Why Titans was the best superhero show of 2018

6. Interesting supporting characters

This one is important. A longform show can’t survive on main characters alone. All the supporting characters we’ve seen so far have been wonderful to watch, from Donna Troy to Jason Todd to Hank Hall to Dawn Granger. I was particularly impressed with the episode centering around Hall and Granger, who up until then weren’t very interesting. Their origin story deals with child sexual abuse, domestic violence and coping with loss, heavy themes for a superhero show, and all of it well-done.

Donna Troy, who used to be Wonder Woman’s sidekick Wonder Girl, is delightful. She’s the only superhero sidekick on the show who is comfortable with her identity. She takes on an older sister role with Dick. Their banter is terrific; the only time Dick ever lets down his walls even a little bit is around her. And Donna is a badass in her own right, a photojournalist attempting to take down a ring of poachers. Bonus: She’s funny.

As for Jason Todd, everyone’s just waiting for him to become the Red Hood.

Titans also introduced the Doom Patrol, albeit briefly, and they were very interesting. The Doom Patrol episode served as a backdoor pilot for a spinoff set to drop in February. Longtime Teen Titans fans may have missed Cyborg on this show, but he’ll be debuting on the Doom Patrol series.