Warning: SPOILERS for Titans Episode 2
It may only be on Episode 2, but DC’s Titans just ended with a cliffhanger guaranteed to get people talking. After introducing Minka Kelly’s version of the DC superhero Dove… her character seems to have been killed in the very same episode.
But that can’t seriously be the fate of Dove in the Titans story, can it? Plenty of other characters have dropped dead or been killed in the first episode of the DC Universe series, leaving fans scratching their heads about some of the most nagging Titans questions. But it wasn’t one of the title heroes that anyone expected to be killed before the show gets off the ground - and nobody thought it would be Kelly cast in so temporary a role.
So what is Titans up to putting Dove’s life in danger so early, and how will the show walk back her apparent death, if she isn’t as dead as the cliffhanger made it appear? Needless to say, episode SPOILERS coming.
Titans Episode 2 Cliffhanger: Dove is Dead?
For those not yet signed on for the DC Universe service, but who would still like to keep up to date on the latest DC series to tell if it’s worth the price, we should explain that Dove’s death is far from ambiguous. After sheltering Dick Grayson and the young Rachel Roth in their apartment, Dawn Granger (Kelly) and Hank Hall (Alan Ritchson) - also known as Dove and Hawk, respectively - realize the cost of being a friend to the former Robin.
The trio of Dawn, Dick, and Hawk have enough history to spark one argument after another, but when Rachel a.k.a. Raven learns that Dick was preparing to leave her in someone else’s custody, the group’s argument spills out onto the roof of their apartment building. It’s there that the strange, somehow enhanced “family” sent to hunt down Raven strike. Incapacitating Dick, then Hank, and finally dealing with Dove… by throwing her clear of the roof, and down the two to three stories to the pavement below.
When Dick recovers and runs down to her side, the scene is bad: Dawn splayed out on her back, not moving, choking on blood, and telling Dick in clear enough words for everyone to hear: “I’m dying.”
Would Titans Really Kill Dove This Early?
Its hard to believe that Dawn could suffer such a massive injury and survive, which is the main reason why the twist is so shocking. This isn’t a case of being shot, stabbed, or left unconscious, presumed dead - until the next episode reveals that it was merely a flesh wound, superficial, or just plain superhero logic bordering on un-killable. The damage and death that mark Dove’s last scene of the episode are exactly what would be expected. And as Dick begins to administer CPR, the images of his younger self running to his mother’s side from a similar death come rushing back. Implying yet again that Dove’s death is simply one more terrible burden on Dick’s shoulders.
For that reason, we hope that the writers of Titans have a better future in mind for Dove. Signing Minka Kelly to one half of a two-person superhero team, just to kill her off after one episode would be a waste. But killing her off to advance the brooding, guilt-ridden story of Dick Grayson? That’s a decision that wouldn’t sit well with any Titans fans. Especially not after seeing Dove more than hold her own in a fight, both in and out of her superhero identity. The fans want more, but we’re betting that Raven could sure use that powerful an ally, too.
For now the fans only have another week to be kept in stunned silence, until Dove’s ultimate fate is revealed in one way or another. If it were a different hero, a surprise death could help convince fans that DC is pulling no punches. But killing off half of “Hawk and Dove”? No amount of shock value could match the potential lost by saying goodbye so soon. That said… we’ll still be keeping our fingers crossed for now.
Titans releases new episodes on Fridays through DC Universe, streamed to Netflix in international territories soon after.
