She’s So Raven
Brother Blood: [blasting the Titans] “No! You stay away from me! You demon filth!”
Teen Titans: The Judas Contract
Raven: “They’re not demons. Let me show you one. [transforms into her true form] Azarath Metrion Zinthos!”
A serial killer stalks his newest victim. She wears a hoodie that keeps her from seeing him. The killer gets within arms reach and raises a dagger. He strikes, but the blade is stopped as black energy envelops it. The knife shatters as the girl turns, brushes purple hair from her face and looks the killer in the eye.
The killer feels someone in his mind. He remembers the people he has killed, the women, the girls, even the preschooler no one saw him take. And the killer realizes his newest victim now knows too. Four red eyes burn as a second set appears across her forehead. Her skin reddens to match. It is a long time before Raven lets him die.
Raven is one of DC’s darkest characters. Her appearance heralded the arrival of the demon lord Trigon, and with him, the apocalypse. She was instrumental in defending Earth and even assembled a new team called the Teen Titans.
So who is she? Where did she come from? What is her connection to Trigon? And will I use the nevermore joke you know I’ve written? Let’s find out.
Scene Select
Harbinger of the Apocalypse: Raven’s Backstory
Beast Boy: “So what makes you go all glowy in the dark?”
Teen Titans, “The Prophecy” (Season 4, Episode 7)
Raven: “It’s a warning. It means Trigon is coming and the way he gets here is through me. I’m not just a person, I’m a portal.”
Robin: “But Raven, why you?”
Raven: “Because Trigon… is my father.”
Raven first appeared in DC Comics Presents #26 in 1980. She was created by Marv Wolfman and George Perez.
A rebellious woman named Angela joined a cult. She was chosen to participate in a ritual to summon the demon Trigon. To everyone’s surprise, the ritual worked, and Trigon appeared. Also to their surprise, Trigon slaughtered the cult and raped Angela. She managed to survive only to learn that Trigon impregnated her.
Angela was found by monks from a Shangri-La-esque dimension called Azarath. They helped deliver the half-demon baby, who was named Raven. The monks realized that Raven had inherited some of Trigon’s powers and trained her to suppress her emotions, thinking that would help her control the powers.
The training worked for a time, but Raven eventually lost emotional control. Trigon used her magic as a portal to invade Azarath. Raven lacked the strength to stop him and could not convince the pacifistic monks to defend themselves. She used her magic to escape to Earth, hoping to find someone who could help her stop him.
Titans Together: Raven’s History
Raven: [fighting Trigon] “You may have created me, but you were never my father. Fathers are kind. Fathers protect you. Fathers raise you. I was protected by the monks of Azarath. I was raised by my friends. They are my family, this is my home, and you are not welcome here! [Unleashing a spell to kill Trigon] Azarath Metrion ZINTHOS!”
Teen Titans, “The End” (Season 4, Episode 13)
Raven learned about the Justice League and immediately sought their help. The League refused to interfere when Zatanna sensed Raven’s demonic heritage. Raven then used her powers to assemble a team of sidekicks and teenaged heroes, forming the newest incarnation of the Teen Titans.
The Titans journeyed to Azarath and managed to defeat Trigon’s forces and sealed him away. Raven stayed on Earth with the Titans, guilty about manipulating them. The Titans helped her work through the guilt and even taught her how to control her emotions without suppressing them.
Trigon eventually escaped his prison and possessed Raven again. The Titans tried to get through to Raven and even recruited Angela for help, but Trigon was too strong. He destroyed Azarath, and the Titans were forced to kill Raven to stop him from using her as a portal and destroying Earth.
Their choice didn’t haunt them, though, because the Titans learned that the monks of Azarath had manipulated both sides and allowed themselves to die. The monks and other Azarath people used Raven as a mystic focus to kill Trigon and purify Raven. They resurrected her, and she rejoined the Titans, finally free from her father’s influence.
Suppressed Sorcery: Raven’s Powers and Personality
[Regrouping after fighting a villain’s army]
Teen Titans, “Revolution” (Season 3, Episode 7)
Cyborg: “City Hall. We should be able to hide here [slumps] until Mad Mod’s forces come to tear it down.”
Raven: [surprised] “Woah. That was actually more depressing than what I was going to say.”
Raven was relatively weak before her demonic powers manifested. She was capable of empathy, teleportation, and the ability to influence other people’s emotions. She eventually learned to summon her “Soul-self”, an enormous magical raven that represented her soul. This soul-self can defend her, trap enemies, and channel her magic.
Raven can also cast magic, including telekinesis, healing, portal creation, and flight in both human form and via the soul-self. Raven strengthens her magic by harnessing her emotions, but risks being possessed by Trigon when she does.
Raven is withdrawn and serious but can also snark. Her monastic training crippled her emotions and left her unable to understand or cope with them. The fear of unleashing Trigon complicates matters. Luckily, the Titans were able to coax her from her shell and help her gain control of her emotions.
The Actors who play Raven
Tara Strong – Teen Titans Teen Titans Go!, Teen Titans Go! To The Movies, and DC Super Hero Girls.
Taissa Farmiga – Justice League vs. Teen Titans, Teen Titans: The Judas Contract, Justice League Dark: Apokolips War
Teagan Croft – Titans
Didya Get All That?
An anti-Antichrist
Jared Bounacos has written for Movie Rewind since 2016.
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