'Teen Titans' Fan Theories
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'Teen Titans' Fan Theories

Jacob Shelton
Updated November 5, 2020 10 items
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The original Teen Titans series produced five seasons of sophisticated stories that transcended both its comic book source material and other animated series. Along the way, the show earned its place in the superhero cartoon pantheon. Before Teen Titans Season 6 began production, though, Cartoon Network canceled the show, shocking fans.

 

When the network announced a new show based around the characters, Teen Titans Go!, fans remained excited about seeing their favorite teenage super-team again. They grew disappointed, though, when they discovered it was a slapstick, all-ages show that traded nuanced relationships and intense action sequences for silly jokes and kid-centric plots.

 

Fans of Teen Titans haven't given up on Robin, Starfire, Raven, Beast Boy, and Cyborg. More than a decade of discussions helped generate plenty of fan theories about what happened to the team and which factors led to the show's sudden cancellation. The 2018 feature-length Teen Titans Go! to the Movies added more fuel to these speculative fires with a post-credits scene hinting at a possible return of the original Teen Titans. While no one knows if this means Season 6 will arrive soon, it's as good a time as any to brush up on Teen Titans fan theories.

  • 1

    The Series Finale Wasn't Meant To End The Show

    One of the biggest mysteries for fans of Teen Titans was the series finale, "Things Change." The episode starts with the Titans noticing their city has changed, and many of their favorite stores have closed. Before they can dig deeper into the unceasing march of time, the gang must fight a seemingly unstoppable creature that can change its form into any material it touches. To complicate matters, Beast Boy notices former ally Terra among the citizens fleeing the fight, which comes as a shock since she turned into a statue at the end of the second season. 

    The rest of the Titans fight the creature, while Beast Boy tries to find Terra and remind her of her superhero past. Unable to make any headway with Terra, Beast Boy ends the episode by joining the Titans in their fight. It's a more meditative ending than people typically associate with children's programming, falling more in line with the finale of The Sopranos than anything else. This ambiguity led many fans to theorize a sixth season was planned to tie up the loose threads left dangling. 

    248 votes
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  • 2

    Slade Didn't Want An Apprentice, He Wanted An Heir

    Throughout the original series, the Titans tangled with the super-assassin Slade Wilson, AKA Deathstroke. In the first season, Robin tries infiltrating Deathstroke's network by becoming his apprentice. But Redditor /u/IronedSandwich doesn't think Wilson ever wanted a sidekick:

    My theory is that Slade isn't looking for a new apprentice, but to continue the existence of Deathstroke. This fits all four: the "Final Exam" could be searching for a new apprentice (leading to his discovery of Robin as an apprentice), Robin was harassed as part of his training (which could make sense; what if Slade was trained harshly and without volition, too?), Robin was Slade's first choice for his cruel, collected personality, and Terra was chosen for her abilities and willingness. Jericho would have been neglected because becoming Slade is a cruel process Slade wouldn't want him to go through. Finally, he served Trigon: maybe he believed Trigon could extend his life supernaturally?

    223 votes
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  • 3

    The Series Finale Was Meant To Teach Fans About Change

    While a subset of fans believes the show was never supposed to end with "Things Change," just as many people think the finale was meant to help the audience accept the show was ending and that nothing stays the same. Redditor /u/fullforce098 wrote:

    The entire point of that episode was to leave the past behind. Terra wasn't a loose end, that episode was an epilogue. The idea was for fans to appreciate what they had and move on. Besides [Terra] was happy at the end of the episode and clearly did not want to go with Beast Boy, so it's kind of funny to me that fans keep bringing this up. They're essentially asking that the writers take this happy girl away from her peaceful life and force her back into being a superhero.

    199 votes
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  • 4

    The Monster In The Finale Symbolizes Cartoon Network

    One theory posited by Redditor /u/Ginger_Shepherd states the giant, white and black creature the Titans fight in the series finale symbolizes Cartoon Network - the channel that eventually canceled the series. They wrote:

    What's Cartoon Network's trademark colors? Black and white. My theory: depending [on] when the episode was produced, and when the pitch was rejected, the monster might symbolize change within Cartoon Network. The cast and crew aren't the only ones moving on. 

    It's possible the producers felt they were being prematurely canceled and decided to show no matter how hard the heroes fight, sometimes monolithic forces will still win.

     

    223 votes
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  • 5

    No One Can Agree On The Identity Of Red X

    Robin originally creates Red X as an alter-ego to get closer to Slade, the Titans' main antagonist. After the Red X costume disappears, though, someone in the suit continues to pop up throughout the series - and their identity is never revealed. Fans have a lot of theories about who wears the mask, and each one sounds interesting.

    Redditor /u/EmperorJoker notes that common assumptions don't make sense within the series lore:

    Many believe Red X is Jason Todd, but this is simply not possible. The Jason Todd character is the second Robin, and he succeeds Dick Grayson who goes on to become Nightwing.

    It's shown in an episode of Teen Titans where Starfire goes to the future that Robin becomes Nightwing meaning he is Dick Grayson. It should also be noted Red X often refers to Robin as "kid," meaning he's possibly older or even the same age as Robin. This means he cannot be Jason.

    As for who I think Red X is I think he could be a Robin from another Earth. I believe this because they have the same voice actor and it makes sense Teen Titans would at some point have explored the Multiverse.

