Titans season 2
Titans | |
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Season 2 | |
![]() Promotional poster | |
Starring | |
No. of episodes | 13 |
Release | |
Original network | DC Universe |
Original release | September 6 November 29, 2019 | –
Season chronology | |
The second season of the American superhero television series Titans premiered on DC Universe on September 6, 2019, and concluded on November 29, 2019, consisting of 13 episodes. It was executive produced by Akiva Goldsman, Geoff Johns, Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, and Greg Walker, with Walker serving as showrunner for the second consecutive season. Created by Goldsman, Johns, and Berlanti, the series is based on the DC Comics team Teen Titans. Brenton Thwaites, Anna Diop, Teagan Croft, and Ryan Potter return to the main cast from the previous season, joined by season 1 guest stars Curran Walters, Conor Leslie, Minka Kelly, and Alan Ritchson and series newcomers Chelsea Zhang, Joshua Orpin, and Esai Morales.
The season sees Dick Grayson (Thwaites) form a new Titans team comprising Rachel Roth (Croft), Gar Logan (Potter), and Jason Todd (Walters) in his original San Francisco base. Concurrent with the Titans' return, an old enemy resurfaces in the form of Deathstroke (Morales), whose past conflict with the original Titans team of Dick, Donna Troy (Leslie), Dawn Granger (Kelly), and Hank Hall (Ritchson) caused them to disband. As Deathstroke looks to eliminate the Titans, with his daughter Rose Wilson (Zhang) also taking part in the fight, the heroes face another threat from Cadmus Laboratories when they encounter runaway test subject Conner (Orpin). Meanwhile, Kory Anders (Diop) discovers that she is being hunted by her sister Blackfire (Damaris Lewis).
A second season of Titans was confirmed in 2018 prior to the premiere of the first season. Filming began the following year and 13 episodes were announced, two more than the 11 episodes of its predecessor. The season was originally planned to feature H.I.V.E. as the Titans' enemies, while Dick would operate under his new mantle of Nightwing after assuming the identity in the initially intended season 1 finale. Before the start of filming, however, the original season 1 finale would be pulled and reworked into the second season, which provided a new resolution to the previous season's story in its premiere episode. The second season was subsequently re-envisioned to depict Dick's gradual transformation into Nightwing, with Deathstroke replacing H.I.V.E. It will be the last season to release on DC Universe as a result of the service's original programming moving to HBO Max in 2021 with the series' third season.
Critical reception to the second season was mixed. While episodes in the first half of the season received positive reviews, the premiere and later episodes were met with a more negative response.
Episodes
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Prod. code |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
12 | 1 | "Trigon" | Carol Banker | Akiva Goldsman & Geoff Johns & Greg Walker | September 6, 2019 | T13.21651 |
13 | 2 | "Rose" | Nathan Hope | Richard Hatem | September 13, 2019 | T13.21652 |
14 | 3 | "Ghosts" | Kevin Tancharoen | Tom Pabst | September 20, 2019 | T13.21653 |
15 | 4 | "Aqualad" | Glen Winter | Jamie Gorenberg | September 27, 2019 | T13.21654 |
