Is Titans (HBO Max) a part of the Arrowverse? Are there any hints?

I have been wondering for a long time if the Titans are actually a part of the Arrowverse, because who wouldn’t want a SpeedyXNightwing team-up.

Thankfully, Crisis on Infinite Earths from the Arrowverse finally gave a conclusive answer. It was teased as one of the biggest crossovers imaginable, and it sure was. It also changed a lot of things for DC’s TV shows.

Well, Titans is officially a part of the Arrowverse. Crisis on Infinite Earths established that all DC TV shows and films, including Titans, are part of a single, shared universe.

The first part of Crisis on Infinite Earths on Supergirl features the actual crisis event engulfing multiple Earths. One of the universes shown is Earth-9, where we see Hawk and Robin from the Titans look at the red skies of the Crisis.

While this confirms that the Titans are definitely a part of the Arrowverse, they are on an Earth that the heroes have not yet encountered. Moreover, it has been confirmed that Earth-9 was destroyed in the Crisis.

It seems like the Titans were part of the casualties. If you remember, Crisis on Infinite Earths showed Hank flinching at a bright light and Jason bracing himself for the impact of an anti-matter wave. These incidents further confirm that Earth-9 was destroyed in the Crisis.

But that did not change Titans Season 3 from happening. I will explain how.

Does the Crisis impact Titans?

I am thinking exactly what you are thinking—how does that fit into the series? Well, it doesn’t. But it seems like we’re supposed to simply ignore the crossover and enjoy the events of Titans separately. Though there were some changes in Season 3, which we’ll come to later.

Considering Supergirl’s Earth or Earth-38 was also destroyed during Crisis, it is sort of clear that these destructions don’t usually change anything for the spinoff shows. The Titans’ cameo in Crisis on Infinite Earths took place just before Titans Season 3. But Season 3 did not intentionally refer to the event or address any changes because of it.

The showrunners of Arrowverse shows were told that they could use Crisis on Infinite Earths as a golden opportunity to change their continuity. However, it seems like Titans did not really take the chance.

There is a lot that could have been done in the show, especially with regard to Donna Troy’s widely criticized death. But such events will be explained in-house rather than connecting to Crisis on Infinite Earths. As such, Titans Season 3 did not directly even address the Crisis.

Also, in case you already didn’t know, the Titans cameo in Crisis on Infinite Earths wasn’t even pre-planned or shot. It was just a couple of recycled shots from Titans Season 2 to show they were being destroyed by anti-matter waves.

It was most probably done as fan service, so I would not take it too seriously. How can one take a recycled cameo used in a different context to please fans seriously? I don’t see it. Nevertheless, let’s still discuss the changes that can be attributed to the Crisis.

Changes in Titans Season 3 After Crisis on Infinite Earths

Though Titans Season 3 did not directly address the Crisis, there were quite a few changes that were unexplainable. We can consider these changes as side-effects of the Crisis. Titans Season 2 concluded before the beginning of Crisis of Infinite Earths, and Season 3 began after the Crisis.

Various other series established that there were certain changes in their timelines following the Crisis. So, it is only logical to assume that the changes in Titans Season 3 from Season 2 can also be attributed to that.

Some of the changes in Titans Season 3 include Blackfire’s Season 2 cliffhanger not being addressed until Season 3 Episode 4, Rose Wilson and Jericho disappearing from the show, and Jason Todd’s return to Wayne Manor.

The Crisis could have changed the circumstances of Jason Todd’s departure from the Titans. It could have manipulated events leading to Rose Wilson and Jericho never joining the Titans in the first place. It could also explain the polar opposite stories of how Blackfire came to Earth.

This is because before Crisis on Infinite Earths, the show Titans was depicted as taking place outside the Arrowverse. Crisis on Infinite Earths broke this notion and established that all DC shows and movies based on a DC Comics property are part of the same shared universe.

Moreover, all the CW shows are part of a single world, Earth-Prime. A number of things have changed on the new Earth-Prime, such as Clark Kent and Lois Lane being parents to two teenage boys rather than a single infant son.

Keeping this in mind, we can surely attribute all changes in Titans Season 3 to Crisis on Infinite Earths. I am not sure if this was an intentional choice on the part of the makers, but it could explain several plot holes in the show.

Hopefully, in the future, Titans will do more to stick to its own established continuity for the show to make more sense.

About Titans

Titans is an American superhero television series created by Akiva Goldsman, Geoff Johns, and Greg Berlanti. It is based on the DC Comics team Teen Titans and depicts a group of young heroes who join forces in their fight against evil.

The ensemble cast includes Brenton Thwaites, Anna Diop, Teagan Croft, Ryan Potter, Curran Walters, Conor Leslie, Minka Kelly, Alan Ritchson and Esai Morales among many others.

This gritty take on the “Teen Titans” franchise follows young heroes from across the DC Universe as they come of age and find where they belong. Dick Grayson and Rachel Roth, a special girl possessed by a strange darkness, get involved in a conspiracy that could bring Hell on Earth. Hot-headed Starfire and lovable Beast Boy join them along the way as together they become a surrogate family and team of heroes fighting evil.