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In addition to the Titans themselves, there are a handful of recurring characters in the 2003Teen Titansseries- both enemies and friends alike. While Slade is the villain of all villains, pulling the strings and orchestrating the Titans' battles with his minions behind the scenes, the young heroes face many enemies many times over. The Titans square off against H.I.V.E. Academy’s Jinx, Mammoth, and Gizmo so often that subtext develops between the two groups as personal grudges, rivalries, and even crushes form among them. The Academy itself goes through its own multi-episode journey as it is taken over by Brother Blood, and then subsequently destroyed by the Titans. Starfire’s villainous sister, Blackfire, turns on Starfire three separate times throughout the series. Even the less dimensional Plasmus, Cinderblock, Mumbo Jumbo, Doctor Light, Mad Mod, and more make multiple appearances.
Robin, Raven, Beast Boy, Starfire, and Cyborg can certainly hold their own, but help from a few key recurring allies can at times be the difference between success and failure.The wayward Terraspends a good portion of her time on the show working for Slade, but when the moment of truth arrives, her loyalty to the Titans inspires her to send Slade to his doom. Bumblebee, a H.I.V.E. student who is, unbeknownst to the Titans, an undercover ally, proves her good intentions when the group needs her most, after which she is considered a friend. While many of the Titan’s allies are former villains, or were at least believed to be, the underwater Aqualad proves to be the most direct, reliable, and consistently sincere with his good intentions.
Who is Aqualad?
Aqualad, another DC superhero, came from the idyllic underwater Kingdom of Atlantis. At the time that his path crosses with the Teen Titans, he is living in an underwater home off the coast of Jump City with a fish-like creature companion named Tramm. Aqualad has the abilities to breathe underwater, manipulate water, and communicate telepathically with sea creatures, in addition to possessing superhuman strength and swimming abilities like some of the Titans. Personality wise, Aqualad is genuine, good-natured, and playfully competitive- though he makes a point never to put competition above his friendships or his mission.
I don’t think I’m better than you! Maybe you’re better than me. Who cares? I just want to catch Trident. And to do that, we need to stop fighting and start working together.
When they meet him, Aqualad has no need for the Titans' assistance inhoning his powersor learning to use them for good. He is already a capable hero with a strong sense of self; in fact, it is usually the Titans who need his help rather than the other way around. Even still, Aqualad takes care to preserve the Titans' feelings, who, at multiple points, grow insecure and jealous as they compare themselves to him.
A Friend to the Titans
Aqualad is first introduced in season one, episode eight, “Deep Six”, when pursuit of the Atlantean villain Trident takes the Titans underwater. The Titans at first pursue Trident on their T-Ship, but it is soon damaged. Aqualad appears and calls on Tramm, as well as a pair of whales, to rescue the Titans and repair their ship. It turns out that Aqualad is pursuing Trident as well as the enemy comes from Aqualad’s home of Atlantis. While the rest of the Titans await repairs on the T-Ship, Aqualad and Beast Boy set off in pursuit of Trident.
Beast Boy was put off by Aqualad from the start, feeling like the new hero stole his thunder by rescuing the T-Ship when he was prepared totransform into a sea animaland save them himself. The pair continue to bicker telepathically as they swim- an ability that irks Beast Boy even further when he discovers it. Aqualad keeps his cool as Beast Boy continues to drop comments like “Look, I’m sure you’re some kind of local hero, but I’m a real hero from the big city. So just let me call the shots… and try to keep up” and “I don’t need you on my side! This was my mission until you showed up!”. While Beast Boy is preoccupied with ego, Aqualad focuses on tracking Trident, never resorting to the same digs as Beast Boy. Their argument ultimately leads to them working together- and discovering the clue that allows them to defeat Trident.
In season two, episode nine, “Winner Take All”, Aqualad, along with Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Robin, are among several heroes who are spontaneously beamed into an alternate dimension where they are told they were selected to participate in a friendly competition to determine who the strongest hero really is. A trait already demonstrated in “Deep Six”, the Titans' competitive nature comes out in full force. Even once Cyborg begins to worry about the disqualified Beast Boy, Robin interprets his concern as a ploy to distract Robin from the contest. Aqualad participates as well, but never without honor; this is the exact lesson Robin ultimately learns as he wins the competition at the cost of disrespecting his friends- momentarily losing them altogether.
The Titans' path crosses with Aqualad again later in the series as the team pursues Brother Blood, who has relocatedH.I.V.E. Academy’s headquartersto an underground base in Aqualad’s territory. Again, Aqualad helps the Titans complete their mission, one that this time holds personal significance for Cyborg. After proving trustworthy and resourceful once again, the Titans support Aqualad in becoming one of the founding members of Titans East, a subsidiary of the Teen Titans that protects Steel City. Titans East consists of Aqualad, Bumblebee, Speedy, and Más y Menos.
Season one, episode eight, “Deep Six”
Season five, episode twelve, “Titans Together”
Played by
Wil Wheaton
Teen Titans
Based on the characters from DC Comics, Teen Titans follows the adventures of Robin, Cyborg, Starfire, Raven, and Beast Boy as they fight to protect the world from various evildoers and make a name for themselves. The original animated series spans 5 seasons, and was the basis for the more comedic Teen Titans Go!
