A production still from season 2 of Titans shows series fulcrum Raven with her iconic look of a red gem fastened to her forehead. The first season of the comic book show was a severely hit-and-miss affair, with a number of reshoots drastically altering the framework of the series to focus on the sullen, brooding Dick Grayson at the expense of the arcs for the other characters.
Titans season 1 portrays Raven as a troubled teenager haunted by nightmares and whose life is upended when the women she thought was her mother is murdered by a religious zealot. Soon after, she begins developing demonic powers that she can’t control. Eventually, she ends up with Starfire, Beast Boy and Robin – although only the latter of these is ever referred to by his superhero codename, with Raven referred to as Rachel throughout the series.
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The image of Raven with her gem was posted to the Instagram of Teagan Croft, the actor who plays her in the series. She was never seen with the forehead gem in the first season, and the fact that she is wearing it in what appears to be an everyday situation would suggest it has since become a permanent fixture of her appearance. Its positioning on the character’s forehead links it to the third-eye chakra, a part of the mind that can develop mystical powers and be strengthened through meditation. For Raven specifically, it can keep her darker impulses under control, something she struggled with throughout the first season of the show.
As well as acknowledging the character’s look from the comics, the appearance of the gem on season 2’s Raven has implications for the direction of Raven’s character and the main story. Raven’s somewhat truncated season 1 arc had her discover her origin, revealing that as with her comics counterpart, she is the scion of the megalomaniac demon lord Trigon. Titans season 1 even ends on a cliffhanger of the entity appearing in human form. The gem has been used in other media as a vessel to imprison Trigon’s essence, and as the confrontation with the demon was originally earmarked for the Titans season 1 finale, it’s not much to extrapolate that the opening of the season 2 will see him if not completely defeated, then at least partially contained. It possible, then, that Raven takes on the responsibility of holding back her father’s wrath by trapping him within the gem.
The use of the gem is one step towards recreating Raven’s comic book appearance, and ties in with the confirmation that various characters of Titans will be sporting comics-accurate costumes. In particular, Starfire’s clothes will be changed from retro gear in dazzling shades of purple to her notoriously skimpy outfit she wears in print. However, it’s unlikely that Raven will be decked out in a slinky, figure-hugging dress split up her leg along with thigh-length boots anytime soon as dressing a 15-year-old girl in such a way has decidedly uncomfortable connotations. Still, given that the gem makes her look more reminiscent of Raven’s comic book costume, it strongly suggests that this Raven will soon be developing into a character fans are all far more familiar with.
Source: Teagan Croft
