Sometimes one must look back in order to move forward. Titans showed they aren’t exempted from this rule. Something is definitely brewing between Kory and Rachel, but the time was right to revisit the origins of allies Hawk and Dove. Last left broken at the hands of the Nuclear Family, the duo clearly has more involvement in future Titan business. What that entails remains a mystery, but light must be shed on their past before it can illuminate what’s to come.
Hawk & Dove V.1
A drunk and pilled-up Hank remains vigilant, watching over Dawn’s hospital bed. That is until he passes out and transports everyone to his past as a star PeeWee football player. His half-brother Donny cheers him on before the two have an unfortunate run-in with Hank’s coach in the locker room. Hank’s coach is a sexual predator and tries to convince Donny to join him in the weight room. Hank tries to prevent it, but offers to take Donny’s place when the coach threatens the “slum boys” with expulsion. Needless to say, it’s clear where Hank’s deep-seeded anger issues come from.
Fast forward to the brothers’ college days. Hank is a star receiver cheered on once again by his star student brother, but the hits are catching up to Hank. He is diagnosed with Post-Concussion Syndrome, but refuses to stop playing. Donny goes above his head out of concern, telling the athletic director Hank’s diagnosis. The decision effectively benches Hank, which obviously doesn’t sit well with him. An argument between the two devolves into a fistfight where the brothers take down multiple men in the university library. Fed up with the university asking for more from Hank after taking away his health, Donny demands that the dean kick them out of school.
Left with no outlet for his anger, Donny suggests the two team up to deliver some much needed justice to the litany of registered sex offenders that have gotten off scot-free for their crimes. Hawk and Dove are born, with Donny being the original Dove. The past isn’t immune to intrusion from the future, however, as Rachel appears in both a mirror and computer monitor, calling out to Hank.
Dawn Rising
The graceful Dawn flutters across the ballet stage as her mother applauds from the crowd. The future Dove exhibits expert body control worthy of a standing ovation before having tea with her mother. The mood turns sour when her mother informs her that she is returning to her abusive husband. Dawn stresses that she is stronger than she thinks and is able to leave that violent atmosphere like Dawn and her sister. There is clearly love and understanding between the two, but the pep talk doesn’t sway her mother’s mind fully. The two leave it be, knowing the conversation will surely be revisited.
New Beginnings On B-Street
Worlds collide at a newsstand on B-Street when Dawn and her mother bump into a celebratory Hank and Donny. Their glee at Hawk and Dove making front page news gives way to tragedy as a truck careens into the newsstand shortly after the chance encounter. Donny and Dawn’s mother don’t make it out alive.
Hank and Dawn meet again during a support group meeting, but neither speak until they’re one-on-one in a bar afterward. Hank’s initial hard front is broken down slowly by Dawn and the two talk about those they lost. Dawn notices Hank’s absence from the group’s next session. Dawn’s anger begins to come out during the meeting, expressing the unfair nature of the accident and having no one to blame or hate for it. She has a desire to make life fair, but that goes on the backburner when she finds Hank waiting for her outside.
The two grow closer over time, leading to Dawn finding the Hawk and Dove costumes the first time she stays over at Hank’s. The discovery forces Hank to face Donny’s memory in a healthy fashion by showing Dawn the footage of his only night teaming with his brother.
Confronting The Past, Facing The Future
Reliving Hawk and Dove’s only night on patrol empowers Dawn to push Hank about his abuse at the hands of his childhood coach. Hank openly admits what happened for the first time in his life. Dawn asks if he ever did anything to the coach to which Hank answers no. Extracting revenge on the coach would make everything real. The conversation is left at that and Hank leaves Dawn to crash on his couch. Dawn doesn’t sleep, though. She finds Hank’s numerous medications and the identity of his coach in an old yearbook. The sound of the door closing startles Hank awake. He finds Dawn gone and the coach’s address on his laptop.
Dawn’s forces her way into the coach’s home, pushing him to admit his actions with Hank. The coach pulls a gun on Dawn, leading to a fight between the two. The coach crawls to his gun, but Hank’s boot pins his hand to the ground. He tells Dawn to leave, but she won’t. Dawn closes the front door as Hank prepares to enact vengeance. The two strip themselves down to their cores before sharing an intimate night.
Dawn realizes that the two won’t work together long term, but she’s sees Rachel in a reflection on Hawk’s helmet when she tries to leave. Rachel’s cries for help are finally heard and Dawn wakes up in her hospital bed back in the present. She falls into Hank’s arms and tells him that Rachel needs their help and they need to find Jason Todd.
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