Who is DC's Danny Chase? Comic origin explored ahead of rumored Titans appearance

Danny Chase is rumored to be appearing on HBO Max's Titans very soon. While this Teen Titan wasn't well received in the comics, he is far from forgotten. The character's beloved uncle Adrian Chase (Vigilante) caused a huge sensation on another HBO Max show, Peacemaker. Fans would not have much to worry about if the nephew follows in his uncle's footsteps.

Although Danny's presence hasn't been confirmed yet, we think it might be helpful for the show. We already know that Joseph Morgan's Brother Blood is the main villain in the next season. Another fresh face may lead to something remarkable.

---

The comic-book origin of Danny Chase

The New Teen Titans (1984) #40 (Image via DC Comics)

Danny Chase was the only child of John and Cherie Chase, who were international agents for the Central Bureau of Intelligence. He first appeared in the New Teen Titans Annual Vol 2 #3 in November 1987. Danny was raised in a strict training environment by his parents, who wanted him to work for the same organization when he was old enough.

The boy was clearly a genius with an eidetic memory. On top of that, his parents trained him in espionage, infiltration, and intelligence acquisition. He also had a superpower, thanks to his grandfather, Franklin Chase. During an event, Franklin Chase was exposed to a large amount of radiation. Due to this occurrence, several decades later, Danny was born with the superpower of telekinesis.

The New Teen Titans (1984) #40 (Image via DC Comics)

When he was merely a teenager, he was selected to be a New Teen Titan after assisting the Titans in solving the missing case of his parents. As soon as he started living in the Titans tower, we got to see the real Danny Chase, who was a lot like Damian Wayne (no exaggeration).

The boy had extraordinary powers, almost too extraordinary, and he was considered smarter than all of the Titans (even Dick Grayson) due to his eidetic memory. One of the most evident reasons behind his negative popularity was his feud with Beast Boy. He bantered with Beast Boy incessantly, with little discernible empathy.

Because of his parents' spy background, he was schooled to act apathetic, but he became almost too good at it. He was portrayed as discourteous, vain, shallow, and scornful, but that wasn't essentially the worst part. The worst part was that Danny Chase got his way every time he wanted to.

The New Teen Titans (1984) #42 (Image via DC Comics)

With each new issue, fans, particularly Beast Boy enthusiasts, grew to dislike Danny Chase. Many admirers despised the character because they couldn't identify with him. He possessed no flaws! Superman, too, has kryptonite which weakens him, thus making him more relatable to the audience.

Due to experiencing a lot of failures, the writers decided to put an end to his membership in the New Teen Titans. Nightwing dismissed Danny Chase after truly seeing his emotionlessness when he was apathetic about Jason Todd's (Robin) death. Nightwing deemed him unfit for a benevolent team like the Titans.

Danny Chase wasn't just limited to this narrative. He also appeared in the Titans Hunt storyline as Phantasm, who also possessed Arella's powers on top of his own. But regardless of Marv Wolfman's various attempts, the character always seemed unlikable to the fans.

---

However, these incidences occurred decades ago, and we believe in second chances (so does Young Justice). We believe Danny Chase's reincarnation will win some hearts this time. Seeing him in a live-action may spark a much-needed excitement among DC fans, who now believe that the hypothesis has no possibility of coming true. Adrian Chase's fans might be more empathetic in giving the guy a chance.