Controversial since it first began airing, Titans has survived far longer than even its fans may have ever expected. This luck finally ran out, however, with the series Titans ending after Season 4. While this might mean the end for the Teen Titans in live-action on the small screen, it could lead to them transitioning to the movies.
James Gunn and Peter Safran are reconfiguring the DC Universe movies, with the biggest DC properties likely being a top priority. Likewise, Gunn is a fan of both lesser known properties and team-based films. While the Titans are somewhat mainstream, he could bring even their most obscure stories to the forefront. Here's how Gunn planning on a DCU Titans film could lead to their best adaptation yet.
Titans' Season 4 Conclusion is the End to a Contentious Adaptation
While other non-Arrowverse DC shows such as Swamp Thing, Stargirl and Doom Patrol were all lauded by fans and critics, Titans has rarely (if ever) pleased either group. The series actually felt right at home with the relatively cheap productions of The CW, with its gratuitous language and other elements being the only real difference between the two. Said graphic nature was a particularly sore point for fans, especially those who had grown up on the 2003 Teen Titans cartoon. That show was notably watered down and made puerile from the source material. However, even the iconic The New Teen Titans comics from the 1980s and 1990s were never as needlessly dark. This, along with the show's actual quality, made watching Titans a dreadful chore for many.
The use of the show also meant that the Titans themselves likely wouldn't be appearing on the big screen in the DC Universe movies. DC and Warner Bros. Discovery had claimed to be less particular about multiple versions of the same character being prominent at once, but this never manifested into much proof of that beyond different incarnations of Batman. Now, James Gunn is trying to bring all of DC's productions under one banner, and though Gunn wasn't behind the cancellation of Titans, his DCU plans would be incomplete without taking advantage of its ending.
A DCU Titans Film Can Give the Team a Proper Adaptation
Despite having once been one of DC Comics' best-selling books, the Teen Titans property has rarely been handled in the same way as others. Though it was beloved to a generation of kids, the Teen Titans cartoon was still disliked to some extent for being too light-hearted and having to cut many classic concepts from the comics. Titans on the other hand went too far in the opposite direction, with its dark and grounded nature being far too pedestrian for the franchise. James Gunn is now in charge of DC Studios, and his usual attention to fidelity with properties might mean that the Titans get their best adaptation yet.
Gunn's work on Guardians of the Galaxy and even The Suicide Squad show a predisposition toward comedy, and to be fair, a Titans movie would need at least some of this. It would mainly manifest in the character of Beast Boy, though Gunn's use of obscure and even goofy villains might see foes such as Mad Mod, Mister Twister and Ding Dong Daddy show up. At the same time, some seriousness would be needed as well in order to give the franchise the reverence it deserves, especially for big bads like Trigon, Brother Blood and Deathstroke the Terminator.
Jumping to a Titans film featuring Robin and other young heroes would be a great way to instantly establish the legacy within the DC Universe, all the while separating the DCU Batman from the Robert Pattinson incarnation. It could also bring in a new version of Cyborg that's blatantly distinct from the version used in previous DC films, thus allowing for a more accurate take on the character. Add in more underrated heroes such as Starfire, Wonder Girl, Speedy and others, and it'd be the best way for Gunn to bring lesser-known heroes into the spotlight, even if he doesn't direct it. In doing so, it'd mean that every aspect of the property is given its due, allowing the Titans to shine like never before when the world needs heroes on patrol.