Warning: spoilers ahead for the Titans series finale.The Titans series finale ends HBO Max’s unconventional superhero TV show in a hail of blood and fire, and leaves plenty of room for analysis and debate when the embers settle. Much has changed since Brenton Thwaites’ Dick Grayson first burst onto screens spouting Titans‘ controversial mission statement of “f**k Batman.” Weathering mixed critical reaction and constant studio upheaval, Titans has done admirably to reach the season 4 milestone, but with James Gunn and Peter Safran reshaping DC’s onscreen output, the writing was on the wall. Titans season 4’s finale, appropriately titled “Titans Forever,” serves as the show’s overall conclusion.
The Titans series finale largely concerns itself with one final battle between Dick Grayson’s titular team and a final-form Brother Blood, who decides that, since his beloved video game was ruined, Earth and Tamaran must both be destroyed. A final confrontation takes place at STAR Labs, before a wrap-up montage brings the Titans series finale to its close. While “Titans Forever” is far from an ambiguous piece of superhero storytelling, it does leave numerous points unresolved or open to interpretation, either by design, or because the packed episode simply runs out of road.
Why The Titans Decide To Kill Brother Blood
Since the very beginning, Dick Grayson’s Titans have walked a thin moral line, and the Titans series finale emphasizes this through Conner, who is reassured that doing wrong things for the right reasons does not make him a DC supervillain. This moral dilemma sets up the final moments of Titans, which see Starfire fly into the night sky while dragging Brother Blood by his collar like a naughty child, then detonating in a hail of blue flame. Although Titans attributes this decision to the practical necessity of averting Brother Blood potentially launching a comeback, there is a deeper meaning.
When Titans began, Starfire’s story was wrapped around a Tamaranian prophecy that involved defeating the child of Trigon. Kory has spent four seasons trying to avoid and escape this destiny, and even spurned the opportunity to kill Sebastian earlier in Titans season 4 – a decision she came to regret once Brother Blood transformed into a bona fide menace. Starfire’s insistence on killing Brother Blood in Titans‘ final episode is less about ensuring he can never return, and more about fulfilling her destiny and completing the mission bestowed upon her by the folks of Tamaran. Titans gives the impression that ending this chapter is the only way Starfire can begin a fresh one.
Whether Brother Blood is actually dead remains unconfirmed. The Titans series finale never actually shows Sebastian’s face melting like soft cheese in the sun, and the villain has survived plenty of other near-death situations, meaning a comeback is not completely ruled out. Since Titans season 5 isn’t happening, however, it seems safe to assume that the intention behind Titans‘ final battle is to establish Brother Blood as permanently defeated.
How Starfire Survived The Titans Series Finale
Although a devastated group of Titans are initially left to assume nothing could possibly survive Starfire’s sacrificial maneuver, their perfectly-coiffed alien friend gently floats down to Earth immediately after turning Brother Blood into black pudding. The Titans season finale glosses over exactly how Starfire survives, but does offer several important clues. The biggest signpost is that the color of Starfire’s powers switches from blue to the classic orange following the explosion. This suggests Kory burned through her unusual blue fire powers to kill Brother Blood, then somehow reverted to standard Tamaranian abilities.
The seeds of this idea were sown when Dick and Kory visited an extraterrestrial expert earlier in Titans season 4. This UFO enthusiast read Starfire’s prophecy and stated, “It will end you… you as you are now.” Additionally, when Starfire spoke to her Tamaranian mentor Zadira, it was mentioned that Dick Grayson held just as much importance to Kory’s future as killing Brother Blood. These details imply that Starfire was never actually destined to die in the process of defeating Trigon and his spawn, but would merely undergo a metamorphosis.
Superboy’s Resurrection & Red Kryptonite Explained
Killing Brother Blood would not have been possible without the timely intervention of a revived Superboy, who wades into the battle just in time to lend a decisive hand. As with Starfire’s survival, however, Titans avoids providing a clear explanation for Conner’s resurrection after he technically died at the hands of Brother Blood during the penultimate episode. Dick offers a brief expository line about STAR Labs cooking up a drug capable of stabilizing Superman, but the serum proves ineffectual until midway through the Titans series finale. Fortunately, Dick also mentions the concoction utilizes Red Kryptonite, allowing DC lore to shed some light upon Conner’s revival.
