Raven (DC)

Raven in Tales of the Titans v1 #2.

Raven is a female comic superhero who features in DC Comics.

Biography

Origin

Rachel Roth in Tales of the New Teen Titans v1 #2.

Rachel Roth was the daughter of the demon Trigon and a human woman named Arella. Her birth was traced to 20 years ago as part of Trigon's plans in fathering an offspring that would allow him to invade Earth's dimension. In that time, his cultists came to admit a young 18 year old named Angela Roth into their ranks after they found her dabbling in the occult. Suffering a crisis of faith, she abandoned her religion and looked to the occult for answers where the cult offered her as the bride of Satan. During the ceremony, he manifested in the form of a handsome man who seduced and slept with her getting her pregnant. (New Teen Titans v1 #6)

Robin was called to the NYC S.T.A.R. Labs when terrorists held Prof. Silas Stone and his solar generator hostage, threatening to use it for destructive purposes if their fellow resistance fighters weren’t released from jail. Robin formulated a plan, but blacked out. Raven sent him a vision of the near future, where he’d be working with the New Teen Titans to save the city from a giant protozoan. The New Teen Titans were called in by S.T.A.R. Labs after Prof. Stone opened up an extra dimensional gateway and released a giant protozoan that was trying to convert Earth’s atmosphere to methane to suit its needs. The Titans battled the alien without much success before the battle returned to the lab where the dimensional gateway was stored. Prof. Stone sucked the air from the room, giving it no atmosphere to breathe, and Starfire blasted it back to its own world before destroying the gateway at Stone’s request. (DC Comics Presents v1 #26)

Joker, with his hired goon Bizarro, crashed pop star Jenn’s concert in Central Park. He held her hostage, but the New Teen Titans responded and took Jenn to safety. Kid Flash took away Joker’s gun, be realized the gun contained a bomb, Joker’s actual plan involved blowing up all of Jenn’s fans. He ran at superspeed to toss it into the ocean, and Raven tried to confront Joker with his worst fears and nightmares, but they only made him laugh convulsively. Flash and Robin secured Blue Kryptonite from S.T.A.R. Labs to defeat Bizarro, and Robin took out Joker with one punch. The Teen Titans were impressed with themselves for having taken out such heavy hitters, and knew they’d always suceed as long as they stuck together. (Titans East Special v1 #1)

Hawk and Dove reached out to Raven and the Titans to provide back-up in defeating the robot thieves Andromeda, Gauntlet and M.A.C. The Titans weren't surprised that Hawk only came to see them because he wanted something, but they agreed and flew the T-Jet to the remote island where the robots were. They fought back the robots and their creator Professor Douglas Strange. The technorganic alien Scarab had been Strange to do his bidding, stealing gold so it could feed. The heroes injured Scarab and it fled. During the battle Andromeda, an android imprinted with the memories of Strange's wife Andromeda, was destroyed by Jericho. Hawk hated a victory that wasn't clear-cut and blamed the Titans, who doubted they'd work with him again. (Hawk and Dove v3 #12)

Raven was recruited by Zatanna to join the Sentinels of Magic, whose purpose was to battle Spectre / Asmodel, who'd unleashed Hell on Earth. The Sentinels of Magic separated Asmodel from most of the Spectre-Force, containing it in Madame Xanadu's orb. They knew it was only a temporary measure, so Raven used her soul-self to transport herself and a small band of heroes to Heaven to try to convince Jim Corrigan to reclaim the Spectre-Force. Once the gates of Heaven opened, something tore Raven away from the afterlife, leaving the rest of the heroes without a way home. (Day of Judgment v1 #2)

Raven and the Teen Titans were among the heroes invited to Paradise Island to welcome Superman's cousin Supergirl into the superhero community. (Superman/Batman v1 #13)

Ganthet summoned Raven and the Teen Titans and a number of other heroes to battle Parallax, who had completely taken over Hal Jordan. They weakened him enough for the Spectre to separate Hal from Parallax, allowing Hal’s soul to return to his body, resurrecting him. (Green Lantern: Rebirth v1 #4)

Green Arrow sponsored Speedy’s membership in the Teen Titans, and after an initiation training session and a combat session with Robin, Raven and the rest of the Titans welcomed her to the team. (Green Arrow v3 #46)

