The idea that the Teen Titans are going to be represented on the small screen is well… in a word, awesome! And that isn’t just this writer being a fan boy. We haven’t had a good superhero team show since Alphas (you thought it was going to be Heroes didn’t you, Squidward?). All that said there is a very strong possibility this could go terrible wrong. Let’s take a moment to discuss how the Titans can continue DC Comics dominance in the realm of Television.
The team has to be made up of the best Titans:
Like any superhero team there have been many iterations. You have to focus on the strongest characters for the team to succeed. That’s not to say they have to use specific iteration of the team. To maximize the potential of the show the writers would be best served to cherry the most interesting characters in Titan’s lore. Who should the pick you ask?
Nightwing:
There is no way you can have this show without Dick Grayson. He is the quintessential definition of what a Titan is. Also, he is probably the most famous member of the team. It has to specifically be Grayson as Nightwing. Reason being by the time Grayson became Nightwing, he had come into his own as a leader and he was no longer in the preverbal shadow of the bat.
Cyborg:
Cyborg is widely considered to be the backbone of the Titans. It’s rare to have the Titans exist without Cyborg. Vic Stone is extremely intelligent and can serve as the Titan’s tech expert. Booyah!
Starfire:
At first glance it hard to know what to expect from Koriand’r of Tamaran. She is incredibly beautiful and extremely powerful. Other than being the team’s original powerhouse, she can also give the show a connection to the outer reaches of the galaxy. The show can leverage her involvement into multiple space adventures. Who doesn’t like space adventures? Also, her on again, off again relationship with Nightwing could also lead to great TV. It may be a bit cliché but every show has to have some sort of romantic tension.
Raven:
What would the Titans be without the half-human and half-demon Raven? Her mystical powers come in hand during battle. By virtue of her origin/powers Raven would be perfect for the Titans TV series. Raven centric episodes could focus on the mystical side of the DC Universe. In the same vain as Starfire having Raven around will help to diversify the shows story telling.
Beast Boy:
Beast Boy’s powers may be a bit problematic (the ability to turn into any animal) for Television from a budgetary perspective, but this show is going to need comic relief.
Kid Flash:
Kid Flash was one of the founding members of the Teen Titans. It would not seem right to not have him in the show. Including him could be somewhat difficult if this show is going to exist in the current DC Television universe. How do you explain Kid Flash being on the team when Barry Allen has only had powers for less than year on CW’s The Flash? There are obvious ways around this (have Kid Flash come from the future… Which would mean he would be Bart Allen and not Wally West, but still it could work).
Superboy:
If there is going to be a Supergirl TV show why the heck not include Connor Kent on the team? In years past it was a no-no to mention Superman or Batman in any of the DC Television shows, but since DC brass has eased up a bit on that edict having another avenue for the Superman brand to flourish would not be a bad thing.
Utilize The Titan’s Classic Villains:
This may go without saying, but it would be insane to have a Teen Titans Television show without having Deathstroke The Terminator as the primary adversary. Seeing as how Deathstroke has already been introduced into the DC TV Universe, why not have Manu Bennett reprise the role? He preformed admirably as Slade Wilson in two seasons of the CW’s Arrow. Arrow’s version of Deathstroke is currently rotting away in the supermax person on Lian Yu, but that can be remedied by a simple time jump. Have Titans technically take place 10 years after the current timeline of Arrow and the Flash. That way, the age and experience of Deathstroke matches that of the Deathstroke the Titans should be facing. Speaking of Deathstroke…
Honor the Classic Stories:
One word: “The Judas Contract”. Ok that was three words, but still. “The Judas Contract” is the Titans what the “Dark Phoenix Saga” is to the X-men. I won’t go in too much detail, but having a story that dark represented in live action would be amazing. Considering the way it ends, it could go down as one of the saddest moments in TV history. They can also pull from “The Hunt for Raven”, and the “Titans of Tomorrow” as well.
Do not act as if the Teen Titans exist in a bubble:
Each of the purposed characters on the show have the benefit of have deep backstories. Nightwing’s connection to the Bat-verse, Superboy is a clone of Superman and Lex Luthor, Beast Boy was a member of the Doom Patrol and so forth. It would be a huge mistake not to address the fact that the Titans have these connections. Far to often superhero shows try to act as if there are no other heroes around. The DC Universe is huge. Take advantage of it. Could you imagine Nightwing going missing and Batgirl and or Robin coming looking for him? Or how about an alarm goes off in Titan’s tower and the team rushes to find out what happened and its Damien Wayne as Robin coming to challenge Nightwing to a fight to prove who the best Robin is? Why not have The Doom Patrol or Tom Welling’s Superman appear? To possibilities are endless.
Action, action, and more action:
This is a show about a team of superheroes. Their needs to be a considerable amount of action to keep this show entertaining. There has to be huge battles and actual super villains for them to fight. Obviously there will be your occasional stick up or bank robbery that the team may foil, but we need to see each team member in action. Nightwing beating the crap out of people with his escrima sticks while Raven pull people into her cape and transporting them to lord knows where. Cyborg blowing up armored vehicles with his arm cannon and so forth. With all the power on this team, it has to be on display. There is no way around it.
What do you think it will take for Teen Titans to be a great show? Let us know in the comments below!