In DC comic books and other Superman stories, Red Kryptonite has random effects on the user, typically transforming Superman’s body and/or personality in weird and wonderful ways. Titans either posits that combining the unpredictability of Red Kryptonite with specific chemicals can bring a deceased Kryptonian back to life, or the Red Kryptonite is merely used to pierce through Conner’s skin, allowing regular drugs to be administered. Given that Dick’s Kryptonite dust stunt in Titans season 3 already proved the normal variety could weaken Superboy, Titans specifically using Red Kryptonite implies the former is true.
Meanwhile, the convenient timing of the drug’s effects can be explained by Superboy’s heritage. This get-out-of-jail-free card was designed specifically for Superman, whereas Superboy is a synthetic creation with mixed DNA. This difference potentially accounts for why the drug takes so long to kick into action.
Did Brother Blood Truly Kill Trigon?
While Brother Blood can indeed be presumed dead after the Titans series finale, Trigon’s fate is slightly more ambiguous. Following numerous moments of foreshadowing throughout season 4, Trigon finally returns onscreen for the first time since the heavily-changed Titans season 1 finale became season 2’s premiere. Sadly for fans of DC’s demon dad, Brother Blood immediately absorbs him. Since Trigon is a semi-mythical, interdimensional being who was already defeated once before by Raven, however, it is difficult to say with certainty whether his demise is permanent.
Although not stated explicitly, it can be assumed that Trigon is properly dead once Titans ends. When Raven fought her problematic parent back in Titans season 2, she banished Trigon away from Earth. Brother Blood in Titans season 4 rips Trigon’s heart out and drinks the blood – a far more conclusive ending for the villain. Given Trigon’s immense power, a resurrection may have been possible so long as Sebastian lived, but Starfire puts paid to that idea, seemingly ensuring that the Titans’ ongoing Trigon problem is solved once and for all.
Superman’s Boots – Major DC Cameo Explained
Superboy’s introduction in Titans season 2 seemed to make a Superman cameo inevitable, with Conner’s story revolving around his two absent fathers. Titans season 4 further teased a Superman appearance through both the statue outside STAR labs and Bernard’s hologram of the iconic hero flying across the galaxy as a red and blue streak. Titans‘ series finale goes one step further – literally. The closing wrap-up montage of “Titans Forever” includes a scene where Conner receives flying lessons from his surviving biological father. Clearly intended as a flashforward taking place during some unspecified point in the future, this pair of red boots are all Titans shows of its Superman.
More important than the cameo from Kal-El’s boots is the state of Superboy’s hair. When Conner debuted in Titans, his appearance and attitude were modeled after Superman, but shaving his head in Titans season 4 represented the emergence of his Lex Luthor half. The Titans series finale’s Superman flashforward reveals Conner regrows his hair, symbolizing a reversion back to his usual self. Realizing how spectacularly he messed up with Brother Blood surely played a role in this change of attitude, but the Red Kryptonite used to revive Superboy may have also been a factor in coaxing back his former personality, since the substance traditionally gives Clark Kent mood swings in DC stories.
What Happens Next With Beast Boy & The Red
Perhaps the most mysterious aspect of Titans‘ ending comes from Beast Boy and his connection to the Red. Following a trip through the multiverse and an encounter with Freedom Beast, Gar was implored to leave the Titans behind and answer his true calling as the guardian and protector of the Red. Although he declined that invitation in favor of helping out against Brother Blood, Gar ultimately decides to follow his destiny in Titans‘ series finale.
Titans is deliberately unclear regarding what awaits Beast Boy inside the Red – and even Gar himself is unsure of his purpose and path going forward. Nevertheless, the bone-covered tree and animal cries Beast Boy hears inside the Red – not to mention his excursion with Freedom Beast several episodes prior – hint that Gar will become a multi-dimensional protector of all life. The bone-covered tree might also secretly confirm that Gar’s next role will be as the Red’s champion against the Black – a force built on death rather than life. Beast Boy may have to face the villainous Parliament of Decay in order to protect the Red against its rotting counterpart.
Does Dick & Kory’s Child Vision Come True After Titans Ends?
