Protecting Humanity From The Shadows

Zach is somebody who keeps up a lot of fronts and barriers to guard a deeply passionate but wounded heart. He has been through severe trauma and as far as we've ever seen has gotten no help for it. He is surrounded by people but deeply lonely with few routes out of it.

For all the wonder he can create and inspire he feels like deep down he is very jaded by life already.

Origins

Ok so we don't know a ton about Zach's early life or parents beyond the fact that Zatanna and Giovanni visited when he was younger, his mother had magic, and that he only gained magic later into his life. Also at some point his mom died.

I personally feel like he had a very mundane life beyond when his extended family visited until his own magic developed. So once he had a chance to have a more exciting life he dove into it head first with very little oversight from anybody.

Trauma Conga Line

Okay so a lot has happened to Zach since he became a teenager so let's rapid fire through it along with things that have been implied.

His girlfriend ended up pregnant, seemingly they wee intending to keep the twins, and then both Kate and the children died in some way which was never explained. It could have happened in childbirth, could have been an accident of some sort. In my personal canon I say it was a car accident caused by a wild animal that happened while Kate was pregnant, and you free to use that if you want.

He got to watch one of his few fiends make a deal with a demon while being completely powerless to stop him, and then had to keep Eddie's secret and therefore had nobody he could talk to about it all or to try and get help. I have to imagine he was feeling a lot of guilt over Eddie's death as well considering Zach was the one that got him on the team.

Along with many other members of the Teen Titans he got kidnapped and forced into a fight ring for the Dark Side Club while brainwashed and drugged. Then in the aftermath rejected any sort of mental help due to a misunderstanding about having to join the team.

He got hospitalized by Black Adam during World War III in a fight that resulted in a couple other Titans straight up dying. My boy gets beat up, a lot, but he is surprisingly hearty.

Then there's the whole thing in Coven of Tree where he has to face his dead girlfriend and children, have them live away, only for that to be ripped away from him resulting in him endeavoring to revive Kate, a quest we never saw the conclusion to. And the friends he made in this endeavor are either keeping massive secrets (Traci) or planning to backstab him (Lori)

Also during reign in hell he did have David Sargent die right on top of him and nearly died as well, David Sargent had to give up his life in order to make sure Zach didn't die. So just throw in some more survivors guilt.

Zach was once enslaved in Sorcerer's World (Zerox) for roughly eight months by Mirabai via mind control magic who treated him as a pet, called him "My little Z." and referred to him as weak and worthless, likely many times over the eight months. The lady was super creepy and I do not like some of the implications that the whole mess creates for Zach.

Upon return it is likely a lot less time had passed on earth than Zerox as time works differently there. There was never any follow up on this so presumably he told nobody or nobody cared. I really couldn't tell you but given how flippant Zatanna was with him in her solo, which happened after this I imagine he just didn't tell her.

It's been implied that he uses drugs and alcohol and the former was canon to the Suicide Squad Seven pitch written by the same guy as Coven of Three, so it's something I'm personally willing to use as a source of confirmation. It didn't tell us what type beyond just pills, which could be anything from prescription drugs to ecstasy.

Zach to me strikes up the stories and images of a child star, he did start when he was rather young and being on tour though the nightlife centers of the world probably took their toll on him and has given him very easy access to less than stellar ways of dealing with his problems

Overall it seems like he has few friends, pushes away the few he gains for various reasons, and has next to no support from his family. He had been performing for years before Zatanna showed up to a show of his. His mom and uncle are dead. We have literally never seen or heard anything of his father. There is a reason his whole thing in Coven of Three was about how lonely he was.

So yeah there is a lot going on here and it seems like literally nobody has tried to help him since the ending of Terror Titans, frankly I feel like every adult in Zach's life has failed him pretty fucking miserably. Some of them have good reasons like Zatanna who could have assumed his dad would be involved in his life and she was busy with her own problems. Some like his completely absent father not so much, unless he's just an orphan, in which case I'm judging Zee a little more for her lack of care for Zach.

Zach can be an interesting exploration of untreated trauma and loneliness. However there hasn't been much done with that in canon since he's never starred in something, and it's lot easier to just present his act. I feel like similar is true in universe as well.

