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The heroes of the 2003Teen Titansseries regularly face off against a long roster of villains who plague Jump City. In doing so, the Titans often engage in the debate of good and evil and the line between the two. They strive to serve justice, rather than vengeance, making a point to arrest their foes rather than kill them. However, the Titans themselves have also been known to come right up against that line, struggling to control their emotions and questioning the lengths they should take to stop evildoers without becoming one themselves. The importance of Raven’s mindfulness practices is revealed when she nearly kills Doctor Light, alarming even her own teammates. Robin grows darkly obsessed with defeating Slade, going so far as to create a villainous alter ego, commit crimes, and even fight the rest of the Titans to gain access to Slade’s inner circle.
More commonly, however, the Titans convince other wayward powered beings of Jump City to change their ways and use their abilities for good. WhenCyborg is abducted by a robotnamed Fixit who intends to repair Cyborg’s biological “brokenness”, Cyborg reminds Fixit of the joys of being human, ultimately convincing the robot that he is the one in need of repairs. The Titans form a deep emotional connection with honorary Titan Terra, who eventually sacrifices herself for the greater good after succumbing to Slade’s influence and control for several episodes. Even their regular opponent, Jinx, has a change of heart later in the series, becoming an honorary Titan herself. Thunder and Lightning, two rather juvenile forces of nature who control the skies, are easily influenced and are still having reckless fun with their powers when their path crosses with the Titans.
Who Are Thunder and Lightning?
It’s unclear what exactly Thunder and Lightning are or where they came from. “Forces of Nature” seems to be the most accurate way to describe them, which is coincidentally the title of their introductory episode (season one, episode four). Thunder is a large blue being who is more earnest but less assertive than his daring and ambitious brother, Lightning. The two are able to walk among the people of Jump City as well as beam themselves up into the clouds, where they work their magic concocting dangerous storms. Their age is equally unclear, but they still seem enthralled by the potential of their powers, marveling at what they can accomplish and continuing to learn new tricks, whereasthe Titans are highly trainedand comfortable with their abilities.
Thunder and Lightning’s socialization and contact with others, human or otherwise, is largely a mystery as well. However, the idea that their powers and the fun they have with them can hurt others seems to be not a disregarded thought, but a foreign one altogether. This, paired with their stilted and formal speech pattern (much like Starfire’s) suggests limited contact with humans and minimal recognition of their impact on human life. Thunder and Lightning’s youth, inexperience, and isolation make them highly impressionable and, under the wrong influence, very dangerous.
Working for Slade
In “Forces of Nature”, Thunder and Lightning are approached by a mysterious old man while experimenting and playing around with their powers. To viewers and to Robin, this is clearly a thinly veiledSlade in disguise. The man encourages Thunder and Lightning’s destruction, insisting that they not let anyone stand in the way of their ‘fun’. He coached them, praised them, and even suggested that their powers made them better than those who don’t have them, implying that whatever may happen to anyone else is irrelevant.
While Thunder and Lightning- particularly Lightning- ate up the man’s validation, they were unaware that Slade was also utilizing the moment to absorb some of their magic and create a creature of destruction of his very own. Using the volatility and electricity of their storm powers, Slade created a fire monster that he planned to sic on Jump City. While Thunder and Lightning were unaware of this, their thoughtless and irresponsible relationship with the mysterious man allowed it to happen, and they are now the only ones who can stop it.
Changing Their Act
The Teen Titans confronted Thunder and Lightning when the extreme weather they created caused a crisis in Jump City. While Lightning felt the influence of Slade’s guidance,Beast Boy’s words also gave Thunder pause. He catches a glimpse of humanity in Thunder when he allows Beast Boy to stand up before continuing to fight him, a moment he uses to tell Thunder that what they are doing isn’t amusing; it’s hurting people.
The green one’s words. He says our fun is… wrong.
Beast Boy ultimately convinces Thunder, and through him, Lightning, that there is more to having powers than mischief and amusement. He instills empathy in them, making them care about the innocent people in Jump City who are in the crossfire of their shenanigans. While Robin corners Slade, Thunder and Lightning take to the skies, concocting a massive rainstorm that douses his fire monster before it reaches Jump City.
From this point on, Thunder and Lightning are allies of the Teen Titans. Their transition to the side of heroism is so decisive that later in the series, they are captured by theBrotherhood of Evil, a villainous organization aiming to eliminate all heroes. The Titans rescue them, and Thunder and Lightning promptly aid them in battle. The two are even seen socializing with the Titans and other heroes in Titans Tower.
Played by
Season one, episode four, “Forces of Nature”
Season five, episode twelve, “Titans Together”
Teen Titans
Based on the characters from DC Comics, Teen Titans follows the adventures of Robin, Cyborg, Starfire, Raven, and Beast Boy as they fight to protect the world from various evildoers and make a name for themselves. The original animated series spans 5 seasons, and was the basis for the more comedic Teen Titans Go!
