Doom Patrol has proven itself to be a success on DC Universe. The spinoff series to core show Titans, the series has stepped up its game. With characters we’ve grown to love, the show is everything Titans is not. Or is it?
From Crazy Jane’s personality changes to Robotman’s f-bombs, the show has everything you could want in a program about a group of misfit heroes. While Doom Patrol is fun to watch, there are things it does better than its sister show, but there are things Titans does better than Doom Patrol.
10. (Doom Patrol Does Better) Story
Doom Patrol has a unique story that pushes ahead of the story Titans told in its first season. The show pulls together six nobodies and throws them into a world where people are harsh and critical, but they soldier on without batting an eyelid. It gets raw as it explores how the characters came to be who they are today and how they all stand against the evils who plague the world. The characters aren’t afraid to show their vulnerabilities as this helps them grow and helps the audience to understand who they are how they can improve.
9. (Titans Does Better) Costume Accuracy
When it comes to costumes, Titans is almost comic book accurate. Look at Robin’s suit for accuracy. It’s very reminiscent of Dick’s Robin suit in the comics, though the bow staff is a nice touch as it is a reference to Tim Drake (who was the Robin who wielded the weapon during his time as Batman’s sidekick). Raven and Starfire both had accurate costumes in an episode that didn’t end up going to air during the first season.
Another character that had a comic accurate costume was Jason Todd whose Robin suit was the same one he was killed in during the Death in the Family storyline. Could this be fate telling us he’s destined to die?
8. (Doom Patrol Does Better) Visual Effects
When there's a superhero show, there are visual effects involved. With Titans, one of the constant complaints was how terrible the visual effects for Raven and Starfire were. In Doom Patrol, the visual effects are far better with a few messy moments from time to time. One example of great visual effects in Doom Patrol is when Rita becomes emotional and melts into a pile of goo. As gross as it is, it really shows who she is as a character and it’s impressive.
7. (Titans Does Better) How The Group Came Together
The first season of Titans wasn’t perfect, but it did a great job at explaining how Robin, Raven, Starfire, and Beast Boy came together to form the Titans. Doom Patrol doesn’t quite cover all the bases. It explains how the main characters got their powers and how Chief saved them, but it doesn’t go beyond that. Some of the team’s origins were explored in the Titans episode "Doom Patrol," but left the rest of the origin stories for its own show based on the famed group.
6. (Doom Patrol Does Better) More Comedic Moments
Every superhero series needs a comedic moment. Doom Patrol has several of these moments every episode and it is all because of Robotman... and maybe the other Doom Patrol members, but it’s all Cliff. Titans is mostly gloomy and dark and deals the darkness like Arrow does. Doom Patrol is like The Flash where it embraces humor and gives the audience something to laugh at when the characters make a reference to something in popular culture.
5. (Titans Does Better) Introducing Fan-Favorite Characters
DC Comics has a passionate fanbase. When it comes to honoring fan-favorite characters, they have a good idea who they want to appear and who they don’t. Titans does an excellent job of introducing the characters who fans have wanted to see in a live-action project.
Examples of this include Donna Troy, Raven, and Starfire, none of whom have appeared in live-action before. Doom Patrol only focuses on the main team and not introducing characters fans want to see.
4. (Doom Patrol Does Better) Addressing Sexuality
Titans doesn’t address sexuality in the way Doom Patrol does. One of the main characters in the spin-off, Larry Trainor, a.k.a Negative Man, was a closeted gay man living a lie. We see him embrace his sexuality while living the life of a straight man. With Titans, we don’t see any reference to sexuality as the story was based around trying to work out who Rachel was and how to stop Trigon while explaining the backstories of the team.
3. (Titans Does Better) Backstory Accuracy
What’s great about Titans is how accurate the character backstories are despite the slight alterations. Two examples of this are Rachel (Raven) and Dick (Robin). Rachel was born to a human mother and the supervillain Trigon, while Dick was orphaned when his parents fell to their deaths during a trapeze performance. Also, the writers decided to take a slightly different route with a few of the characters by using old back stories that fans may have forgotten about.
2. (Doom Patrol Does Better) Using One Consistent Villain
Titans had a villain of the week scenario were the team went up against different villains before Trigon showed himself. Doom Patrol settles on one villain with Mister Nobody, while the team runs around fixing the world among small annoyances that prevent them from doing their job. With Titans, Trigon didn’t play a big role until the end of season one, but his presence loomed.
1. (Doom Patrol Does Better) Eliminating The Main Character
When you look at most shows, they have a main character. Titans has four main characters. Doom Patrol follows a group of characters and doesn’t allow one to take the spotlight over the others, as an ensemble show should. It’s like Legends of Tomorrow which also balances the attention paid to different characters well. If there were to be a single main character, we’d choose Caulder because he leads the team.