In the trailer for Titans' third season, the biggest standout is the Joker's influence on the tragic fate of Jason Todd (Curran Walters). Season 2 ended with the embattled vigilante leaving the team, beginning his journey and overall descent into darkness as Red Hood. However, the show teases a major change to his origin, which could reveal a more sinister puppet master behind the scenes.

In the comics, Jason was beaten with a crowbar by the Clown Prince of Crime before an explosion finished him off in 1988's Batman: A Death in the Family. Years later, Jason was resurrected and went on a violent crusade to kill not just the Joker, but other criminals that he felt the Bat-family had let off the hook.

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It was later revealed that Talia al Ghul had used the Lazarus Pit to bring Jason back, as she wanted to make Bruce somewhat whole again in their family's chess game. Sadly, the effects of the revival drove Jason mad and it took many years for him to try to purge this rage -- something he hasn't fully accomplished yet.

This Titans trailer, though, doesn't seem to indicate that Jason will die, despite being beaten at an amusement park by what appears to be the clown. It'd just require too much fast-forwarding of the plot for him to remain dead for years or even months, so it's more probable that he'll be hospitalized or kidnapped. Quick shots of him breaking down support this idea, teasing that he'll have PTSD and an identity crisis as he recovers.

This fits the tone of Titans, which has been more about identity and family than death, and the big twist may have been revealed in the form of a syringe being drained of a unique substance. The substance is then injected into someone in the trailer and we see an eye turning yellow. This could be Jason being enhanced. Granted, he could still be resurrected from death, if this is indeed something generated from the Lazarus Pit. In fact, a recent Detective Comics arc toyed with similar substances being used.

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Either way, this serum could be what pushes Jason further down the rabbit hole, wanting to embrace a more aggressive path. It may even be a misdirection, leaving viewers focused on Joker when Talia or Ra's might be working from the shadows. After all, the crowbar at home could be part of their demented game, and it'd stick to the lore, where Jason was viewed as a possible replacement for Bruce as the Demon Head's perfect instrument of destruction.

This could be a clever way to merge mysticism with science, as well as providing a genuine reason for Jason to lose his morals and give into his fear. With Scarecrow also appearing, the possibilities are endless and ultimately, it does seem that the right players are in place to use the teen as a guinea pig in order to break the Bat forever.

Titans stars Brenton Thwaites as Dick Grayson, Anna Diop as Kory Anders, Teagan Croft as Rachel Roth, Ryan Potter as Garfield Logan, Curran Walters as Jason Todd, Conor Leslie as Donna Troy, Minka Kelly as Dawn Granger, Alan Ritchson as Hank Hall, Joshua Orpin as Superboy, Vincent Kartheiser as Jonathan Crane, Damaris Lewis as Blackfire, Savannah Welch as Barbara Gordon and Jay Lycurgo as Tim Drake. Season 3 premieres Aug. 12 on HBO Max.

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