The son of two genetic scientists, Garfield contracted a nasty disease from one of their test subjects. His parents attempted a cure, and saved their son's life, but his skin and hair pigmentation was changed to a bright green hue, and he could now take on the form (somehow including mass and weight, and sometimes the esoteric abilities) of any animal. When his parents were killed he lived with a variety of different people before being adopted by Rita Farr of the Doom Patrol - Garfield (or Gar) became a part-time member of the Patrol using the name of Beast Boy. After the Patrol were killed, Gar became a TV star in Space Trek 2002 for a time. He then renamed himself Changeling and joined the Titans, who became his close friends. He maintained links with the group over the years, though for a time he lived in Hollywood, sharing an apartment with his cousin Matt and the heroine Flamebird, who bullied him into starting a new group of west coast Titans. Recently, following the death of Donna Troy, Gar went back to the name of Beast Boy and helped set up the newest group of Teen Titans, where he mentors some of the youngest members of the heroic community.