The First 10 Teen Titans Members, Ranked By Legacy

When people think of the Teen Titans, the lineup most people bring up is the New Teen Titans that formed in the 1980s, but the team had been around for two decades before this team joined forces. The Teen Titans debuted in 1964 in The Brave and the Bold #84, and in the start, it was a team of sidekicks. The group was meant to show the long-time sidekicks of heroes like Batman, Flash, Wonder Woman, and Green Arrow, and this entire team was meant to show a younger group of heroes, bringing in younger readers to follow people their age beating supervillains.

Here is a look at the first 10 heroes to join the Teen Titans, ranked by their DC Comics legacy.

10) John Gnarrk

In Teen Titans #32 in 1971, Kid Flash and Guardian went back in time to the Stone Age and met a teenage caveman in that era named Gnarrk. When Gnarrk and Guardian fought, the caveman died and when Kid Flash and Guardian returned, the timeline was terribly altered, creating a warped version of the world. They went back in time to save his life, but accidentally brought him back with them when they returned, albeit not messing up the timeline this time. The Teen Titans trained Gnarrk to be a modern-day man, which actually worked, and he joined the team. He had no superpowers other than his durability. Gnarrk was the only member who wasn’t at Donna Troy and Terry Long’s wedding, as it was learned he had died.

9) Omen

Omen was Lilith Clay and she debuted in Teen Titans #25 in 1970. She was a teenager who began to manifest her mystical powers when she was 13, where she read her parents’ minds and learned she was adopted, leaving home to find her birth parents. After being homeless as a teen, she finally approached the Teen Titans and asked to join, proving her powers and becoming a member. She even moved to the West Coast and started her own team, Titans West, although that didn’t last for long. Omen ended up dying in Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day #2 when a Superman android snapped her neck. She returned in the New 52, and joined the Titans in that world.

8) Guardian (Mal Duncan)

Guardian was Mal Duncan, and he debuted in Teen Titans #26 in 1970. While he had no powers, he had helped save the Teen Titans by beating the leader of a street gang in a boxing match, and they invited him to join. However, after he decided he wasn’t worthy, he discovered a strength-enhancing exoskeleton belonging to the original Guardian and took that role for himself on the Teen Titans. He eventually married Bumblebee and retired from his superhero career. Eventually, he and Bumblebee came out of retirement and he took on the name Vox. In the New 52, he became Guardian again.

7) Duela Dent (Joker’s Daughter)

There have been two different versions of Duela Dent but the one who joined the original Teen Titans was the Duela from Earth-3. She debuted in Batman Family #6 as Joker’s Daughter, and then she later claimed to be the daughter of Catwoman, Scarecrow, Riddler, and Penguin. When she wanted to join the Teen Titans, she claimed it was to atone for her father’s crimes and she went by the name Harlequin. She later appeared at Donna Troy’s wedding and then, years later, the Monitor killed her, saying she was not of this world. It turned out her father was a hero version of Joker but she was raised by the Riddler Family from her Earth.

6) Aqualad (Garth)

There have been two heroes called Aqualad that were members of the Teen Titans. The one most people today know is Jackson Hyde, who was also in Young Justice. However, the one who was part of the original Teen Titans was Garth, one of the team’s founding members who later changed his name to Tempest. He debuted in Adventure Comics #269 and was Aquaman’s sidekick at the time. In fact, Aquaman adopted Garth, making him a part of the Atlantean Royal Family, and he eventually also became a member of the Justice League of America years after his time in the Teen Titans came to an end.

5) Hawk & Dove

The Hawk and Dove that joined the original Teen Titans were the brothers, Hank Hall and Don Hall. The duo debuted in Showcase #75 as a crimefighting duo where Hawk represented chaos and war, while Dove represented order and peace. They were meant to be a counter to each other and keep everything balanced. They met the Teen Titans when the they were hunting down the same gang as the team of teenage heroes, and the two joined as regular members. The brothers eventually retired, but came to help during Crisis on Infinite Earths, where Dove died. What strengthens their legacy is that Hawk continued on with a female Dove in the future when Dawn Granger gained those powers.

4) Speedy

Speedy is a founding member of the Teen Titans who had it roughest over his career as as superhero. This is because this is one DC hero who was always one step away from becoming a villain. When he got his start, he was known as Speedy and he was the sidekick of the Green Arrow. However, he developed a drug addiction and Arrow turned his back on him and cast him out. Luckily, he bounced back, but his time in DC Comics has been up and down, as he became Arsenal (and Red Arrow) and has been a hero and villain more times than most other Titans members.

3) Donna Troy

There have been various heroes who used the moniker Wonder Girl, but the best of them all was the original, Donna Troy. She made her debut in The Brave and the Bold #60 and trained under Wonder Woman to become a great hero. As a founding member of the Teen Titans, she also later became a founding member of the New Teen Titans, with the team most people recognize today. She also had one of the Teen Titans best stories with her wedding issue, which brought almost every former Teen Titans member back in one comic. Through it all, Donna Troy remains an iconic DC hero whose legacy stands alongside the best heroes in the comic book line.

2) Kid Flash (Wally West)

Kid Flash is not only a founding member of the Teen Titans, but he is also one of the greatest heroes who ever became the main Flash in DC Comics. In fact, for an entire generation of comic book fans, Wally West was their version of Flash since Barry Allen was dead for well over a decade before returning. When Wally didn’t return in the New 52, it was an embarrassing slight, and when he ended up involved in a murder mystery where he was the killer, it was one of the worst character assassinations in DC Comics. Wally West is one of DC Comics greatest heroes, and he deserves all the respect in the world.

1) Robin

It is easy to see why Dick Grayson is the original Teen Titans member with the greatest legacy. Dick was one of the first DC Comics heroes in history, debuting in Detective Comics #38 in 1940 as Batman’s sidekick Robin. His Silver Age debut came in Superman #76 in 1952, and he was a founding member of the Teen Titans as Batman’s sidekick and Wally West’s best friend. He remained the leader and changed his name to Nightwing after reforming the New Teen Titans. He has been Batman and was even the leader of the Justice League for a time. There isn’t a greater hero in Teen Titans history than the original Robin, Dick Grayson.

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