An army of Earth’s heroes, including Raven and the Teen Titans appeared to take Superboy down during the Sinestro Corps invasion of Earth. The heroes focused on wrecking his armor, because after a year on Oa, and away from a yellow sun his Kryptonian body still wasn’t at full strength, and his armor collected sunlight. Superboy bragged that once the sun rose on Earth he’d be at full power. Superboy was battered by Wonder Girl and Wonder Woman, who blamed him for Superboy’s death, as well as Supergirl and Power Girl, who blamed him for the death of the Superman of Earth-2. As the fight went against him, Superboy broke down in tears. He tried to wipe them away, saying that it was impossible foir boys to cry, and then whining that no one ever thanked him for sacrificing his Earth to save the multiverse. The battle lasted until dawn, and he flew into the sunrise. As he achieved full power he declared himself the one, true Superman. The Guardians arrived with Sodam Yat, the new Ion, and pitted him against Superboy-Prime. (Tales of the Sinestro Corps: Superman-Prime v1 #1)

Post-Flashpoint

Raven of the Titans in Teen Titans v5 #3.

Following the Flashpoint, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events. Rachel Roth

Raven returned to Earth to interfere with the fight between Trigon and the Teen Titans. She recruited Beast Boy, who had been left for dead in the rubble of an unknown facility. There Raven used her empathy powers to mind-control Beast Boy, making him her thrall. With Beast Boy in tow, Raven teleported to the middle of a battle between the Teen Titans and the psychic villain Psimon. Using Beast Boy she was able to knock out Psimon and cause his defeat. (Teen Titans v4 #19) Meanwhile Trigon's three sons, Belial, Ruskoff, and Suge, assaulted the Teen Titans in an attempt to take Raven back. (Teen Titans v4 #20) Raven, Beast Boy, and the Titans defeated them, but Trigon himself appeared again and took control of the Titans save for Raven, Beast Boy, and Red Robin. (Teen Titans v4 #21) When the manipulated Titans attacked, Raven had Beast Boy distract them and Trigon long enough for Red Robin to cut through Trigon's eyes with his wings on his costume. Trigon, pulling out the wings from his eyes, complimented Red Robin before suddenly disappearing. Soon after, a woman and a group of suited men came through a portal, informing everyone that they would take Psimon into custody and make the incident appear as if it had never happened. When questioned about the police officers Psimon had killed, the woman revealed it had been a hallucination by Trigon, so therefore it had never happened. Raven and Beast Boy were re-accepted into the Teen Titans. While apart of the team Raven made things awkward for them by revealing all the relationships Red Robin had when under Trigon's control. Raven went into her room, leaving the awkward situation behind. There, she summoned her father, saying, "Father, I am one of them. Your plan worked perfectly," leaving questions on what side she was really playing for. (Teen Titans v4 #22) Meanwhile, Red Robin called Raven aside, telling her that if something happened to him, the team would look to her to lead them. (Teen Titans v4 #23)

When all of Earth's greatest heroes were gone and the Crime Syndicate of America had taken over the world, the Teen Titans attempted to challenge the Crime Syndicate. However, they were easily overpowered by Johnny Quick and Atomica and were then flung into the time stream. (Forever Evil v1 #2) While the Titans were constantly flung through time, Raven was sent a few thousand years back in time. There, she was challenged by Etrigan the Demon, who recognized her as Trigon's daughter and tried to kill her. Raven was saved by Wonder Girl, who suggested that the way to stop Raven's powers, since she was born and raised in a world between worlds, was to manipulate the energy within the time stream. (Teen Titans v4 #24) Raven succeeded in anchoring the Titans with her soul-self, teleporting them through time. The Titans arrived 20 years into the future, where Jonathan Lane Kent had massacred most of Earth's superheroes, leaving only a few, including Beast Boy, now calling himself Beast Man, and Rose Wilson. Kon-El and Jon battled, and Kon triumphed. Kon was then sent elsewhere by an unknown power, and a severely injured Jon was swapped unknowingly as Superboy by Beast Boy and Rose Wilson. (Teen Titans Annual v4 #2) While traveling through time Raven and the Titans arrived to the 30th century, where they found out that their teammate Kid Flash was actually a rebel leader and war criminal, named Bar Torr. (Teen Titans v4 #25)

