TITANS Trailer Draws Criticism from Fans

DC’s Titans aired its official trailer at Comic Con yesterday. The two-minute clip features what appears to be a darker turn for DC’s TV productions. And while many fans are excited for the new series, others take the news with a grain of salt. So much salt in fact, that people think it’s the reason DC’s official YouTube channel has taken the video down. Thankfully the Twitter video is still up.

Watch: Titans Official Comic Con Trailer Titans DC on DCU Titans Verified Twitter Page

#TITANS. Fall 2018. #DCUniverse #DCUTitans (available in U.S. only) https://t.co/Iq8S64hJ36 pic.twitter.com/3H2ro4OCJs

— DCUTitans (@DCUTitans) July 19, 2018

Why are Fans Mad About Titans?

Non-canon or “Elseworld” stories don’t have to be a 100% interpretation of the source. Consider the MCU version of Thanos who only wanted half the universe dead rather than the comic book version who wanted everything dead. It wasn’t canon, but it was well-received. But there are certain aspects of source material you don’t bend, let alone break.

For instance, the biggest complaint fans have about the Titans trailer is that Dick Grayson actually uses firearms to kill criminals. The trailer tries to imply that this could be the point of falling out between Robin and the Batman, but it is one change fans find hard to accept. This is because it is hardwired in fans’ minds that the only Robin to ever wield guns is Jason Todd, and only as the Red Hood. Starfire can be black. Raven can be Robin’s love interest instead of Starfire. If you squint really hard, even the peace-loving Dove may kill. But the moment you allow Dick to use guns, he replaces Jason as Batman’s greatest failure.

Oh and Twitter is all over it too.

#Titans What i wanted VS What i got pic.twitter.com/e353kQ3LoL

— Lesbo Beans (@ThePriceIsHigh2) July 19, 2018

I will say one thing about #Titans: Dick Grayson would not step on a dudes neck and break it. That is horribly ooc

— #kamalakorp (@agentfitz777) July 19, 2018

Can we just stop to talk about the hilarious sound design in this terrible #TITANS trailer?

*lightly presses foot into stunt actor's neck*

*KRRRRRKKKKCCCHHHHHHSPCHH* pic.twitter.com/Fi1QamheQH

— Quinton Reviews (@Q_Review) July 19, 2018

Marvel vs DC All Over Again

Marvel and DC are arguably the two greatest superpowers of the modern comic books industry. Outside the comic books however, DC has always struggled to achieve the same level of popularity Marvel currently has. This is evident in the success of the MCU compared to the largely disappointing DCEU. For the most part, DC found its lead in TV series, with the CW’s Arrowverse overshadowing Marvel’s Agents of Shield. These still fell short compared to Marvel’s Netflix series (Daredevil, Punisher, etc). But at least they’re still better than anything they’ve taken to the big screen so far…

And now, DC seems to be messing it all up with Titans. Hopefully — however unlikely — this time, the fans are wrong.

Titans is the first official live-action take on DC’s New Teen Titans; a team of superheroes, many of whom were originally sidekicks to other major DC characters. The series focuses on Robin (Brenton Thwaites), Starfire (Anna Diop), Beast Boy (Ryan Potter), and Raven (Teagan Croft). Other major roles include winged heroes Hawk (Alan Ritchson) and Dove (Minka Kelly) among others.