Sorry, Starfire: Raven Is the Best Teen Titan And These 8 Reasons Reveal Why

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The Teen Titans have many beloved heroes in their ranks, but there’s one hero who stands out as the team’s most valuable asset. Some might assume that Starfire is the strongest Titan, and though she’s certainly formidable in her own right, Raven is without question the greatest source of power in the roster. She isn’t just an asset in terms of what she contributes in battle, either; Raven’s abilities can help her teammates just as much as they can harm opponents.

Many of the Teen Titans got their start in DC lore as sidekicks of more prominent superheroes. For instance, Dick Grayson founded the team as Robin long before he became Nightwing, and Wally West joined as the Kid Flash to Barry Allen’s Flash. Raven, however, stands out as a hero in her own right. The daughter of Trigon has incredible magic at her disposal that proves she’s the best Titan around, and none of her teammates – not even Starfire – can hold a candle to Raven for 8 reasons.

8

Raven’s Empathy Lets Her Connect to Her Titans Teammates

The Flash #245 by Alan Burnett, Carlo Barberi, Walden Wong, Richard Horie, Tanya Horie, and Steve Wands

Raven has the ability to read minds and feel the emotions of others thanks to her advanced empathy, and this skill lets her forge a deeper bond with her Titans teammates by assuaging their pain. For example, when the Flash is grappling with the loss of his powers, Raven calms his mind by reading his emotions and talking him through them. Essentially, Raven can be considered the Titans’ therapist.

Because of her demonic ancestry, Raven grew up suppressing her emotions so that her true power would not be unleashed, but the kinder applications of her empathetic abilities show that there are benefits to her emotions being exposed. By experiencing what her fellow Titans feel firsthand, Raven is able to help her friends with their struggles when they can’t bear them alone.

The New Teen Titans #31 by Marv Wolfman, Paul Levitz, Eduardo Barreto, Romeo Tanghal, Adrienne Roy, and Agustin Más

Raven’s empathy is more than just a tool to connect with her Titan allies. Over the years, she’s found ways to weaponize it. Raven is capable of more than sharing others’ emotions, as she’s also capable of manipulating their emotions. She once used this power against Kid Flash to trick him into falling for her so he would join the Teen Titans’ revamped roster. If Raven can make a person love her, then there’s no limit to what emotions she can inflict upon targets.

In addition to manipulating emotions within a victim’s mind, Raven can impart her own emotions upon someone so that they can experience what she feels rather than vice versa, such as when she’s forced villains like Brother Blood to suffer her rage. Raven’s empath powers can take a dark turn when the situation calls for it, solidifying her as the Titans’ most fearsome fighter.

6

Raven Is More Powerful Than Superman, Giving the Titans a Key Advantage

Superman / Batman #61 by Michael Green, Mike Johnson, Francis Manapul, Brian Buccellato, and Rob Leigh

Raven’s powers trump the other Titans’, and she also has a competitive edge over the Justice League’s heroes. She has shown that she can beat Superman, imprisoning him without a chance of escape. Possessed or not, the magical nature of Raven’s powers gives her an inherent advantage over Superman, since Kryptonians have a weakness against magic.

Overpowering Superman is a feat that may not seem like a benefit for a Titan, since all superheroes are meant to be fighting for the same righteous cause, but there are times when they don’t see eye-to-eye. Donna Troy, the Titans’ leader, has expressed her concerns about the Justice League’s problems and planted seeds for dissent between the teams. Therefore, Raven’s power to incapacitate heroes like Superman could be invaluable to the Titans.

5

Raven Becomes the Titans’ Healer by Absorbing Pain Into Herself

The New Teen Titans #15 by Marv Wolfman, Eduardo Barreto, Romeo Tanghal, Adrienne Roy, and Bob Lappan

Raven’s empathy lets her heal emotional wounds, but her magic can take that a step further and allow her to heal physical ailments as well. This power is on full display when she visits a village and cures them of their sickness. The caveat to this external healing factor is that Raven takes their illness upon herself, absorbing their collective pain and experiencing it to a greater extent than any one individual.

