Dark Crisis is already gearing up to have a dramatic effect on the DC Universe going forward. It’s begun with the death of a familiar DC hero, with the casualty likely one of several. Given who dies, this is especially bad for the Teen Titans, who’ve lost a character who was easily their anchor. In fact, it automatically makes Dark Crisis worse than another DC event that featured major deaths.
Infinite Crisis had numerous former members of the Titans die at the hands of Superboy-Prime. Now, the death in Dark Crisis #1 makes this senseless killing seem mild in comparison, despite focusing on only one death. Beast Boy’s death is all the more tragic because his youthful spirit defined the team for many years and makes his death all the more tragic.
During Infinite Crisis, the character of Superboy-Prime rampaged against the Earth’s heroes, seeing their reality as far too dark and imperfect compared to his supposedly more idyllic one. Many fell to his wrath, as the overpowered Superboy from another world had powers that could literally break reality. Some of his most prominent victims were former members of different incarnations of the Teen Titans. Of course, the deaths were visceral and impactful in the moment. However, the Teen Titan victims were never actually important in the DC Universe to that point.
For example, Baby Wildebeest and Red Star were briefly important during the waning days of Marv Wolfman’s The New Teen Titans. Superboy-Prime effortlessly kills them all with his incredible power. As shocking and gory as this is, none of these heroes had acquired any relevance in about a decade by the time of Infinite Crisis. Their deaths meant nothing from a narrative standpoint, and though they would be memorialized at Titans Tower via statues, they were basically just cannon fodder for Superboy-Prime. That’s not the case with the shocking death of Beast Boy in Dark Crisis.
Having been on the team since the Bronze Age of comic books, Beast Boy really came into his own when the team Marvel Wolfman, George Perez, and Romeo Tanghal relainched the concept as The New Teen Titans. Beast Boy was the heart and soul of this iteration of the team, cutting up just like a teenager would, even on the most harrowing of missions. Essentially a former child star thrust into danger, he exemplified the turmoil that the superhero sidekick life could have on a young person. He would go on to be one of the most consistent members of the team, and with his green skin, he’s essentially analogous to Martian Manhunter’s crucial role on the Justice League.
Beast Boy especially had a strange relationship with Deathstroke beforehand due to his ties with Terra. The two would eventually have a sort of heart-to-heart, but Deathstroke’s de-evolution as a character threw all of this out of the window. Now, Deathstroke has made his intentions toward the hero community, and the Titans specifically clear by killing one of their most staunch members. It’s no coincidence that said member was the one most likely to crack a joke. With the heart of the Titans ripped out by their greatest foe, Nightwing will likely use this as a reason to engage in an epic battle royale against Slade, putting him down once and for all. Unfortunately, the Teen Titans may never recover, as one of their greatest, funniest and most human members has unfortunately met his end.