Summary

• In a surprising twist, Brick Pettirosso is revealed as the new Red X, but his true identity remains complex and tragic.
• The second Red X masterminded the entire scheme, manipulating Brick and subsequently murdering him in front of Nightwing.
• The mystery of the second Red X remains unsolved, leaving fans waiting for answers that may never come to light.

The real identity of Red X has been confirmed by DC Comics, as it's revealed to be Titans Academy student Brick Pettirosso. But Teen Titans fans who thought the mystery of the masked operative would be permanently solved are in for a surprise.

In Teen Titans Academy #12, Pettirosso shows himself as the man behind the fourth iteration and current version of Red X. However, immediately following his shocking unmasking, the second Red X returns with some bad news for the Titans. Not only is the reveal complicated by another version of Red X, but the overarching mystery remains unsolved to this day.

The Original Red X Was a Teen Titans Animated Series Mystery

The identity of the successor was left unresolved in the series' original run.

While the arrival of the masked Rex X into the comics continuity explained little of his backstory, fans of the Teen Titans television series which aired on Cartoon Network in the early 2000s knew the figure all too well. Originally an identity adopted by Dick Grayson to go undercover where Robin could not, Dick eventually unmaked himself to his teammates and audience, but both were left in the dark when another soon emerged.

The imposter second Red X was just as accomplished as Dick had been in acrobatics, fighting, and gadgetry as Grayson, wielding the same uniform, but his own arsenal of tricks, a utility belt of weapons, and technology allowing him to teleport, become invisible, or seemingly conjure weapons from nowhere. And worst of all, the true identity of this masked Red X was never explicitly revealed in the series.

While it was never confirmed officially, the popular theory (also shared by in-universe characters) names Jason Todd, Dick's successor as Robin, as the true man behind the second Red X mask.

The New Red X is Unmasked in DC's Teen Titans Academy Comic

A new, heroic Red X was shown to fight for the world in DC's dark future

Despite his restriction to the animated realm of DC characters, Red X was prominently featured among the strange heroes glimpsed to exist in DC's Future Stateevent. Recruited by Nightwing as one of Earth's last hopes againstRaven and the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse, it seemed the mystery would finally be solved (and expanded upon, to boot).The emergence of this Red X is told in the first 12 issues of the Teen Titans Academy series, with the identity and arsenal adopted by an unknown student appearing simultaneously in the rest of the story. And inTeen Titans Academy #12 by Tim Sheridan and Tom Derenick, Red X brings his plan to fruition. The Titans defeated, and their tower in ruins, Red X unmasks himself one and for all...

Brick Pettirosso is The Red X (And is Soon Killed By The Second Red X)

Teen Titans Academy #12 by Tim Sheridan, Tom Derenick, Alex Sinclair, and Rob Leigh

After telling the students that the Titans and Nightwing need to be stopped and that they are using them, Red X rips off his mask, revealing he's Brick Pettirosso - a student seen throughout the series.Considering the clues all pointed to the EMP-powered student as the new Red X, the reveal makes sense. But there's an added twist: Brick is Nightwing's son.

At least, he thinks he is Nightwing's son. Brick immediately makes the shocking revelation that being abandoned by his bological father was his primary motivation. Leaving behind the orphanage and taking the name "Pettirosso" (Italian for "robin"), Brick trained to become a mockery of the child sidekicks the Titans represent to DC history. But in the most tragic twist of this tale, Brick soon discovers he was only an instrument of revenge for another villain...

The Second Red X Returns, As The Mastermind of The Entire Scheme

The idea of a long-lost son is immediately put to rest, with the blood samples taken of every Titans Academy student proving Nightwing is not Brick Pettirosso's father. But no sooner have the heroes asked how Brick could have been so deceived, than they get the shocking answer: the second Red X was behind the entire plot, and arrives via teleportation to rub it in Dick's face.

The second Red X explains the entire scheme, resucing Brick from an orphanage, deceiving him by claiming Nightwing was his father, and that the Titans only manipulated and used young people as pawns in their war against crime. Obviously, this isn't true, but Brick bought into it fully and acted as a double agent for Red X when he infiltrated Titans Academy. The plot completed and the truth revealed, the second Red X murders Brick in front of Nightwing, and promises a 'round two' with Dick as he teleports away.

The Mystery Of The Second Red X Remains Unsolved

For two years following this scene Dick Grayson has been operating in Bludhaven, Gotham, and elsewhere, but the still-unknown Red X hasn't been seen since.

After murdering Brick right in front of Nightwing, the second Red X promises a rematch, before teleporting away. He's never been seen since. Red X claims that Dick Grayson, during his time as Robin, ruined his life. Now he intends to take everything from Dick, but that doesn't seem to have actually happened. For two years following this scene Dick Grayson has been operating in Bludhaven, Gotham, and elsewhere, but the still-unknown Red X hasn't been seen since.

After this issue, DC began building to its Dark Crisis event, and Red X's plot was seemingly dropped entirely (with his last appearance being Titans Academy #12, in which he killed Brick). After the events of Dark Crisis the Titans took over when the Justice League was disbanded., and have fought world-ending threats to no end. Despite the second Red X's claim of a coming fight, fans are still left waiting for the answer they may never see explained.

Teen Titans Academy is available from DC Comics.