that's only the main heroes; what about their adversaries? Who will be the villains for our team to deal with?
That is a question I will have to answer another time.
Until then, I hope you enjoyed reading this; I've never done anything like this before, so I appreciate any feedback I can get, especially from Teen Titans fans and DC fans in general. If you like what you saw, please leave a comment letting me know what you think and if you have any ideas for villains for these Titans to face. I would be in your debt if you share this on social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc) and follow me on Twitter, I'm
@Media_Man18. And of course, please check me out on
YouTube; I'm currently recapping each ongoing episode of Kamen Rider Zero-One, so some views and a new subscriber or two wouldn't go unappreciated.
But until next time; this is Callum Lewis, the Media Hood, signing off!