16 | 5 | "Deathstroke" | Nick Gomez | Bianca Sams | October 4, 2019 | T13.21655 |
17 | 6 | "Conner" | Alex Kalymnios | Richard Hatem | October 11, 2019 | T13.21656 |
18 | 7 | "Bruce Wayne" | Akiva Goldsman | Bryan Edward Hill | October 18, 2019 | T13.21657 |
19 | 8 | "Jericho" | Toa Fraser | Kate McCarthy | October 25, 2019 | T13.21658 |
20 | 9 | "Atonement" | Boris Mojsovski | Jeffrey David Thomas | November 1, 2019 | T13.21659 |
21 | 10 | "Fallen" | Kevin Sullivan | Jamie Gorenberg | November 8, 2019 | T13.21660 |
22 | 11 | "E.L._.O." | Millicent Shelton | Bianca Sams | November 15, 2019 | T13.21661 |
23 | 12 | "Faux Hawk" | Larnell Stovall | Tom Pabst | November 22, 2019 | T13.21662 |
24 | 13 | "Nightwing" | Carol Banker | Richard Hatem & Greg Walker | November 29, 2019 | T13.21663 |
Cast and characters
Main
- Brenton Thwaites as Dick Grayson / Robin / Nightwing: The leader of the Titans and member of the original team
- Anna Diop as Koriand'r / Kory Anders: An extraterrestrial royal with the ability to absorb and redirect solar energy
- Teagan Croft as Rachel Roth: An empath deriving her powers from her demon father and member of the new Titans team
- Ryan Potter as Gar Logan: A shapeshifter capable of transforming into animals who joins the new Titans team
- Curran Walters as Jason Todd / Robin: Dick's successor as Robin, who becomes part of the new Titans team at Bruce's request
- Conor Leslie as Donna Troy / Wonder Girl: A half-Amazon who helped form the original Titans team
- Afrodite Drossos as young Donna Troy
- Minka Kelly as Dawn Granger / Dove: The tactical half of her and Hank's vigilante duo, previously with the original Titans
- Alan Ritchson as Hank Hall / Hawk: An vigilante and former Titan serving as the aggressive half in his and Dawn's crimefighting duo
- Esai Morales as Slade Wilson / Deathstroke: A biologically-enhanced assassin who has a history with the original Titans
- Chelsea Zhang as Rose Wilson / Ravager: Deathstroke's daughter, who shares his enhanced reflexes and regenerative healing
- Joshua Orpin as Subject 13 / Conner: A genetic clone of Superman and Lex Luthor, possessing the abilities and personality traits of both
Recurring
- Iain Glen as Bruce Wayne: A billionaire who moonlights as a feared vigilante in Gotham City and Dick's mentor[1]
- Michael Mosley as Dr. Arthur Light: A former physicist who turned criminal after gaining the ability to control light energy[2]
- Chella Man as Jericho: Deathstroke's mute son and Rose's half-brother, who has the power to possess other people's bodies through eye contact[3]
- Raoul Bhaneja as Walter Hawn: The vice president of special projects at Cadmus Laboratories
- Natalie Gumede as Mercy Graves: The personal security specialist to Lex Luthor, assigned to oversee Cadmus Laboratories[4]
- Demore Barnes as William Wintergreen: Deathstroke's handler and friend
- Mayko Nguyen as Adeline: Jericho's mother and Deathstroke's ex-wife
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/57/Iain_Glen.jpg/220px-Iain_Glen.jpg)
Dog actors Wrigley, Digby, and Lacey portray Krypto, a dog possessing Kryptonian powers who accompanies Conner.[5]
Guest
- Seamus Dever as Trigon: An interdimensional demon with the power to destroy worlds and Rachel's father. Dever also portrays an ice cream truck driver and a drug supplier in the illusions created by Trigon.
