Beast Boy
Beast Boy is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He has also gone under the alias Changeling. Created by writer Arnold Drake and artist Bob Brown, he is a shapeshifter who possesses the ability to transform into any animal he chooses. The character first appeared in Doom Patrol #99 and is usually depicted as a member of the Doom Patrol and the Teen Titans.
Beast Boy has appeared in numerous cartoon television shows, TV, and films, including as one of the Teen Titans in Cartoon Network's eponymous series, voiced by Greg Cipes, who also provides the character's voice in Teen Titans Go!, Young Justice, and Beast Boy: Lone Wolf. Gar Logan made his live adaptation debut in the DC Universe and HBO Max series Titans, played by Ryan Potter.
Publication history
The first DC Comics shapeshifter named Beast Boy, unrelated to Garfield Logan, first appeared in the Legion of Super-Heroes feature in Adventure Comics #324 as part of a team called the Legion of Super-Outlaws, which was made up of characters suggested by fans and designed by John Forte. Thomas Reimondo was credited for the suggestion of this Beast Boy. He was one of the young super-heroes of the planet Lallor, who turned villain and was killed off in #339, just after Garfield Logan's first appearance in the November 1965 issue of Doom Patrol. This Beast Boy was allowed a last-minute reformation and heroic death.Created by writer Arnold Drake and artist Bob Brown, the Garfield Logan with whom readers would become more familiar made his first appearance in Doom Patrol #99.
Drake spoke on the genesis of the character, stating:
Fictional character biography
As a young child, Garfield Logan lived with his scientist parents in Africa, who were developing "reverse evolution" to bring back extinct creatures. The Logans worked with Samuel Register, a scientist who would later become the villain Zookeeper. Garfield contracted a rare illness called Sakutia, which is lethal to every species except the green monkey. To save his life, his father used an untested science experiment to change him into a green monkey for 24 hours so that the virus could die out. The serum had the unintended effect of permanently turning his skin, eyes, and hair green and granting him the ability to transform into any animal of his choice, which also shared his pigmentation. His parents later died in a boating accident; to this day, Garfield believes he could have prevented their deaths. After he is rescued from two kidnappers who forced him to use his powers to help them in their crimes, Garfield is left under the care of a court-appointed guardian, the despicable Nicholas Galtry. Galtry realizes that his embezzlement from the Logan estate will be exposed when Garfield reaches maturity and receives his inheritance, and thus plots to kill Garfield. The villains he hires to kill Garfield are stopped by the Doom Patrol; Elasti-Girl and her husband Steve Dayton expose Galtry's embezzlement and adopt Garfield. Garfield later joins the Doom Patrol. His uniform includes a purple cowl, and he takes the code name Beast Boy. During his tenure with the Doom Patrol, Garfield has a romantic relationship with a girl from his high school named Frost. After he saves her from Galtry, the relationship dissolves. Later, Beast Boy is deeply affected by the deaths of the Doom Patrol.Joining the Titans
He later uses both his lime green skin and shape-shifting powers to play an extraterrestrial character on a science-fiction television series, Space Trek: 2022, but it is soon cancelled due to lawsuits from both Star Trek and Space: 1999. During its run, Garfield joins the West Coast team of the Teen Titans and is later part of the New Teen Titans assembled by Dick Grayson and Raven. By this time, Garfield has taken the name Changeling. This name change is not explained until a later flashback revealed that a new version of an old Doom Patrol enemy, Arsenal, the identity this time assumed by Gar's ex-guardian Nicholas Galtry, mocked the name "Beast Boy" so much that he ruined it for him. He remains with various incarnations of the team and forms a close friendship with Cyborg.Garfield's character is often used as comic relief through his joking and "wise cracking". However, this is only a facade, as he uses humour to hide a deep inner pain. Garfield has suffered many hardships in his life, some described previously. Other notable incidents include: during his time with the New Teen Titans, Garfield's stepfather was discovered to have been driven mad by the helmet which was central to his powers, and when Garfield fell in love with Terra, a girl with earth-manipulating powers and fellow Teen Titans member, who turned out to be a spy working for the assassin Deathstroke and who is eventually killed. Despite all his struggles, Garfield is friendly, humorous and upbeat. Like most of the other founding members of the New Teen Titans, he considers the group to be his family and the people to whom he will always be closest. Though he often grapples with being taken seriously and an inferiority complex, Garfield loves and trusts his former teammates completely.
