Nightwing’s Replacement Is Officially Taking The Teen Titans Down A Much Darker Path

Published Nov 9, 2026, 11:00 PM EST

Mark has been a comic book journalist for over 15 years and has interviewed comic book creators like Gail Simone and Caspar Wijngaard. And when he's not writing, he's working on beating his record of 1,200 comics read in a year.

Kyle Higgins and Daniele Di Nicuolo’s Teen Titans began with a new group of superpowered (or genius) teenagers who built a server to ensure that kids got the help they needed. This was something that Jason Todd understood. He knew that if not for Batman, he would have either been dead, in prison, or a career goon. This wasn't enough for Jason to help them, but that thought quickly changed.

After Nightwing sent a passive-aggressive text to Jason, Red Hood decided to lead them. On their first mission, Fairplay, Eugene Choi, Cheshire Cat, Proxy, and Wildcard's inexperience are highlighted. On their first mission, they almost got themselves arrested. Luckily, Jason smoothed things over. However, a problem remained. Kids were still being kidnapped by the Ascend.

At the end of issue #3, Jason was shown telling his informant that he was done playing nice. There were still missing kids who could be abused or being brainwashed by the Ascend. Unfortunately, issue #3 of Teen Titans may have begun with Jason seeing that those options were good compared to what he found.

Jason Todd Sees The Worst Case For The Teen Titans

Teen Titans #3 starts with Jason Todd walking through what looks like a paintball or military obstacle course. As he travels through it, Red Hood comes across a part of land where something has clearly been buried. After digging part of it up, Jason sees a body wrapped up in plastic and tape. He curses at what he sees. With a look of anguish on his face, the Teen Titans’ new mentor and leader walks away with the body.

The Red Hood isn’t a stranger to dead bodies. Once upon a time, he used to be the cause of someone's life expiring. However, that was a long time ago. Now, he’d rather sacrifice his life than let another kid get hurt. A lot of this has to do with the trauma he suffered from having an abusive father and a mother who had a substance abuse problem. Adding both of those together, it’s understandable that Jason would be heartbroken and enraged after seeing a dead child.

Red Hood’s Patience And Self-Control Will Be Tested

At the end of Teen Titans #2, Ezra Calder (Proxy) gets a text message from the de-powered Eugene Choi. It says that he found something on the Ascend and that they needed to meet. When Proxy got to Eugene’s dorm, the room was trashed. What’s worse is that Ezra saw a van speeding away. It’s easy to put two and two together and know that Eugene was kidnapped by the Ascend. The question readers should be wondering is if the dead body found was Eugene.Jason may have agreed to coach the newest Teen Titans, but he continues to have reservations. Finding a dead body will only heighten his concerns and his anger. He was a teenage herowho was killed by a psychotic villain, so he understands the cost. Jason also gets that Teen Titans won't stop their mission if he leaves. This will put him in a no-win situation after he tells his team that he found a dead body. It'll be even worse if the corpse is someone they know.If Jason continues to see dead children, he will be triggered. Eventually, he will get angry enough to try and kill someone from the Ascend in front of his team. This will likely lead to one of the Titans reminding him that he isn't that guy anymore. It's a cliché trope, but if it's done right, it will be a heartwarming moment.

There Is Some Good News Coming In Teen Titans

There is some good news going into Teen Titans #3. On a DC Comics Instagram post, fans got a chance to read some of the newest issue, and there was an overwhelming response of happiness from the readers. That could mean Eugene not only survives, but maybe he gets his powers back.Another option is that this could also be where Flatline finally makes her debut in this series. She was teased in the promotional image, so she is on her way. Her presence could disrupt the team, but it will end with her fitting right in.No matter what happens, Teen Titans #3 will have a major impact on the rest of the series. Since the first two issues have been incredible and emotional, there's no reason to think that this trend will stop now.