Raven (DC Comics)

Raven, also known as Rachel Roth, is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in a special insert in DC Comics Presents #26 (October 1980), and was created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez.[4] Her design was based on the Phantom Stranger. Raven was one of the key figures instrumental to the revival of Teen Titans and among the most popular characters within the franchise.[5][6]

Born as the daughter of the demon lord Trigon and human Arella, she is granted a lineage of great supernatural power as an empath and demonic sorceress. Despite her heritage and the ominous predictions associated with her connection to Trigon, Raven becomes a prominent and reoccurring superhero in various rosters for the Teen Titans and Titans.[7] Raven has also served in other superhero teams, including the Justice League, Sentinels of Magic, Night Force, and Justice League Dark. Following the character's popularity in her media appearances,[8] Raven has also starred in several comic mini-series titles.

Raven has appeared in numerous television series and films, including Cartoon Network's Teen Titans series and its spin-off series Teen Titans Go!, voiced by Tara Strong, and in the DC Animated Movie Universe (DCAMU), voiced by Taissa Farmiga. The character made her live-action debut in the DC Universe/HBO Max series Titans, portrayed by Teagan Croft.

Development

In an interview, Perez described his design approach for the character, "…taking the cue that Raven was very mysterious à la Phantom Stranger, I took that as a starting point, and using the shadow face where half her face is always in shadow despite the lighting, was a shtick I got from Phantom Stranger, who also had the same deal. He had a long billowing cape, as did she, and in her case, since her name was Raven, I decided to create a silhouette for her that would look like a bird. The hood was designed so that in the profile, it would end up looking like a bird's head, so that when her soul self came out, since that was done in full black, it looked like a gigantic black raven. Her name and the Phantom Stranger were key to how I designed her.[9]"

Asked if Raven's face was based on any real-life person, Perez said that, "originally Raven was Persis Khambatta, the actress who played in the first Star Trek film, and later became a young lady named Fran Macgregor, who was a dancer, and I used some of her features, particularly for her figure, for Raven."[10]

Fictional character biography

Characterization

Raven possesses considerable power as a result of her lineage and connection to her father Trigon, a powerful demonic entity. Her unique heritage, being half-demon and half-human with a human mother, leads to an ongoing theme of balancing her formidable powers and mastering the mystic arts. Despite the constant threat from her father and other demonic forces, Raven aspires to become a hero and works to overcome the challenges presented by her lineage.[38]

In the Infinite Frontier era, Raven is depicted as being in her twenties, in contrast to her portrayal as a teenager in DC Rebirth. During this time, she assumes the role of a faculty member at the Teen Titans Academy while also being a member of the Titans. As a faculty member, she takes on the responsibilities of a school counselor and serves as an expert in mystic subjects. Several other notable DC Comics characters whom are mystically inclined served under her tutelage, including fellow demon hybrid Nevermore, Shazam, and Stitch.[39]

Powers and abilities

Due to her heritage and training under Azar, Raven is a powerful mystic and empath; Raven is capable of sensing emotions and with pain and disease, she can ease them by assimilating them into her body and expunging them although the process is painful to undergo.[40] Other powers including reading emotions and possessing telepathic-like insights into the minds of others.[7] These abilities facilitate her soul "Soul Self", her astral body shaped like her namesake that allows her to travel long distances, become intangible, establish telepathic communication, and function as a protective shield capable of absorbing an energy and solid matter. Initially, Raven's soul-self had a time limit of five minutes outside her body, after which she would experience mental torment. She eventually overcame this constraint.[41]

Raven is considered adept in magic, allowing for various sorcerous powers such as teleportation, manipulation of shadows, telekinesis, hypnosis and proficiency in chaos magic,[7] able to perform magical effects with adherence to a system of magic (incantations, chants, etc.). Raven also has limited precognition allowing her to predict near-future events, occurring involuntarily and infrequently. Over time, Raven's mastery of these abilities has advanced to the extent that she is considered a skilled teacher in the mystic arts.

Collected editions

Raven

Raven: Daughter of Darkness

Other versions

• Evil Raven, also known as Dark Raven, is the evil version of Raven who has given into the influence of Trigon. While often simply an extension of her own self and power, a version of it became separated and into its own being for a time. This version, first appearing in Knight Terrors: Night's End #1 (August, 2023), is the demonic half that gained independence and seeks power to fulfill her intended destiny as Trigon's daughter. Initially, she acquired Helmet of Hate, the diametrical dark counterpart of the Helmet of Fate, and the Nightmare Stone.[44] Later, managing to trap the other sons of Trigon and the Spectre to enhance her power, she ascends to her prophesized form as the Dark-Winged Queen. However, Beast Boy reveals that Dark Raven had never harm her friends meaningfully without prior control of the Lords of Chaos and opined she had a choice in rejecting Trigon's intended purpose.[45]
• As Doctor Hate She was a major villain in the Titans: Beast World crossover, responsible for erasing Beast Boy's consciousness when he transformed into a Starro to defeat its ancestral enemy, the Necrostar. Hate battles both heroes and villains of African origin known as "The Network" as well as the Titans, where her identity is eventually discovered by. With the help of other Titans, Dark Raven is stripped of the Helmet of Hate, wherein it is destroyed, but secretly prevailed in her battle with Raven, instead trapping her and covertly adopting her counterpart's identity for a time.[46]

In other media

Cultural impact and legacy

Raul Arias Philippi of Screen Rant stated, "In-universe acknowledgment of her powers and character growth in the Teen Titans is far more important than the portrayal doing Raven's character justice, though, and Titans United #1 delivers on this front as well. First, Nightwing defers to Raven's expertise when first encountering the recently empowered criminal. As Raven tries to assess and control the situation, she cycles through several of her powers to both engage the threat, and help her teammates, particularly a fatally injured Beast Boy who she heals without breaking a sweat. While previously her Teen Titans teammates might have been concerned about Raven overdoing it with the magic, it's clear here that she has the team's complete trust, regardless of whatever magic she uses and how complex or dangerous it is. Perhaps though, the biggest endorsement of Raven comes from Beast Boy, who lauds her heroism when returning to base, saying: "You always wanna help. That's why you're the best of us."[75]

See also

• List of DC Comics characters

External links

• Titans Tower: Raven