Titans is an American superhero television series created by Akiva Goldsman, Geoff Johns, and Greg Berlanti. Based on the DC Comics superhero team Teen Titans, the series depicts a group of young heroes who join forces in their fight against evil. Featured as members of the eponymous Titans are Dick Grayson (Brenton Thwaites), Kory Anders (Anna Diop), Rachel Roth (Teagan Croft), Gar Logan (Ryan Potter), Jason Todd (Curran Walters), Donna Troy (Conor Leslie), Hank Hall (Alan Ritchson), Dawn Granger (Minka Kelly), Rose Wilson (Chelsea Zhang), Conner Kent (Joshua Orpin), and Tim Drake (Jay Lycurgo).
A live-action series based on the Teen Titans entered development in September 2014. Intended for TNT, a pilot written by Goldsman and Marc Haimes was ordered that December, but TNT departed from the project in 2016 before filming took place. By April 2017, the series was redeveloped by Goldsman, Johns, and Berlanti for DC Universe as its first original scripted program. Thwaites was cast as Dick in September and other series regulars were cast between August and October.
Titans premiered on October 12, 2018, and ran for four seasons until May 11, 2023. The first and second seasons were released on DC Universe, and the third and fourth seasons were released on HBO Max.
Premise Titans follows the young superheroes of the eponymous team as they combat evil and other perils. Disbanded when the story begins, the series sees the team return when the original and new members reform the Titans. The Titans fight crime throughout various locations, including Detroit, San Francisco, Gotham City, and Metropolis.
The first members of the team to appear in the series are Batman's former vigilante partner Dick Grayson, extraterrestrial Kory Anders, empath Rachel Roth, and shapeshifter Garfield "Gar" Logan. Dick is later revealed as one of the original Titans, alongside half-Amazon Donna Troy and crime-fighting duo Dawn Granger and Hank Hall. After the Titans reform, the team is joined by Batman's new partner Jason Todd, assassin Rose Wilson, Superman's genetic clone Conner Kent, and aspiring vigilante Tim Drake.
In the first season, Rachel comes to Dick for protection from dangerous forces pursuing her, which leads to them meeting and teaming up with Kory and Gar. The heroes eventually learn that Rachel is being targeted by her demon father Trigon, who seeks to enslave the world. The season also depicts Dick's efforts to distance himself from his mentor and his Robin persona, while Kory struggles with a bout of amnesia that leaves her unaware of her true identity.
The second season focuses on the official reformation of the Titans as Dick trains a new team composed of Rachel, Gar, and Jason. The Titans' return, however, leads to the reemergence of feared assassin Deathstroke, whose prior conflict with the original team caused their disbanding. As Deathstroke attempts to eliminate the heroes, the original Titans are forced to face him again, while other threats emerge from the malevolent Cadmus Laboratories and Kory's sister Blackfire.
The third season sees the Titans travel to Gotham City after Jason is murdered, where Dick teams up in protecting the city with Police Commissioner Barbara Gordon. When Jason returns under the control of notorious criminal Jonathan Crane, the Titans find themselves battling their former teammate to prevent Crane from destroying Gotham. Also depicted are Kory's tense reunion with Blackfire, who seeks redemption for past actions and Donna's return from the afterlife following her death in the previous season.
In the fourth and final season, the Titans' visit to Metropolis is interrupted by the murder of Lex Luthor. They discover an apocalyptic prophecy centered on Sebastian Sanger, Trigon's son, as the Church of Blood, led by Mother Mayhem, plot to have Sebastian fulfill his destiny of destroying the world.
Cast and characters
Brenton Thwaites as Dick Grayson / Robin / Nightwing: The leader of the Titans and former vigilante sidekick of Batman, seeking to move past his mentor and his Robin persona. A member of the original team, he re-forms the Titans while assuming the new identity of Nightwing. Viewing his character as a "reluctant leader", Thwaites said Dick is "trying to figure out who he is at the same time he's trying to keep the crew protected and safe". Tomaso Sanelli, Viktor Sawchuk, and Taj Levey play the young Dick. Anna Diop as Koriand'r / Kory Anders / Starfire: An extraterrestrial royal from the planet Tamaran who has the ability to absorb and redirect solar energy. Sent to Earth to assassinate Rachel, a bout of amnesia causes Kory to forget her mission and join the Titans. Diop commented the character has a "really innocent, naïve, pure, fun, curious thing about her", which she sought to bring to her portrayal, and enjoyed playing an alien due to being a Senegalese immigrant. Teagan Croft as Rachel Roth / Raven: An empath born to a demon father and human mother. At first understanding little of her lineage and abilities, Rachel's powers lead her to Dick and subsequently becoming a member of the new Titans. Croft noted Rachel's relationship with Dick is "more of a father-daughter relationship" since they both "share the same feeling of abandonment". Ryan Potter as Gar Logan / Beast Boy / Changeling: A shapeshifter who can transform into a green version of various animals, mainly a tiger, after receiving a drug that cured him of a lethal disease. Gar previously lived with the Doom Patrol before joining Dick's new Titans team. A fan of the character since he watched the animated Teen Titans series, Potter described Gar as bringing "a warmth to the show" through "humor and lighthearted moments". Curran Walters as Jason