Everything we love about Titans Season 2 (so far)
By Aedan Juvet
Titans is far past the halfway mark of its sophomore season with returning favorites and several new faces. While the first season knocked out some of the more introductory aspects of the series, the second season is slowly but surely expanding the universe into a much stronger series.
When Titans debuted last year, fans of the popular comic book team were elated to see them brought to life. Though characters affiliated with the team were included in various DC films and series, this was truly the first time that the team was all accounted for.
The first season heavily focused on Robin’s independence from Batman and Raven’s journey of self-discovery, but now with that (mostly) out of the way, Titans has been able to deliver a second season that vastly improved over the first. So what is it about Titans’ second season that is worth such praise?
Superboy is here!
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The first appearance of Conner Kent (Superboy) has been a long-awaited debut for many like myself, and Titans waited until the second half to introduce the Kryptonian powerhouse. Though the anticipation was actively building, when Conner joined the series, it was done with respect to his comic appearances from the Geoff Johns run and they couldn’t have chosen a better story.
Kent (played by Joshua Orpin) embodies the naive and innocence of a younger Superman, with the potential intellect of Lex Luthor. Together the two are essentially his genetic fathers and that concept alone leaves plenty of room to tell a story.
Newcomer Orpin finds a strong balance of power and sensitivity, making Superboy a character that’s essential for a strong team but also adds a twinge of mystery. People who have read John’s run will definitely be pleased with the combination of writing and Orpin’s portrayal of the hero, and with each bit of screentime that Superboy and his all too adorable companion Krypto receive, there’s no chance you won’t appreciate what the hero brings to the series.
The best Deathstroke we’ve seen
One of the Titans’ most infamous villains is the world’s deadliest assassin Slade Wilson aka Deathstroke. Deathstroke is and has always been a feared rival to the Titans/Teen Titans, sometimes turning their own against one another and finding a plethora of ways to tear them down from the outside or even within their own ranks.
In Titans’ second season, we skip the origin story and jump right into a rivalry that had previously left several Titans on the brink of death. Slade is calculated, stoic and everything you could imagine from the villain, with his presence a quiet but deadly force for Titans season 2. To make Slade’s role more unique from other appearances, this is the first time we’ve actually been able to see Slade as well as his children Rose and Jericho who make his role that much more crucial.
While having Slade may seem stressful enough, Jericho and Rose add moments of potential distrust and Jericho’s provides a major point of contention that’ll certainly come to a head soon enough. Esai Morales is the most recent actor to bring the character to life and his gritty portrayal of the established villain is something that we couldn’t imagine from another actor in the all-important role.
The team grows stronger
The first season of DC Universe’s Titans felt more introductory for the heroes, spending most of its time with reference to characters’ origins. There was Trigon that tied things together to the end, but the official team comes together in the second season based out of San Francisco. Having a base of operations and a core group creating Titans 2.0 has given the team more legitimacy and has given the series the groundwork needed to excel.
Not only does the team bring back everyone from last season (hooray for the return of Hawk!) but with the addition of Superboy, Krypto, and Rose, the Titans are rapidly expanding their team. Each character is beginning to have unique interpersonal relationships with each other, and the growth gives each one of them a chance to showcase personality traits outside of their heroic tendencies. As we approach the end of the season, not only have we discovered new additions but the characterizations have made the team feel much more practical and stronger than the first season Titans.
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