This superpower has evolved over time so that Raven doesn’t always need to experience one’s pain in order to remedy it. As a result, she can act as the Titans’ designated healer without dealing damage to herself in the process. Raven’s ability to cure sickness and mend injuries – such as when she healed Nightwing in Titans #15 by Tom Taylor and Lucas Meyer – is a great skill to have, and it’s one that heroes like the Titans sorely need.

4

Raven Has Defeated Trigon Numerous Times in DC History

Raven: Daughter of Darkness #6 by Marv Wolfman, Pop Mhan, Lovern Kindzierski, and Saida Temofonte

Raven’s most contentious relationship is with her demon father, Trigon, who’s terrorized her since her earliest days. As a result, many of Raven’s biggest conflicts end up revolving around Trigon making a shocking return to face her. Raven’s first battle with Trigon was the most difficult, as she struggled with succumbing to his control, but she’s found various inventive ways to beat him over the years that indicate she’s surpassed one of DC’s strongest villains.

Trigon tends to be thought of as more powerful than Raven due to his cosmic power that rivals even the gods of the DC Universe, yet she’s managed to hold her own against him in spite of that gap in magic. Raven has circumvented his might on multiple occasions by rejecting his manipulation and outsmarting him. The Titans thus owe most, if not all, of their victories over Trigon to her.

3

Raven Can Seal Others in the Phantom Zone With Her Powers

Titans #7 by Tom Taylor, Travis Moore, Tamra Bonvillain, and Wes Abbott

The Phantom Zone is most commonly associated with Superman, but Raven has unveiled her own surprising connection to it. Discovered by Jor-El of Krypton, the Zone is an alternate dimension that imprisons the worst Kryptonian criminals, and Superman only uses it as a last resort via his Phantom Zone projector. However, Raven has demonstrated that she can trap others in the Phantom Zone herself without the aid of technology.

When Raven seals Brother Blood in the Phantom Zone, her Titans teammates are stunned by this power. Transporting someone into a prison dimension is no small feat, after all, and it shows that she isn’t always merciful. Raven’s willingness to punish foes when Nightwing and the others are hesitant makes her invaluable to the team, as there are times when mercy isn’t an option.

2

Raven’s Soul Self Unlocks the Full Extent of Her Magic

DC Comics Presents #26 by Marv Wolfman, George Pérez, Dick Giordano, Adrienne Roy, and Ben Oda

Raven may be supremely powerful, but she can only tap into her full potential by unleashing what is known as her Soul Self. She first reveals this ability in her very first appearance in DC lore, in which she attacks a blob creature from another dimension that’s rampaging through the city. When none of the other heroes seem to have any effect on the alien, Raven decides to unleash her Soul Self upon it.

This astral projection of Raven’s essence enables her to manipulate darkness, and it also unlocks the ability to teleport others from one location to another. Raven’s magic reaches a new level of power once her Soul Self is on the battlefield, elevating her to astounding heights that the other Titans can’t compare to.

1

Raven Can Combine the Titans’ Powers Into Her Own “Infinity Gauntlet”

Titans #15 by Tom Taylor, Lucas Meyer, Adriano Lucas, and Wes Abbott

One of Raven’s greatest accomplishments is also her most recent, taking place during the grand finale of the “Dark-Winged Queen” saga. After engaging in a battle against her evil counterpart, Raven merges with her and prepares to battle Trigon. In order to vanquish the demon once and for all, she decides she needs more power, and transforms the Titans into soul gems that she attaches to a crown. While wearing this astral crown, Raven can harness the powers of every Titan at will.

With her magic, Raven can upgrade not only her own powers, but use those of her teammates as well. With every Titan’s unique array of superpowers in her arsenal, including Starfire’s, she puts most other DC heroes to shame with her nearly limitless potential. This and other impressive feats scattered throughout her history officially cement Raven as the best Teen Titan.

“}]] Raven’s feats prove she’s the greatest Teen Titan.  Read More