The Titans series finale leaves absolutely zero doubt that Dick Grayson and Starfire are together when the story ends, but doesn’t go so far as to show a flashforward of their family life. This raises the question of whether Dick and Kory’s vision of their future child comes true. Despite not giving a firm answer, Titans does strongly signal that the girl with the red balloon eventually becomes more than just a dream. During the final moments of Titans‘ ending, a loved-up DickKory walks past a child holding a red balloon – a subtle allusion to their future child. Moving quickly, Dick broaches the subject of starting a family, all but confirming what awaits for Titans‘ star couple.
This mysterious child is almost certainly Mar’i Grayson from DC comic lore – known by the highly-original superhero moniker Nightstar. Although Titans can never depict Nightstar following her parents into the superhero business, Trigon’s prediction about the union between Earth and Tamaran means Dick and Kory’s child will undoubtedly be a vital component of Titans‘ Earth in future years. Given Dick’s evident enthusiasm, it might even be possible that Mar’i is conceived immediately after the Titans series finale.
Raven & Robin’s Happy Endings Hint At The Titans’ Future
The Titans avoid an official breakup, but the misleadingly-titled “Titans Forever” makes clear that the team is no longer a full-time unit, with Beast Boy skulking off to the Red, Nightwing and Starfire planning a family, and Raven heading to college. Although Tim Drake commits to being a full-time vigilante, dividing his time between fighting crime in Gotham City and romancing Bernard in Metropolis leaves little room for Titans activity. Regardless, Raven and Robin’s happy endings do potentially reveal what the Titans group dynamic will look like after season 4.
Most importantly, Raven will be attending university in Bludhaven. In DC comic lore, this is where Dick Grayson relocates after becoming Nightwing and leaving Gotham, so if the Titans universe follows DC history, it would be entirely plausible for Dick and Kory to settle down in the town Rachel goes to college, allowing the trio to remain close. Meanwhile, Tim Drake’s intention to protect Gotham – in a rain-soaked superhero landing that deliberately mimics Titans episode 1 – could mean he becomes Batman’s crime-fighting partner. The Gotham sequence in Titans‘ penultimate episode showed an active Bat-signal, implying Bruce had dusted off the cape and cowl. With a new Robin on the streets, a partnership looks inevitable.
Where Are The Missing Titans Series Finale Characters?
A glaring omission from the Titans series finale is the glut of major characters unseen and unmentioned during the final battle. In a situation where Brother Blood is seconds away from destroying the Earth, a suspicious amount of heroes take the day off. Strangest of all the absentees is Curran Walters’ Jason Todd, who actually returned in the penultimate episode to beat some Robinisms into Tim Drake. Titans confirmed Jason Todd to be working with Barbara Gordon – and, by extension, ARGUS and Donna Troy – to track down Shimmer. Why these heroes couldn’t switch their attention to the more pressing matters at STAR Labs will forever remain a Titans mystery.
Also nowhere to be seen are Bruce Wayne, Dove and Rose, all of whom were last seen or mentioned in Titans season 3. Jinx is also ignored, leaving audiences to assume she somehow, sometime, came back to life – as teased during her final appearance. Given the enormity of the threat Brother Blood posed, it feels odd that Dick Grayson failed to comb through his extensive contacts list and make some calls. Expecting Alan Ritchson to pull up blasting “Livin’ On A Prayer” may have been too much, but it also seems strange that Titans features no returning faces to afford the finale more of a celebratory feel.
How The Titans Can Return In Future DC Projects
Titans season 5 is not happening, and with James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DCU representing a clean slate for DC media, that looks unlikely to change. Having said that, the Titans door is left very much ajar by DC’s interconnected movie and TV multiverse. The Arrowverse already established how every DC franchise is connected, and Titans joined the party with season 4’s Beast Boy solo episode, which featured cameos from a variety of universes, including the DCEU. With 2023’s The Flash movie set to retcon the DCEU into the DCU, Titans is officially connected to whatever comes next for DC Studios.
This mechanic allows any Titans character to appear in any future DCU project via the multiverse, and also means that the likes of Brenton Thwaites, Teagan Croft and Ryan Potter could play their counterparts in an alternate universe. While possible, such a crossover still looks desperately unlikely, with the DCU already stripping away much bigger stars such as Henry Cavill, Dwayne Johnson and Grant Gustin in the name of making a fresh start. Still, even if Titans is over forever, this particular group of characters and their respective actors will always be Titans forever.
