Teen Titans
‘X’
Original Airdate: 09/04/2004
Cartoon Network
As this episode picks up, there is a string of robberies, that lead the Titans to someone they thought they would never see again, Red X.
Red X is, was, Robin’s evil identity, in an episode from the first season (Masked). He created a super suit that runs off a very, very unstable chemical, zynothium. Robin then disguised himself as Red X to go undercover in Slade’s operation. The plan failed, due to Robin not telling his teammates about his plan.
Now, back to the episode. It seems as someone has broken into Titans Tower, and stolen the Red X suit, which couldn’t be destroyed because of the unstable zynothium core. So, naturally, Robin feels like all of this is his fault for creating Red X to begin with.
Now that the Titans are in pursuit of Red X, they need to do some detective work. Robin then goes after the zynothium that he knows Red X needs, and visits Prof. Chang, who used to provide Robin with it when he was X. Chang tells Robin that he doesn’t have any, but there is a company that as some, and points Robin in the right direction.
Once Robin figures out where to go, the rest of the Titans start to become victims of sneak attacks, the first of which being Cy-Borg. The rest of the team meets at a chemical company, to prevent X from getting the zynothium, but Raven, Beast Boy and Starfire all fall to sneak attacks like Cy. X then appears, and is chased through the building by Robin, which ends in the middle of the building, where the zynothium is. The 2 of them battle it out in one of the better fights I’ve seen in some time, man does X have so many gadgets.
During the fight, Robin asks why X stole the suit. X says that he isn’t in it to be a bad guy, he is just looking out to for #1. As they are going back and forth, people in Radiation outfits come in, attack both X and Robin, and take all the zynothium. One of them gives Robin a monitor, which is connected to Prof. Chang, who then admits to being behind the theft of the zynothium, so he can build a giant cannon. It is also revealed that Chang was also behind jumping the Titans. Robin goes to foil the plans, and asks if X is with him, which he is not. X says “Sorry kid, but I don’t like to be the hero.”
The conclusion comes when Robin storms Chang’s hideout, which is also where the rest of the Titans are being held. Just as Chang fires the cannon in to the city. Robin deflects the cannon, which only takes out the top part of Titan Tower. Robin goes though the radioactive suit henchmen, and X appears to help. Robin then says “I thought you didn’t like to be the hero” To which X replies “Doesn’t mean I don’t know how.”
Robin and X defeat Chang and his henchmen, and Robin frees the rest of the Titans. X attempts to make a clean escape, with a vile of zynothium, but Robin has taken off X’s utility belt. X makes a clean getaway however.
The rest of the zynothium is destroyed, and Robin is left pondering why the line between good and evil is so thin.
This is yet another great episode, the 3rd in a row that I had to watch a couple of times, just because it was so good. When they first saw Red X, Starfire had to sit there and poke Robin time and time again before she realized that he is not a hologram, like he was in ‘Masked.’ Also, when they were trying to figure out who Red X was, Beast Boy brought in a black board, which had Nightwing (I know Robin becomes Nightwing eventually), and Jason Todd as possible candidates.
Another thing that is troubling, is that the Red X costume is SO powerful, why doesn’t Robin just use it for himself? I mean, he runs around with his Birdorang and staff, while Red X’s outfit teleports him around, and makes a giant red x into anything, an explosive, a bound, a barrier, whatever he wanted! Unfortunately, we never find out who Red X was, but that only means that he will be back.
~PK