Todd / Robin / Red Hood (seasons 2–4; recurring season 1): Dick's successor as Batman's vigilante sidekick who is brought into the new Titans team at the request of Bruce Wayne. According to Walters, Jason has both a "fun" and a "dark side" and transitioning between the two was the most challenging aspect of portraying the character. Conor Leslie as Donna Troy / Wonder Girl (seasons 2–3; guest season 1): A half-Amazon sharing their enhanced physical abilities. Formerly Wonder Woman's sidekick, she befriended Dick at an early age and was on the original Titans team. Leslie noted Donna has "a brother-sister friendship" with Dick and the two "understand each other in a way no one else ever will". Andi Hubick and Afrodite Drossos portray the young Donna. Minka Kelly as Dawn Granger / Dove (seasons 2–3; recurring season 1): A vigilante who serves as a tactical counterpart to her partner and boyfriend Hank. Kelly described Dawn's fighting style as "more that of a dance" due to the character's background in ballet, jiu-jitsu, and gymnastics, whereas Hank "is a brute and just blows stuff up". Alan Ritchson as Hank Hall / Hawk (seasons 2–3; recurring season 1): The aggressive half in a vigilante duo composed of himself and his girlfriend Dawn. In addition to forming the Hawk and Dove team with his half-brother Don, he was part of the original Titans. Initially reluctant to take the role because he previously portrayed Aquaman on the series Smallville, Ritchson said he accepted the part after hearing a pitch from series co-creator Geoff Johns. Tait Blum portrays the young Hank. Esai Morales as Slade Wilson / Deathstroke (season 2): A biologically enhanced assassin and former Delta Force operator who has a history with the original Titans. Morales stated Deathstroke's conflict against the Titans is "personal" for him "because you don't mess with a man's family". Chelsea Zhang as Rose Wilson (season 2): Deathstroke's daughter, who shares his enhanced reflexes and regenerative healing. For her performance, Zhang said she would reference Rose's comic depiction where "her attitude, her sass, and her sarcasm is written all over the books". Joshua Orpin as Subject 13 / Conner Kent / Superboy (seasons 2–4): A genetic clone of Superman and Lex Luthor, possessing the abilities and personality traits of both. Created at Cadmus Laboratories, he comes into contact with the Titans after escaping from the facility with Krypto. Acknowledging he was fascinated by Conner's internal conflict, Orpin noted "he has an extraordinary capacity for good, and for evil" where "nothing is black and white to him, and yet everything is". Body double Brooker Muir plays the character in the first season. Savannah Welch as Barbara Gordon (season 3): The commissioner of the Gotham City Police Department, succeeding her late father. Welch, who is an above-knee amputee, found it important to "represent the reality of a woman who is chair-bound as closely as possible" in her performance to ensure "anyone who is chair-bound, or in a position that is close to that, does truly feel represented". Vincent Kartheiser as Dr. Jonathan Crane (season 3): A criminal psychologist who exploits the fears of his victims. Incarcerated at Arkham Asylum, he assists the Gotham City police with their investigations. Showrunner Greg Walker described Crane as "a perfect villain" whose knowledge of phobias results in him "working off your feelings and your emotions, and that's where we want to live". Damaris Lewis as Komand'r / Blackfire (season 3; guest season 2): A Tamaranean royal and Kory's younger sister. Lacking their family's ability to generate fire, she holds a strained relationship with Kory. Lewis, noting that Blackfire's nature is the result of not being accepted by her family and society, said she was drawn to playing a villainous character because "the villains are the ones who don't fit in". Jay Lycurgo as Tim Drake / Robin (season 4; recurring season 3): A resident of Gotham who is a big Batman and Robin fan and wishes to be a hero like them. He joins the Titans at the end of the third season. Franka Potente as May Bennett / Mother Mayhem (season 4): A witch and the leader of a blood cult who masquerades as an archaeologist. Joseph Morgan as Sebastian Sanger / Brother Blood (season 4): A taxidermist and app designer who has a strange connection to the Temple of Azarath.
Episodes
Season 1 (2018)
Season 2 (2019)
Season 3 (2021)
Season 4 (2022–23)
Production Development A potential live-action Titans project for cable channel TNT was announced in September 2014. By December, a pilot written by Akiva Goldsman and Marc Haimes was ordered that would feature Dick Grayson emerging from Batman's shadow to become Nightwing, the leader of a band of heroes including Starfire, Raven, Hawk and Dove, and Oracle. The pilot was set with filming to occur in Toronto in mid-2015. In May 2015, TNT president Kevin Reilly said that they hoped to have the casting locked down by the start of filming and that the show would be "very true" to the comics and "groundbreaking". The series, called Titans and then Blackbirds, was first set to begin shooting in Toronto in mid-2015. Production was then postponed to October. In January 2016, TNT was no longer moving forward with the project. Geoff Johns later commented that he and DC knew about TNT nixing Titans for months. Johns, who had spent seven years developing the material with Goldsman, said in October 2018 that the project depended on securing the rights to Dick Grayson. He said: "You couldn't do Titans without Robin ... So there was a lot of behind-the-scenes work that went into that". Previous Titans projects had been hampered by the rights to Batman being locked up.