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Lord Chaos
Alias: Robert Long
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Lord Chaos' legacy could be seen 10 years in the future – in an alternate timeline where Chaos ruled the earth.
It all began when Donna Troy, who was gifted with godlike powers, gave birth to a son. Her child was born completely sentient. With his godlike powers, he instantly aged himself and killed his mother. Over the next few years, Chaos' power spread. Slowly and effectively, he conquered the world.
Chaos created an army of storm troopers whom he dubbed his Force Elite. They kept control of Chaos' world – enslaving or killing all who would oppose him. He crushed any resistance and created a food additive called numb dust, which drugged the worlds' population into submission. Only Chaos would soon discover that the same dust would have an unexpected consequence; It affected the hypothalamus. It produced altered hormones. One in every million babies was born with a metagene.
Chaos panicked over the thought of super-powered enemies. So the children were taken from their parents and raised by his scientists to fight for him against everyone else.
Only one force of rebellion stood a threat against him: The Team Titans. Inspired by the legend of the Titans, a mysterious leader led a group of rebels to oppose Lord Chaos.
| Lord Chaos seeks to insure his own future in NEW TITANS #91 [1992]. |
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The Team Titans leader gave the team a mission: travel 10 years into the past to stop Chaos from ever being born. To accomplish this, the Teamers were assigned to kill Donna Troy before she would give birth to the child who would become Lord Chaos! The Teamers successfully traveled to the past and came into conflict with the Titans.
At the same time, Chaos emerged in the past to insure he would be born. Chaos battled both Titans teams and was able to prevent the Team Titans from killing Donna Troy. Robert Long was born, and Chaos believed his victory was assured. However, the Titans of Myth intervened, and stripped the baby of his godlike powers. They also took Lord Chaos, the ‘false seed; the child whose future has been altered and should never have been.' The Titans gods absorbed Lord Chaos to make him learn humility. In their words, ‘He is with us now. He will learn, or he will cease to be.'
During the time crisis known as Zero Hour, it was revealed that the Team Titans future was a false timeline created by Extant. During the Zero Hour event, time continued to collapse, erasing the false timelines that had emerged. As a result, Lord Chaos may have ceased to exist.
Marv Wolfman on Lord Chaos: In it, one of the Titan gods' "seeds" (beings given godlike powers but without memory of those powers origin, then returned to their home planets) somehow maintains the forbidden memory and goes totally crazy. "The memories of all the others were removed," says Wolfman. "This is what I mean by picking a thread from the past and using it in the present. Donna was converted into a god by these Titan gods, and very clearly established that if they had maintained their memories, they would go crazy. Now, she's having a baby. All the power of the gods is inside her-she has been trained to use the power well, but the baby has no such training. The power of the gods enters the baby, which instantly ages itself and is totally mad. Now, it's back in the past. His goal is to preserve Troia, his mother, until she actually gives birth, and then kill her. The Teen Titans are assigned to destroy her before she can give birth, and our Titans, in a sense, have to take the side of the mad god who's going to destroy their entire planet later, because they must preserve her. That's our next storyline, which eventually leads to the Teen Titans' own book next May or June.
Lord Chaos possesses vast godlike powers, including powerful fire-blasts, flight and teleportation, as well as unbelievable strength and durability as well as immortality.
New Titans Annual #7 and New Titans #80 [1991]: Waverider leaves an unconscious Nightwing to meet Joe Wilson, while in the future, the Team Titans the mysterious leader details his plans to them on how they will go back in time to eliminate Donna Troy before she can give birth to her son, who will turn out to be Lord Chaos. Lord Chaos vows to follow them to the past and insure his future. First appearance of Lord Chaos in New Titans Annual #7.
Total Chaos: New Titans #90-92, Team Titans #1-3, Deathstroke #14-16 [1992]: The Team Titans have been sent to the past to kill the pregnant Troia before she gives birth to her son, who could become a god-powered dictator named Lord Chaos in the future. The Team is defeated, and Troia, having lost her powers, gives birth to a normal baby boy. Mirage of the Team Titans kidnaps Starfire and impersonates her so that she can date Nightwing. Birth of Robert Troy Long. Lord Chaos is defeated in Team Titans #3.
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Judge & Jury
| Judge & Jury mete out their own brand of justice. |
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Judge was originally a member of the Team Titans resistance force. She served alongside Battalion.
At some point, she decided it was her mission to protect the future at all costs. This prompted her to track down Team Titans that had traveled to the past. She hunted them down with her team who she named ‘Jury' – each member equipped with dispensing death in a different way. Judge would then pass judgment on them, and crimes against the future elicited death.
