With Titans’ 2nd season releasing its 7th episode and preparing to release episode 8 this Friday, it’s beginning to reach its halfway mark.
So what have we seen so far in comparison to Titans Season 1?
Season 2 has progressed significantly quicker than its predecessor. With Season 1 revolving more around the origins of Dick and Rachel, Season 2 skips over the first few months in Titans Tower following the defeat of Trigon. The benefit of this is that it allows a significant change in character for Dick, Rachel and Gar, who spent the majority of Season 1 battling with their own problems. Furthermore, the additional screen time given to Jason Todd shows how he interacts with the team whilst being away from Batman. The development of Season 2 follows the personal problems that the new Titans begin to have, both within the team and themselves. Rachel finds herself changing after the defeat of Trigon, Jason feels as if he is in the shadow of Dick, and this theme is felt in the portrayal of many others this season.
Kory, however, finds herself on a different path from the old Titans. In search of answers about who she is, she decides to latch onto Donna for the time being. In this search, she is kidnapped by a fellow Tamaranean and later contacted by Rachel, who pleads with her to come home. After a brief moment of conflict, she decides that her family are the Titans and chooses to stay on Earth, risking the consequences of leaving Tamaran behind. Meanwhile, Hank and Dawn attempt to escape the superhero life, with little luck.
Eventually, the Titans are all brought back together by two common enemies- Doctor Light and Deathstroke, along with the arrival of the latter’s daughter, which creates tension in the team.
Unlike Season 1, Deathstroke was revealed as the main villain of Season 2 from the very beginning. This changed the atmosphere of the show, with viewers no longer made to guess who the real villain of season would be. This also gave Deathstroke a lot more screen time compared to Trigon. The introduction of this old enemy what unites both the past and present Titans, and brings into the narrative new characters Jericho and Rose Wilson, whom are the offspring of Deathstroke. By bringing in this threat, the Titans were allowed to demonstrate the differences between the new team and their predecessors, from how they fight, to how their relationships within the team affect their hero work. Deathstroke is both a past and present villain, holding conflict with both teams. This allows Titans to put as many characters on screen as they wish, pleasing both those who prefer the original Titans over the new ones and vice versa.
Our most recent episode looked at the introduction of Superboy- a genetically fused clone of Superman and Lex Luthor- and Krypto. The previous episodes of Season 2 left the Titans doubtful of if they can defeat Deathstroke. But how will that change now with Superboy in the mix? And how will CADMUS laboratories tie into possible story-lines in the future?
Season 2 has been faster paced than Season 1. With more screen time for characters such as Jason and Donna, and continuous flashbacks, Titans has been able to fill in many character development holes left after Season 1. However a few still remain, particularly Gar and Kory, as well as Dick’s anticipated change into Nightwing. The first half of Season 2 has finally set the stage for all main characters and their roles as a part of the Titans, as well as firmly tagging Deathstroke as the season’s main villain. The improvement in design and costume in comparison to Season 1 is also evident, with almost all of the new Titans having new, more comic-accurate looks by the end of episode 2. This improvement also shown in Deathstroke’s suit, which is potentially one of the best suits of the season.
Ultimately, after 6 episodes of setup, Season 2 is getting ready to reach the climax of the season, with both the new Titans and the original Titans preparing to take on one of their deadliest foes.