Titanic Teen Teams: Alliterate Avengers Assemble

Earths One and Two had a plethora of superhero teams. While most of these consisted of adult costumed crusaders, there were a few second and third-generation heroes who likewise gathered together. Interestingly, the two more famous adolescent assembled avengers of both worlds had alliterate names, two word names each with the same starting letter. 

On Earth-One, the first of these was the Teen Titans, originally consisting of charter members Robin, Kid Flash and Aqualad. Each was a sidekick to a member of the Justice League of America, eventually joined by two other sidekicks in Donna “Wonder Girl Troy and Speedy. Following this, te next four teammates were new heroes Mal Duncan, Lilith Clay, and brothers Hank "Hawk" Hall and Don "Dove" Hall. On Earth-Two, their four counterparts Tommy "Little Boy Blue" Rodger’s, Janie "Little Miss Redhead", and pals Toughy and Tommy who formed the Blue Boys who later joined the Junior Justice Society. As for the Earth-Two versions of Robin, Donna Troy and Speedy… these never joined the Blue Boys… although the lads were members of the All-Star Squadron while Donna was one of the Holiday Girls who aided Wonder Woman. The Titans later gained more members such as Bat-Girl, Gnaark, Bumblebee, Golden Eagle, Beast Boy and the Harlequin.

Eventually, two new teams took the place of the Teen Titans and Blue Boys, those being the Forever People of Earth-One and Infinity, Inc. of Earth-Two. The Forever People only had five members in Mark Moonrider, Beautiful Dream, Vykin the Black, Big Bear and Serafin. As for the sons and daughters of the Justice Society of America who formed Infinity, Inc. was far larger with founding members Silver Scarab, Fury, Northwind, Neblon, Star-Spangled Kid, Obsidian, Jade, Brainwave Junior as well as honorary members the Huntress and Power Girl. As with the Teen Titans, Infinity, Inc. would expand to include additional members such as Wildcat II, Hourman II and Doctor Midnight II... while being assisted behind-the-scenes by the Harlequin.

The Forever People briefly operated between the period when the Teen Titans first disbanded, then leaving Earth-One for good just prior to the Titans reforming. The Blue Boys were the predecessor to Infinity, Inc,, with the latter team still fighting together during the same period of time when the New Teen Titans began the third incarnation of that team.

Legendary Legacy Lads and Lasses of the Justice Society

The year 1940 saw the dawn of superhero teams, with the debut of the Justice Society of America. For the next decade, they would be the standard bearers that would imspire other such teams. On their Earth-Two these included Law's Legionnaires or Seven Soldiers of Victory, the Blue Boys, All-Star Squadron, Freedom Fighters, among others.

Their stories would be relayed on other Earths in the form of comicbooks, with writers of those worlds having their minds "attuned" to the frequencies of the Multiverse which provided them the material to chronicle these adventures. On Earth-One especially, several heroes debuted there having adopted alter egos of Justice Society members. Perhaps most notable was police scientist Barry Allen, who after gaining the power of superspeed, decided to live out his boyhood dream and imitate the JSA member known as the Flash, aka police scientist Jay Garrick. Just prior to their historic meeting, Barry-Flash joined other heroes to form the Justice League of America.

And so, various other masked men also appeared to be the next generation of superheroes, carrying on the traditions of the originals. Such ones as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Atom, Hawkman, Hawkgirl... each new version mirrored the first version years earlier.

However, on Earth-Two, a new generation of heroes was already appearing in the mid-1950s. The first to appear was Tornado Tot, secretly the infant pair of aspiring heroes known as Sugar Plumm and Cecil "Spike" Wilson, who borrowed a flying costume created by a neighborhood kid. They were of course inspired by the wanna-be Justice Society member, Ma Hunkle aka Red Tornado. Within a year after the Tot had their first, and last, case... yet another Red Tornado appeared. This one, however, was an android created by criminal mastermind T.O. Morrow with the intent of sabotaging the Justice Society from within. Thankfully, this android Tornado proved honorable, and helped them defeat his creator and join their ranks. After a few years, Tornado moved to Earth-One to join the Justice League.

The next legacy hero to appear did so secretly at first. This occured in 1969 after a tragic tale involving the death of Dinah and Larry Lance, as they alongside the Justice Society and Justice League defeated the cosmic being known as Aquarius. As Dinah, also known as Black Canary, was dying from extensive radiation exposure, she recalled a daughter kept in suspended animation within the Thunderbolt Dimension for decades. This child had been given a dangerous sonic power, which unlike the girl's counterpart Silver Swan who gained this ability as an adult, was unable to master as such as young age. With Johnny Thunder and Superman's help, the mother's memories were implanted into those of her sleeping daughter, now an adult... and this younger Dinah became the new Black Canary. Joining the Justice League's membership on Earth-One, she honored her mother's legacy.

