Titans Season 4 Wasted White Raven’s Big Debut (But Can Fix It)

The first appearance of White Raven in Titans season 4’s midseason finale was disappointing, but the series still has time to redeem her.

Warning: The following contains SPOILERS for Titans season 4.The premiere appearance of White Raven in Titans season 4 was disappointing for many reasons. The theft of her magic powers by Mother Mayhem early in the season allowed Raven to truly experience what it was to be an ordinary teenage girl for the first time in her life, but she quickly came to conclude that “being normal is a little overrated.” Raven regaining her powers in the midseason finale of Titans season 4, “Brother Blood,” should have been a moment of triumph and a high point of the episode.

Instead, Raven’s transformation into White Raven only served to confuse those Titans viewers who had not read the comics. It also disappointed comic-savvy viewers who had theorized that Raven’s hair turning white earlier in the season foreshadowed an eventual upgrade to her powers. Thankfully, while the reveal of White Raven’s existence in Titans may have been haphazardly executed, the series still has half a season to explain precisely what Raven’s new form means and do her story justice.

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Titans Season 4 Rushes White Raven’s Debut

The biggest problem with the reveal of White Raven was that it came in the middle of a climactic action scene, as the Titans engaged the Church of Blood in battle. Raven’s regaining her powers was sandwiched in between several other subplots, including the team’s efforts to rescue a captive Superboy and Beast Boy’s first controlled transformation into a gorilla. There was so much going on in the climax of the midseason finale of Titans season 4 that the episode barely had time to show Raven’s transformation into White Raven, after the gem containing her powers was broken.

It didn’t help matters that Raven was as confused by her new costume as much of the audience, gasping that she had no idea why her clothes had changed to a lacy white robe after she regained her powers, when Tim Drake asked her what had happened. Raven also wasn’t given any time to explore how her powers had changed, reflexively summoning a wispy white energy different from the dark shadows her magic usually manifested. The intensity of the scene’s pacing made the significance of what had happened to Raven go unexplained, making what should have been a dramatic moment seem like a simple costume change.

White Raven Loses Her First Titans Battle

Another disappointing aspect of White Raven’s debut was that she didn’t seem to be any more powerful than she had been before the villain Mother Mayhem stole her powers. In the original New Teen Titans comics, Raven’s transformation into White Raven signaled a refinement of her empathy powers and an ability to fully draw upon her magic without fear of falling under the evil influence of her father, Trigon. There was no sign of White Raven being any stronger in Titans, since Mother Mayhem was able to repel the attacks of both Raven and Starfire at the same time, albeit with great difficulty.

Again, the comics offer a potential explanation. While Raven was more powerful than ever in her White Raven form, she also became easily exhausted and emotionally distraught when using her newfound powers. It would be easy to write off Raven’s inability to overpower Mother Mayhem as being due to her feeling overwhelmed in the wake of her transformation. She could also have been distracted by the apparent death of fellow Titans sorceress Jinx, who was struck down by Mother Mayhem earlier in the fight. In either case, Titans failed to adequately explain and convey the full scope of White Raven’s powers.

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How Titans Season 4, Part 2 Can Fix White Raven

Thankfully, with six episodes to go in Titans season 4, there is ample time for the series to explain Raven’s transformation and explore just how powerful she has become. There is little reason to expect the series won’t do this, given it generally does explain its mysteries in time. The ongoing storyline of Beast Boy in Titans season 4 is a good example of this. While the early episodes of Titans season 4 tormented Beast Boy with strange visions of a gnarled tree decorated with bones, eventually the series explained this was a manifestation of Beast Boy’s connection to The Red.

One way that Titans season 4 might explain Raven’s transformation into White Raven is by introducing the mystics of Azarath, who used their powers to battle the influence of Trigon. It was this order that trained Raven to master her powers in the comics and their absence in the mythology of Titans before now has been conspicuous. It’s also possible that Jinx could explain what happened to Raven, presuming she survived her seemingly mortal wounds. In either case, Titans season 4 cannot come to a satisfying conclusion without explaining the cause of Raven’s transformation into White Raven.

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