- Rachel Nichols as Angela Azarath: Rachel's biological mother, who holds allegiance to Trigon
- Drew Van Acker as Garth / Aqualad: A member of the original Titans from Atlantis possessing hydrokinetic and enhanced physical abilities[6]
- Robbie Jones as Faddei: A royal guard from Tamaran and former romantic interest of Kory[7]
- Ann Magnuson as Jillian: An Amazon monitoring Donna
- Genevieve Angelson as Eve Watson: A scientist at Cadmus Laboratories who created Conner[8]
- Damaris Lewis as Blackfire: A Tamaranean royal and Kory's sister
- Evan Jones as Len Armstrong: A prison guard at the Kane County Correctional Facility
- Orel De La Mota as Rafi: A Kane County inmate who illegally entered the United States after he fled Corto Maltese
- Julian Works as Luis: An undocumented immigrant from Corto Maltese detained in Kane County with Rafi and Santos
- Rey Gallegos as Santos: Rafi and Luis's cellmate and fellow Corto Maltese undocumented immigrant
- McKinley Freeman as the psychiatrist: A psychiatrist who encounters Kory in Las Vegas
- Currie Graham as Stuart: The creator of Dick's costume, posing as a shoemaker
- Peter MacNeill as Lionel Luthor: A retired scientist and Lex Luthor's father
- Curtis Lum as Benny: A contact of Dick
- Elizabeth Whitmere as Ellis' sister: The sister of Hank and Dawn's farmhand
- Drew Scheid as Faux Hawk: A teenager who poses as Hawk
- Patrick Garrow as cage announcer: The announcer for Hank's cage fights
- Spencer Macpherson as Ellis: A recovering drug addict hired by Hank and Dawn to help manage their farm
- Hanneke Talbot as Selinda Flinders / Shimmer: A metahuman criminal with the ability to alter compounds and elements[9][10]
- Sarah Deakins as Martha Kent: Superman's adoptive mother
- Oluniké Adeliyi as Mati Matisse: A burlesque dancer formerly in a relationship with Wintergreen
- Sydney Kuhne as Dani: A runaway fleeing from an abusive household
- Ishan Morris as Caleb: Dani's abusive father
- Natalie Morgan as Paris: A pregnant woman who becomes Blackfire's host body on Earth
Payne Novak portrays Lex Luthor and Clark Kent as children.
Production
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Chella_Man%2C_January_2019.png/220px-Chella_Man%2C_January_2019.png)
Development
Ahead of the series' premiere at New York Comic Con in October 2018, Titans was renewed for a second season.[11] At the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con, the second season's premiere was announced for September 6, 2019, on DC Universe[12] and would consist of 13 episodes.[13] Greg Walker returned as showrunner from the first season, who also served as an executive producer alongside Akiva Goldsman, Geoff Johns, Greg Berlanti, and Sarah Schechter.[14]
The season will be the last to release on DC Universe due to its original programming moving to HBO Max in 2021.[15][16]
Writing
The second season was initially planned to follow the events of the original season 1 finale, which would have seen Dick Grayson assume the identity of Nightwing and establish H.I.V.E. as the Titans' next adversaries.[17][18] After the original season 1 finale was pulled, elements of the episode were given to the season 2 premiere, which became the resolution of season 1's Trigon story.[19] H.I.V.E. was replaced by Deathstroke, while Dick's arc into Nightwing was re-envisoned to conclude in the season 2 finale.
Casting
Series regulars Brenton Thwaites, Anna Diop, Teagan Croft, and Ryan Potter reprise their roles from the first season as Dick Grayson, Kory Anders Rachel Roth, and Gar Logan. Curran Walters, Conor Leslie, Minka Kelly, and Alan Ritchson also return as Jason Todd, Donna Troy, Dawn Granger, and Hank Hall, promoted to series regulars after guest starring in the previous season.
In February 2019, it was announced that Joshua Orpin had been cast as Conner for season two, taking over for body double Brooker Muir in the first season.[20] After the character was teased by co-creator Geoff Johns,[21] Esai Morales was cast as Deathstroke in March 2019,[22] with Chella Man and Chelsea Zhang announced as his children Jericho and Rose.[3][23] Iain Glen was cast as Bruce Wayne in April 2019, marking the character's first physical appearance after being portrayed by stunt doubles in the first season finale.[1] In June 2019, Natalie Gumede and Drew Van Acker were cast as Mercy Graves and Garth, respectively.[4][6] In July, Genevieve Angelson was announced as Cadmus Laboratories scientist Dr. Eve Watson.[8] In August 2019, Michael Mosley was revealed to be portraying Dr. Light.[2] Also in August, Oluniké Adeliyi announced on her Instagram she had joined the cast in an undisclosed role that was later revealed as burlesque dancer Mati Matisse[24] and Hanneke Talbot was revealed to be Shimmer.[9][10] In September 2019, Demore Barnes was revealed to be portraying Wintergreen.[25] Following the character's appearance in an October 2019 trailer, Diop confirmed on her Instagram that Damaris Lewis would be portraying Kory's sister Blackfire,[26] which was also confirmed by Lewis.[27]
Filming
Filming for the second season began on April 2, 2019,[28] and concluded on September 20, 2019.[29] Production was temporarily put on hold in July due to accidental death of special effects coordinator Warren Appleby;[30][31] the season 2 premiere is dedicated in his memory.
