Titans, featuring the titular team from DC Comics led by Brenton Thwaites’ Dick Grayson, returns for its third outing after a delay due to the pandemic. The sprawling cast of superheroes (and some supervillains) has grown since the show’s debut in 2018, and will be welcoming newcomers Savannah Welch as Commissioner Barbara Gordon, Vincent Kartheiser as Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow, and Jay Lycurgo as Tim Drake.
Titans caused plenty of controversy when it aired its first trailer, and the show has consistently leaned into the dark and edgy tone of the DC Extended Universe. Season 2 lightened up tonally, but the show is set to return to its original gloomy outlook in Season 3. The show has jumped locations, both diegetically and literally. After debuting on DC Universe, the streaming service from DC Comics, the show has now found a home on HBO Max. Within the narrative, the first season took place primarily in Detroit, before moving to San Francisco in its sophomore year. Season 3 brings the characters to Gotham, where they will have to fight friend and foe.
While the main cast of characters is huge, some of the characters introduced on the show so far have not been confirmed to be returning: There is no news on whether Chella Man’s Joseph Wilson/Jericho will appear and Chelsea Zhang, who played Rose Wilson/Ravager, was not part of the main cast announcement. Since it’s been a long wait for the new season to arrive, we feel you deserve a refresher on who these characters are.
Brenton Thwaites as Dick Grayson/Robin/Nightwing
That’s a lot of names for one character, and it’s possible Dick Grayson is set to earn yet another in Season 3. Despite being a sunny tempered superhero in the comics, Dick on Titans has been grim and grumpy for most of his screen time. Much like the original source material, the show’s version of Dick grew up in the circus, watched his parents being murdered and was then adopted by Bruce Wayne/Batman (Iain Glen). Dick then became Batman’s sidekick, Robin, before turning his back on Batman and his violent ways. In between, Dick also formed and fought alongside a group of young superhero sidekicks, the first version of the Titans.
In the premiere season, Dick was working with Detroit PD but was drawn back into the crime-fighting game when Rachel Roth/Raven (Teagan Croft) came searching for him and was promptly kidnapped. Dick has since taken Rachel under his wing and reformed the Titans with new members. Some original Titans have also rejoined the team.
At the end of Season 2, Dick had finally come into his own – he’d shed the burden of being Robin and taken on his own superhero title, Nightwing. Dick had also, after much berating from his teammates, stepped into a leadership role. From the Season 3 trailer, it looks like Dick will be returning to his home in Gotham to reunite with his old friend (and old flame?) Barbara Gordon, and could possibly be taking over as Batman, as well.
Brenton Thwaites may not be a recognizable name to some, but the Australian actor has featured in several films across genres. He starred in the horror film Oculus alongside Karen Gillan. He’s also been a Disney Prince in Maleficent, a different kind of boy wonder in young adult adaptation The Giver and the son of pirates in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. Thwaites’ most underrated role is on Office Uprising, a campy horror-comedy where he is a scene-stealer with his comic timing.
Curran Walters as Jason Todd/Robin 2.0/Red Hood
Curran Walters is the first actor to play a live-action version of Jason Todd, a character who was so notoriously hated by comic book readers that they voted for his death. Jason’s return as Red Hood in the comics has seen his popularity surge.
Jason on Titans is the young, brash and arrogant replacement to Dick’s Robin. He was hyperviolent in his Season 1 introduction and couldn’t see eye-to-eye with his predecessor and idol. Jason, however, faced a couple of traumatic events in Season 2. He was captured by the Titans’ nemesis Slade Wilson/Deathstroke (Esai Morales), who threw him off a building. Jason survived, but suffered PTSD after that. To make matters worse, he fell in love with his new teammate Rose Wilson, only to discover that she was secretly working for her father, Slade, and using Jason to get information about the Titans.
By the end of the season, Jason was left heartbroken and disillusioned, and he parted ways with the team. It’s evident from the Season 3 trailer that Jason will also return to Gotham and take on his beloved anti-hero persona Red Hood to torment the Titans.
