Years before the DCU’s Teen тιтans movie even begins filming, the MCU perfectly captures the essence of the DC team in Thunderbolts*. Penned by Ana Nogueira, the DCU’s Teen тιтans movie is only starting to take shape. While the project is set to be part of the DCU’s “Gods and Monsters” chapter, it will remain in development for a while.

Over at Marvel, the MCU has been welcoming new superhero teams in preparation for Phase 6’s upcoming Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. Captain America: Brave New World planted the seeds for a new Avengers line-up and The Fantastic Four: First Steps teased the тιтular team’s Earth-616 arrival. Meanwhile, Thunderbolts* introduced a ragtag squad of legacy heroes: the New Avengers.

Thunderbolts* Is Everything The DCU’s Teen тιтans Movie Needs To Be

Although Thunderbolts* is based on the eponymous comic book property, it has little connection to Zemo’s team. Instead, Thunderbolts* follows a group of anti-heroes who find themselves trying to live up to the legacy of famous MCU heroes. As they help one of their own contain his dark side, they also fight their own dark feelings and grow closer together.

If this sounds familiar, it’s because the MCU’s Thunderbolts follow very similar beats to DC’s Teen тιтans. The Teen тιтans are also a chosen family who create an idenтιтy of their own away from the Justice League’s shadow. Besides, the Teen тιтans often find themselves pulling Raven away from Trigon’s dark influence while they try to control their own dark impulses.

The Thunderbolts’ failed attempts to stop Sentry and the Void taking over Sentry like a demonic enтιтy seem like the perfect big-screen adaptation of the Teen тιтans’ struggles with Raven and Trigon. On top of that, the New Avengers overseeing oncoming threats in a tower HQ indirectly inherited from the Avengers is a perfect representation of the Teen тιтans’ daily operations.

The DCU’s Teen тιтans Movie Still Has The Opportunity To Do What Other Adaptations Haven’t

The DCU’s Teen тιтans movie has a unique opportunity to showcase the team’s powers with an unprecedented scope. Unlike the famous animated show and the live-action series, a big-screen Teen тιтans film can fully render Starfire’s cosmic blasts, Raven’s demonic magic, and Beast Boy’s shapeshifting with movie-quality VFX. The same goes for villains like Deathstroke, Blackfire, and Terra.

Just as crucially, the DCU’s Teen тιтans can tell a two-hour, standalone story focused on the тιтans’ team dynamics and individual arcs. All this while still working as a self-contained installment in the wider DCU. Unlike the TV shows, Teen тιтans would actively coexist with known, live-action portrayals of heroes like Batman and Superman.

Like Thunderbolts* does with its New Avengers, the DCU’s Teen тιтans can root its story in the legacy of established heroes without needing those characters to appear. It can set the stage for future DC crossovers and sequels. However, it will likely remain fully self-contained and focused on a powerful standalone narrative with a clear central theme of unity.