Judge and Jury came into conflict with Metallick (another Teamers team stranded in the past) and the Team Titans. Judge's twisted version of justice found them all guilty in some way or another. The combined Teamers team defeated Judge and Jury. The battle left Judge blind.
Judge and Jury resurfaced to battle the Teamers and the Titans a handful of times. The dark version of former Titan Raven encountered Judge and Jury and used her powers to corrupt the team even further. They aided Raven and attacked the Titans during the aborted wedding of Starfire and Nightwing.
During the time crisis known as Zero Hour, it was revealed that the Team Titans future was a false timeline created by Extant. During the Zero Hour event, time continued to collapse, erasing the false timelines that had emerged. As a result, Judge and Jury were erased from existence!
Judge and Jury seemed to be able to teleport from one location to another.
Additionally, each member of the ‘Jury' carries a weapon of death:
Lynch strangles with a slipknot.
Monsieur Poniard kills with his blade.
Silent Vapor uses poisonous gases.
Hellbornes dispenses lethal injections with needles attached to his fingertips.
Volt kills with electrical charges.
Team Titans #4-5 [1992-1993]: Various Titans Teams from the future start emerging - including Judge and Jury, a misguided vigilante group, and Mettalick, a group of teenager female rockers that can merge into a battle-bot. As Judge and Jury come into conflict with Metallick, Battalion enters the fray. Battalion's ties to the Judge lead to revelations about his past. Meanwhile, the Teamers settle in their new home at Donna Troy Long's farmhouse. First appearances of Judge & Jury and Metallick in issue #4. Origin of Battalion in issue #5.
New Titans #100 [1993]: Nightwing and Starfire's wedding is interrupted by the return of Raven, now a villainous avatar of Trigon. Evil Raven is assisted by the evil Deathwing and Judge & Jury.
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Future Dick Grayson?
| The future-Nightwing emerges as the nightmarish Deathwing in TEAM TITANS #8 [1993]. |
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The man who the Team Titans knew as Dick Grayson (Nightwing) was really not Dick Grayson at all.
Deathwing's story began 10 years in the future; Or, rather, the false future where Lord Chaos reigned and a force known as the Team Titans struggled to overthrow his tyranny. Lord Chaos sought to destroy the rebels known as the Team Titans. This timeline's version of Nightwing served with the Team Titans as drill sergeant.
He was very much like the Dick Grayson of our timeline, but darker and a little more driven. In his time with the Team Titans, he took on Redwing as his protégé, a sort of Robin to his Batman. He also met Mirage, who fell in love with him. The two embarked on a relationship shortly after meeting.
Shortly thereafter, the Team Titans leader gave the team a mission: travel 10 years into the past to stop Chaos from ever being born. To accomplish this, the Teamers were assigned to kill Donna Troy before she would give birth to the child who would become Lord Chaos! The Teamers successfully traveled to the past and came into conflict with the Titans. Donna gave birth to her son before the Teamers could intervene. However, the Titans and the Team Titans were able to stop Chaos and spare Donna's life at the same time.
A Bitter Reunion: Deathwing Emerges
The Time Trapper reveals the truth: Terra, Mirage and Deathwing are from this timeline!
From NEW TITANS ANNUAL #11 [1995]. |
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After this, the Teamers found themselves stranded in the past, unable to return to their future. With nowhere else to go, they resided at Donna Troy's New Jersey farmhouse. The Teamers tried to find a place in this new world. Just after this, the alternate-future Nightwing traveled to our timeline. Mirage was reunited with her lover only briefly. A dark version of Raven attacked the future Nightwing and corrupted him by planting a Trigon-seed within him. Nightwing now renamed himself Deathwing, and became violent and brutal. Deathwing visited Mirage, where he attacked and raped her. Mirage then learned she was pregnant with Deathwing's child.
Shortly after this, the Teamers lives were disrupted by the time crisis known as Zero Hour. It was then revealed that the Team Titans leader in the future was the villainous Monarch - who created a false future world so he could train meta-humans (The Team Titans) to act as sleeper agent assassins. He knew of the impending time crisis, and wanted a super-powered army at his command. The time-villain Extant commanded all the Team Titans to attack the heroes who were trying to unravel this time crisis. His plan was thwarted; the heroes contained the Teamers. Time continued to collapse, erasing the false timelines that had emerged. As a result, all the Team Titans were erased from existence.
