Titans’ Beast Boy has become DC’s most tragic hero (despite his 2000s status as comic relief)

Despite the great role the Teen Titans Played in DC animation in the 2000s, any fans of the era will likely have a hard time recognizing animal boy Now, especially in the comics. In both these Teen Titans And Teen Titans Go! Cartoons, Animal Boy played the role of comic relief, bringing humor and whimsy to the darkest scenarios. Now, however, Beast Boy is unwillingly vying for the role of the most tragic hero in the DC Universe.

In late 2023, DC released Titans: Beast World By Tom Taylor, Ivan Reis and Lucas Meyer, a great event Which saw the Titans face their first big test of leadership How Amanda Waller manipulated Beast Boy into infecting the globe with spores that turned their hosts into raging animals.

Although the main series ended after six issues, the aftermath was handled in the ongoing Titans series by Taylor and Meyer, giving a full look at the impact on the Titans’ – and specifically Beast Boy’s – mental health. All of this comes after Gar’s brutal near-death in the pages of Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths By Joshua Williamson and Daniel Sampere, when Deathstroke shot Beast Boy in the eye In order to announce his war on all heroes.

Beast Boy carries the brunt of tragedy in the current DC Universe

Titans: Beast World Changed everything for Garfield Logan

While the Titans were never without suffering, The violence brought to Garfield’s arc almost seemed personal. Garfield is still recovering from Deathstroke’s Titans Academy attack of Dark crisis when Titans: Beast World It happened, erasing much of his wisdom and sending him once again on a path of physical and mental harm. Although these Titans Book sought to help Garfield come to terms with the lives lost during the events of Titans: Beast World (and failed due to Raven’s mental tampering), the true impact on his character as a whole is yet to be seen.

In 2003, the animated Teen Titans Soared in popularity, making characters like Beast Boy, Starfire, Cyborg and Raven household names. Today, its legacy still exists through Teen Titans Go!whose humor is designed for an even younger audience. But There’s no denying that some characters in the show have an extra childish touch For comedy effect, Beast Boy is one of them. It’s to the point where the current comic state of Beast Boy and the version of him that young kids are familiar with are almost unrecognizable just based on the tone of the stories alone.

Beast Boy is still the DC Universe’s silliest hero – especially for kids

The contrast between different versions of this character is stark

The characters shouldn’t stay exactly the same when you switch between creators and mediums, as each story deserves its own names on the icons, but the contrast between how Beast Boy is represented in children’s media and the main DCU is notably different from others DC characters. The amount of ​​pain Beast Boy has gone through in the comics, specifically in the last few years, is so different from how he is depicted in animation. That it makes his comic arcs that much more tragic. DC has certainly confirmed the amount of range the character has when it comes to storytelling.

Garfield Logan’s role in DC continuity as a whole may have started out as comic relief, but there’s no doubt that Beast Boy has become much more of a tragic character, with the contrast between his iterations showing just how far he’s gone. fell Titans: Beast World Caused a lot of suffering in the DCU, but it was Beast Boy who suffered the most. While Titans seems ready to finally give Beast Boy the reprieve he deserves, it’s good to know there’s a big universe where animal boy Is not always the plot’s sacrificial (green) goat.

Titans: Beast World is available now from DC Comics.