The Titans have a lot to fear lately. Dick was fatally wounded, even though a bath in the Lazarus Pit subsequently resurrected him. A corrupt Gotham City Police Department rules Gotham. Jonathan Crane, aka Scarecrow, intends to bring death and destruction to the city. And in "Purple Rain," the Titans finale, all that stands in the way of his nefarious plans is our young group of heroes… and a remorseful Jason Todd, the Red Hood.
Brenton Thwaites, who portrays Dick Grayson/Nightwing, recently spoke to CBR about the Season 3 finale. He broke down Dick's second chance at life and his tension with Jason. He also teased how future seasons will find Dick in "in a new place mentally and physically," whether he and Superboy will become the next World's Finest and more.
CBR: Dick died. How has his death and resurrection changed who he is?
Brenton Thwaites: When he emerges from the Lazarus Pit, we see that dream sequence-esque place that he goes to as he's healing. The purpose of having Crane in that sequence was to represent Dick's fears and represent his insecurities and vulnerabilities, and to see Dick coming to terms with that and come to terms with his weaknesses.
Emerging from the Lazarus Pit really feels like he's dealt with that and he's focusing on his strengths. He's clearer in his vision and he finds his confidence. He finds confidence in being a leader, and trusting himself, and trusting in the Titans. We see full-blown energy towards defeating Crane from that point on.
Moving forward into Season 4 and 5, we will see clarity and values, clarity and vision, confidence in being the superhero he spent three seasons developing and, in turn, becoming smarter, stronger and the team mirroring that.
Dick and Jason Todd have butted heads throughout the season and even came to blows. How does Dick view him at this point? Have they come to an understanding?
As I like to put it, I don't think there is an understanding. We need his help. Maybe that's one of Dick's realizations. He needs Jason's help. Jason is at a point where he's feeling guilty and feeling horrible for the things that he has done. But he's wanting redemption. He's wanting to make up for that.
I don't think Dick is saying, "Yes, do this thing and you are forgiven." We talked a lot about this, me and [showrunner] Greg Walker. If you tell a story like this and have a character be forgiven for murder, that just says a lot to me. We didn't want to tell that story. I think it's more of the gray line we are telling and what happens when a character does this and wants redemption and then starts to do good things.
It's all hands-on-deck in the finale against Crane. He wants to destroy Gotham and poison the population. What can you tease about how that plays out?
A few segregated storylines pair different Titans off to complete different tasks. Crane has set this disaster up in such a way that it's not one location solves everything. He's set up different trigger points all over the city that requires us to separate and solve different problems. We see different Titans working together that we haven't seen before, to essentially complete the same goal.
It was a nice way to see each individual strength of the Titans. It was nice to have us focus on our own storylines, as opposed to being in the same room with everyone. We realized, after Season 2, it was hard to tell that story. Although we love it sometimes, but for multiple episodes and especially a finale, technically it can get quite hard to shoot with a lot of people in the same room at the same time. It was a great thing for our show. It was a great point of difference. In the end, we do come together, and we do reunite.
One sequence features Donna saying to Dick, "Congrats on finding Nightwing." He responds, "Starting to." At this point, how much has Dick stepped out of Batman's shadow and finally discovered his own identity?
Before, it was, "Do I have to be like Batman to become a superhero?" There are things in there I don't agree with. It's part of growing older. You find out who you are, and you find the confidence to state what you are believing and to live the way you want to live. Dick has found his values, the way he wants to fight crime and the way he wants to lead a team. He's very morally driven. He's inspired by Bruce Wayne. However, in a way that he doesn't want to be like him.
It's going to be interesting to see in Season 4 what those new values are and what this superhero looks like, how he fights crime, who he brings into the team and how he approaches villains. One of the cool things about season three is how skilled he is physically and how tough he is in fighting, but Season 3 really tests him mentally. I think it's nice to overcome that mental barrier. Season 4 and 5, potentially, moving forward, he's in a new place mentally and physically. They are becoming one. He's learning to approach a situation from a smarter place as opposed to just fighting through it.
At the end of the season, how would you describe the state of the team, considering some people leave and others join?
It's an ever-changing team. In Season 1, we had a different base of a team. Although there are key players and regular cast members -- such as Dick, Kory, Raven, Gar -- the show has killed off a few characters. One of those characters was Hank Hall, who was such a strong Titan and an integral part of the team. Without Hawk and Dove, it will be a very different dynamic.
However, we've had Tim Drake come into play. Superboy's come in last season and brought a huge amount to the team. Then, we've had that Tamaran storyline, which adds that intergalactic world to the show without it being a space show. What's great about the show is the options are endless. You can go in whatever route you want to go in.
In the comic books, the Batman and Superman pairing was often referred to as the "world's finest." A lot of viewers hope Dick and Conner follow suit, but they recently had a falling out. Do you feel they have the potential to forge that kind of friendship?
I do think that. Dick knows Conner's backstory and how powerful he can be. At the flip of that switch, there can be some serious damage done by Superboy. They key to him is through his head. The key to him is through communication, compassion, filling him with good and living this life of fighting crime. If he flips that switch, that would be a great story to follow.
So far, we have seen Superboy comply and collaborate with the Titans very well. It's nice to see that change a little bit. It's going to be interesting to see how far down that rabbit hole he falls over the next two seasons. If he goes bad, that could be a huge problem. He's so powerful. He's so strong and physically demanding. It will be a psychological warfare.
Titans Season 3 is now streaming in its entirety on HBO Max. The DC TV series will return for Season 4.