Strangely enough, three people remained unscathed from Monarch's false timeline: Tara Markov (Terra II), Miriam Delgado (Mirage) and Deathwing (who was believed to be a future Dick Grayson). Terra and Mirage remained members of a new Titans team, led by Arsenal (Roy Harper). Shortly after the team was reformed, a strange orb appeared, with messages for Mirage and Terra.
The orb was sent by the Time Trapper. The Time Trapper revealed that Mirage, Deathwing and Terra were from this timeline, not an alternate timeline, as they had thought - which is why they survived the time crisis. Mirage was actually a runaway street urchin from Brazil. The Time Trapper kidnapped her and implanted false memories in her brain; she believed she grew up in Monarch's false timeline. The Trapper became aware of Extant's petty manipulations of time, and set up his own sleeper agents (Terra, Mirage and Deathwing) that would be able to fight Extant's programming. The Time Trapper also revealed that Terra was from this timeline as well. Deathwing's true identity was not revealed by the Time Trapper and remains a mystery.
Deathwing: Shaved Head & Leather Look
| Deathwing - under Evil Ravel's thrall - continues his sadistic interest in Mirage. It happened in NEW TITANS #119 [1995]. |
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The Titans eventually came into conflict with Raven once again. Deathwing remained in Raven's thrall, and adopted a new look: shaved head, body paint and leather attire. During this conflict, Mirage was captured by Deathwing. Deathwing took a sadistic interest in his unborn child. At this time, Deathwing told Mirage that he is aware of his true identity: "Some guy in a robe sent this orb - it told me the truth! And trust me Miri, you don't want to know what I was before I became Deathwing!"
During the ensuing battle where the dark version of Raven was at last expunged, it appeared that Mirage had a miscarriage. Deathwing seemed genuinely upset at this news, in his own twisted way.
In truth, Mirage was still pregnant and used her illusion abilities to make it appear otherwise. She eventually went into labor while the Titans were off-world on another mission. She gave birth to a baby girl, who she named Julienne. Mirage then elected to spend time with her baby, and shortly after that, the Titans disbanded.
Deathwing is unaware his child survived. When he was last seen, he was at S.T.A.R. Labs under observation. It is unknown whether the Trigon seed has been expunged from his system.
Deathwing possesses no known super powers. He is an above-average athlete and fighter. He is also a master tactician. Raven's manipulations of him may have granted him enhanced strength and durability.
New Titans Annual #7 and New Titans #80 [1991]: Waverider leaves an unconscious Nightwing to meet Joe Wilson, while in the future, the Team Titans the mysterious leader details his plans to them on how they will go back in time to eliminate Donna Troy before she can give birth to her son, who will turn out to be Lord Chaos. Lord Chaos vows to follow them to the past and insure his future. First appearance of future-Nightwing in New Titans Annual #7.
Team Titans #7 [1993]: The future-Nightwing emerges in the past and is reunited with the Teamers. Meanwhile, the Teamers settle in their new lives, building Donna's farmhouse and attending school. A mysterious gray-cloaked figure stalks the future-Nightwing.
Team Titans #8 [1993]: The future-Nightwing has been attacked by the mysterious figure [later revealed to be a transformed Raven, having corrupted future-Nightwing with a 'Trigon seed']. This triggers startling changes in him, as he adopts the name Deathwing. Later, as Deathwing is reunited with an amorous Mirage, he plans on attacking her. First appearance of future-Nightwing as Deathwing.
Team Titans #9-10 [1993]: After a night of passion, Deathwing savagely attacks Mirage, leaving her devastated. Deathwing, Judge & Jury and the mysterious cloaked figure [actually Raven] plot against the Titans teams. Continued in New Titans #100, as Raven and her allies attack the Titans.
New Titans #100 [1993]: Nightwing and Starfire's wedding is interrupted by the return of Raven, now a villainous avatar of Trigon. Evil Raven is assisted by the evil Deathwing and Judge & Jury. Deathwing faces off against Nightwing.
New Titans #118-121 [1994-1995]: Deathwing remains in Raven's thrall, and adopts a new look: shaved head, body paint and leather attire. Eventually, Raven and her demon allies come into conflict with the Titans. With the help of Phantasm (who reforms himself, sensing he is needed), the Titans finally destroyed this evil incarnation of Raven (or so they think). Mirage seemingly has a miscarriage in issue #121. Deathwing is kept at STAR Labs, in hopes his 'Trigon seed' can be expunged in issue #121.
New Titans Annual #11 [1995]: A YEAR ONE tale featuring Arsenal's Titans team. The Time Trapper reveals Mirage, Deathwing and Terra are all from this timeline. Deathwing's back story is unrevealed.
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