It’s a good day to be a DC Comics fan! HBOMax’s hit show, Titans, released a trailer for the third season on July 14th and it is jam packed. The DC Titans showrunners announced a diversion from the original scripting plans but there are no complaints here. The trailer starts with Dick Grayson/Nightwing (Brenton Thwaites) recalling a childhood memory of being alone in a cabin in the woods. A classic horror story location fit for a season that’s about to take on the infamous Master of Fear, Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow (Vincent Kartheiser).
To add, the second Robin, Jason Todd (Curran Walters), finds an officer tied up, their face mutilated, and left for dead as he enters an eerie carnival. A carnival booth clown cackles to foreshadow what many DC Comics fans know to be the end of Jason Todd. Curran Walters has long been an advocate for the emergence of the Red Hood, and here it comes to be. In a wide-angled shot, the Joker laughs maniacally whilst beating Robin with a crowbar, eventually ending his life.
Rise in Crime
After Jason Todd’s implied death at the hands of the Joker, Bruce Wayne/Batman (Iain Glen) tells Dick “It’s over for me. Be a better Batman.” Now, Dick and his Titans team are the protectors of Gotham for the time being. However, the Red Hood, a vengeance filled vigilante, would make this a difficult transition as he emerges from the dark equipped with a gun and threatening Gotham’s elite crime lords. His first appearance in these scenes prove reminiscent of his introduction in the movie Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010).
With him making chaos for Gotham’s underground criminals, Dick meets with Barbara Gordon/Batgirl/Oracle (Savannah Welch). This is set after she becomes paraplegic due to a bullet from the Joker. In the comics, she becomes Oracle, a behind-the-scenes tech whiz who aids a variety of heroes, though we are unsure if she’s taken that role in the show. Barbara has taken the mantle of Police Commissioner after her father, Jim Gordon, similar to what Dick is attempting to do now. She includes him in investigating a series of crimes coming from the new masked vigilante with the consultation of one Arkham resident, Jonathan Crane. In a chilling speech, the criminal announces this to be only the beginning for the new Red Hood. 
Family Tensions
While attempting to maintain order in Gotham, outsmart the Prince of Panic, and other new faces, the Titans face conflict both within their relationships with one another and old histories. Koriand’r/Starfire (Anna Diop) will not only have to grapple with a forgotten past and mourning her friend’s deaths, but also face her sister Komand’r/Blackfire (Damaris Lewis). Komand’r was crippled by a childhood illness that deemed her unfit as a successor to the Tamaran throne, causing bitterness against her younger sister. Sharon Ferguson was also reported to play Queen Luand’r, their mother, yet how she will fit into this is yet to be determined.
Other Notable Mentions
We also see a reappearance of Donna Troy/Wonder Girl (Conor Leslie) after her death in the second season. (Most comic fans are aware that death isn’t necessarily the end all be all for our favorite heroes.) Clips of the trailer even show Rachel Roth/Raven (Teagan Croft) donned in silver Amazonian armor. Could the revived Amazonian have granted her this armor? We’ve yet to see.
This is also the first live action appearance of Tim Drake (Jay Lycurgo), the third Robin in the Bat-family who watches teary-eyed as a reporter announces the confirmed death of the second Robin, Jason Todd. Canonically, Tim Drake is a genius who concludes the identities of Batman and Robin, pursuing Batman to become his next sidekick. We have yet to see if Tim will don his own Robin gear this season, but for the time being, his introduction is impressive enough.
With fights like Red Hood versus Nightwing, Superboy using himself as a shield, and the occasional explosion, it’ll be a packed season to say the least. Already, in the days after the trailer’s release, the show is seeing excitement from those on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. DC Titans premieres on August 12, 2021 with three episodes and a subsequent episode weekly. The season is scheduled to end October 12, 2021.