    It's also entirely possible that Red X is the secret son of Catwoman and Batman, and him messing with Robin was his way of spiting Bruce for being an absent father. [This] makes sense if you consider Red X's character he's like a hybrid of Batman and Catwoman and shares traits of both characters. This would also have been a good way for Batman to be introduced if he were Red X's father.

    However, whoever Red X was I do believe he was always intended to be an original character.

     

    177 votes
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  • 6

    'Teen Titans Go!' Is An Altered Version Of The 'Teen Titans' Universe

    Another theory connecting Teen Titans with Teen Titans Go! comes from a character that appeared in the second season of the original series. According to Redditor /u/mbc2085, the fifth-dimensional being Larry (also known as Nosyarg Kcid) used his reality-bending powers to change the universe in which Teen Titans takes place.

    In this new universe, the Teen Titans engage in slapstick escapades to entertain other fifth-dimensional beings like Larry. The post-credits scene in Teen Titans Go! to the Movies, meanwhile, shows the original Titans discovering a way to fix their world.

    158 votes
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  • 'Teen Titans Go!' Is All A Dream
    7

    'Teen Titans Go!' Is All A Dream

    Possibly borrowing from the St. Elsewhere series finale, Teen Titans Go! might have some direct ties to Teen Titans. A few fans think the zanier TTG takes place in the original Beast Boy's mind. The YouTube channel Cartoon Conspiracy breaks down this mind-boggling theory and how the other members of the team act like huge goofs in the newer show, reflecting more of Beast Boy's personality.

    Redditor /u/SupaBloo posits a similar theory about Teen Titans Go!:

    I think that each episode could be an adventure that Beast Boy is imagining in his mind. Now I'm not saying that Beast Boy is crazy, just that he may be thinking up these adventures for fun, maybe even to write his own comic book series or something. The tone of TTG is what leads me to this theory.

    In Teen Titans, there is a darker tone to the series. The entire series was done with great character development, big story arcs and continuity, and dark themes in many episodes. TTG throws this all out the window for a complete slapstick comedy show. It uses the same characters and established supporting characters and villains from Teen Titans, but everyone is pretty much the most immature version of themselves they could possibly be. In the original series, Beast Boy was largely immature, even in battle. Sure, he could get serious, but he was the comic relief. In TTG, everyone is the comic relief. It's as if everyone was given Beast Boy's personality mixed with their own turned up to 11 in TTG.

    Also, each character retains whatever personality quirks they had in Teen Titans, but that's their ONLY trait in TTG, and it's extreme.

    174 votes
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  • 8

    The Teen Titans Are In A Computer Simulation

    Redditor /u/Jbolero believes the Titans are never actually in danger because the entire series takes place inside a computer simulation:

    Teen Titans takes place in a computer simulation run by Batman and the Justice League to train new heroes. The main villain of the series, Slade, doesn't have a face, perhaps because he is actually a computer program that was never programmed to have a face. There are only about 10 citizens of the city, even though there seems to be a lot of empty buildings. Furthermore, the titans are only shown at a few locations that don't have anything to do with the villains: the tower, the pizza place and the park. Could it be that those places simply weren't rendered and villain's lairs are only loaded as needed?

    Finally, by my count, the city is conquered three times. Once by Slade and Terra, once by Mad Mod, and once by Trigon. This series must take place in the DC universe, as evidenced by the existence of Robin. If this were a real city, why wouldn't any of the adult heroes swoop in, especially since the Titans literally stop the apocalypse? The only solution is that the city was never in danger. This, combined with the limited scope of the city, can only mean that the show takes place in a computer simulation.

    183 votes
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  • 9

    The Show Was Canceled Because Girls Liked It Too Much

    Teen Titans fan theories don't just delve into the plot of the show; they also cover the business decision behind its cancellation. One theory claims either Cartoon Network or Warner Bros. Animation decided to stop making the series because too many young girls watched the show.

    Teen Titans, like many action shows, was designed to appeal to young boys, and the marketing and merchandising plan played off that assumption. Over the first five seasons, producers learned the series attracted a large female audience. Rather than retooling the marketing plan to include girls and boys, the producers canceled the show.

    DC comics and animation legend Paul Dini confirmed this very issue contributed to the early cancellation of Young Justice, the spiritual successor to Teen Titans. While appearing on Kevin Smith's podcast, Fatman on Batman, Dini said, "They’re all for the boys, [they] do not want the girls! I mean, I’ve heard executives say this, you know, not where I am but at other places, saying like, 'We do not want girls watching these shows.'"

     

    183 votes
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  • 10

    The Teen Titans Are Actually In The 'Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated' Universe

    Regarding wild theories, this one is pretty wild. Redditor /u/Dedede_Man believes Teen Titans takes place in the same universe as Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated.

    To put it as succinctly as possible, Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated revolves around the idea that every generation, an evil cosmic force brings together a group of mystery-solvers to pull itself into the physical realm. Each of these teams features a member that's good with traps, a goofy and skinny member, a conventional member, an intelligent member, and an animal mascot. The team comes together to solve mysteries, fall in love, and ride around in a cool vehicle. 

    Those requirements parallel the members of the Titans. The group dynamics exist, they came together under bizarre circumstances, and they use the T-Car - a cool, custom-built vehicle. So, are the Teen Titans another collection of mystery-solvers who exist in the Scooby-Doo universe?

    151 votes
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