Summary

• Beast Boy willingly sacrifices pieces of himself to help the animals of the world, even though it causes him pain.
• Beast Boy's trauma in the past has influenced his mindset, leading him to think more globally and prioritize the survival of Earth's fauna over himself.
• Beast Boy's willingness to give his life at a moment's notice for the ecosystem shows his unquestionable heroism.

Warning! Spoilers ahead for Titans #5!There's a dark side to Beast Boy's powers, but it's revealing the extent of Garfield Logan's heroism. During the Titans' latest era, no one has stepped up more than Beast Boy to help the world, and the latest demonstration of his abilities shows the type of hero Gar truly is.

In Titans #5 by Tom Taylor and Nicola Scott, the team is attempting to save the Borneo rainforest after the Demolition Team attempted to level it. They recruit Levi Kamei, the current Swamp Thing, to help them restore the rainforest's ecosystem.

After Swamp Thing restores the flora, Beast Boy turns into a swarm of insects to help the fauna. Swamp Thing asks if Raven worries about Gar when he does this, and Raven notes that Beast Boy feels pieces of himself die when one of his insect forms is crushed or eaten. But if it means helping the animals of the world, Gar gladly sacrifices those pieces of himself.

Parts of Beast Boy Die When His Insect Forms Are Destroyed

Beast Boy has been through some harrowing events lately. During Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths, Gar was shot and put into a coma. Thankfully, he made it out alive, but the event was so traumatic for him, that he was unable to transform into larger animals for a brief period. But he had a great system in the Titans, which was good considering the massive responsibility placed on their shoulders as the Justice League's replacements. Since stepping up, Beast Boy has been thinking more globally and has led the team's efforts to help the rainforest after it was razed.

It's not uncommon to see Beast Boy transform into insects, but it is a bit unsettling to see him divide his consciousness among swarms of ladybugs, dung beetles, and butterflies. With that many insects, Gar is bound to lose several in the wild. But Beast Boy knows this and is well aware that he'll permanently lose a piece of himself whenever he transforms like that. Despite the immense cost, Garfield does it because he cares about the animal kingdom more than he cares about himself. As someone who has likely been every animal possible, Beast Boy believes that the survival of Earth's fauna is far more important than he is.

Beast Boy is Willing to Sacrifice Himself for Earth's Animal Life

Like the rest of the Titans, Beast Boy has been putting a lot of thought into what it truly means to save the world. Due to his close connection to the Red, Gar empathizes with the animal kingdom and wants to do whatever he can to help it. While it's horrifying to think that little pieces of Beast Boy's soul disappear every time an insect version of him is eaten, Gar would gladly give more if it meant keeping the ecosystem functional. It's one thing to save the day from supervillains, but being ready to give his life at a moment's notice makes Beast Boy unquestionably heroic.

Titans #5 is on sale now from DC Comics.