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Mar 16, 2024 | 
gamerant.com | Casey Duby
Cartoon Network's 2003 Teen Titans series offers very little in the way of character backstories, especially when compared to the DC comic book series of the same name. Teen Titans chooses instead to focus on the present and the rich emotional depth the characters are holding at that moment in time. However, this isn't to say that each of the Titans' origins is a mystery; the animated series features plenty of easter eggs for those familiar with the highly detailed comics.
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Mar 15, 2024 | 
gamerant.com | Casey Duby
Aliases, personas, and nicknames are important to heroes and villains alike in Cartoon Network's 2003 Teen Titans series. Slade's real name is never revealed on the show; in fact, his identity is so shrouded that the momentary loss of his face mask is a moment of palpable vulnerability. He covers his face and retreats into the shadows, abandoning his objective entirely to avoid being perceived.
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Mar 14, 2024 | 
gamerant.com | Casey Duby
While Cartoon Network's 2003 Teen Titans series is unusually serious, gritty, and dark for a children's program, the show stops short of depicting intense harm or true-to-life violence. The Titans and villains alike may destroy buildings or hurl buses through the air, but the show is also sure to acknowledge the Titan's insistence on arresting Jump City's criminals, rather than killing them.
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Mar 13, 2024 | 
gamerant.com | Casey Duby
The 2003 Teen Titans series manages to be both detailed and ambiguous in ways that manage to enrich the show's tone and themes. The series is rich in character development, often sacrificing logistical specifics for the sake of emotional depth.
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Mar 10, 2024 | 
gamerant.com | Casey Duby
While the focus is typically on being superheroes, the 2003 Teen Titans series is also sure to pay attention to its fun premise: five teens living in a house without supervision. They are often seen playing video games, watching movies, training, meditating, and reading around Titans Tower. Glimpses of their rooms are seen from time, and they even put an entire coordinated bedroom together for Terra. The Titans are, for the most part, impressively mature, competent, and independent.
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Mar 10, 2024 | 
gamerant.com | Casey Duby
Cartoon Network's 2003 Teen Titans TV series acknowledges within itself that it is but a small part of the wider DC Comic universe. There are frequent references to Gotham, a neighboring city to the Titans' home of Jump City. There are allusions to each of the Titans' individual histories and affiliations, including Cyborg's former life as Victor Stone, before a tragic accident rendered the majority of his body robotic.
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Mar 9, 2024 | 
gamerant.com | Casey Duby
Many villains in the 2003 Teen Titans series make at least one returning appearance, even if it is only a brief snippet of them having joined an evil army targeting the Titans. However, some adversaries are never seen again after causing the Teen Titans a day of zany, bizarre trouble. Characters like the darkly misguided Fixit and the deceptive Master of Games contribute to the somewhat mind-bending nature of the series.
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Mar 8, 2024 | 
gamerant.com | Casey Duby
In the 2003 Teen Titans series, adversaries to the heroes tend to fall into one of two categories. Some are young, naive, or simple-minded villains whose hearts can be changed to a different point of view. Others are evil masterminds with nefarious intentions who recruit the simpler villains to do their bidding. Slade one such mastermind, as are those behind the organizations of the H.I.V.E. Academy and the Brotherhood of Evil.
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Mar 7, 2024 | 
gamerant.com | Casey Duby
The 2003 Teen Titans series features an array of villains who have a history with the Titans throughout the DC Comic universe. While many villains are only featured front and center for an episode or two, the show is sure to depict their motives and evil inspirations. Teen Titans' thematic messaging comes predominantly from the worldviews of Jump City's villains clashing with those of its heroes- or, at times, coming dangerously close to not clashing at all.
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Feb 26, 2024 | 
gamerant.com | Casey Duby
Many superheroes are loyal to their homes, and the urge to protect them drives their bravery. This often makes the setting a character in itself, one that steers the tone of the show. For the Black Panther, it's the lush and beautiful Wakanda. For Spider-Man, it's New York City. For Superman, it's Metropolis; for Aquaman, Atlantis, and so on. For Batman (and a different iteration of Robin), it's the gritty Gotham.