Curran Walters has been an absolute revelation on the series with his effervescent take on Jason Todd. He’s been vocal about his love for playing the character and donning the Red Hood helmet, and while the young actor has a short resume, that won’t last for long.
Anna Diop as Kory Anders/Koriand'r/Starfire
When Kory Anders was introduced on Titans, she had no memory of who she was following a car crash. She spent most of the first season trying to regain her memories, and that’s how she found herself involved with Dick Grayson and Rachel Roth. Turns out, Kory is an alien princess from a planet called Tamaran. She never liked playing by the rules, but was eventually given her own mission — to take down “the Raven” and stop the end of the world. Once Kory’s memories returned, she found out that “the Raven” was actually Rachel and Kory refused to kill the child. Instead, she became a crime-fighter on Earth.
Kory has the ability to absorb solar energy and reconstitute it as powerful rays. She is extremely handy in a fight, which will be essential considering her sister from Tamaran, Blackfire (Damaris Lewis), landed on Earth in Season 2 and has vowed to end Kory and all her friends.
Anna Diop has not been given nearly as much screen time on the show as she deserves. Kory should, technically, have second-billing to Dick, but so far the writers have not given the character much of an arc to develop, nor has she had much to do. That may change in the upcoming season, though, since Kory’s sibling rivalry is set to turn into all-out war.
Ever since being cast as Starfire, Diop has forged a path for Black actors while bravely handling the bigotry of so-called DC Comics fans. Outside of Titans, she has starred in several television shows, including 24: Legacy and Bosch. Diop also had a small role in Jordon Peele’s horror film Us.
Teagan Croft as Rachel Roth/Raven
Rachel Roth was living a happy, albeit sheltered, life with her mother before her whole world unravelled. Haunted by hallucinations, Rachel learned that the woman she’d considered her mother was actually just a guardian. When her guardian was murdered, Rachel saw a vision of a boy in a circus, which led her to Dick Grayson.
Unfortunately, Dick was a terrible caretaker and Rachel kept getting kidnapped. Eventually, Rachel located her real mother and thought she was safe. She wasn’t! Her mother was in cahoots with her evil, inter-dimensional demonic father, Trigon (Seamus Dever), who tricked Rachel into bringing him to Earth. But it all turned out for the better, and Rachel was able to trap her father in a ruby which she has embedded in her forehead like a bindi.
Rachel struggles to control her demonic powers, which can be deadly when not tamed. By the end of the second season of Titans, Rachel was concerned about her powers, and chose to join the Amazons in Themyscira. She was hoping to use her powers to save a fellow Titan.
Croft is the youngest main cast member on Titans, which has made her frequent scenes in peril disturbing to watch and the attempts at pairing her up with older actor Ryan Potter in Season 1 was downright problematic. The romantic plotline has, thankfully, since been shelved. The actor, also hailing from Australia, has starred in Home and Away.
Ryan Potter as Garfield Logan/Beast Boy
Gar Logan has the ability to shapeshift into animals, but they’re always green in color. He acquired this ability after contracting a disease in the Congo, where he lived for a short while when his parents were on a work trip. Gar was then adopted into the Doom Patrol and lived in Caulder Manor before meeting Rachel and falling in with the Titans.
Gar is a mostly fun and happy character, but on a few different occasions, he’s been forced to kill in his animal form and he has been deeply traumatized by these incidents. In Season 2, he was captured by Cadmus, a genetic experimentation organization run by Lex Luthor, and made to kill several people. Gar was still reeling from that realization when the season ended.
As a character, Gar is innocent and fun-loving. He befriends people easily, as was evident by how easily he became close to Rachel and later Connor (Joshua Orpin). He’s also a stickler for rules, though he was briefly led to the dark side by Jason Todd.
Ryan Potter is best known for voicing Hiro on Big Hero 6, but he’s been a bright spark on Titans with his take on Gar. Potter definitely deserves more screen time on the show.
