HBO Max’s Titans has achieved some success despite all its glaring problems, but there is hope and a way to fix the bad elements. Titans is currently in its third season on HBO Max after having been created as a DC Universe original series. Brenton Thwaites (Nightwing), Anna Diop (Starfire), and Curran Walters (Jason Todd) lead a talented ensemble cast and represent the characters at the center of this season. However, despite the strengths of several core characters, the overall show struggled to match tone with it's comic book roots and team dynamic.
Generally speaking, the series has maintained fairly positive reviews with a steady showing of 86% on Rotten Tomatoes, however, there has been some backlash over its dark and gritty interpretation of the Teen Titans. This season has seen the team set up shop in Gotham City after the death of Jason Todd and Batman’s subsequent decision to kill Joker and hang up his cape. With Dick Grayson and the Titans left to maintain order in Gotham, they find themselves ill-prepared to deal with the arrival of Red Hood. Unfortunately, the series ruined Red Hood’s identity reveal and repeated a twist similar to Talia Al Ghul’s reveal in The Dark Knight Rises when it is discovered Scarecrow is behind Jason’s murderous rampage.
Consequently, season 3 has been unable to fix the show’s biggest story problems despite the solutions being right in front of them. After all, each season has done some things right, such as the changes to Barbara Gordon, season 2’s adaptation of Deathstroke, and the numerous easter eggs which fill each episode. In many ways, Titans appears to experience many of the same issues which plagued Zack Snyder’s early DCEU films which left audiences fiercely divided. Therefore, if Titans does not fix what’s bad, the show will continue to struggle to secure its audience.
Titans Must Embrace Its Lighter Side
After 3 seasons, Titans remains a gloomy series with despair following the Titans from city to city. However, the cynical and gritty nature of the show is occasionally broken by brief moments of comedic relief, usually provided by Superboy or Gar. Unfortunately, even Superboy’s naivete and Gar’s charming personality are unable to bring a balance to the series. Instead, thanks to their disturbing lack of levity, episodes of Titans often become a drudge to get through despite an occasional laugh or high-octane action sequence. While this grim tone worked for season 1 and season 2, it has left audiences wanting more from this team of super-powered young adults. There is no reason this energized and youthful team should not be allowed to have a little fun.
To fix the tone of the series, Titans must begin to embrace the lighter side of its characters. Each member of the Titans is historically a kind and fun hero to be around, and yet the show has made them sulk around in anxiety, guilt, and sorrow. While modifying the tone will take a little work to ensure the transition isn’t jarring, the series can start by giving more screen time to Superboy and Gar. Even Nightwing has been shown to banter in the midst of fights, which is right in line with his comic book counterpart. However, because this is the only time we see that side of Dick, even this banter has occasionally seemed out of place. It may also help to allow the team time to kick back, relax, and bond. Not only would this instill a sense of joy in the series, but it would also be able to further explore their friendships and personalities.
The Series Must Distance Itself From Batman
The series began with Dick Grayson attempting to get out from under Batman’s shadow and yet Batman still looms large over the series. In fact, each season has found a way to incorporate Batman in a bigger way. Unfortunately, all this time spent dealing with Gotham City and Batman detracts from the time spent with the Titans. This season alone has cherry-picked a handful of classic Batman stories and gutted them to work with their available characters. In doing so, one of Titans’ fundamental problems is Dick has become the de facto stand-in for Batman. Dick does have a history in the comics of stepping in for Batman, but not in the way presented in Titans. Here, they have created a Dick Grayson that is a carbon copy of the very man he was trying to escape becoming. This undercuts Dick’s entire arc on the show.
To fix this problem, Titans must realize Dick Grayson should not have the same brooding personality as Bruce Wayne. He needs to be better than that. He needs to be more human. To achieve this, the show must distance itself from Batman and Gotham City. Forcing the Titans to work out of Gotham has only pulled focus from the series’ principal characters. Devoting time to poorly adapted Batman stories means less time to flesh out the actual Titans like Gar who, after nearly 3 seasons, can still only turn into a tiger. The only Titans who seem to get any screen time anymore are Dick and Kory. This is a problem the show can potentially fix by removing the team from Gotham and having them return to San Francisco to embark on their own adventures.
Keep The Team Together
Furthermore, Titans must empower the team to consistently fight together. To this point, each episode in a given season tends to focus on only one or two members of Titans. Rarely are there episodes in which the team comes together to unite for a common cause. In fact, in season 3, episode 10, “Troubled Water,” Kory jokes about the rarity of the team working together. While the joke was likely the show’s attempt to make light of audience criticism, the remark indicates how little importance is given to the concept of being a “team.” Individual story arcs are essential for a television series, but a show based on a group of heroes cannot neglect the development of its central team. A show that has executed this well is Stargirl. While each of the heroes has an individual story arc, the team experiences an arc as well.
Ultimately, this may be Titans’ biggest problem. Titans season 4 must include more than a handful of scenes where the entire team is working together toward a collective goal. The show can fix this problem by beginning to prioritize team missions over individual stories. There has yet to be a real team story arc where the Titans grow together and become stronger together. Forcing the Titans to stick together will also allow the series to explore the inner dynamics of the team as each member discovers what role they are to play. This internal conflict will provide plenty of narrative drama for the series to work with and will allow the Titans to evolve into the team comic book readers are familiar with.
Titans may not be bad, but these story problems must be fixed now while there’s still time to make the show work. After all, HBO Max is known for quality series and with the streaming service increasing the number of superhero series they produce, Titans may find itself on the chopping block. By simply shifting focus from Dick Grayson and Gotham City and recentering the series on the team itself, Titans will put itself on the right track. The show needs to earn the title, Titans, and that can only be done by implementing the aforementioned fixes.