Release
Broadcast
The second season premiered in the United States through DC Universe on September 6, 2019, and concluded on November 29, 2019.[32] Outside the United States, the second season became available for streaming via Netflix on January 10, 2020.[33]
Home media
On March 3, 2020, the second season was released digitally and on DVD and Blu-Ray.[34]
Reception
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/50/Akiva_Goldsman_by_Gage_Skidmore.jpg/220px-Akiva_Goldsman_by_Gage_Skidmore.jpg)
On Rotten Tomatoes, the second season holds an 81% approval rating based on 21 reviews. The critical consensus reads, "Though Titans's sophomore season suffers from a slight slump at the start, it quickly resets itself, building on the momentum from its first season while laying fascinating framework for where the show could go."[35]
The premiere episode "Trigon", which had story elements originally intended for the season 1 finale, drew mixed reviews. Kevin Yeoman of Screen Rant wrote that the premiere "feels like two distinct episodes roughly stitched together, rather than a proper start to a new season" and "the show's simply carrying too much baggage at the start and is reaching for a conclusion too long after the ostensible end of season 1 to deliver much in the way of a fulfilling resolution or a promising new beginning".[36] Giving the episode a 5.8/10, Jesse Schedeen of IGN called it "an extremely messy episode, with one half tasked with wrapping up Season 1's Trigon storyline and the other laying the groundwork for a new status quo and new villain" and "delivers a very anticlimactic finish to Season 1's story", although he found promise for future episodes.[37] Den of Geek reviewer Aaron Sagers said the premiere "would have served as an excellent season 1 finale", but concluded that "it feels quite a bit like a much-needed course correction for this series" and gave it a 3.5/5.[38]
Following the premiere, early episodes of the season earned a positive reception. In a review for the second episode "Rose", Forbes contributor Linda Maleh called it "the real season premiere" and wrote, "season 2 has taken the best things about season 1, and elevated them".[39] Praising the sixth episode "Conner" and Joshua Orpin's performance in the title role, Sagers said, "it is a strong introduction of the anticipated character, and Titans makes up for the fact we've waited so long in the season for it".[40] Schedeen gave the eighth episode "Jericho" a 9.3/10, which he described as "easily the strongest installment of Titans: Season 2, and a clear contender for the series' best episode overall".[41]
However, the later episodes were received more negatively. In a review for the 11th episode "E.L._.O.", Charles Pulliam-Moore of Gizmodo wrote, "Titans seemingly lost its focus" after the eighth episode and "with just two episodes to go, it doesn’t seem possible that the writers are going to be able to wrap things up in satisfying or interesting ways".[42] For the finale "Nightwing", Pulliam-Moore called it "a travesty of epic proportions", criticizing how the episode concluded the season's storylines.[43] The death of Donna Troy in the finale was widely panned as illogical and unnecessary, with several reviewers questioning if electrical discharge from a transmission tower would have been sufficient to kill the character. Although giving the overall episode a 3.5/5, Sagers commented, "Even if I were to accept that Donna couldn't withstand that electrical charge, and even if I could explain why the super-boy [Conner] didn't rush to stop the falling tower, the death played out in cheap fashion, like yet another box that had to be ticked for the finale."[44] Entertainment Weekly's Christian Holub said, "Donna Troy's last-minute death felt so stupidly unnecessary that I can't help but throw up my hands at this whole season finale", describing the scene as "such a stupid death I honestly thought it was a joke at first".[45]
Future
Three weeks prior to the conclusion of the second season, DC confirmed in November 2019 that Titans was renewed for a third season.[46][47] The third season was scheduled to premiere in the fourth quarter of 2020, but is currently delayed amid the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of the pandemic, filming is expected to begin in the fall of 2020 and conclude by summer 2021.[48]
