Aliases, personas, and nicknames are important to heroes and villains alike in Cartoon Network's 2003 Teen Titans series. Slade's real name is never revealed on the show; in fact, his identity is so shrouded that the momentary loss of his face mask is a moment of palpable vulnerability. He covers his face and retreats into the shadows, abandoning his objective entirely to avoid being perceived. Other villains, like Control Freak and Mad Mod, to name a couple, have given themselves these titles, building a persona around them to create the aesthetic and illusion of mystery and power that they so badly crave.