Raven relocated to San Francisco to live with her human maternal aunt, Alice Williams, and her family following the disbandment of the Teen Titans. She attempted to adjust to a 'normal' life by enrolling at Madison High School, where she struggled with the overwhelming sensory input of her classmates' emotions. During her first day, she experienced a severe empathic attack that caused her to vomit, which she attributed to a mysterious magical scanning. She met a group of students, including a boy named Archer, who suddenly went blind during their conversation. Raven used her healing powers to absorb and eliminate the blindness, though she kept her abilities a secret from the others. Later, she sensed a powerful, ancient presence that was unrelated to her father, Trigon, and witnessed this entity transporting people to a supernatural location known as the White Carnival. She attempted to communicate with the being, but it fled before she could make contact (Raven v1 #1) Raven continued her attempt to integrate into her new life in San Francisco while grappling with the disturbing supernatural occurrences from the previous day. She attended her classes at Madison High School and encountered the students she had met earlier, including the boy named Archer whose sight she had restored. During a conversation in the school hallway, she sensed an overwhelming wave of unnatural fear and emotional distress coming from the student body, which she identified as being linked to the mysterious 'force' she had detected previously. This entity began a second 'pulse' that affected the people around her, causing several students to fall into a catatonic state or exhibit strange, erratic behaviour. Raven used her empathic abilities to shield her own mind from the intrusion while attempting to stabilize those in her immediate vicinity. Later that evening, she had a conversation with her Aunt Alice and her cousins, during which she struggled to maintain her civilian facade while privately investigating the disappearance of several locals who were being drawn into the White Carnival. She eventually tracked the supernatural energy to a local park, where she witnessed the physical manifestation of the entity—a massive, orb-like structure that served as a gateway. She engaged her soul-self to inspect the anomaly, discovering that it was harvesting the souls and emotions of humans to fuel its own growth, though it retreated once she attempted to penetrate its core. (Raven v1 #2)

Overview

Personality and attributes

Daughter of Trigon in Teen Titans v3 #8.

Being shunted in the Temple of Azarath for so long meant that she was not prepared for the outside world. (New Teen Titans v1 #8)

Raven was the daughter of the demon overlord Trigon and the mortal woman Arella. (Tales of the New Teen Titans v1 #2)

Another one of her step-siblings was a teenager named Liam. He and his two brothers were born and raised in a small town in the Southwestern United States known as Fides. Their demonic powers were awakened by the Lazarus rain and Liam accidentally killed their mother. They fled to the local church to beg the priest to perform an exorcism on them. Trigon would kill his siblings but felt potential in Liam who he took with him and gave him the name Trilogy. (Lazarus Planet: Legends Reborn v1 #1)

From her fathers side, she had a cousin who was a demon named Bertok-Raaf. A parasitic demon, he operated by possessing host bodies where over the centuries he had been known by a number of names including the Marquis of Madness, the Phantom, the Bone Collector and as the Ripper. He often killed people and took over human bodies to operate in the mortal world. Bertok-Raaf came to operate as a serial killer that worked through his Church of Blood and was hostile towards Raven who he considered to be a disgrace to their family (DC: The Doomed and the Damned v1 #1)

She also accidentally created Wyld by fusing several animals from different dimensions into one singular being. (Teen Titans v3 #83)

Powers and abilities

Manifesting her Soul Self in Raven: Daughter of Darkness v1 #5.

Raven possesses immense power due to her demonic heritage. (The Phantom Stranger v4 #1)

She was able to speak into the minds of others. (DC Comics Presents v1 #26) Raven harbors telepathic abilities and has been able to alter the dreams of others. (New Teen Titans v1 #1)

Raven has the ability to move objects and matter with her mind, seen for example when she uses this ability to levitate children out of a burning hospital in Dakota and move herself through the flames. (Teen Titans v3 #94)

Raven can travel to other planes of existence like Hell. (Shazam! v4 #3)

It was shown that she could manifest her astral form as her Soul Self that was operated through her dark grim thoughts. (DC Comics Presents v1 #26) She was able to send her astral Soul-Self to explore the world around her. Originally, her Soul-Self could not be separated from her body for more than five minutes. Failure to do so left her in mental agony as her astral self was sent into another world. Raven was later able to overcome this barrier and came to conquer this limitation. (New Teen Titans v1 #8) It was said that her body could not survive long if separated from her Soul Self. (DC Comics Presents v1 #26) An advantage posed by her Soul Self was that it could escape barriers that could trap her physical form. (New Teen Titans v1 #4)

The Temple Azarath had prepared her in all the mystic arts. (New Teen Titans v1 #3)

Notes

• Raven was created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez where she made her first appearance in DC Comics Presents v1 #26 (October, 1980).