He's also a good case study for how the trauma and problems of non a-lister characters is treated and ignored in service of furthering the plot at the expense of the more minor characters and their stories, which can be just as if not more interesting.

Moving Forward

Zach from all of this has a couple routes moving forward. To get better or worse. And I feel like he could turn out to be a hero as easily as a villain.

Night Force: Having a stolid friend group that's not about to implode on itself or devolve into personal drama like the Teen Titans would be really healthy for him, especially if just about anyone was willing to listen to his problems and take them seriously. I really feel like he needs and craves recognition of his own fucked-up-ness but doesn't know how to communicate that outside of being abrasive and his benders.

Apprentice: Zach could really do with an adult in his life that cares about him, and who has time to help him. Of course there is the obvious candidate of Zatanna but I feel like she is a little too busy and already has the idea of Zach as a brat built up in her head which I don't think would be helpful, plus e would still have to be in her shadow.

Some candidates I think would go better are Raven, Jericho, Arsenal/Roy Harper, hell Captain Atom at least knows roughly what happened in Zerox so let's put him on the list.

Some other team: Like Night Force all it would really need to be a good place for Zach is less drama than the Teen Titans team he was on and somebody willing to lend an ear.

Villain (Necromancy): The whole trying to revive Kate thing could go terribly wrong or result in him turning to morally dubious sources out of a sense of desperation. He very easily could reach a point of deciding to say fuck everyone else and consequences, I'm doing what I want.

Villain (Other): It could also just be decides to say that without fucking around with necromancy. Just take out his pain on others cause he hasn't really had any other way to do it. And like, he's been forced into siding with villains twice with no follow up on his mental state, traces of the brainwashing and magic used on him very well might be lingering.

Retire: The stage life has taken it's toll on Zach and it probably would be healthier for him to stop and find something that lets him settle somewhere and get to know the people around him, something that doesn't force him to put up an act nearly every day and dangle drugs, hook ups, and alcohol right in his face.

Expanding on that I feel like some careers that I feel like could fit him: Stage director, magic consultant, linguistics teacher/tutor, writer

Utter breakdown: One straw too many and it's time for an utter breakdown, magic going haywire, a bender that goes too far, shouting at the people close to him, a sobbing fit on stage. Really take your pick. Bottling everything up takes it's toll and maybe it would take something this serious for the people around him to see past the act he puts on

Suicide Squad: A bender went too far and e got arrested. He might die but maybe there is some found family to be found? Or at least people who won't judge him much for his own short comings.

My Own Headcanons

I'm personally a fan of having Zach be Zee and John's kid from like right after they broke up with Nick, and they both realized they were not fit to be parents so Zatanna entrusted her aunt with Zach. I seem to recall you don't like that hc much but I thought it was worth mentioning.

It does make some interesting parallels between him and each members of the disaster polyclue.

This version of Zach's middle name is Mercy as picked by John (/my brother & rp partner @kitty-does-stuff)

Zach has a natural gift for languages, learning them very quickly and their histories.

He was fully intending on marrying Kate and settling down with her to be a dad before her untimely death. He still deep down longs to settle down someday, but has lost sight of when that would even be possible for him.

Zach grew up in Gotham where his parents were socialites. His mom, Beatrice, is his tie into the Zatara family. His dad, George is just like an accountant or something equally as boring.

Bunny is a childhood friend who joined him on the road due to their friendship and her own desire for adventure.

The version of Zach I rp wasn't acturally all that close to Eddie (played by @kitty-does-stuff) before the incident with Neron, only getting closer due to the immense gulit he felt and the pressure of being on of the only people that could help Eddie. Go ask @kitty-does-stuff for more Eddie meta if you want.

Zach honestly hates Blue Devil and has done everything in his power to avoid the man as he knows he can't really freak out at Blue Devil without revealing he was there for Eddie's deal, which he really doesn't want to do

The canon Zach in prime earth also really hates Wally West due to Eddie's death in heroes in crisis.

Other

I have a playlist for him here

Conclusion

I hope something in here has been helpful, and your ask really reminds me I need to read your fic! If there's anything anyone wants me to expand on lmk and I would be happy to!