Superman makes his Titans debut, albeit not necessarily in the manner viewers would have hoped. Titans has been skirting around Superman for quite some time. Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson have both dropped in-dialogue references to DC's iconic Kryptonian, and introducing Joshua Orpin as Conner Kent in Titans season 2 brought Superman firmly into the narrative spotlight. Alas, the man himself has never appeared in person, aside from a tiny glimpse of young Clark's arm in season 2's "Conner." With Titans season 4 moving the action to Metropolis and casting Titus Welliver as Lex Luthor, however, the chances of a Supes-sighting are higher than ever heading into episode 1.
Happily, Titans season 4 wastes no time giving Superman his long-awaited debut... almost. In Titans season 4, episode 1, Dick Grayson and pals take a trip to STAR labs where Conner is planning to meet Clark for the very first time. Outside STAR labs stands a giant statue of Superman himself, and this artistic construction offers a general idea of what Superman actually looks like in Titans. The face doesn't obviously resemble any known Superman actor, and the costume is modeled after DC's traditional comic book design, complete with very defined underwear outline. Inside the lab, Dick and Conner are then shown video footage of Superman in flight, although the hero is moving so quickly he resembles little more than a patriotic blur. Technically, however, present-day Superman has now debuted in Titans.
Will Superman Appear In Titans Season 4 Properly?
Through the statue and flying blur, Titans season 4 comes as close as practically possible to showing Superman without actually debuting Superman. Nevertheless, this pseudo-debut offers a positive indication that Titans may eventually afford Kal-El a proper introduction. Superboy's character arc is now woven entirely around meeting his father, meaning Clark will struggle to avoid Conner forever. With Lex Luthor and Metropolis also coming into play, Superman's increasing relevance to Titans' narrative certainly appears to be building toward an in-person appearance that extends beyond just a metal face or indiscernible moving smudge.
The key question is whether Titans will be permitted to show Superman, and showrunner Greg Walker is optimistic about those chances, telling ourselves at ScreenRant, "We have hints of Superman, and there'll be more; this is not the only one... It's something that we would love [Superman appearing], and hopefully, one day, we'll come to realize on Titans." A potential compromise would be for Superman to appear in Titans similar to how Iain Glen portrayed the Caped Crusader. Titans barely showed Batman in costume, but heavily featured Bruce Wayne as a recurring character. Perhaps Titans will be granted the use of Clark Kent in his spectacles and suit, but not to have Superman whizzing around Metropolis firing off eye beams.
What Superman's Role Could Be In Titans Season 4
As Titans season 4 begins, Superboy is experiencing a perfectly understandable identity crisis, wanting to know more about his father. Superman is unable to make their scheduled meeting due to hero stuff, and the disappointment of this rejection pushes Conner toward the waiting arms of Lex Luthor. Since Lex is seemingly dead by the end of Titans season 4's premiere, however, Conner is right back to square one in his search for a father figure. At this point, Superman surely has a responsibility to give Conner the validation and closure he desperately needs.
Superman would not need to be suited-up to fulfill that purpose, of course, making the prospect of plain-clothes Clark Kent appearing in Titans even more likely. Assuming Clark can convince Lois Lane that Conner really is a clone manufactured by Lex Luthor and not some secret illegitimate love child sired with another woman whose initials are LL, a parent-child relationship between Superman and Superboy feels like a fitting end for Titans season 4. Until then, the STAR Labs statue at least offers a vague idea of what live-action Titans Superman would look like.
Titans continues Thursday on HBO Max.