Though both comic book TV shows have garnered huge acclaim from fans and critics alike, there are about 10 things that Doom Patrol actually does better than Titans. The DC Universe paved the way for the two superhero teams to successfully jump from the page to screen in their live-action form. Titans may have originally been the first to arrive on the digital streaming service, but its highly anticipated spinoff series found its footing much faster and more effectively. Let's take a deep look into how Doom Patrol managed to improve upon the accomplishments and fix the mistakes that Titans previously made.
Though these superhero teams come from DC Comics, it should be noted there are many similarities and differences between them. Though Dick Grayson may be trying to make a name for himself outside of Robin, he is still in the shadow of his mentor, The Batman. Just as Cliff Steele wants to escape being Robotman, he cannot hide from the mistakes of his terrible past, caused by his mentor, Dr. Niles Caulder. While both teams are fighting to save the world, their inner demons manage to get in the way of defeating their enemies.
10 The Ensemble
Titans finally came together as an ensemble show during its sixth episode entitled, "Together." For five episodes, the show meandered a bit, focusing on the individual characters. Audiences were learning about the back-stories behind Starfire (Anna Diop) and Beast Boy (Ryan Potter) separately at first. The show finally brought all the characters together in one room. After working together as a team, the gang of misfits started to realize what they can do if they share a common hand. On the other hand, Doom Patrol realized that it had to be an ensemble comedy/drama right from the start.
9 Group Dynamic
After making their introduction in the second episode of Titans, Hawk (Alan Ritchson) and Dove (Minka Kelly) were sidelined from the rest of the group. The superhero couple were then given an entire installment dedicated to their origin story.
Donna Troy (Conor Leslie), an integral member of the group, showed up during the final four episodes. Titans didn't feel like the entire roster was there because the majority of the characters were missing. Impressively, Doom Patrol was able to pack everything into one wide shot, with all its members interacting with each other.
8 The Big Bad
Titans had various opponents, from a doomsday cult to a family of assassins, coming after Raven (Teagan Croft) during the course of its first season. Raven's father, Trigon (Seamus Dever), remained in hiding, waiting for the right moment to strike the team, and reunite with his estranged daughter.
Meanwhile, Doom Patrol introduced Mr. Nobody (Alan Tudyk) as the Big Bad right from the beginning and established him as a major threat to Dr. Niles Caulder (Timothy Dalton). While Mr. Nobody (Tudyk) appears more like his comic book counterpart, the giant demonic, Trigon, is portrayed his human form due to budgetary constraints.
7 The Season Finale
The first season of Titans closes on an abrupt cliffhanger. In the eleventh episode, entitled "Dick Grayson," the former Robin finds himself in an alternate universe, where the Batman has gone on a killing spree. Grayson (Brenton Thwaites) imagines himself murdering the Dark Knight in cold blood, but in actuality, the viewers discover he was being mind-controlled by Trigon (Dever). Doom Patrol closed out its first season with epic battle against Mr. Nobody and a pair of giant creatures. Ending on a happier note, the good guys defeat the bad guy in "Ezekiel Patrol," but there's still more adventure to come.
6 The Pilot
The pilot for Titans has an incredibly exciting action sequence featuring Dick Grayson (Thwaites), dressed up in his Robin outfit. A gang of crooks look at the former boy wonder and laugh at him because he's not the caped crusader. After beating them to a bloody pulp, Robin explicitly curses out his mentor and father figure.
After that intense action sequence in the Titans premiere, there really isn't anything else worth remembering about the installment. Instead of focusing on the action, Doom Patrol uses its time wisely to introduce the origin stories of Cliff Steele (Brendan Fraser), Rita Farr (April Bowlby), and Larry Trainor (Matt Bomer).
5 The Humor
Titans broke out from its moody and bleak tone every now and then, especially when Beast Boy, aka Gar Logan (Potter), appeared on-screen. At a crowded art gallery event, Grayson has a memorably awkward moment as he struggles to make friends outside of his Robin costume. Doom Patrol juggled the drama and comedy very well, nailing the timing just about in every episode. Providing the voice of Robotman, Brendan Fraser knows how to express Cliff Steele's failure as a father during pivotal monologues, while elevating the quirky banter he shares with Crazy Jane (Diane Guerrero) and Rita Farr (Bowlby).
4 A Complete Vision
Titans was originally meant to air 12 episodes during its first season run. Though the installment had already been entirely filmed, the 12th episode was dropped from scheduling and then planned as the second season premiere. This is why the cliffhanger ending of season one would feel so abrupt and unfinished to the audience.
During its 15-episode run, Doom Patrol accomplished its mission statement of rescuing Niles Caulder (Dalton) and defeating Mr. Nobody (Tudyk). There was no need to tease viewers of what's to come and just reward them with a complete story.
3 Better Costumes
Though Brenton Thwaites looks great in his Robin costume, he rarely steps into the red and black outfit during the 11-episode run of Titans. It's a shame too because the wardrobe itself is actually comic book accurate. Each member of the Doom Patrol looks like they were straight out of the comic book pages. Just like in the comics, Robotman wears a black leather jacket and wears T-shirts with the name of popular rock bands. Just as in the illustrations, Flex Mentallo (Devan Long) is topless as he shows off his muscles and leopard-skin loincloth.
2 The Use Of Music
Always coming down to action with Titans, Hawk (Ritchson) and Dove (Kelly) are fighting against a random group of criminals in a flashback. The cover song, "Kids of America," by Foo-Fighters plays during the slow-motion sequence, which is meant to highlight the superhero couple's finishing moves. Rather than just make a scene look cool, Doom Patrol uses music to heighten the emotional impact of a dramatic scene. Frank Ocean's rendition of "Moon River" plays as Larry (Bomer) finally says goodbye to his former lover. Plus Bomer gets to sing and dance in his own music number, covering Kelly Clarkson's "People Like Us."
1 Teamwork
The Titans never felt like a superhero team rounded together because their leader abandoned them to join the dark side. Because they're not on a unified front, the group hasn't even fought their super-villain yet. Doom Patrol does feel like a superhero team in the end, because each of the characters were fleshed out. As the episodes played out, they struggled to get their act together and find a common ground. By the time audiences reach the season finale, various personalities hash out their differences and manage successfully to work together as a team.