TITANS IS A DARKER VERSION OF SINGER’S ORIGINAL X-MEN

Already more than halfway through its first season, the DC Universe streaming series is proving to be problematic at best, and at worst a badly written super-hero adaptation.

Ironically, when one considers that the comic book Titans is based on – the Marv Wolfman and George Perez reboot of the Teen Titans i.e. The New Teen Titans –  was unfairly criticised for being DC’s version of Marvel’s X-Men, Titans seems to be similarly taking its cues from Bryan Singer’s original X-Men (2000)!

Whereas in X-Men, a father-daughter relationship was developed between Rogue (made younger to stand in for Kitty Pryde) and Wolverine, in Titans, it’s Raven (also made younger) and Robin (Dick Grayson) who replicate these roles.

Now, this version of Dick Grayson is a hot-head and resorts to violence at the drop of a hat – sound familiar? AND Starfire is like Storm, a human with elemental powers, rather than an alien in the original comics. Furthermore, like Wolverine in the movie, this Starfire suffers from amnesia. Coincidence? I think not!

The only contrast between the two adaptations is that Titans is unnecessarily dark and full of jarring ultra-violence. I wonder if this direction was intended to differentiate the series from CW’s “Arrowverse”?

Also, while X-Men was quite a standalone story, Titans needs to help establish the wider universe and thus the episodes introducing Hawk & Dove and the Doom Patrol have been rather boring.

Already renewed for a second season, will Titans get better once we get Grayson into a Nightwing costume and introduce more relevant characters, like Wonder Girl  and Cyborg? Fingers crossed.

… still there’s more …