'Titans' Season 2 may begin with Aqualad already killed by Deathstroke, causing the original team to break up

The trailers for season 2 gave us our first look at Drew Van Acker's Garth/Aqualad but they also suggest the founding member of the team may not have survived to the present day of the show. For one thing, all of Acker's appearances in the trailer are in what appears to be flashback scenes

'Titans' Season 2 is introducing a host of new characters to the DC Universe show but it seems at least one of the new cast members may already be dead when the season begins. The trailers for Season 2 gave us our first look at Drew Van Acker's Garth/Aqualad but they also suggest the founding member of the team may not have survived to the present day of the show. 

MEA WorldWide (MEAWW) spoke to Acker about how his character fits into the world of 'Titans' and he said, "Aqualad’s story starts with an already established relationship to the Titans. You get to see how he fits into this newly formed unit."

The trailers tell us just as much but suspiciously enough, we never get to see Aqualad interacting with the younger members of the team like Teagan Croft's Rachel Roth/Raven and Ryan Potter's Garfield Logan/Beast Boy. All of Acker's appearances in the trailer are in what appears to be flashback scenes to the time of the original Titans team led by Dick Grayson/Robin (Brenton Thwaites). 

We catch a glimpse at the line-up of the Original Titans early on in the trailer and we know the members included Robin, Aqualad, Donna Troy/Wonder Girl (Conor Leslie), Hank Hall/Hawk (Alan Ritchson) and Dawn Granger/Dove (Minka Kelly). Later on, we see the same team, minus Aqualad, confronting Esai Morales' Deathstroke the Terminator while the mercenary stands over a corpse.

Esai Morales as Deathstroke in Titans (YouTube/DC Universe)

There are a lot of other hints in the trailer that seem to point towards Aqualad's demise. "Slade Wilson is why we shuttered this place," Donna is heard telling Dick while talking about Titans Tower, the team's HQ. Hank makes things even clearer by asking, "He's going to kill how many more now?"

The implication is obviously that the Original Titans team had a bad run-in with Deathstroke that ended with one of them dying. The other members seem to have gone their separate ways mainly so as to be rid of the assassin but now that there is a new team out in the open, it looks like the Terminator will be continuing his vendetta against the team. 

The evidence we have isn't conclusive and there is a chance someone else may have been the one to die. But considering we don't know of any other Titans members who have been added to the cast, it seems like a safe bet to assume Aquaman's eager sidekick was the one to bite the bullet. 

Even if we're right, there are still a lot of questions we don't have answers to, like why does Deathstroke hold such a special hatred for the Titans? How do his children Rose Wilson/Ravager (Chelsea Zhang) and Joseph Wilson/Jericho (Chella Mann) fit into this? And can the Titans hope to beat the Terminator even with the added firepower of Raven and Anna Diop's Starfire?  

'Titans' Season 2 premieres on DC Universe September 6.

GET THE BIGGEST ENTERTAINMENT STORIES
STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

MORE STORIES

Pavi and Nisha will follow separate paths before their journeys bring them back together in Book 2
2026-11-13T04:46:57.000Z
Mariska Hargitay’s reported ‘SVU’ paycheck includes acting and producing, while her estimated wealth reflects a career spanning more than four decades.
2026-11-12T20:43:49.000Z
'Marshals' Season 2 introduces a Texas cowgirl who joins Kayce Dutton at East Camp to help establish an equine therapy program.
2026-11-12T20:24:16.000Z
‘School Spirits’ Season 4 brings back Jennifer Tilly as Deborah Hunter-Price and Milo Manheim as Wally Clark while expanding its cast with four new additions
2026-11-12T20:05:26.000Z
Paul Wesley and Sara Canning reunite for Netflix’s college sports romance ‘Icebreaker,’ years after starring together in ‘The Vampire Diaries.’
2026-11-12T19:40:49.000Z
Peacock’s ‘The Good Daughter’ finale answers questions about the school shooting, Huck’s past and the buried secrets dividing Sam and Charlie’s family.
2026-11-12T16:29:59.000Z
‘Chicago Fire’ star Taylor Kinney shares the date for the franchise’s next crossover, which will bring all three NBC dramas together
2026-11-12T08:52:55.000Z
James Reynolds reveals his Parkinson’s diagnosis and explains why ‘Days of Our Lives’ is bringing it into Abe Carver’s storyline
2026-11-12T08:23:38.000Z
Charlie Vickers and his ‘The Rings of Power’ co-stars hint at Sauron’s next move and the Season 3 moments that left even the cast struggling for words
2026-11-12T07:50:09.000Z
Nearly three decades after their 1997 horror film, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Ryan Phillippe are sharing the screen again, this time in the ‘9-1-1’ franchise
2026-11-12T06:55:17.000Z