Each show will finish with their fourth season

Titans and Doom Patrol have been cancelled as part of the continuing shakeup at Warner Bros. Discovery. While never part of the DCEU, the ending of both series will likely lead to a potential reboot of these characters in the new DCU shepherded by James Gunn and Peter Safran. While the potential is exciting, it is also sad. Both shows were well-received, especially the quirky Doom Patrol. And Titans gave us Anna Diop’s fierce interpretation of StarFire and the best version of Dick Grayson from Brenton Thwaites.

At least fans of the two shows will get a decent farewell. Both productions knew their shows were ending well in advance which gave the showrunners and writers plenty of time to craft an appropriate farewell.

A statement from an HBO Max spokesperson to Variety said:

“While these will be the final seasons of Titans and Doom Patrol, we are very proud of these series and excited for fans to see their climactic endings. We are grateful to Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television for making such thrilling, action-packed, heartfelt series. We thank Titans showrunner Greg Walker, executive producers Greg Berlanti, Akiva Goldsman, Sarah Schechter, Geoff Johns, Richard Hatem, and the team at Weed Road Pictures. For Doom Patrol, we celebrate showrunner Jeremy Carver and executive producers Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, Geoff Johns, Chris Dingess and Tamara Becher-Wilkinson. For four seasons, fans have fallen in love with the Titans and Doom Patrol, investing in their trials and tribulations, and in their legendary battles saving the world time and time again.”

Titans debuted in September 2018 and was heralded as the flagship show for standalone streaming service, DC Universe, with Doom Patrol launching on the service over a year later. The bright future anticipated for DC TV was soon dashed when the platform was cancelled a year later, and the two shows were added to HBO Max instead. While the HBO Spokesperson told Variety that the demise of the shows was not due to the massive culling made by WBD CEO David Zaslav, they do follow the same fate as Batgirl, Young Justice, and the exits of Henry Cavill’s Superman and Ben Affleck’s Batman. In addition, both shows were popular. They have a loyal following and always scored highly on Rotten Tomatoes and in viewership data from Parrot Analytics.

Cancellation Not Due To New DCU Plans?

James Gunn was quick to add on Twitter that he wasn’t responsible for the shows’ cancellation. But despite general praise for both shows, they just do not have any connection with the DCEU and cannot be incorporated into the new DCU. Titans also may have been axed partly because it featured yet another version of Batman played by Game of Thrones’ Ian Glen. The aging Batman has not exactly been a fan favorite either. In addition, Zaslav and co have been very vocal about the problem of too many Batmen in DC movies and TV shows. Before the show’s cancellation, there were four live-action Batmen. 

Zaslav hired James Gunn and Peter Safran to develop a sprawling narrative for DC Universe across movies, television and gaming. The CEO has been blatant he wants to follow Kevin Feige’s model for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which has one interconnected narrative across movies and television. Gunn is working towards that–and added that connected storylines will feature in new gaming also, which one-ups Marvel’s current approach. He is set to announce his ten-year plan for DCU in the next few days.

Dick Grayson’s Future in the DCU?

It will be too much to hope that Thwaites’ Dick Grayson, Diop’s StarFire and the cast of Doom Patrol get rolled into the DCU. It would be too confusing for a new rebooted universe. But what is certain is Dick Grayson is a pivotal character in the DC Universe. He is not only a major character, he also has one of the more interesting storylines in all of comics. He begins his journey as Batman’s first Robin before growing into manhood and stepping out on his own and becoming Nightwing, then forming and leading the Titans. He was also reinvented when he faked his death and became an undercover spy in the limited series, Grayson.

Few sidekicks have had such longevity after going out on their own. But he is arguably more popular as Nightwing than he was as the original Robin, a tall order considering just how iconic Robin is. A ten year plan for the DCU must feature Grayson, and it is exciting to see the possibilities his character could bring to the rebooted universe if Gunn and Safran follow the evolution he has undergone over the years in the comics. It would be the first time a character would go through such a long and transformative journey on screen. We’ll soon find out if any of these charcters are rebooted in the new DCU within a few days.

Season 4 for both Titans and Doom Patrol are split into two parts. The final six episodes of Titans season 4 is expected to begin in April, while the release of Doom Patrol’s second half is yet to be determined.