“Titans” is Reportedly “Mature”

The upcoming Titans series may be grittier and more mature than expected, with reports saying that the pilot episode features lots of heavy violence and cursing.

This comes from Flickeringmyth.com, which says “Titans is very much not a series for children. There are multiple f-bombs and s-bombs, among other swear-words that make it seem like they’re going for an R-rating. Moreover, the action is brutal, with bone snaps, people being shot, burned, and mangled.”

This summary of the program cannot be confirmed at this time.

Titans is set to be an exclusive feature on the upcoming DC Universe platform, which will, among other features, serve as a streaming service for many different TV and film adaptations of DC Comics properties. While several exclusive shows have been announced, Titans is the only one that will premiere as soon as DC Universe is launched; this is currently set for sometime in the fall, with the company reportedly aiming for late August.

Based on the eponymous team from the comics, Titans will star a cast of young adult heroes, led by Dick Grayson/Robin (Brenton Thwaites) and also featuring the likes of Starfire (Anna Diop), Raven (Teegan Croft) and Beast Boy (Ryan Potter). Supporting characters will include Hawk (Alan Ritchson) and Dove (Minka Kelly), Donna Troy (Conor Leslie) and Jason Todd (Curran Walters), as well as the Doom Patrol (who will also get their own spin-off later).

The team mostly follows the New Teen Titans comic book, which was fairly mature itself, with dark story lines and some of the first depictions of sexually active teenagers in comic books. Its lineup has an interesting history in terms of adaptations: the 2003 animated Teen Titans series ping-ponged between silly and serious episodes, while its newer version, Teen Titans Go!, is decidedly much more kiddish and wacky.

Darker content is not necessarily good or bad on its own; for example, while the DC Extended Universe has been criticized for being overly dour, Titan‘s fellow DC Universe exclusive, Young Justice, is a fairly serious cartoon that is being revived due to its strong popularity. As long as Titans is not “mature” just for the sake of it, it will hopefully find a place among older DC fans.