Warning: Spoilers for DC’s ‘Twas the ‘Mite Before Christmas #1 ahead!
The Titans have recently returned to take their place at the forefront of the DC Universe — but not all of them. Bunker, the forgotten star of the Teen Titans lineup from DC’s New 52 era, has notably been left off the current roster. This may be a problem, as he has the potential to be one of the strongest members of the team.
In the story “It’s a Bunkerful Life” by Josh Trujillo, Andrew Drilon, and Lucas Gattoni from DC’s ‘Twas the ‘Mite Before Christmas #1, Bunker finds himself in Palmera City, fending off D-List supervillain Drummer Boy and the monster Cipactli. Despite his easy win, Bunker gets no respect from the crowd and is still stung by not being asked to join the newly reformed Titans. In an homage to 1946’s classic movie It’s A Wonderful Life, the magical Extraño whisks Bunker to a world in which he never existed.
The pair are promptly confronted by monstrous, Dominator-controlled Titan clones. Fighting for his life, Bunker holds nothing back and puts on a powerhouse performance against the clones; despite being severely outnumbered, Bunker defeats the majority of the false Titans by himself.
The Titans’ Unexpected New Member Gives the Team a Huge Power Boost
Despite already having an all-star line-up of heroes, the Titans just added a strong new member who will dramatically raise the team’s power level.
Bunker: The Forgotten Powerhouse of the New 52’s Teen Titans
Miguel Barragan first appeared as Bunker in 2011’s Teen Titans #1 by Scott Lobdell, Brett Booth, Norm Rapmund, Andrew Dalhouse, and Carlos M. Mangual, becoming one of the core members of this version of the team. A metahuman, Bunker is able to project and control psionic “bricks” that are similar to a Green Lantern’s constructs, allowing him to create uniquely shaped barriers. Once DC’s Rebirth “soft reboot” occurred, Bunker was largely left behind by the publisher along with the majority of the New 52’s serious changes to continuity, only making a cameo appearance at the very end of the DC Pride anthology from 2021.
It’s a shame that Bunker hasn’t made many appearances, as his brief fight in DC’s ‘Twas the ‘Mite Before Christmas #1 shows why he was one of the strongest members of his Teen Titans lineup. Bunker’s bricks are limited only by his willpower and his creativity, which he uses in spades to overcome his foes: armoring himself against their attacks, trapping Bumblebee in a cage, using them as micro-projectiles, and so on. When Bunker is operating at his peak, he is essentially a one-man army, able to attack on multiple fronts in various ways while maintaining nearly impenetrable defenses.
Bunker Could Make the Titans Unstoppable
Bunker’s sheer strength would make him a huge boon to the Titans — but there’s a catch. Since Bunker’s entire history is heavily dependent on the New 52 canon, his place in the current timeline is muddied at best: while he proudly says he “was a Teen Titan,” his exploits with the team remain unexplored within the current continuity. Nonetheless, he has the raw power and positive attitude to be a tremendous asset to the current roster of Titans, especially with this story releasing at the same time as the Beast World crisis. The Titans may be Earth’s protectors for now, but if they truly want to step up their game, they’re going to need Bunker at their side.
DC’s ‘Twas the ‘Mite Before Christmas #1 (2023) | |
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