DC Universe’s Titans: Pretty Little Liars alum cast as Aqualad

The Titans cast just keeps getting bigger. Drew Van Acker has been cast as Atlantean hero Garth/Aqualad for the second season of the DC Universe show.

Just when you thought the Titans cast was jam-packed enough, Aqualad and Mercy Graves have been added for the upcoming season. TV Insider reports that Drew Van Acker has been cast as the Atlantean hero. The character is described as “a founding member of the Titans and Aquaman’s eager sidekick.”

Aqualad was born in Atlantis, is a member of the royal court and trained under Aquaman to protect life in and out of the ocean.

Rumours about Garth, formerly Aquaman’s sidekick, appearing on the show have been around for a while. Aqualad was a founding member of the Teen Titans in the comics, alongside Dick Grayson’s Robin, Wally West (Kid Flash), before Donna Troy (Wonder Girl) joined the team as well. On the show, Brenton Thwaites’ Grayson and Conor Leslie’s Troy have already been established as long-time friends, so it’s possible that a Teen Titans existed on the DC Universe show, one which Aqualad was part of.

How large an appearance Aqualad will have in the second season remains unclear. He could appear in a flashback episode, but Van Acker’s role is likely to be similar to that of Donna Troy’s – a character who has a history with Dick Grayson and will play a peripheral role in the main storyline.

It has been a busy week for Titans, as news of Doctor Who actor, Natalie Gumede, being cast in the recurring guest role of Mercy Graves has also surfaced, according to Deadline. Graves is Lex Luthor’s notorious bodyguard in the comics, and given Superboy’s addition to the show, she could be a stand-in for Lex’s influence on the character.

It’s almost a little worrying just how many new characters have been added to the second season of Titans. While it’s exciting to see so many fan-favourites brought to life (many of them for the first time in a live-action property), is the show going to bury its story under character cameos? We haven’t really got to know the main cast all that well, and so many mysteries continue to surround them – perhaps expanding the cast to this degree could have waited for another couple of seasons. Or maybe the showrunners are keen to leave a lasting impact on viewers, but hopefully their enthusiasm doesn’t portend doom for the actual content of Titans.

(Source: TV Insider)