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- Who is Killer Moth?
- Is Killer Moth Human?
The 2003 Teen Titans series manages to be both detailed and ambiguous in ways that manage to enrich the show’s tone and themes. The series is rich in character development, often sacrificing logistical specifics for the sake of emotional depth. Cyborg’s mechanical limitations are brought up frequently and are a known sore spot for the hero, though what it really means, in practicality, for him to run out of “juice”, temporarily lose his arm, or build a car, submarine, and spaceship that sync with his systems is murky at best.
What is crystal clear, however, is how it makes Cyborg feel, and the subsequent thematic message that it is our hearts rather than our bodies that make us human. When Robin created the mysterious, villainous persona of Red X, he exhibited abilities that he had never demonstrated before; logistically, Red X’s capabilities are a stretch. But this in fact only further emphasizes the extreme lengths Robin was willing to take to get to Slade, and this is the heart of the episode- not the mechanics of how he pulled it off.
The same is true for Teen Titans‘ villains. Realism and specific explanations of their abilities are often forfeited for emotional detail. This lack of explanation contributes to a zany, truly trippy viewing experience that remains emotionally meaningful. The optical illusionist Mad Mod is able to hypnotize and brainwash not only the Teen Titans, but all of Jump City, with a spiraling image; the audience is never told any more than this about how the hypnotism works, merely that it does. Similar observations can be made about villains like Fixit, Warp, Mumbo Jumbo, and more. But perhaps no villain is as much of a head scratcher as the human-bodied/insect-headed Killer Moth.
Who is Killer Moth?
Killer Moth is a powerful foe to the Teen Titans, posing more of a challenge to the young heroes than many of their other adversaries. He has a humanoid body, standing upright with two legs, two arms, hands and feet, but he also has fur covering his shoulders and chest, as well as large striped wings and an insect head, complete with antennae and pincers. Like a moth, Killer Moth also has the ability to cling to walls and fly, in addition to enhanced strength. On the flip side, Killer Moth also speaks English and has a clear grasp of science and technology (in his first appearance on the show, the Titans meet with Killer Moth over video chat from Titans Tower). Like many villains of Jump City, Killer Moth has the rather superficial goal of “taking over Jump City”, though his determination, skillset, and resources make him a formidable threat.
Patience, my children. Soon, you shall wreak the havoc you crave. Soon, I shall have the power I deserve. Soon, the entire city will bow before its new master: Killer Moth!
More of Killer Moth’s history can be gleaned through the DC’s Teen Titans comic book series. His real name is Drury Walker, and he has been a foe of Batman as well. However, the amount of detail divulged in the Cartoon Network TV series is in keeping with the show’s occasionally bizarre tone. Killer Moth’s physical appearance and basement lab cultivation of a swarm, paired with his knowledge of technology and sudden bursts of surprisingly human emotion, depict a character that is intentionally mysterious. He begs more questions than answers, the primary one being (as Cyborg can relate), where does the human end and the bug begin?
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First Appearance |
Season two, episode six, “Date with Destiny” |
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Final Appearance |
Season five, episode twelve, “Titans Together” |
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Played by |
Thomas Haden Church (“Date with Destiny”) Marc Worden (future appearances) |
Is Killer Moth Human?
Killer Moth’s first appearance on Teen Titans is in season two, episode six, “Date With Destiny”. At the start of the episode, Robin is incapacitated as the team battles a spider-headed thief. Starfire brings him back to Titans Tower to recover, though when he checks back in on the rest of the team, he finds that their attention has shifted to a swarm of moths that threaten to destroy a major bridge. Meanwhile, Killer Moth revels in his soon-to-be-enacted plans of total domination of Jump City, only to be interrupted by… his completely human, completely girly, completely normal teenage daughter Kitten, who does not fear him in the slightest.
He broke up with me! My stupid ex-boyfriend, Fang, broke up with me! And now, I don’t have a date for the prom! Prom is tomorrow, Daddy. I don’t have time to find another date. So you’re gonna find one for me! And I don’t want just anyone. I want someone handsome, and popular, and totally cool. Someone no other girl could get. Someone who’ll drive Fang wild with jealousy! I want…
Kitten talks over all of Killer Moth’s pathetic pleas to be reasonable. She clearly has him wrapped around her finger, as moments later, Killer Moth finds himself on a video call with Robin and Starfire, offering a deal of sparing Jump City if Robin will take Kitten to the prom. The oddities continue with Robin asking Kitten to the prom for the sake of Jump City, only to be interrupted mid-dance by the indeed jealous Fang, who turns out to be the spider-headed thief from the episode’s opening moments.
The juxtaposition of Kitten’s human normalcy and bratty problems to Killer Moth’s villainous plans- and abrupt tone shifts as he pampers his daughter- all contribute to the mystifying nature of the entire scenario. The Titans react with a mixture of shock and disgust throughout the episode, affirming that the characters’ weirdness is indeed intentional. More details of how Killer Moth came to be the villain that he is are chronicled in the comics, but when it comes to the Cartoon Network series, some not knowing is part of the fun. As far as whether Killer Moth is human, his human emotion and grasp of technology suggest that he is- or at least once was- and the presence of a human daughter all but confirm it.
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