HBO Max’s Titans season 3 has already unveiled several comic book surprises that could’ve been used as twists — but that was actually not a bad move on the show’s part. Bringing the popular DC Comics team to grittier live-action, Titans struggled to find its footing across the first two seasons. As well as consistently retconning the titular group’s established history, Titans mostly wasted its biggest villains in Trigon and Deathstroke (Esai Morales).
Fortunately, Titans season 3 looked to be operating on much more solid ground. Picking up more or less where things left off, the group has maintained the unified front first displayed in the Titans season 2 finale. Equally, rather than simply dancing around its periphery, Titans season 3 will lean more heavily into the wider Bat-mythology told through the Titans’ lens. As such, it’ll tell the kinds of stories audiences have clamored for since the very beginning. That was confirmed to come courtesy of a move from San Francisco to Gotham City. There, the returning heroes will encounter new and familiar members of the Bat-Family in Titans season 3, as well as classic villains such as Jonathan Crane, a.k.a. Scarecrow (Vincent Kartheiser).
The main catalyst for the aforementioned move will be the death of Jason Todd (Curran Walters). In the wake of the tragic event, Batman (Iain Glen) seemingly declared his retirement and left the fate of Gotham in the hands of Dick Grayson (Brenton Thwaites) and the other Titans. Accepting the responsibility, the Titans will aid Gotham’s new commissioner, Barbara Gordon (Savannah Welch), and combat the murderous machinations of a new version of Red Hood. All of this and more was revealed in the official Titans season 3 trailer and earlier marketing, which had no qualms about spilling the beans on certain identities. Here’s a breakdown of the twists preemptively revealed and why, ultimately, it was a smart move that does nothing to harm the appeal of Titans season 3.
Titans Season 3’s Biggest Twists (Based On The Comics)
Jason Todd was killed off in 1988’s infamous “Death in the Family” storyline that ran between Batman #426–429. For a long time, it seemed like it would be one of the very few comic book deaths to actually stick. Even the storyline’s author, Dennis O’Neil, expressed that “it would be a really sleazy stunt to bring him back” (though he later regretted that comment). Jason officially returned in 2005’s Batman #638 as part of the “Under the Red Hood” saga. As Batman investigated Gotham’s newest (and more murderous) vigilante, he discovered to his (and readers’) great shock that Red Hood was in fact a resurrected Jason Todd. The Titans season 3 story has apparently leaned into the original mystery element of the character, with Nightwing and the Titans oblivious to who they’re truly hunting. However, it’s already been made clear to fans that Walters’ Jason will loom beneath the iconic helmet.
Similarly, the identity of Jay Lycurgo has already been revealed as Tim Drake. Based on the Titans season 3 footage shown, fans could be forgiven for thinking Lycurgo’s character was merely any number of Gotham residents besides the third incarnation of Robin. For starters, he’s been glimpsed as firmly working-class rather than hailing for a similar social class as Titans‘ Bruce Wayne, helping out at his family’s restaurant instead of attached to a globe-trotting Gotham legacy. Equally, several of Tim Drake’s defining characteristics, such as his immense intellect and detective skills, have yet to be displayed. As a result, Titans could’ve steadily built the character in subtle ways before surprising fans with the Tim Drake name-drop as he crossed paths with Nightwing and his team. Instead, the powers that be behind Titans season 3 were content to release news of Lycurgo’s casting and character name early.
Why The Titans Twists Aren’t Too Important
The move was actually a shrewd one on the part of Titans writers and crew. For all the show’s faults across the first two seasons, it has been keenly aware that it’s dealing with an extremely comics-savvy audience. In terms of Red Hood’s origin in Titans season 3, unfurling the story as a surprise would have been nigh on impossible. After all, the comics’ storylines were already popular and widely discussed long before Titans was even close to hitting screens. Furthermore, the saga has already been adapted to equal popularity via 2010’s Batman: Under the Red Hood. Anybody who’d be surprised by the reveal would be very much in the minority. Equally, given the excessive theorizing and dissection of shows like Titans, Tim Drake’s identity would have been predicted long before the reveal. As such, it was a better choice to announce it early and allow the excitement to build from there during the hiatus.
Titans has also never been a show that’s hinged on jaw-dropping twists. Instead, it’s been an exploration of identity, found family, and a battle between light and dark (sometimes internally) through a gritty, action-packed lens. It’s also centered on the evolution of characters like Dick Grayson from Robin to Nightwing and potentially Batman in the wake of trauma and loss. In that regard, Titans have honored comic book storytelling, even if often changing up specific details from the titular team’s various runs. As such, the twists themselves were understandably deemed less important than how each of the events, reveals, and interactions of Titans season 3 will impact and affect its main characters going forward.
How Titans Season 3 Can Have Different Surprises
Alternately, were Titans season 3 to weave some twists into its story, the aforementioned preemptive reveals would make for an effective smokescreen. Titans has been characterized by hitting beats familiar to comic book fans, but with its own unique spin. That has already been true of Titans season 3, with Jason Todd’s death already differing from the source material. Though it still comes courtesy of a crowbar seemingly swung by The Joker, the setup and location are drastically changed. Furthermore, it was teased that Titans‘ version of Batman may kill Joker in retaliation, thus negating some of the vengeful elements from Red Hood’s arc. All of that and more highlights the potential for surprises unique to Titans.
In essence, Titans season 3 could use fan familiarity and expectation against them. By putting Jason Todd’s transformation front and center, Titans could be hiding another significant character’s death. It could, therefore, catch fans off-guard and hit with more emotional resonance than Donna Troy’s (Conor Leslie) death did. Similarly, by announcing the emergence of Tim Drake ahead of time, Titans may have shrouded some other character arrivals that mark a crowd-pleasing surprise. It could also pave the way for some turns in Tim Drake’s journey to being Robin that subvert what fans expect based on the comics.
There has also lurked the idea of a shadowy mastermind behind the events of Titans season 3. Despite all the advanced reveals, precious little has been made clear about the actual story and how the disparate pieces ultimately coalesce. On the surface, it appeared as though Red Hood will lead the charge on the chaos reigning in Gotham. However, wide-reaching schemes haven’t seemed like Jason’s forte. Plus, a “king moving stealthily in the shadows” was alluded to. With Scarecrow described as a Hannibal Lecter type, it could be that he’s manipulated events, even from behind bars in Arkham. Then again, the returning villain, Blackfire (Damaris Lewis), or somebody else entirely, may have orchestrated everything. Whatever the case, the choices made so far have left Titans season 3 in a more interesting place than ever.
