Titans season 3 preview: All you need to know before the release of the new season

The show features iconic DC characters like Nightwing, Starfire, Raven, Beastboy, Wonder Girl, and Superboy. It has had an indifferent run so far, with a mix of some excellently written episodes as well as a few underwhelming ones. Before the upcoming series drops, here are a few things to look forward to in the season and a review of what has happened so far.

The story about a group of superheroes under the leadership of Batman’s former protégée Dick Greyson, aka Nightwing and the first Robin, offered a lot of promise on its debut in 2019. The conclusion of season 2 was less than satisfactory despite the immense potential it promised for nearly three-fourths of the season. Esai Morales’s portrayal of Slade Wilson/Deathstroke was flawless and it may have even eclipsed Manu Bennett’s critically acclaimed portrayal of the same character from the Arrow television series. Yet somehow the Titans showrunners were unable to provide a fitting conclusion for his arc -the same could be said of Donna Troy/Wonder Girl.

For season 3, there is renewed hope that Titans might be able to fulfill the potential that it always promised. The latest trailer all but confirms that the show might be set in Gotham. Ever since Curran Walters was cast as Jason Todd in season 2, to be Dick Greyson’s replacement as the second Robin in the story, fan theories about him becoming Red Hood were amok on the internet. For the benefit of those who are not aware of the lore, in the comic books, a 14-year old Jason Todd gets brutally beaten to death with a crowbar by the Joker and is eventually resurrected by Talia Al Ghul using her father, Ra’s Al Ghul’s, Lazarus Pit.

Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy featured both Ra’s and Talia, played by Liam Nesson and Marion Cotillard. In Nolan’s universe, ‘the pit’ is a prison, whereas in the comic book Batman mythos the waters in the Lazarus pit give people healing powers, immortality, and even resurrects individuals from the dead. In other words, Jason Todd is resurrected and brought back to life but at a cost. He becomes more violent and uncompromising. He later becomes the anti-hero Red Hood. The critically acclaimed animated movie Batman: Under The Red Hood features the death and rebirth of young Jason Todd.

The new trailer for Titans season 3 features, Jason Todd, in the Red Hood costume. The show is also introducing Barbara Gordon and Tim Drake, the third Robin. Savanah Welch has been cast as Barbara, the first Batgirl, and Jay Lycurgo has been cast as Tim. Barbara is shown in a wheelchair, so it is not far-fetched to assume that the story is set in after the horrific events of ‘Killing Joke’, where Barbara was shot and raped by the Joker. The trailer also seems to suggest that Barbara might be the new Commissioner of Gotham City Police Department, replacing her father Jim Gordon. It is likely the season will focus on Batman’s protégées who became victims to the unrelenting psychopath, the Joker. Ian Glen who played Ser Jorah Mormont in Game Thrones will return as Bruce Wayne/Batman.

Details regarding the big bad of season 3 are vague. Vincent Kartheiser has been officially cast as Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow - the role previously played by Cillian Murphy in Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy. Anna Diop’s character Koriand'r/Starfire’s sister, Komand'r/Blackfire, was teased as a possible big villain moving forward in season 2. It remains to be seen how Blackfire, played by Damaris Lewis, will interact with the potential larger subplot of Jason Todd and Red Hood. It is unlikely the Joker will be featured much other than in a few flashbacks. Greg Berlanti and Geoff Johns, the showrunners, might instead move in a completely different trajectory with the narrative, and introduce a new character as the main antagonist for season 3. The show has been moved from the DC Universe platform to HBO Max so there is a possibility that season 3 will have higher production value.