Titans season 3 is finally addressing the show’s problematic obsession with Batman from the past two seasons. Since 2018, Batman has had a presence in Titans in one way or another before Iain Glen’s Bruce Wayne appeared in season 2. Even when the Dark Knight wasn’t on-screen, Batman still affected Dick Grayson’s storyline for the first two seasons. While Glen hasn’t even suited up as Batman, the Caped Crusader has still overshadowed a good chunk of Titans, primarily because of Dick’s struggle. It took the former Robin two seasons until Dick became his own hero as Nightwing.
Despite being called Titans, the show tends to rely more on Batman material than the actual Teen Titans. In many ways, Titans season 3 is leaning into its Batman connections: not only will the team be relocating to Gotham city — Bruce Wayne’s hometown — but two more Bat-Family characters are getting introduced. Titans season 3 will also see Jason Todd become Red Hood, who will serve as one of the main villains. Based on the latest trailer for Titans season 3, this Red Hood arc will allow the show to finally address its Batman problem, due to Jason getting murdered by Joker.
Not only did Jason’s death appear to be Bruce’s breaking point, but the footage also alluded to Batman having potentially killed Joker before declaring to Dick that his time as the Dark Knight is over, ending his career and thus removing Batman from the show’s equation – even if Bruce may remain in some capacity. Titans season 3 is doing the right thing in ending Bruce’s legacy as Batman for several reasons. Before Iain Glen got cast as Bruce Wayne, Titans’ Batman access was always limited. While the series could reference Bruce’s time as Batman, Titans has conveniently never had Glen’s character suit up due to Warner Bros.’ restrictions on DV TV depictions of the character. Even if there weren’t limitations, Batman should never have had this significant role on a show meant to be about the Teen Titans when looking at the issue from a story perspective.
Having Titans season 3 take place in Gotham with additional Batman characters makes the show feel more like a Bat-Family product than a Teen Titans series. Adding more characters without having fleshed out the established ones on Titans is also problematic. An example is how Titans waited until the third season to give Starfire a major storyline due to Blackfire’s involvement. A character like Beast Boy has still not had a significant arc besides getting brainwashed by Project Cadmus. Even Superboy, who was set up as a big new addition for Titans season 2, didn’t play a massive role in the end. Given how saturated Batman has become in live-action for the last few decades, Titans getting rid of the Caped Crusader is a step in the right direction. While it should primarily benefit the Teen Titans characters, it does also help Bat-Family members like Barbara Gordon and Tim Drake. They’ve never gotten the same attention in live-action as Batman has, especially Tim, with Titans being the hero’s first non-animated appearance.
As long as Batman is an active part of Dick’s life, Nightwing can’t properly develop as a character due to Titans mostly being told from his point of view. After they go through Jason’s Red Hood storyline, future seasons of Titans should lean more into the Teen Titans aspect. If Titans season 4 is still based in Gotham with the heroes protecting Batman’s city, it is a massive step backward. The Teen Titans have always been one of DC’s best properties with endless potential, which Titans must acknowledge. From all the fantastic team members to iconic storylines they can draw from, Titans season 3 having Bruce retire as Batman can hopefully be the first step in getting back to that point.
NEXT: Titans Season 3 Trailer Hints Dick Grayson Could Become Batman