Soon after this, another blonde bombshell arrived on Earth-Two after the previous one had departed. This lass was Kara Zor-L, the long-lost cousin of Kal-L aka Superman, who had been traveling through space for several decades while slumbering within her Symbioship as she experience a virtual reality Kryptonian existence. She would be welcomed into her cousin Kal/Clark Kent's home, and would form a strong bond with Clark's wife Lois Lane Kent. However, unlike her counterpart of Earth-One Kara Zor-El, she did not adopt a legacy alias of Supergirl. Instead, she broke the mold and named herself Power Girl, years later joining the Justice Society and becoming a key member.

In the late 1970s and early 1970s, several more legacy heroes appeared as the children and protégées of the Justice Society approached adulthood. First among them was Helena "Huntress" Wayne, daughter of Batman and Catwoman. She like Barbara "Batgirl" Gordon of Earth-One, proved every bit as adept as her male mentor.

Others included: Hawkman and Hawkgirl's son Hector "Silver Scarab" Hall, Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor's daughter Lyta "Fury" Trevor, Green Lantern's children Jennie Lynn "Jade" Hayden and Todd "Obsidian" Rice, and the godsons of Atom and Hawkman in Albert "Nuklon" Rothstein" and Norda "Northwind" Cantrell, as well as Hourman’s son Rick Tyler.

Alongside these original members of Infinity, Inc., additional members such as Hourman's son Rick Tyler, Wildcat's goddaughter Yolanda Montez, and Doctor Mid-Nite's protegee Beth Chapel each adopted the alter egos of their mentors somewhat later. They would mirror the New Teen Titans, led by Dick "Robin" Grayson who like his Earth-Two counterpart was the first such legacy hero. 

However, the Titans were composed more of sidekicks such as Wonder Girl, Kid Flash, Aqualad, and Speedy... which were also present on Infinity Inc.'s world and were their own distinct type of legacy hero. While the golden age Holliday Girl Donna Troy, Johnny "Johnny Quick" Chambers and Neptune Perkins were less connected to their world's Wonder Woman, Flash, and Aquaman, they were still carrying on the torch of these legends with their own heroic spirit in the face of danger.

What If: There Was an Earth-One Infinity Inc.

Earths One and Two have teams that are quite alike, such as the Justice League and Justice Society, the Injustice Gang and the Injustice Society, not to member a Secret Society of Super-Villains. Each world has a Dynamic Duo, a World's Finest Team, Ace Archers and the like.

Yet there are also distinct groups on each parallel planet, such as the Teen Titans and the Blue Boys, each unique. But imagine if Infinity, Inc. had a team like the Forever People, but composed of the next (and a couple previous) generation of superhumans:

Instead of Wonder Woman's daughter Lyta aka Fury, it was Wonder Woman's twin sister Nubia. Tempest replaced Northwind. Swap out one tall redhead in Nuklon for another in Big Bear, and one stellar stud in Star-Spangled Kid for Snapper Carr's Star-Tsar. An inventive adventurer in Daniel Patrick Cassidy aka Blue Devil who replaced Hector Sanders Hall aka Silver Scarab. A pair of Green Lanterns in Arisia and John Stewart were inserted where Jade and Obsidian would have been. Brain Wave Junior's mental equal in the Omega Men’s Primus could fill in for him. And then, of course, the World's Finest Females, Batgirl and Supergirl, would be the team's dynamic duo in place of Huntress and Power Girl!

Imagine the team dynamics of this version of Infinity, Inc. on Forever People's Earth!

Second Generation Wonders: The Beginning

Honoring the heroes that came before them, who were mentors and parental figures, each Earth would have young teenagers who carried on the legacies of their legendary forebearers. Here are a few such examples on three Earths.

At the start, three costumed kids teamed up to save a seaside community. Prior to this, an untold tale revealed that in fact five of these well known sidekicks had joined forces in order to combat their mentors in the Justice League, who had been mentally controlled by an alien entity of unknown origins. These five: Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad, Wonder Girl and Speedy... became the founders of the Teen Titans. They would routinely battle street level thugs such as gangs, jewel thieves, and the like.

Occasionally, they'd face Aliens from Dimension X and kooky criminals like the fashion foible known as Mad Mod. While Aqualad retreated to the sea where he felt more useful, his four team mates remained together off and on throughout the years.

