“Where’s Batman?”

“F**k Batman.”

Those were the words in the original Titans trailer that launched a thousand memes. It was very clearly them making a statement. Sure, Titans may not have the budget of Batman v Superman, but it wasn’t restricted to a PG-13 rating either. In this series you can expect to see gore and foul language, something the films were never really allowed.

But like many, I couldn’t help but feel like it was a bit…on the nose? Did we really need to hear those words to get the sense that the world was dark? Do naughty words really make a series more “mature”? Well, from the sounds of it, it’s a line that has a lot to do with Robin’s state of mind in reference to his cowled companion.

In an interview with CBR, co-creator Geoff Johns acknowledged the controversy surrounding the line and the importance it has to the story they’re telling:

“It is! It is controversial! I think that was expected though, you know? I don’t think anyone was like, ‘What? Wait! What?!’ As I’ve been telling people, I’m like, you know, not to take the trailer as, ‘This is the whole show.’ But I’m glad there’s discussion and there should be discussion about that and why we would go that direction and why Robin would ever get to that point. You know, a big part of the series is exploring — and I’m doing that with Akiva Goldsman, Greg Berlanti and Greg Walker — and a big part of the series that we’re exploring is the moment that Robin left Batman.”

Of course, this moment leads to him creating a whole new family:

“In the Titans, he was kind of a lost character. He was looking for what his next thing was, and the Titans individually are all lost and they form a family — a surrogate family that’s… you know, we’re staying true to Marv [Wolfman] and Geroge [Perez]’s take on the Titans in that sense. But you’re going to see what Robin’s gone through and why he’s gotten to that point and I’m excited for people to see it. I don’t think they really quite know what the show is, and it’s going to be fun to watch.”

After that first trailer, the images we’ve seen, and these comments, I think this is a show worth giving a shot — even if it is behind a paywall. As skeptical as I was about this service from the beginning, DC Universe is turning out to be a potentially strong service.

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SOURCE: CBR