While The CW’s handling Arrowverse has come in for plenty of criticism (both warranted and unwarranted) in recent years, there’s certainly no denying the ambition shown by the network with its attempt to bring the epic DC Comics saga Crisis on Infinite Earths to life on screen.
Not only did the five-part crossover bring together characters from CW shows Supergirl, Batwoman, The Flash, Arrow, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow and Black Lightning, but it also featured a host of cameos from throughout the history of the DC Multiverse including the likes of Smallville, Batman (1966 and 1989), Batman: The Animated Series, Superman Returns, Birds of Prey (2002), The Flash (1990 and DCEU), Swamp Thing, Lucifer, Stargirl and Titans.
However, while Alan Ritchson’s Hawk and Curran Walters’ Jason Todd were on hand to represent Titans, Dick Grayson actor Brenton Thwaites has revealed to The Cosmic Circus that The CW was originally hoping to feature Nightwing in the crossover event, but he turned them down.
“It’s a different deal thing, right? If you crossover to a different show, they treat it like a different job, and you know you gotta fly to that place, although the studio and whoever’s in charge will make it work,” said Thwaites. “I feel like…you know, you get a choice, right? You get a choice to read the script, to study the project and, you know, to be a part of what you want to be a part of. It was just not something that I wanted to do at the time. I mean, whether I believed that it should cross over or not, it’s not really beside the point, I just think that Titans is such a unique show, the way it looks, the way it feels, the characters, and I kind of…I don’t know, I selfishly want to preserve, you know, the uniqueness of that.”
Thwaites – who’s just about managed to find a polite if somewhat long-winded way of saying he’s not a fan of the CW’s style DC show – wasn’t the only actor to turn down the opportunity to appear in Crisis on Infinite Earths. Michael Rosenbaum rejected the chance to reunite with Smallville co-stars Tom Welling (Clark Kent) and Erica Durance (Lois Lane) by making his return as Lex Luthor, while the producers also reached out to Nicolas Cage about a Superman cameo but that too sadly never came to pass.
TITANS follows young heroes from across the DC Universe as they come of age and find where they belong. In season three, circumstances draw our heroes to Gotham City, where they will reunite with old friends and face new threats.
Titans stars Brenton Thwaites as Dick Grayson, Anna Diop as Starfire, Teagan Croft as Raven, Ryan Potter as Beast Boy, Curran Walters as Jason Todd, Minka Kelly as Dove, Alan Ritchson as Hawk, Joshua Orpin as Conner Kent, Damaris Lewis as Blackfire, Iain Glen as Bruce Wayne, Savannah Welch as Barbara Gordon, Vincent Kartheiser as Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow, and Jay Lycurgo as Tim Drake.
The first three seasons of Titans are available to stream on HBO Max, with season four arriving later this year.
