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As Teen Titans Academy starts to shed light on its inaugural class’ background, Red X’s origins are teased with the introduction of another Red X.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for “Extrication” from the Teen Titans Academy 2021 Yearbook #1, by Tim Sheridan, Rafa Sandoval, Jordi Tarragona, Alex Sinclair and Rob Leigh, on sale now.
Ever since Future State, one of the DC Universe’s biggest mysteries has surrounded the identity of a new Red X prowling around, often seen with the Teen Titans. This enigma continued on into the Infinite Frontier era, with Dick Grayson’s old, violent masked persona resurfacing as Teen Titans Academy opened its doors to its inaugural class of aspiring superhero students.
While recent evidence seemed to suggest Red X may be Billy Batson, a newly revealed backstory complicates the investigation further, shedding new light on the secret origins of the new Red X.
A flashback to nine years prior reveals that someone else has already claimed the mantle of Red X from Dick Grayson and is targeting an operation that targets foster children and raises them to be future henchmen for Gotham crime lord Black Mask. Brutally dispatching the evil foster parents, Red X has all of the orphans left in their care taken in by the proper authorities, save one who feels he doesn’t belong with the other children and remains behind with the vigilante. As Red X teaches the young boy his mission and how he claimed the masked persona from Grayson, a flashforward to three months prior to the relative present of the DCU shows the shadowy figure giving his now teenage charge the Red X mask as he enrolls in Teen Titans Academy.
Since making their debut upon the opening of Teen Titans Academy, Red X has wasted no time in making a grand splash in the DCU while maintaining their secret identity. The mysterious, masked man has already completely humiliated the Suicide Squad, allowing himself to be captured in order to trigger a mass prison break at Belle Reve and infuriate Amanda Waller and Task Force X before escaping himself. Following this, the students at Teen Titans Academy launched their own quiet investigation into the true identity of Red X, with all evidence at the time pointing to Billy Batson, the teenage alter ego of Shazam, being the figure behind the mask.
With Billy abandoned by his biological parents as a child, the mysterious Red X could indeed be the magical superhero at first glance though the loving foster family that eventually took him in appears to discount this possibility entirely. Future State had also suggested as much, with Shazam and Red X depicted as two completely different characters during this glimpse into a possible future. And while this revelation appears to exonerate Billy from being Red X, it also opens the bigger question of who claimed the Red X mantle from Grayson and is apparently still on the loose monitoring their teenage protege.
With the exploration of Red X’s backstory, it’s clear that the mystery behind discovering the identity of the man behind the mask is only just beginning. The masked vigilante does not appear to actually be Billy Batson, and an even more violent mentor figure stands behind the scenes making sure his ward infiltrates Teen Titans Academy for reasons unknown. And though Red X has been a valuable source of help for the heroes so far, it’s clear that his agenda may put him in direct conflict with the Titans in the near future.
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