Huge, major news for fans of DC Comics, television, and things you never thought you’d get to see in your lifetime: Warner Bros. and the aforementioned comic house have announced the launching of a DC-branded digital streaming platform sometime in 2018. But even that in and of itself is not the biggest news: the first two programs on said platform will be a live-action Titans series from executive producers Akiva Goldsman, Greg Berlanti, and Geoff Johns, AND this will be the home of the long-awaited third season of fan-favorite Young Justice, given the arc-title, Young Justice: Outsiders.
Support from fans for a third season of the animated series (which ran from 2010 to 2013 on Cartoon Network) has grown over time thanks to its arrival at Netflix. Centering on a team made up of the sidekicks of Justice Leaguers, the first season had the core members deal with mystical threats—needing the aid of Dr. Fate—as well as the evil Cadmus organization and its scientific badness. The second season, dubbed Invasion, followed DC’s classic comics arc of the same name and had the members of “The Team” as it was known covertly trying to take down a force of aliens working with some of Earth’s major supervillains.
It was announced in 2016 that the series would return, much to the glee of many a fan, but tellingly, there was no announcement at that time as to where the show would live, either back at Cartoon Network or as a Netflix exclusive. But it makes perfect sense, given the fan love, for it to be a launch title for a new DC streaming service. In this third season, “the team faces its greatest challenge yet as it takes on meta-human trafficking and the terrifying threat it creates for a society caught in the crossfire of a genetic arms race spanning the globe and the galaxy.”
Titans is perhaps the more intriguing prospect. A live-action series based on the incredibly popular but oft-overlooked team of young heroes that has been around in DC Comics since 1965—before getting a company-saving revival in the 1970s—seems both risky and yet far overdue. Another title with a fervent fan following, Teen Titans also had a successful animated series which ran from 2003-2006 before getting a goofier, kiddier follow-up called Teen Titans Go! which started in 2013 (interestingly, right around the time Young Justice was canceled.
From the press release, “In this action-packed series, Dick Grayson emerges from the shadows to become the leader of a fearless band of new heroes, including Starfire, Raven, and many others.” They mention the team will also be made of up of “soon-to-be” heroes from every corner of the DC Universe, and it’s unclear whether other favorite–but possibly costly for practical reasons–members like Cyborg or Beast Boy will also be involved.
It seems this new platform is doubling down on Dick—after all, Grayson’s the leader of the Titans and an integral part of Young Justice. Moreover, it appears DC and Warners are doubling down on the young people fans, giving them two of the most popular teen-centric teams in the company’s long history. It’s also firmly establishing that DC’s TV properties will overlap with its film entities, even more so than having a Flash or Superman on TV and in the films. Even with Berlanti’s involvement, it’s unclear if the Titans show will be in the same universe as the CW’s DC Comics shows.
But what do you think? Are you jazzed for more DC Comics on your TV screens? What other members of the Titans do you hope make it to live-action? Let us know in the comments below!
Images: DC Comics/Warner Bros Animation
Kyle Anderson is the Associate Editor for Nerdist and an avowed DC Comics fanboy. Follow him on Twitter!
