7. Turning The Characters Into Stereotypes
The original Teen Titans series focused on a main cast of five characters, each presented as individuals with no double identities or "normal" lives. They essentially wore their superhero costumes all the time. One of the quirks of the original series was that no one really seemed to take notice of the five characters walking around in colourful costumes. Presenting the characters in this way allowed the writers to explore each character's personality based on who they were. At a first glance, each of the main characters can easily be identified with a popular stereotype: Cyborg is a smart jock, Starfire is a naive fish out of water, Raven is a emotionless Goth girl, Beast Boy is a relaxed slacker, and Robin is a overachieving control freak. What made the original Teen Titans series so engaging was that each character was given opportunities to grow and develop their personality. As we learned more about the characters back stories and their insecurities, they also became more relatable as characters. Learning why Raven keeps her emotions hidden, or seeing Cyborg react to being given an opportunity to blend in with normal people were great bits of character development. In Teen Titans Go! each main character is seemingly defined by their stereotype. There is no depth for these characters, just opportunities for jokes. Robin is now a hyperactive, obsessive-compulsive, and impulsive nitwit who feels incompetent for not having superpowers. Their characters are given little opportunity for growth and seemingly remain static throughout the episodes. It seems like a waste to take five well-rounded characters and essentially turn them into bare-bones versions of their previous selves.