During the production delay, DC Chief Creative Officer Jim Lee announced that the series would be moving from DC Universe to HBO Max, making the second season the last to premiere on DC Universe.[15] The third season will be the first to premiere on HBO Max.[16]
References
- ^ a b Boucher, Geoff (April 11, 2019). "Game of Thrones Star Will Portray Bruce Wayne On Titans". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
- ^ a b Ridgely, Charlie (August 19, 2019). "Titans Adds Michael Mosley as Doctor Light in Season 2". Comicbook.com. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
- ^ a b Boucher, Geoff (March 19, 2019). "Titans: Chella Man Cast As Jericho For DC Universe Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
- ^ a b Boucher, Geoff (June 12, 2019). "DC Universe: Doctor Who Co-Star Lands Mercy Graves Role On Titans". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
- ^ Kaya, Emre (13 February 2020). "Exclusive Interview with 'Titans' Actor Joshua Orpin/Superboy!". Geeks WorldWide. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
- ^ a b Burlingame, Russ (June 14, 2019). "Titans Casts Drew Van Acker as Aqualad". Comicbook.com. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
- ^ Gomez, Emmanuel (September 13, 2019). "Titans Season 2 Episode 2 'Rose' Review: The Real Beginning of Season 2". LRMonline. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
- ^ a b Boucher, Geoff (July 29, 2019). "Good Girls Revolt Star Genevieve Angelson Joins DC Universe Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 29, 2019.
- ^ a b "DC Villain Shimmer Debuts in Titans Season 2 Trailer". ComicBook.com. August 27, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
- ^ a b "Titans Season 2 Casts Ready or Not's Hanneke Talbot As Shimmer". Full Circle Cinema. September 1, 2019. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
- ^ Petski, Denise (October 3, 2018). "Titans Renewed For Season 2 By DC Universe Ahead Of Premiere". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
- ^ Flook, Ray (July 26, 2019). "Titans Season 2: Diop, Leslie - Long Day's Journey into Next Morning". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
- ^ "Shows A-Z - titans on dc". The Futon Critic. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
- ^ Sagers, Aaron (19 September 2019). "Titans Showrunner Talks Bringing the Team Home in Season 2". Den of Geek. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
- ^ a b Mitovich, Matt Webb (14 August 2020). "DC Universe Original TV Series Will Be Moving to HBO Max, Says DC CCO". TV Line. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
- ^ a b Agard, Chancellor (18 September 2020). "DC Universe to become premium comics service as TV originals move to HBO Max". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
- ^ Elvy, Craig (19 November 2019). "Titans: What Originally Happened In The Cancelled Season 1 Finale". Screen Rant. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
- ^ "Titans: Here's What Was Supposed To Happen In The Scrapped Season 1 Finale!". GWW. 17 November 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
- ^ Bacon, Thomas (December 24, 2018). "Titans Showrunner Confirms Original Season 1 Finale Became Season 2 Premiere". Screen Rant. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
- ^ Burlingame, Russ (February 27, 2019). "Titans Casts Its Superboy". Comicbook.com. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
- ^ Schmidt, JK (October 4, 2018). "Titans Confirms A New Version Of Deathstroke". Comicbook.com. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
- ^ Boucher, Geoff (March 13, 2019). "Titans: Esai Morales Joins DC Universe As Deathstroke". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ Robles, Mario-Francisco (March 19, 2019). "RTF Exclusive: Titans Has Found Their Rose Wilson, Daughter of Deathstroke!". Revenge of the Fans. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
- ^ "Coming Soon!!! So excited and blessed to be apart of this awesome show🙏🏾 #Titans #Titanstvseries #dcuniverse #livingthedream 🎬🎞🎥". August 22, 2019. Retrieved September 11, 2019 – via Instagram.
