Whilst Titans is not part of the DC Extended Universe (the “DCEU”), artistically it clearly takes its cues from the franchise’s turbulent movie universe. Everything from the score to the colour grading screams out Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but no more so than the season’s cleverly intertwined, character-driven storylines that are every bit as challenging and comic-book reverent as those found in 2016’s underrated powerhouse of a summer blockbuster.
As a Batman nut, inevitably it was the allure of seeing a more mature live-action take on Dick Grayson that drew me to Titans, and Brenton Thwaites does not disappoint in bringing to life a jaded and dangerously violent young man who’s lost somewhere in that fascinating lacuna between Robin and Nightwing. His story in Titans isn’t just a quest for identity, but for belonging too, and pleasingly it’s one that draws heavily on Dick’s development in the comics, albeit with more than a few atypical spins on it. A case in point is the standout episode “Jason Todd”, which sees Dick encounter Batman’s new sidekick in a tense tale that looks to lay the ghosts of Dick’s childhood to rest while confronting the duality still tearing him in two head-on. Curran Walters is perfect as the ill-fated Robin replacement; his Jason could have been torn straight from the pages of an ’80s comic, were it not for the modernised body armour and misdirected aggression that calls to mind Damian Wayne as much as it does Jason Todd. Yet it’s this cocky, f-bomb dropping little shit that pulls Dick’s inner struggle into sharp focus: How can he say that he’s done with Batman and Robin, only to dust off the red suit whenever duty calls?
Thwaites’ fellow Home and Away alumnus Teagan Croft is every bit as impressive as Rachel Roth / Raven, whose personal storyline drives the entire season. As with Dick, Titans’ Raven is a largely faithful but utterly grounded take on the character. The darkness within Rachel - her “soul-self”, if you like - is reflected in a sullen, gothic façade that screams teenage angst whilst belying the extent of the rage broiling away inside of her. Yet as the series progresses, and particularly through its depiction of her budding friendship with Gar, her empathic abilities come to the fore and we even see flashes of a “normal” teenager; of a sweet vulnerability often masked by a terrifying and overwhelming power. It’s a carefully constructed, layered rendition of one of DC’s most difficult-to-nail characters.
Much was made of the casting of Anna Diop (24: Legacy) as Kory / Starfire, and as someone who nearly melted when Doctor Who changed gender, I can at least understand why avid fans take umbrage with changes in the realisation of much-loved characters, if not how they often express their ire. But with Kory, all the show has done is to change the colour of her skin; it’s no more contentious than casting Grant Gustin as dark-haired Barry Allen or having Stephen Amell play a Green Arrow free of that embarrassing bycocket. That’s certainly not to say that a character’s skin colour can’t be inviolate when it’s central to who that character is or what their story represents - within the worlds of DC, having J’onn J’onzz masquerade as a white man just wouldn’t work, for instance - but that is clearly not the case with Starfire. As a character, Kory remains true to the comics in every significant way, and Diop’s playful, bad-ass performance is breathtakingly good. Starfire makes Titans pop as effectively as her magenta hair does the ubiquitous grey cinematography. Make no mistake, she’s the face of the series - the image that lingers once you look away from the poster.
Rounding out the team is Ryan Potter’s (Big Hero 6) Garfield Logan, who brings some much-needed levity to a dark and brooding show, and somehow without undermining the sensitivity and loneliness at the heart of the character. This kid’s a tiger who doesn’t want to have to bite; an awkward, video-game nerd forced to play Titan. And whilst he is still instantly recognisable, Titans’ Gar eschews his traditional green look in favour of the actor’s natural skin tone (a move that, funnily enough, doesn’t seem to have attracted the same level of scorn as Starfire’s less conspicuous change of hue). Gar’s reimagining makes sense to me on a lot of levels, removing a lot of needless obstacles in the storytelling in addition to saving Potter countless hours in the make-up chair. I suspect that it’s also for practical reasons that, at least for now, Beast Boy’s metamorphic powers are limited to assuming the form of a slightly unconvincing tiger. Green Tiger Boy it may be, then, but as green tiger boys go he’s in a league of his own. 
The season’s villains are a similarly varied bunch, and, like the Titans, hail from corners of the DC Universe seldom explored in the mainstream. Though only minions of the inevitable, Raven-related big bad, the Nuclear Family make the transition to live action the most effectively, providing the still coming-together Titans with a threat that’s often as silly as it is sinister, though Robin’s mid-season nemesis, Nick Zucco - imagine Two-Face crossed with the Phantom of the Opera - really gives them a run for their money.
All told, DC Universe’s streaming service could not have had a brighter - well, darker - start than Titans. With the Doom Patrol spin-off series now underway and a second season of Titans in the works, this show is already shaping up to be the bedrock of a fantastic new DC TV universe.
Of course, I still think that DC have missed a trick with Titans and Doom Patrol. Comic book fans love crossovers, as do, it seems, the binge-watchers of tomorrow. But with the apparently divorced DCEU intent on limiting itself to the silver screen, setting itself apart from even the could-have-been Man of Steel prequel, Krypton; the Arrowverse the exclusive preserve of the CW; Black Lightning off doing its own thing, at least for now; and FOX’s soon-to-be-canned Gotham beyond the reach of even the Waverider, DC really need to somehow consolidate their ongoing ventures if they are to garner the same level of viewership and acclaim as the those unified under the banners of Star Wars; Star Trek; and, of course, the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Titans’ home service is, after all, named DC Universe - not DC Multiverse.
Whilst DC Universe is not yet available in the UK, the first season of Titans is currently available to stream on Netflix. At the time of writing, there is no official word on when we can expect DC Universe to be available in the UK.
