Rachel Roth, also known as Raven, is the newest member of the Teen Titans and a protegé of Zatanna Zatara.
Season Eleven[]
Rachel is held hostage by the Cult of Blood.
Rachel almost gets killed.
Following an abduction of a teenage girl by the cult, Zatanna and John Constantine are closing in on the Church of Blood, who is preparing a final sacrifice at Stonehenge to bring the demon Trigon to Earth. They arrive moments before the cult appears ready to kill the girl. Just as Brother Blood, the leader, raises his ceremonial dagger, John and Zatanna descend from the sky. They succeed to prevent the girl's sacrifice with Constantine attacking the cult members but suddenly Brother Blood reveals that he was the true sacrifice all along and then stabs himself in the heart.
Rachel and Zatanna are pursued by demons.
Zatanna and Rachel hide while John tries to save them.
Rachel joins the Titans.
While demons claw their way out of Brother Blood's body, Constantine grabs the Book of Magic and makes off with it, abandoning Zatanna and the girl to deal with the demons on their own. With no other options, the two run from the attacking demons.
Zatanna is having a difficult time escaping the oncoming demonic hordes, as they pursuing the girl she's protecting. Constantine eventually has a change of heart and recites an exorcism spell that banishes the demons back to the pits of Hell from whence they came, saving both their lives.
Later, Zatanna turns the young girl, who reveals that her name is Rachel Roth, over to Jay Garrick and the Teen Titans at the airport, with the team being very excited for their new teammate.
Months later, Superman and Lois Lane arrive at Watchtower where Tess Mercer, Chloe and Oliver Queen, along with Batman, Nightwing, Martian Manhunter, Supergirl, Jay and his team of teenage heroes. Clark tells Chloe, Tess and Bruce to find out everything from one of the Manhunters he destroyed about the Crisis, because more ships are on their way. As Batman starts to examine the crumpled Manhunter head, he wonders where are they going, Clark grimly says everywhere.
The next day, Clark gathers all of the heroes onto his rooftop and gives them the lowdown. They can distract the Manhunters with physical attacks while Watchtower leads an evacuation to the heartland. If the distraction they provide fails everyone will die or be 'rebooted', but if they win everything will stay as it was and how they all remember the world. Clark tells them to say goodbye to their loved ones and suit up ready for war.
_(Digital-Empire022.jpg){kind=link}
The Justice League attacks.
Superman delivers a rousing speech to the heroes. The other Earths might have been erased or rebooted but they are determined for their Earth to survive and their continuity to continue. With that Superman, Luthor and all of Earth's heroes attack the incoming Manhunters.
_(Digital-Empire)009.jpg){kind=link}
The Legion and the Titans head to Smallville.
The Monitors automatons suddenly change direction and race to reboot Smallville and if they succeed everything will be lost. Superboy has gathered all of the youngest of heroes and they prepare to stop the tide. Superman orders him to stand down but another team arrives to help, the Legion. With the Legions arrival as back up the Titans with Superman's blessing rush to stop the reboot in Smallville.
Three weeks later LexCorp holds a major press conference and Lex introduces the public to a new monument built on the former Watchtower site. In a massive turnout Lex publicly admits that if it weren't for the heroes of earth the universe would be lost. Then Superman makes a speech that is broadcast all over the world. The Teen Titans are also watching the reveal, in their new base.
Notes[]
- As Zatanna and John Constantine (along with the Church of Blood) find Rachel in England, she is presumably a British citizen.
- Rachel's powers were never established. However, the ending of Harbinger shows a large shadow manifest itself behind her. In the comics, Raven is able to project her spirit in the form of black energy.
- In the comics, Raven is the daughter of a human named Angela "Arella" Roth and Trigon. Harbinger implies it to be the same in the universe of Smallville, where Rachel mentions that her mom was once a member of the Church of Blood (Trigon worshipers), and one of the demons (children of Trigon) says that they will bring Rachel home (to Trigon's realm).
Appearances[]
In the Comics[]
Raven as she appears in the comics.
In the comics, Rachel Roth is mostly known as Raven. is the half-breed daughter of a human mother named Arella and the interdimensional demon Trigon. She grew up in an alternate dimension called Azarath. She was taught to "control her emotions", in order to suppress her inherited demonic powers.