- ^ "The Flash Actor Demore Barnes Cast As Wintergreen In Titans Season 2". Full Circle Cinema. September 2, 2019. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
- ^ "She's here...And it's not pretty. Well, @damarislewis is like INSANELY pretty but you know what I mean :) I've been sooooo excited to share this new addition. Welcome, sis! 🖤". October 28, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2019 – via Instagram.
- ^ "Hi, you can call me, BLACKFIRE, @dcutitans @thedcuniverse Surprise, Surprise. #TITANS (Hello, sister @the_annadiop ) 🔥 🔥 🔥 Tune in..." October 28, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2019 – via Instagram.
- ^ Polito, Thomas (March 14, 2019). "Exclusive: John Fawcett Tapped To Direct First Episode Of Titans Season Two". Geeks WorldWide. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
- ^ "Current Productions". IATSE 873. Archived from the original on April 1, 2019. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
- ^ Flook, Ray (July 18, 2019). "Titans Season 2: Crew Member Killed in Accident; Production Halted". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
- ^ Hipes, Patrick (July 18, 2019). "Crew Member on DC Universe's Titans Killed in Accident at Special Effects Facility". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
- ^ Hipes, Patrick (July 20, 2019). "Titans Gets Season 2 Premiere Date On DC Universe – Comic-Con". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
- ^ "'Titans' Season 2 Coming to Netflix Internationally in January 2020". What's on Netflix. 2019-12-18. Retrieved 2020-06-20.
- ^ "WBHE to release "Titans: The Complete Second Season" On Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital March 3, 2020". WarnerBros.com. March 20, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
- ^ "Titans: Season 2". Rotten Tomatoes. 2018. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
- ^ Yeoman, Kevin (5 September 2019). "Titans Season 2 Review: Heroes Step Out Of The Darkness & Into A New Home". Screen Rant. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
- ^ Schedeen, Jesse (6 September 2019). "Titans Season 2 Premiere: "Trigon" Review". IGN. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
- ^ Sagers, Aaron (8 September 2019). "Titans Season 2 Episode 1 Review: Trigon". Den of Geek. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
- ^ Maleh, Linda (13 September 2019). "Review: Titans Season 2 Episode 2 Is The Real Season Premiere". Forbes. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
- ^ Sagers, Aaron (11 October 2019). "Titans Season 2 Episode 6: Conner". Den of Geek. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
- ^ Schedeen, Jesse (28 October 2019). "Titans: Season 2, Episode 8 - "Jericho" Review". IGN. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
- ^ Pulliam-Moore, Charles (18 November 2019). "Titans Is Having an Existential Crisis on Its Singular Earth". Gizmodo. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
- ^ Pulliam-Moore, Charles (2 December 2019). "Titans' Season 2 Finale Was a Travesty of Epic Proportionsh". Gizmodo. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
- ^ Sagers, Aaron (29 November 2019). "Titans Season 2 Episode 13 Review: Nightwing". Den of Geek. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
- ^ Holub, Christian (29 November 2019). "Titans season finale recap: Death and rebirth". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
- ^ Freeman, Molly (November 11, 2019). "DC's Titans Season 3 Officially Happening, Will Release 2020". Screen Rant. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
- ^ Griffin, David (November 11, 2019). "DC Universe's Titans Season 3 Renewal Announcement". IGN. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
- ^ Kaya, Emre (12 September 2020). "'Titans' Season 3 Set To Start Production On October 13". The Vulcan Reporter. Retrieved 12 September 2020.