Although at one point, Robin left the team when the others were recruited by Mister Jupiter into a new training program following a tragic incident when they were unable to save a victim of an assassination attempt. The loss of Nobel Prize winner Doctor Arthur Swenson impacted the teens, aging them beyond their years overnight.

It was during this time that four new members joined the Titans: Mal the Hornblower, Lilith, Hawk and Dove. Later, there would be a West Coast Teen Titans and even later a New Teen Titans that would add additional members.

Another team of teens had formed in the early 1940s, known as the Blue Boys. consisting of Little Boy Blue, Little Miss Redhead, Tubby and Toughy. These corresponded to the four new Titans that joined the founding five.

Decades later, the dawn of what would become known as Infinity, Inc. assembled in the mansion of Diana and Steve Trevor, the former secretly Wonder Woman. While their parents or guardians in the Justice Society were being honored by the President of the United States, along with future teammates of these kids in Power Girl and Star-Spangled Kid, the four kids left at the Trevor home got involved in a misadventure involving an anti-gravitational baseball and an invisible jet. From these hi-jinks, a bond formed between Hector Hall, Al Rothstein, Rick Tyler and their young hostess Lyta Hall... and would reignite as young adults under the aliases of Silver Scarab, Nuklon, Hourman and Fury.

Others would join them at different times later on, creating Infinity, Inc. which like the New Teen Titans spawned second generation of superheroes of parallel planets of Earths One and Two.

A third team of teens, the Marvel Family, had their own path that led them to become their world's premier superhero organization. Consisting of Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel, Captain Marvel Junior, and the three Lieutenant Marvels of Fat, Tall and Hill. Not to be forgotten, their older mentor and funny animal assistant in Uncle Marvel and Marvel Bunny. This Earth-S team was fully formed but still experience growing pains of their own.

Titanic Teams: Infinite Titans

While we previously considered them in an earlier post, its educational to reevaluate these twin youth movements. No they were not to first... even amidst their age bracket. The New Teen Titans were the successor of... you guessed it... the original Teen Titans headlined by Robin, Wonder Girl, Kid Flash, Speedy and Aqualad. Later members included Hawk, Dove, Lilith and Mal Duncan. This quartet harkening an earlier era on a parallel planet with the Junior Justice Society of America. And, lest we forget, the All-Star Super Squad consisting of Power Girl, Robin and Star-Spangled Kid had worked alongside the Justice Society versus Brainwave before its members were recruited by the JSA. This led to the more famous incarnation of adolescent avengers on their world was Infinity, Inc.

What made both teams unique was that they were second generation groups, building upon the success of their World's Greatest Superhero Teams. While the Titans were sidekicks (and the sister/nephew in Wonder Girl and Kid Flashs' case) of the Justice League, the Infinitors were the children (or wards as in Nuklon and Northwind) of the Justice Society. In both instances, there was a bit of a generation gap causing tension at times between the older and young sets of supers, although for the Infinitors its was more difficult relating to those that were like older parents or grandparents rather than idnviduals that were like big brother and sisters as in the case of the Titans. In fact, in their initial cases the Titans and Infinitors fought the brain-controlled Leaguers and Socialities, saving the world in the process. Still, a budding respect formed due to their selfless sacrifices for the cause of good. And each team carried the torch of heroism admirably for another era now and that yet to come...

Generation Gap: Teen Teams Triumph

The Multiverse is filled not only with counterparts between parallel planets but even within subsequent generations on their same world. Prime examples are the Teen Titans and Infinity, Inc. and their forefathers and mothers of the Justice League and Justice Society of Earths One and Two.

From Robin and Huntress copying the caped crusaders the Batmen, to Wonder Girl and Fury influenced by the Wonder Women, to Golden Eagle and Northwind inspired by the Hawkmen. While not matching the originals, the younger generation harnessed the same heroism exemplified by their mentors. And as teams, the teens bonded in a manner that the originals never could, as their individual legends were enhanced by their reputation as titanic teen teams.

Although the Earth-Two teens... Infinity, Inc... appeared later as a group than had Earth-One's Teen Titans, their forebearers in a sense was Little Boy Blue and his Blue Boys team which operated decades before the Titans had. And that's not even considering their Robin, Speedy and other teens like Sandy the Golden Boy and Dyna-Mite as well as Star-Spangled Kid and Wing... all members of the All-Star Squadron during World War II. The silver age Robin and Speedy as well as their compatriots were more residents in the groovy sixties (or later, considering that world's sliding time scale). Nevertheless, these teams were timeless in nature, capturing the enthusiasm of youth.