Alternate Versions

• In Teen Titans v3 #17 (2004), an alternate version of the character named Dark Raven appeared in the Titan's Tomorrow future reality that existed in a world within the Multiverse.
• In Flashpoint: Secret Seven v1 #2 (2011), an alternate version of Raven appeared in the altered Flashpoint reality that existed in a world within the Multiverse.
• In Injustice: Gods Among Us v1 #3 (2013), an alternate version of Raven appeared in the Injustice reality that existed in a world within the Multiverse.
• In Teen Titans: Earth One v1 #1 (2015), an alternate version of Raven appeared in the new Earth-1 reality that existed in a world within the Multiverse.
• In DC Comics Bombshells v1 #17 (2016), an alternate version of Raven appeared in the DC Bombshells reality that existed in a world within the Multiverse.
• In DC Pride 2022 v1 #1 (2022), an alternate version of Raven appeared in the reality of Earth 11 in the reborn Multiverse.

In other media

Television

• In Teen Titans, a teenage Raven appeared appeared in the setting of the 2003 animated television series where she was voiced by actress Tara Strong. This version was a member of the eponymous team who wears a purple, hooded cloak and black leotard and possesses grey skin, violet-blue eyes, and shoulder-length violet-blue hair. Additionally, she possesses dark mystical energy, which she often invokes via the chant "Azarath Metrion Zinthos" and allows her to perform several feats, such as telekinesis, teleportation, and safely phasing through solid objects and fire, among other abilities, which are all tied to her emotions. She initially starts the series as the most reserved and stoic member of the Titans, though she eventually softens up and comes to see them as family. Raven was born the daughter of the inter-dimensional demonic lord Trigon and the human Arella in the realm of Azarath. During most of her life there she had been raised by monks and was taught how to use her powers and abilities and control her emotions, but at some unknown point in her life it was revealed to her that she would be used as a key element in her father's eventual take over of the universe. After this revelation she fled Azarath and went to Earth hoping to escape her fate. She soon arrived in a large city in California known as Jump City, but at the time of her arrival the city was in a current state of turmoil due to an invasion initiated by the Gordanians who sought the escaped princess Starfire of Tamaran. While wandering the streets, Raven eventually came across the escaped princess who was currently in a battle with three renegade heroes. Raven attempted to end the fight peacefully, but the alien princess escaped. The four remaining heroes decided to work together to find the princess and save the city from the Gordanians. The heroes found the princess and invited her to join them, which she accepted. The team invaded the Gordanian mother ship and defeated the menaces once and for all. After the battle, Robin invited the other teenagers to make their partnership official - becoming the Teen Titans. In one of her first missions with the Teen Titans, Raven and the heroes have been attacked by Jinx, Gizmo, and Mammoth, three graduates of H.I.V.E. Academy under orders from the mysterious malefactor Slade. She is defeated in battle twice by Jinx, causing the heroes to temporarily lose control over their headquarters. The Titans regroup themselves and defeat the H.I.V.E. graduates, solidifying their strength as a team.
• In Titans, Raven appeared in the setting of the DC Universe live-action television series where she was portrayed by actress Teagan Croft.

Films

• In Justice League vs. Teen Titans, Raven appeared in the setting of the animated film where she was voiced by actress Taissa Farmiga.
• In Teen Titans: The Judas Contract, Raven appeared in the setting of the animated film where she was voiced once again by actress Taissa Farmiga.
• In Justice League Dark: Apokolips War, Raven appeared once more in the setting of the animated film where she was voiced once more by actress Taissa Farmiga.

Video games

• In Injustice: Gods Among Us, Raven appeared as a playable character in the setting of the fighting video game where she was voiced by actress Tara Strong. This version was an associate of the Justice League. Additionally, an alternate universe version of Raven appears as a former member of the Titans and servant of Trigon who joined High Councilor Superman's Regime to hasten the former's return.

Appearances

• DC Comics Presents v1: (1980)
• New Teen Titans v1:
• Teen Titans v2:
• Titans:

External Links

• DC Database Entry
• Wikipedia Entry

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