Doom Patrol is one of DC’s oldest and weirdest superhero teams, leading an obscure life throughout decades of comics before returning to prominence with the recent ongoing series at DC’s Young Animal. But most people may forget that shapeshifting Teen Titan Beast Boy got his start with them, and that history may factor into the new Titans show.
Image: DC Comics. Doom Patrol #107 cover art by Bob Brown.
The hint comes courtesy of a chat between DC executive Geoff Johns – owner of many hats at the company, including producer credits on the incoming Titans show – and Titans‘ Beast Boy himself, actor Ryan Potter. The two shared Twitter pleasantries about a chat discussing Beast Boy’s character they’d had, but John’s reply teased some of what they covered, including a reference to the Doom Patrol:
My pleasure! Loved talking all things #BeastBoy!! ???? Green tigers, Doom Patrol and Halo. We’re going to have a blast. ???????????????????? #Titans
— Geoff Johns (@geoffjohns) November 9, 2017
Now, it’s vague enough that the two could’ve just been sharing their love of Gerard Way, Nick Derington, Tamra Bonvillain and Todd Klein’s weird and wonderful Doom Patrol book. But mentioning Doom Patrol in regard’s to Titans‘ plans for Beast Boy makes a ton of sense, since Beast Boy got his start in the pages of Arnold Drake and Bob Brown’s run on Doom Patrol in 1965.
Introduced first as the victim of an inheritance fraud scheme stopped by the Doom Patrol, and then as the adopted child of Doom Patrol members Elasti-Girl and Mento, Garfield Logan eventually joined his adoptive parent’s superteam, taking on the mantle of Beast Boy. He ended up being the sole survivor of the team during one of the (many!) times the team got killed off, and went on to join the Teen Titan’s west coast group as Changeling, before reverting back to his Doom Patrol moniker to join the revived core Titans group.
Beat Boy makes his debut in Doom Patrol #99
It’s a weird and obscure, but important part of Beast Boy’s comics background – and even managed to make its way into the backstory of the Teen Titans animated show’s version of the character, so it isn’t like it’s out of the question for it to become part of Titans‘ Beast Boy, too. Maybe even a few flashbacks for one of DC’s kookiest superteams is on the cards? We’ll have to wait and see if Johns’ teases actually come to fruition when Titans hits Warner Bros.’ new DC-oriented streaming service in 2018.
