'Titans:' 5 Comic Book Characters That Should Join the Show

DC Universe’s Titans had a rocky start but has settled into an entertaining, albeit dark, superhero show. So far, the main team members are Dick Grayson (Brenton Thwaites), Kory Anders/ Starfire (Anna Diop), Gar Logan/ Beast Boy (Ryan Potter) and Rachel Roth/ Raven (Teagan Croft). In the show’s eighth episode, a new character was introduced – Conor Leslie’s Donna Troy.

In Titans, we see Donna is a professional photographer whose art is highly sought-after. She also uses her skills to take down crime syndicates like illegal animal traders. While confiding in Dick, she reveals that she has hung up her Wonder Girl boots because she can be a different kind of hero as Donna Troy.

In comics, Donna was part of the original Teen Titans, a team formed of superhero sidekicks, which also included Robin, Kid Flash, Speedy and Aqualad. The title was created by DC Comics to attract younger readers who would relate to the pre-teen/ teenaged versions of their favourite superheroes. So, it was definitely surprising to many that several of these characters were left out of the Titans show.

But, since Donna seems to be sticking around for a little while in Titans, we have a handful of suggestions for other comic book Titans members to join the show. Here are five characters we want to see next on the DC Universe series.

Aqualad (Garth)

Aquaman is a hot topic right now, with the imminent release of the Jason Momoa film. So, why should Aqualad be any different? Garth, like the rest of DC’s original sidekicks, was a younger version of Arthur Curry, but ever since his debut he has developed into a much weightier character. Along with Atlantean strength, he also wields magic, which has got him and his teams out of many sticky situations in the comics. He is a natural leader as well; on multiple occasions he has been tasked with ruling Atlantis when his king, Aquaman, is called away on Justice League missions.

Garth has been hard done by DC executives, often disappearing from memory for prolonged periods of time. It doesn’t help that Aquaman has always been sniggered at for being comical; some of that apathy has percolated down to Garth, who is a complex character if given the correct material to play with. He’s gruff and vitriolic, which would make him an explosive addition to Titans, especially now that Dick Grayson has seemingly simmered down from his rage.

Though Garth has long been relegated to playing a supporting character (he was always an essential asset to his team), but he needs the page-space to expand. This lack of growth in the comics would give the Titans showrunners a virtual blank slate to create an intriguing character of their own—one who could be an ally as well as an anti-hero.

Bumblebee (Karen Beecher)

With a superhero name like Bumblebee, one would expect Karen Beecher to be less than impressive. And they would be wrong. Karen is a scientist, originally introduced in Teen Titans as the girlfriend of Mal Duncan. Mal had a bit of an inferiority complex about his abilities and intelligence as compared to the rest of his friends, so Karen tried to help him out by attacking the Titans in a bumblebee costume. When she revealed her antics, the team happily accepted her as a new member. She and Mal (as Herald) joined the Titans West team, but have also appeared alongside the main Titans team in many comic book arcs.

After marrying Mal and retiring from her superhero life, Karen continued being a hero at S.T.A.R. Labs. She has been on-call as a superhero whenever needed and has a sunny temperament that makes her a fun and likeable member of the Titans.

Despite being a peripheral character in the comics, fans will be familiar with her from the original source material as well as several animated shows and some video games. Most importantly, Karen is believed to be one of the earliest Black female superheroes in DC Comics, which makes her iconic. She would be a valuable addition to the Titans show—diversifying the cast as well as adding some much-needed levity.

Arsenal (Roy Harper)

This one is really wishful thinking! Roy Harper is another founding member of the Teen Titans, though he has been in and out of the team for several comic runs. Unfortunately, Roy already exists in the DCTV world— as part of the Arrowverse, Roy Harper is played by Colton Haynes, and his history is vastly different from his comic book iteration. Despite debuting in the first season of Arrow, Roy’s story arc has never been as fulfilling or vital to the main story. Even as the superhero Arsenal, Roy spent more time being benched than in the field.

In the current season of Arrow, Roy only shows up in the flash-forward as a hermit hiding away on Lian Yu. Given how little Roy has been given to do all of this season, if Haynes doesn’t reprise his role in upcoming seasons, the possibility of another Roy Harper being allowed to appear on Titans opens up.

The Titans showrunners could even cast a Native American actor in the role, as Roy learnt his archery when he was adopted by the Navajo as a child. Roy’s history is also riddled with struggles, including prolonged addiction to substance abuse and complicated romantic relationships with Donna Troy and the villain, Cheshire.

What’s especially exciting about Roy joining the DC Universe is the opportunity for a Red Hood/ Arsenal team-up. The two made a great pair in their limited comic run, and since Jason Todd has already been introduced on Titans, Red Hood can’t be far away.

Kid Flash (Wally West)

What is Dick Grayson without Wally West? Dick and Wally’s friendship has been an integral part of almost every Titans iteration. They are the pun-tastic sidekicks of Batman and The Flash, and have excellent bromance on page.

But the trouble with adding Wally to Titans is again the Arrowverse. Keiynan Lonsdale debuted the character on The CW’s The Flash in the second season, but never seemed to get his due. From being a regular on the show, he became a recurring character, before moving to DC’s Legends of Tomorrow for the second half of their third season and eventually leaving the Arrowverse in 2018.

Lonsdale’s Kid Flash is pretty much cemented in our memory and he has reiterated that he would love to return to the character but other projects are paramount at the moment. Unfortunately, this puts the character in a kind of limbo. Missing in his own show, while making it impossible to be re-cast for DC Universe. But, one can always only hope, right?

Technically, we currently have two versions of Barry Allen on screen—Grant Gustin’s The CW version and Ezra Miller in the DCEU, so there’s no reason a new actor can’t appear as Wally. The question is, can DC Universe afford him? The special effects on the show have been minimal so far; having a speedster as a regular team member could blow the budget.

Cyborg (Victor Stone)

Cyborg is perhaps the only character on this list who could actually appear on Titans. Joivan Wade has been cast as Victor Stone in the upcoming Doom Patrol show, which will be released in 2019. The trouble is, as Cyborg, Victor has been a mainstay of the main Teen Titans since the 1980s.

Victor’s story has always been tinged with pathos. His cybernetic implants have kept him alive since an experiment his father was working on killed his mother and gravely wounded him. His early arcs dealt with his estrangement from his father and his gradual acceptance of his new circumstance. Ray Fisher, who played the character in 2017’s Justice League, perfectly encapsulated the character’s melancholy, so it will be interesting to see how Wade interprets Victor.

Off late, DC Comics executives have pushed for the character to be part of the Justice League, so nowadays, Cyborg kicks it with the big leagues in comic books. Originally, though, Cyborg was a core member of the team and fans were rightly disappointed that the character had not been included on the show, and equally perplexed when it was announced Cyborg would be appearing on Doom Patrol. Cyborg may fit in with that team of misfits, but he has never shared allegiances with Doom Patrol in the comics. However, if DC Universe plan to use Doom Patrol as a platform to introduce Cyborg before absorbing him into Titans, we are here for it.

The Teen Titans and Titans comic books are a fount of characters with vibrant origins, personalities and powers. It would be wonderful to see all of them appear on the show, but that’s obviously not possible. As much as we love the current team, bringing in other characters will certainly add more variety to proceedings. But the show is still young, let’s see what’s in store in the succeeding seasons.

Do you agree with our list? Which Titans members would you like to see on the DC Universe show? Let us know your suggestions on social media.