Red X’s Identity Finally Revealed by DC

Ever since it was launched last year as part of DC’s Infinite Frontier initiative, Teen Titans Academy has raised a number of interesting questions. One of the most buzzed-about aspects of the series’ storylines has been the identity of Red X, the fan-favorite villain who originated in the Teen Titans animated series. While Red X has already been a legacy name within the DC universe, many have wondered about the real identity of the Teen Titans Academy incarnation — and in the recently-released twelfth issue of the series, we got our answers. Spoilers for Teen Titans Academy #12 from Tim Sheridan, Tom Derenick, Alex Sinclair, and Rob Leigh, below! Only look if you want to know!

The issue revolved around the Titans Academy building having been collapsed in the fight against Red X and Dane. Eventually, Red X tries to convince the other students of the academy that they are being manipulated, he unmasks himself — confirming that he is Brick Pettirosso, a fellow student with electromagnetic pulse powers.

This reveal was then immediately complicated when Brick alleged that Dick Grayson / Nightwing was his father, something that Nightwing quickly disputed, confirming that they had run blood samples on all of the students before attending the school. We soon learn that the second Red X was actually the one to convince Brick that he was Nightwing’s son — which he did in order to galvanize him to fight on his side. The second Red X then showed up, killed Brick with a sword to the gut, and disappeared, but not before promising a rematch with Nightwing.

The theories about Brick being Red X had popped up quite a bit, especially as he had been largely missing from the events of Teen Titans Academy, outside of establishing his powers in the early issues. He also was seemingly unaccounted for during the Titans’ crossover with the Suicide Squad, which seemed to further support the theory that he could be the newest incarnation of Red X. After all, the look at Red X without a mask that we saw in the Future State timeline did reveal a young man who looked similar to Brick, but with his hair color obscured in shadow.

“The awful thing about me is that, if I had my way, you would literally never learn this Red X’s true identity!” Teen Titans Academy writer Tim Sheridan previously revealed to GamesRadar. “You’d learn about their motivations and their plans, but you might never learn who’s under the mask – because I think that mystery is part of what makes the character so compelling. However, I am well aware of fans’ eagerness to have that information revealed and I always say “give the people what (they think) they want!” We’ve come up with a story that, I believe, will address what fans are looking for and still preserve some of that mystery that I think is so integral to Red X.”

Teen Titans Academy #12 is now available wherever comics are sold.