During this time, Raven rarely saw her mother and grew detached from her. Soon after her 16th birthday, Raven learned that Trigon planned to come to her dimension: she vowed to stop him. Raven initially approached the Justice League, but they refused her on the advice of Zatanna, who sensed her demonic parentage. In desperation, she reformed the Titans as the New Teen Titans to fight her father. The team consisted of Robin, Wonder Girl, Kid Flash, Starfire, Cyborg, as well as Beast Boy. Raven and her new friends later came to think of one another as family.
Trigon soon kidnapped Raven to his home dimension. The team defeated Trigon and sealed him in an interdimensional prison with the help of Arella, who stayed at the interdimensional door as Trigon's Guardian. However, Raven continued to fight her father's influence, as he was not completely destroyed. For a period of time, Raven lost control several times in stressful situations, but managed to regain control before Trigon could assert himself. Eventually, Trigon escaped his prison, came to Earth, as well as took control of Raven, destroying Azarath in the process. The Titans were manipulated to kill Raven, thereby allowing the souls of Azarath contained inside the ring of Azar to possess her and use her as a channel to kill Trigon. After this battle, Raven rose from the ashes, purged of Trigon's evil, then vanished.
After Raven's disappearance, Arella went around the world in search of Raven. She tracked her down but both of them were kidnapped by Brother Blood. The minions of Brother Blood used Raven to control Nightwing as part of Blood's plans. The Titans rescued them both and prevented Brother Blood from returning to power. Raven was later kidnapped by the Wildebeest Society during the Titans Hunt storyline. The Wildbeest, led by the Trigon-possessed souls of Azarath, were going to use several Titans to bring about the return of Trigon. During a massive battle, Raven was possessed by the evil souls and once again became the evil doppelgänger of her father. Arella, along with Danny Chase, used the power of Azar's soul to cleanse Raven: in the result, her body was destroyed.
Raven being possessed by her father.
Raven appeared possessed by her evil conscience and attempted to implant Trigon's seed into new bodies. She interrupted Nightwing and Starfire's wedding, as well as implanted a seed of Trigon into Starfire. Instead of corrupting her, she actually implanted the soul of the good Raven. This caused Starfire to leave Earth in order to escape from the evil Raven. Raven later returned, still evil, in order to destroy the good version of herself implanted in Starfire. With the help of the Titans, Dark Raven was reduced to ashes and the good part of Raven was at last free of her demonic father's influence. In New Tamaraan, Starfire and the golden spirit form of Raven revealed that implanting Raven's soul in Starfire was actually her plan to get rid of her demonic soul.
Her spirit was reincarnated in the body of a teenage girl by the Church of Blood. A new incarnation of the Teen Titans discovered that the Church of Blood were worshippers of Raven's father, Trigon. They also found a prophecy that told of the marriage between Brother Blood and Raven that would result in Armageddon. The team interrupted the wedding and Raven forced the cult to escape. During this, her body age had been reduced from 23 to 16. She then joined the Teen Titans and enrolled at a high school as "Rachel Roth" in honor of her mother's birth name. After her rebirth, Raven began developing romantic feelings for her teammate Garfield Logan (a.k.a. Beast Boy) and the two became romantically attached.
In One Year Later, Raven quits the team after she and Beast Boy end their relationship. Letting the others think she is leaving because of Garfield, Raven actually leaves because she has uncovered a secret of one of the other Titans. She later rejoined the team. Following the death of Bart Allen, Raven, along with the other adult Titans, decides to leave the team once again. Raven decides to pursue her chance at attending high school, having never had the opportunity before.
Raven discovers that Trigon had more than one child, as well as that a trio of children devoted to her father are behind the attacks. She is affected along with many of the other Titans by these three beings. Raven's three half-brothers use her and Beast Boy as keys to open a portal to Trigon's realm. Raven uses her own power to influence greed in others to make her half-brothers steal what little power Trigon had left. The portal is closed and Trigon's sons, believing they have gained great power, leave. Raven's half-brothers later return and provoke her demonic side, causing her to leave the Titans and join them. However, the team was able to track them down and convince Raven to join the side of good once more. She later provided a number of other artifacts, all capable of killing her, to the Titans as terms for her staying with the team.
