Like most comics, DC is not different when it comes to making loved heroes villains. It happens pretty often and is no different when it comes to Raven. As mentioned before, her powers are otherworldly, and it is safe to assume that she is usually considered one of the most potent entities in DC. In DC, there are many universes, and each time, while the character itself does not change, their environment and circumstance change the direction of their behavior. With Raven, she has the exact instances. Through the different parallels drawn in DC, we understand that there is no clear-cut way of defining her as good or bad.
Raven DC in the New Earth
Teen Titans: It becomes known that Raven’s father has posed a threat to her and Earth multiple times. She has approached the Justice League, who had denied any assistance due to her demonic presence. She then goes to the teen titans, who, in the end, help her defeat her father.
However, she notices that defeating her father is not all that she has to do. It has to do with her presence. Many times she had to face his influence which at times almost made her lose her control. Her loss of power happens in high-stress situations, and there are times when she barely regains control before Trignon can get to her.
Is Raven DC Good or Bad?
Raven Loses Control
However, there is an instance when Trignon escapes the seal the Titans had put on him and slowly begins to control Raven. This, in turn, leads her to be thoroughly corrupted by her father. This, in turn, allows Trigon’s army to invade Earth, and with a heavy heart, the Titans decide to kill Raven. Even though Raven was presumed dead, she is revived but disappears.
Dark Raven
Another version of Raven that comes to light is when her evil conscience entirely takes her over. She tries her hand at creating conflict in this new environment. She even comes back to Earth to destroy her ‘good’ self, but in the end, the Titans again were able to defeat her once and for all.
Raven and her origins in Prime Earth
After Raven had been born, she and her mother had fled to the dimension of Azarath, which was one of the places that were out of Trigon’s reach. Here, she had trained with monks to learn to control her powers and keep her father’s control away from her. Unfortunately, Raven had to flee to protect her teachers and mother and come to Earth due to unfavorable circumstances.
Her adventures
In this universe, we see a more strong-willed version of Raven. She seems to be more in control of her powers and consciousness and knows precisely what she needs to do to set situations right. For example, when building the teen Titans, she takes a more proactive approach to defeat her father.
It would seem that it is a constant battle between her and her father. Yet, she does everything in her power to ensure the safety of others around her.
Not so black and white
Raven, as a character, demonstrates the gray area between heroism and villainy. She is a character that has gone through emotional turmoil time and again, no matter what universe she is depicted in. The constant battle that she faces constantly is the one in her head. Raven has had continued to tread lightly and walk the fine line between good and evil. Her character lies in the gray area between good and evil. As repeatedly mentioned before, her father is the reason for her constant turmoil. This, as a result, manifests its way through her forming relationships and her continuous self-doubt.
She has had to look for her human family and stay battling her demonic side. Her powers, such as emotional manipulation and telekinesis, could make her a formidable opponent, whether it is against good or evil. As you have seen above, there have been instances that she has succumbed to her father’s will and gone rogue. However, it is essential to mention that none of that was her intention. She has constantly tried to fight off the mind control and stay on the good side in those instances.
It is also important to note that it is not always easy to live like Raven. The stress and the emotional turmoil, especially with having a supervillain father who constantly is on the lookout to take over, can get a bit stressful.
Raven and her powers
Raven as a villain, however, would be a different story. There have been many discussions made on the natural strength and threat her powers could pose. As mentioned before, with abilities like telekinesis and emotional manipulation, it is no wonder that she is considered to be stronger than her father in many ways. While other characters have these powers, it is essential to remember that she is half-demon, so it is not the only power in her arsenal. For example, seeding is a power that she had used once when she had turned evil, and it is where she plays the seeds of Trianon, which are essentially the spirits of her father’s dead children. She also has a limited sense of the future, which she has inherited from her father.
Looking at all the information above, we see that Raven is an incredible character and, for the most part, has remained good and helped protect her surroundings and her loved ones. She has gone through emotional conflicts and has on a couple of occasions fallen over into the dark side, but has managed to, in the end, come back on to the good side.
