Titans season 3: everything we know so far

Titans season 3 has an official release date of August 2021 – and now there's a trailer, which you can watch below. Originally made for the US-only DC Universe app, the superhero team show is coming back this summer, making its debut on HBO Max as one of the streaming service's biggest exclusive offerings so far. 

Based on the DC Comics team Teen Titans, the R-rated TV interpretation follows the group of young heroes as they deal with their powers, learn how to work together, and take down criminals – led by former Robin-turned-Nightwing, Dick Grayson. 

Titans was set to return in 2020, but due to filming being delayed as a result of Covid-19, Titans is now unlikely to return until the latter half of 2021. That said, there's already been a plethora of news about the series and rife speculation making its way across the web, setting up what could be the biggest season of superhero action ever. And that includes the casting of Jonathan Crane, also known as the Scarecrow – who'll be played in Titans season 3 by Vincent Kartheiser.

So, here's everything we know about Titans season 3, including its release date, cast, costumes, storylines, and more.

 Titans season 3 release date: August 2021

Titans season 3 has an official release date: August 2021, as confirmed by the cast. See the video above to learn more. 

As mentioned, unlike the first two seasons, this third will roll out on HBO Max rather than the DC Universe app.

There might be even more good news for Titans fans, as the show has reportedly gained an early renewal, meaning season 4 is officially in the works (according to FandomWire).  

Titans season 3 trailer – is there one yet? 

As of June 2021, we have our first Titans season 3 trailer – it's not very long, but gives us a little more Nightwing, and shots of the team together. It's just enough to whet your appetite before the show gets here.

Titans season 3 cast: new and returning cast members, including Barbara Gordon and Scarecrow 

The full confirmed cast list so far for Titans season 3 can be seen below:

• Brenton Thwaites - Dick Grayson/Nightwing
• Anna Diop - Kory Anders/Starfire
• Teagan Croft - Rachel Roth/Raven
• Ryan Potter - Garfield "Gar" Logan/Beast Boy
• Alan Ritchson - Hank Hall/Hawk
• Minka Kelly - Dawn Granger/Dove
• Curran Walters - Jason Todd
• Conor Leslie - Donna Troy/Wonder Girl
• Joshua Orpin - Conner Kent/Superboy
• Chelsea Zhang - Rose Wilson/Ravager
• Damaris Lewis - Blackfire
• Iain Glen - Bruce Wayne
• Savannah Welch - Barbara Gordon
• Jay Lycurgo - Tim Drake
• Vincent Kartheiser - Jonathan Crane

All of the main cast of superheroes from Titans season 2 will return - including Conor Leslie's Donna Troy, who was seemingly killed off in last year's finale. Iain Glen's Bruce Wayne will return (along with his 'American' accent) too.

Titans is known for its extensive line-up and season 3 is set to increase that further, thanks to the arrival of numerous fan-favorite characters from the world of Batman. Most notably, Savanna Welch has been confirmed to play Barbara Gordon (Batgirl), while Jay Lycurgo will suit up as Tim Drake, the third Robin.

More villains are incoming too, as season 2 guest star Blackfire (Damaris Lewis) will be bumped up to a regular member, alongside the introduction of Arkham Asylum inmate Dr. Jonathan Crane, aka Scarecrow. In April 2021, it was confirmed that Crane will be played by Vincent Kartheiser, best known as Mad Men's Pete Campbell and Connor from Buffy spin-off Angel.

Cole King has been cast in an undisclosed role. It's widely speculated that he is playing a much younger version of Jason Todd.

Titans season 3 story: what we know 

Season 3 of Titans will take the group from San Francisco into the heart of Gotham City. Here, Dick Grayson will meet up with Barbara Gordon, the former Batgirl who was paralyzed by Joker and now heads up the GCPD (via Variety). The two will work together and try to learn from the "mistakes of their parents", according to showrunner Greg Walker. 

At the same time, Dr. Jonathan Crane will serve as an inmate at Arkham Asylum who offers his services as a criminal profiler to the police department. 

Variety also confirmed that Tim Drake will enter the show "as a streetwise kid who’s managed to grow up on the toughest streets without losing his indelible belief in heroism." Interestingly, Jay Lycurgo who plays Drake, will appear as a supporting role in The Batman from Matt Reeves in 2022. We expect this to be nothing more than a coincidence, but Lycurgo can be seen as one of the terrified goons in the debut trailer. 

Another big plot point will be Jason Todd's descent into madness. In the comics, Jason transforms into the anti-hero Red Hood after being killed by the Joker and subsequently resurrected. Titans season 3 will hopefully give the Red Hood story the live-action treatment it deserves.

Considering the Joker has only been briefly seen during a vision from Dick Grayson at the end of season 1, we're not entirely sure the comic origin of the character will play a big role here. What we do know is that Red Hood will look to hunt down the Titans after previously leaving the group, not on the best of terms. 

Hank and Dawn's relationship will be put under the microscope after the two supposedly called it quits (Walker confirmed this will be answered early on in season 3), as well as an inevitable confrontation between Kory and her sister Blackfire, following the latter's arrival on Earth in the closing sequence of season 2.  

Seemingly killed in the finale, Conor Leslie will return as Donna Troy with Rachel accompanying her body to Themyscara. Rachel's powers have been growing continuously throughout the show (culminating in a shared hallucination at the Elko diner), and she even discussed whether resurrection is a possibility with Dick. 

Walker commented on the character's return at DC FanDome stating that: "We've got some exciting opportunities and stories ahead for Donna Troy and for Rachel and the whole, uh, you know perhaps the whole underworld we may like go into and see what it's like as a transition stage." Could this be how Wonder Girl adopts the identity of Troia as per DC's comics? 

Lex Luthor was heavily teased in the finale of season 2, with Cadmus Laboratories security specialist Mercy Graves receiving a call from the Superman arch-nemesis, potentially teeing the character up for an appearance in season 3. The only hindrance to this is the lack of casting news and the many storylines already in place. More plausible is that Mr. Luthor will be pulling the strings in the backdrop once again, eventually turning up in a small role or not at all until a couple more years down the line.  

Titans season 3 costumes: what's been revealed so far

After Dick Grayson completed his transformation into Nightwing in the Titans season 2 finale, the newest season will see more characters don new costumes and identities from the comics. 

Anna Diop will finally sport Starfire's comic book costume, something fans have been clamoring for since the show's inception.  

Similarly, Damaris Lewis' Blackfire will suit up as she looks to go toe-to-toe with her sister.  

As mentioned, Curran Walters' Jason Todd will make the transition to Red Hood throughout season 3.  

One of the most fascinating spins on the DC Universe continues

Now Titans has found its way on to HBO Max, the series is likely to find a bigger audience in the US than it was able to on the more niche DC Universe app. By supercharging the show with more recognizable DC heroes and villains, this third season should be a big deal – even if the overall grim tone of the show means it still won't be for everyone.

If you've not seen Titans, yet, but you're excited by the promise of more Batman-adjacent characters in season 3, you can catch up on HBO Max in the US and Netflix elsewhere. 

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