LogFAQs > #969954360

#56: Birthmark
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/7/4/0/AAAG8cAAD9Ws.jpg

Show: Teen Titans
Original airdate: February 5, 2005

"This is the future. Your future. It began the day you were born, and nothing can stop it. This will come to pass. I will make sure of it. You're going to destroy the world, Raven. It's written all over your face."

This dark, horrifying episode of Teen Titans saw the return of Slade and the beginning of the Trigon arc, perhaps the show's greatest, and one with the highest stakes, as the demonic entity threatened nothing less than the complete destruction of the world. It delves deep into Raven's past, as we learn it's her birthday, but that there's nothing to celebrate as it means the activation of her birthmark, symbolizing the return of Trigon as told by his new harbinger, Slade, who was thought to be killed by Terra but who has returned to deliver the message. The episode features a ferocious battle between the Titans and Slade, who is now imbued with brand new powers, but the centerpiece of the episode comes after time is frozen and we see Raven forced to view the future, the world she's destined to bring about. There's some wonderful moments between Robin and Raven as he tries his best to reassure her, and we get to see just how much Raven truly cares for everyone, even if she tries her best not to show it. This episode is filled with stunning imagery that one might not expect to see in a show like Teen Titans, kicking off the show's darkest arc in style and setting the tone for what will be a culmination of everything that's taken place in the show so far. I was shocked by so many things when this originally came out, from just how far they went with Slade and his scenes with Raven, to the images of the destroyed world itself, and its images still stick with me all these years later. Props to Teen Titans for going there, and producing one of the show's most iconic episodes.