Limited series and Titans West
Seeking to resume his acting career, Changeling leaves the Titans and moves to Los Angeles to live with his screenwriter cousin Matt. Failing to find any serious work, Gar attempts to clear his name after having been framed for a series of murders around the city. He eventually discovers that the real culprit is Gemini, the daughter of Madame Rouge. Blaming Gar for her mother's death, Gemini reveals that she has hired a pair of mercenaries known as Fear and Loathing to kidnap Tim Bender and Vicky Valiant, Gar's former Space Trek: 2022 co-stars. With the bound and gagged actors in tow, Gemini attempts to flee, only to be defeated by the combined might of Beast Boy and his former Titans West teammate Bette Kane. Once again in the public eye, Gar decides to ignore his newfound celebrity status and resume his superhero career. Along with Bette and Matt, Gar purchases a new apartment. While accompanying Bette to Tokyo for a tennis match, Gar is possessed by a Tengu, but is freed by Japanese superhero Bushido. Following a failed attempt to recreate "Titans West" as "Titans L.A.", as recounted in Titans Secret Files #2, Garfield rejoins the main team.Mentor
Following the apparent death of Donna Troy, the Titans and Young Justice both disband. Moving back to San Francisco, Cyborg, Starfire, and Beast Boy decide to form a new team of Teen Titans, acting as mentors to the former members of Young Justice. During Infinite Crisis, Beast Boy assembles a team of past and present Titans to battle Superboy-Prime. Despite a valiant effort, the Titans are easily defeated."Infinite Crisis" and ''52''
Beast Boy is present as a member of the team during the events of the 2005–2006 storyline "Infinite Crisis".In the 2006 - 2007 weekly series 52, following the death of Superboy, Wonder Girl and Robin, Cyborg, and Starfire leave the team, and Beast Boy takes the role of leader. Beast Boy recruits new Titan members, but the new teenage superheroes are more interested in their fame than seeking true justice. When Steel calls the Titans for help, most of the Titans abandons the team, leaving only Beast Boy, Raven, and Zatara. Beast Boy manages to recruit Aquagirl, and Offspring, and the new team aid Steel on a raid on Lexcorp. Beast Boy also participated in World War III. Due to Beast Boy's effort, the Teen Titans returns to its normal state after Wonder Girl and Robin's return.
"One Year Later"
While the events of Infinite Crisis unfold, details of Beast Boy's life "One Year Later" are revealed in the current Teen Titans comic book. Teen Titans vol. 3 #34 shows scenes from the year between the conclusion of Infinite Crisis and One Year Later, from the damaged Cyborg's POV. Garfield leads the Teen Titans, before quitting the team following his breakup with Raven. He then rejoins his original team, the Doom Patrol, saying that the team does not need his help and that Robin can handle leadership. He is also feeling uneasy about remaining in a team without Cyborg. After Cyborg awakens, Beast Boy and the rest of the Doom Patrol help the Titans fight off the Brotherhood of Evil, who have managed to clone the Brain. The clone is a failure, and Monsieur Mallah ends up tearing his head off so that he can preserve his master's brain.After returning, Beast Boy is infuriated to discover that the Chief has been manipulating them and trying to do the same to Kid Devil. Garfield and his partners stand up to the Chief and make him step down as the Doom Patrol's leader. Beast Boy stays with his old team, saying that they still need him; however, he does answer a call from Raven to help the Titans combat Titans East. Raven later hints that she still loves Garfield and offers to help him heal after the battle with Deathstroke, but Garfield remains uncertain.
Titans
In Titans vol. 2 #1, Gar is attacked by Trigon, who floods his room with fire and brimstone. In retaliation, Gar joins the new Titans team, wearing a costume similar to his old Changeling uniform. In later issues, the group is attacked by the Children of Trigon, who use Garfield's suppressed anger and rage against Raven, who is also affected in the same manner. The two attack the other, but the fight is eventually broken up when the Titans begin to recover from the attack.Raven's three half-brothers then use her and Gar, transforming him into a demonic beast, to act as keys to open a portal to Trigon's realm. Raven uses her own power to influence greed in others to make her half-brothers steal what little power Trigon had left. The portal is closed, and Trigon's sons, believing they have gained great power, leave the scene, returning Gar to normal.
Following this, the team has settled themselves down at Titans Tower, where they attempt to recover from recent events. Raven and Beast Boy go out together on a "not-a-date". During this, Raven reveals that since she faced her brothers, she has begun to feel as if she is losing control and slipping back under the thrall of her father's powers. Although Beast Boy rejects the idea, he is blind-sided as Raven gives in to her darker side, under the influence of her half-brothers' coaxing. Using her teleporting powers, she and the Sons of Trigon vanish, leaving a distraught Beast Boy behind to warn the others.
The Titans are later able to save Raven, using a gem that she had entrusted to Donna Troy. The gem carried a piece of her pure-soul self, which then cleansed the evil of Raven. Afterwards, Raven gave Beast Boy and the rest of the team similar magical items in case she should ever be corrupted again. Raven later turns down Beast Boy's attempts to reconcile completely as a couple, although there are hints that she deeply regrets this but views it as a necessity for Beast Boy's safety.