Minka Kelly as Dawn Granger/Dove
Dawn Granger was a successful ballerina when her mother was killed in a freak car accident. She went to group therapy for her grief where she became closer to Hank Hall (Alan Ritchson). Dawn took her first steps towards being a vigilante when she learned of Hank’s childhood trauma and tried to avenge him. She then became Dove, using her extraordinary reflexes to fight crime alongside Hank and the Titans.
By the time Dawn was introduced on the show, she was constricted by her relationship with Hank and his many crime-fighting injuries. They weren’t a happy couple and finally broke up in Season 2. Dawn, however, is devoted to fighting crime. She’s a no-nonsense character who refuses to suffer fools, aka Dick Grayson, when he won’t take his responsibilities as a leader seriously.
By the end of the second season, Dawn was back with the Titans and happy to fight for justice. She had even accepted partnering up with Hank again, albeit only as colleagues.
Minka Kelly is probably one of the more recognizable faces on Titans. She has starred in numerous television series, but she’s best known for her role as Lyla Garrity on Friday Night Lights.
Alan Ritchson as Hank Hall/Hawk
Hank and his half-brother, Don (Elliot Knight), were gifted students, academically and athletically. But years of abuse at the hands of his coach and head injuries suffered while playing college football ensured that Hank never quite fit in. After losing their mother, Hank and Don had no one left but each other. The brothers took up crime-fighting as Hawk and Dove and even made the news. But the same freak accident that took Dawn Granger’s mother’s life also killed Don.
Completely alone for the first time in his life, Hank began a romance with Dawn, who helped him get revenge on the coach who abused him as a child. Alongside Dawn as the new Dove, Hank was once again able to make a difference in the world, but all he really wanted was a quiet life, something Dawn didn’t want.
Argumentative and mistrusting of everyone around him, Hank hasn’t been the easiest team member, friend, or partner. Hank is the kind of person who doesn’t function well alone — he needs people around him, particularly Dawn and his friends in the Titans. Despite his ups and downs, Hank has managed to remain with the Titans and comes through for his teammates when they need him. By the end of Season 2, Hank had let go of rekindling his romance with Dawn, but offered to partner with her as Hawk once again.
Alan Ritchson has a long resume, having appeared in numerous films and TV shows. He is best known for playing another DC character, Arthur Curry/Aquaman in Smallville. He also appeared as Gloss in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and most recently won fans as Young Scully on Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
Conor Leslie as Donna Troy/Wonder Girl
Donna Troy lost her father to arson and was raised and mentored by none other than Wonder Woman herself, eventually becoming Wonder Girl. After years of fighting side by side with her Amazon sisters, Donna rejoined the world of man and became one of the founding members of the Titans.
During her time with the Titans, Donna and Aqualad (Drew Van Acker) struck up a short-lived romance. Unfortunately, Aqualad was killed by Deathstroke while protecting Donna. She took the loss badly and eventually gave up being Wonder Girl, instead becoming a photographer who entrapped poachers.
Once Donna reconnected with Dick Grayson, she helped him adjust to life after Robin. Donna eventually became close friends with Kory Anders and the two caught super-villains together before rejoining the Titans.
By the end of Titans Season 2, Donna was killed by a falling electrical tower that was dislodged during the Titans’ battle against Cadmus. Since the character has been confirmed to be returning, it is believed that she will be resurrected by the Amazons and Raven in Season 3. But will Donna be the same?
Conor Leslie has a long resume with guest roles in shows such as Hawaii Five-O, Elementary, and Major Crimes, as well as a recurring role in The Man in the High Castle.
Joshua Orpin as Conner/Superboy
A subject of Cadmus experimentation, Conner didn’t have a name or super-moniker till he met the Titans. A product of Superman and Lex Luthor’s DNA, Conner has struggled with his dual heritage as the son of the world’s greatest hero and its greatest villain.
Conner, and his super-dog, Krypto, came into the Titans’ lives in the most heroic way possible — Conner saw Jason Todd falling to his imminent death and flew to save him. Despite being naïve and lacking social graces, Conner has already become an integral part of the Titans, becoming fast friends with Gar Logan and looking for mentorship from Dick Grayson.