With the Titans in a state of disarray in the wake of Justice League: Cry For Justice, Raven left the team and was promptly attacked by a demonic being calling itself Wyld. Battered and dazed, Raven arrived at Titans Tower, where she was rescued by the newest roster of Teen Titans. While she was recovering, Beast Boy stated that he was still in love with her and would remain so, despite whatever difficulties were involved. Raven decided to stay with the Teen Titans, now acting as a mentor to the younger members. When the Teen Titans attempted to return home, Raven was kidnapped and taken to another dimension by Wyld. Wyld reveals that Raven was the one who created him. When Raven was traveling dimensions looking for her father, her soul self caused all of the animals she visited to merge into one being: The Wyld. The Titans enter the Wyld World to rescue Raven. The Wyld is eventually destroyed by Static.
Raven has remained with the Titans. Eventually, Raven starts to open up about her true feelings. While it was her inner darkness that scarred her entire life, she was even more frightened of what her love for Beast Boy might cause her to do. Beast Boy makes it clear he doesn't want to escape from any part of her. Touched, Raven decides that she needs to embrace the positive feelings inside her rather than just her negative ones. Beast Boy assures her this is part of being human, as well as points out, "I think you've worried enough about the bad....so why don't we focus on the good for a change?" With that, they share a heartfelt kiss to renew their relationship and ultimately embrace their love for each other.
Raven in DCnU.
In the New 52, the Phantom Stranger takes Raven to Stonehenge, the portal between Earth and the realm of Trigon. Being told by a "higher power" what must be done, the reluctant Stranger unwillingly hands her over to Trigon.
Later, Raven is introduced by Trigon as his "Black Bird of Terror" to his minions. It is strongly suggested that Raven has been controlling Red Robin's emotions. During Trigon's invasion on Earth, she approaches a near dead Beast Boy who had been assaulted by Deathstroke earlier in the remains of the Ravagers facility. After being touched by her, Beast Boy awakens and when he asks if Harvest has sent her she apologizes stating that she brought him into the fray much sooner than she expected and says: "Hush. We are birds of a feather now... You are mine to control" as Raven mind-controls him and teleports them to New York where Trigon and the Teen Titans are in battle.
Lately Trigon revealed more of Raven's origins. He has a son from each world he's conquered, but Raven is his only daughter. Trigon let Raven's mother, Arella, live because he considered Raven needed to be raised by humans so she could recreate the seven under realms in her own image. Arella fled with her daughter to Azarath where the monks taught her how to control her bad side and avoid Trigon's influence on her. Years later, she escaped from Azarath in order to protect her mentors and planet from Trigon and fled to the Earth where Phantom Stranger captured her for Trigon. Raven spent time in the under-realms where time flows faster or was compressed. Trigon thought he only needed to liberate her and not control her to make Raven her own image. Apparently impressed, Trigon handed her the Throne of the Under-realms to rule the place as Queen.
Raven and Beast Boy are accepted into the Teen Titans. Raven brings controversy to the team by revealing the flirtatious relationships Tim had when under Trigon's control. Raven goes into her room, leaving the awkward situation behind. There, she summons her father, saying, "Father, I am one of them. Your plan worked perfectly," leaving questions on what side she is really playing for. Meanwhile, Tim calls Raven aside, telling that if something happens to him, the team will look up to her to lead them.
During Forever Evil, The Teen Titans challenge the Crime Syndicate, but are easily overpowered by Johnny Quick and Atomica and then flung into the time stream. While the Titans are constantly flung through certain 'beacons', Raven is sent a few thousand years back in time. There she is challenged by Etrigan, who recognizes her as Trigon's daughter and tries to kill her. Raven is saved by Wonder Girl, who suggests that the way to stop Raven's powers, since she was born and raised in a world between worlds, is to manipulate the energy within the time stream. And until she finds out how to do that, Cassie tells her to connect them so that she can locate them anywhere through time. This happens to be exactly what Raven had wanted to do. Emerged in the time stream, she calls for her father to take her back, since she had done what he had asked for, but Trigon is apparently too far to hear her.
Other faces of Raven[]
