Posted in: Comics | Tagged: guardian, teen titans

Mal Duncan Gets To Be A Guardian Again In Teen Titans? (Spoilers)

In today's World's Finest: Teen Titans #4 from Mark Waid & Emanuela Lupacchino DC lets Mal Duncan step back to his Guardian days.

Published Tue, 10 Oct 2023 05:58:06 -0500

by Rich Johnston

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Mal Duncan is the first DC Comics African-American superhero, created by Robert Kanigher and Nick Cardy for Teen Titans #26 in 1970. Currently known as Vox in the DC Universe, today's World's Finest: Teen Titans #4 from Mark Waid and Emanuela Lupacchino gives Mal the chance to take a step back to his Guardian days.

In the original, Mal saved the Teen Titans from a street gang, before being recruited by the Teen Titans, and gaining strength-enhancing exoskeleton and the costume of the Guardian. Over the years, he would gain other abilities and other identities, such as Hornblower after defeating Azrael, the Angel of Death. After Crisis on Infinite Earths, he lost his entire Guardian history, and, with the help of Karen Beecher, recreating that identity through technology, became Herald. And later, with the powers of a synthesized voice bos, Vox.

The New 52 rebooted him as an a member of the original Teen Titans as Herald. DC Rebirth looked to remove all his powers, but wears a Guardian-like suit of body armour, but returned to family life with his now-wife, and mother of his kid, Karen Beecher, formerly known as Bumblebee.

The Guardian shield. But also a high-level piece of technology and costume in its own right…

Who wants a new origin for a new Guardian? Leaving Vox, Herald and Hornblower behind? Of is Karen just being a… Karen?

But for those who read the solicitations in which "Aqualad opens up about his fluid sexuality"… no, no, that's not a thing. Maybe it went the way of Magdalene Visaggio's Superboy pitch. World's Finest: Teen Titans #4 is published by DC Comics today.

WORLDS FINEST TEEN TITANS #4 (OF 6) CVR A CHRIS SAMNEE
(W) Mark Waid (A) Emanuela Lupacchino (CA) Chris Samnee
BREAKING UP IS SUPER HARD TO DO! America's sweetest situationship breaks hearts–including Aqualad's and Wonder Girl's own!–when Garth realizes a part of him isn't fully in it with Donna. To heal the wounds, Wally invites Garth and Roy to a sleepover at his folks' home, where Aqualad opens up about his fluid sexuality. Meanwhile, Mal assists Bumblebee in an unexpected battle, giving him a taste of the Teen Titan he could be…
Retail: $3.99 In-Store Date: 10/10/2023

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