Both Conner and Gar were brainwashed by Cadmus and forced to kill people while under their influence. It was during their fight that Donna was killed. Despite all these setbacks, Conner was accepted as a member of the Titans at the end of Season 2.
Another Titans alum hailing from Australia, Joshua Orpin is a young actor with a short resume, but he has already made appearances in hit shows like The Doctor Blake Mysteries and Preacher. His amusing turn as Conner is sure to pave the path for much more in the future.
Iain Glen as Bruce Wayne/Batman
From Dick Grayson’s point of view, Bruce Wayne was the worst father/mentor a boy could have. Neglectful, vengeful, and violent, Bruce was a man who lived for the night and the crimes he could fight in the cover of darkness. Dick was just the poor sap who got dragged along.
When we finally met the real Bruce in Titans Season 2, he turned out to be much gentler and more caring than expected. He genuinely seemed to care for Dick and his work with the Titans. But it was only when Bruce set Dick free to become Nightwing that the two reconciled.
In Titans Season 3, Bruce will likely be struggling with Jason’s death. In the trailer, he asks Dick to become a better Batman. Whether Bruce really wants that for his ward or is making this proclamation out of grief remains to be seen.
Iain Glen is a veteran Scottish actor, best known for playing the lovelorn and loyal Jorah Mormont in Game of Thrones. He has also appeared in Downton Abbey, Doctor Who, and Poirot.
Damaris Lewis as Komand'r/Blackfire
Blackfire made a brief appearance at the very end of the Season 2 finale, promising to bring her war against sister Starfire to Earth. She is set to have a larger role in Titans Season 3, when she institutes her war and possibly causes rifts within the Titans.
Komand'r has had an axe to grind with Kory for years, given their childhood rivalry. Not much is known about what her exact plans are beyond killing Kory, but we can assume that the utter decimation of Earth is on the cards.
Damaris Lewis has only just joined the cast, but she has an impressive and diverse resume behind her. A model, dancer and actor, Lewis has worked alongside Prince, appeared in Spike Lee’s Oscar-nominated film BlacKkKlansman as well as on Pose. Titans is another step to Lewis’ gradual rise to super-stardom.
Coming in Season 3...
Of the new characters, Savannah Welch will be playing Barbara Gordon, who is the Commissioner of the Gotham City Police Department. She has seemingly taken over from her father. Barbara Gordon used to be the superhero Batgirl, but like in the comics, she has had to give up her mantle following a life-changing injury. Season 3 will reveal whether the showrunners will use The Killing Joke storyline to explain Barbara’s disability, or a new backstory has been created for her. Welch is a musician and Podcaster and she has had small roles in various properties, including The Sinner and The Tree of Life.
Vincent Kartheiser is joining as Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow, a villain from Batman’s Rogues Gallery who is imprisoned in Arkham Asylum. From the trailer, it’s apparent that Crane is serving as some kind of criminal consultant to the GCPD and the Titans. Kartheiser, of course, is best known for his role in Mad Men, but he has a long resume of roles across film and television.
Finally, Jay Lycurgo will be debuting the first live-action Tim Drake. Tim is a street-smart kid, with detective skills on par with Batman’s. It’s not apparent whether Tim will be joining the Titans or will end up caught in their fight against Red Hood and Gotham’s other villains. Tim is destined to be the third Robin to Batman, but which Batman remains to be seen. Lycurgo is a young, upcoming actor. He appeared in I May Destroy You and will have a small role in the new The Batman film.
Will other characters join the show in Season 3? There’s a possibility that we will get yet another version of the Joker, but there has been no confirmation on the Clown Prince of Crime yet.
Titans Season 3 begins streaming on HBO Max from August 12.
ncG1vNJzZmibn6G5qrDEq2Wcp51kwarAwKeqZpuRqMFur8eaqZqbpJq%2FtHnWoaZmqJyWxrR5w5xkmpukpL%2B0ew%3D%3D