Warning! SPOILERS for Titans season 3 episode 12
In Titans season 3, the show underscores how much it has changed over its run as Superboy and Blackfire flip Dick Grayson’s infamous “F**k Batman” line from season 1. Each season of the show has had a new feel accompanied by a new locale. However, the move to Gotham accompanied by the new storylines included in season 3 has driven Titans a long way from where it began, and the flip of season 1's infamous line is beautifully symbolic of this evolution.
In the very first episode of Titans season 1, Dick Grayson is shown in the Robin costume for the first time as he beats up a group of criminals. While the criminals expected Batman to show up, Dick made it clear that he could handle the situation alone and, when he was done, said to himself, “F**k Batman.” In Titans season 3, episode 12 “Prodigal,” the line is alluded to when Blackfire convinces Superboy that they should pursue their own goals, with first Blackfire and then Connor instead saying, “F**k the Titans.”
When Dick Grayson originally said, “F**k Batman,” in Titans season 1, the line served to define his character and his arc for the coming season. For Dick, it was a sign not only of his rebellion against his former mentor but also of his defiance against the idea that he couldn’t handle himself without Batman. However, by the latter part of season 3, Dick has become a very different person. As he has found himself as the leader of a new team and mended bridges with Bruce Wayne, the line has become less applicable for him to speak. Bruce Wayne’s Titans season 3 charge for him to “be a better Batman” has also emphasized how he has become more and more like his mentor. He regularly leaves his team behind to try and tackle problems singlehandedly and doesn’t give the Titans the support they often need from a leader. As he has become more like the parts of Batman that he hated, it makes a lot of sense for that line to be turned against him and the team he represents when Blackfire and Superboy say, “F**k the Titans.”
The original line also has a larger meta-meaning for Titans as a show. “F**k Batman” hammered home that this would be a series about Dick and the Titans, not Batman. This idea was emphasized by Dick’s assertion that Titans' Beast Boy wouldn’t meet Batman as well as extended scenes where Wayne is notably not visible on screen. Flipping the line to “F**k the Titans” goes some way to Titans acknowledging the shift that has happened in the show’s focus. Titans season 2 introduced Iain Glen to give Wayne a face, and while he has not appeared as much in season 3, his existence has been a huge driving force for the story. As Titans has moved to Gotham, dealt with the creation of Red Hood, and introduced Scarecrow as a major villain, it has become more and more embroiled in Batman-centric storylines. Of course, Dick was not really over Batman when he said his line in Titans season 1, and the same may be true here. “F**k the Titans” might actually be a sign that the show is about to correct its angle and instead spend time healing those wounds and focusing more on the Titans as a unit.
Focusing on the team’s dynamic will be particularly necessary after the events of Titans season 3, episodes 11 and 12, in which Dick Grayson borrows a very particular Batman tactic and uses kryptonite to disable his allies Superboy and Krypto. His actions are going to leave a lasting wound between Dick and Connor and they are a solid foundation for Connor wanting to leave the team. With Superboy beginning to show some more duplicitous tendencies by destroying Blackfire’s ship, it is clear that for Dick to heal the Titans, he’ll need to do more than call them family without the actions to back it up.
Titans releases new episodes Thursdays on HBO Max.
