Beast Boy and Cyborg actors Ryan Potter and Joivan Wade discuss finally having a Titans and Doom Patrol crossover. As Titans season 4 gets closer to its end, part 2 just had one of its biggest episodes of all time. Titled “Dude, Where’s My Gar?” the episode is a deep exploration of Gar Logan as he learns more about his ties to The Red.
However, Titans season 4, episode 9, also served as a celebration of the show’s place in the larger DC multiverse. Throughout “Dude, Where’s My Gar?” viewers got to see various shows and films highlighted. The episode even served as a last chance for The CW’s Stargirl, as Brec Bassinger’s Courtney Whitmore appears in a scene with Potter’s Beast Boy.
Screen Rant recently had the opportunity to chat with Potter as well as Wade, who shows up at the very end of the Titans episode. Throughout the interview, Potter talks about getting to work on episode 9 both as an actor and a co-writer, as he wanted to take Beast Boy in a massive direction. Wade and Potter also express how thrilled they were to finally do a Titans/Doom Patrol crossover, as Cyborg and other members will have a big role in next week’s episode.
Ryan Potter and Joivan Wade on Titans & Doom Patrol Crossover
Screen Rant: Ryan, let’s start with you. Tell me, how did this opportunity come about to write an episode for Titans? Because you’re the first actor on the show that has now gotten to do it.
Ryan Potter: I wanted to take a little bit of control over Gar’s story and his destiny because we’ve seen the feedback of the seasons, and he’s been a little underutilized. I wanted to make sure that he had relevance this season, considering in the comics, Brother Blood is so closely related to The Red and the Green and how those kind of play into the larger picture.
I wanted to make sure that Garfield got his shine, but you can’t really have Garfield shine without his people. So the big surprise that I think a lot of people are going to lose their minds about on Twitter is Joivan joining us for some fun because, for me, there are no Titans without Cyborg.
Agreed, I’m so happy we finally made it happen. For you, Joivan, you were filming Doom Patrol season 4 when this was all going down, right?
Joivan Wade: Yeah, we were filming [Doom Patrol] season 4 – we pretty much film our seasons aligned, and we had just finished season 4 when we stepped over to do the crossover.
I know there will be fans asking, ‘Which version of the Doom Patrol is this?’ Am I correct in that this is the Titans version of the Doom Patrol and Cyborg correct?
Joivan Wade: Yeah, this is the Titans version. But we haven’t actually seen Cyborg as a part of the Titans yet. So in terms of what the Titans version of Cyborg is, that is still left up to interpretation, and we’ll get to really dig into that juice when the episode airs. But yeah, it’s definitely coming into a world where we finally get to meet these two in a bit of a crossover in terms of how we actually do that, which is really exciting. For me, this has been a dream for me and Ryan. We have been talking about this since we started, and since we both were on Titans and Doom Patrol, wanting to make this happen, so it’s been beautiful to actually have it done before we crossed the [finish] line.
You guys had such a great dynamic in the episode. Can you talk about getting on set, being in your costumes, and all of that?
Ryan Potter: It’s been kind of the joke from day one, hasn’t it? We’ve been trying to make this happen for so long that we built a whole friendship outside of work prior. So showing up, we already had all of our inside jokes {laughs], and the work was smooth. We had fun onset and offset that the entire week and a half [was fun.]
Joivan Wade: I think it’s one thing just being in the world playing with these characters and being able to do what we do. Then it is [another thing] just getting to do it with your mates, which is even better. It was really seamless, and I think that’s one thing that we were so passionate about. Once we finally get to have these two characters on screen, it had to be synonymous and as real and as close to like dynamic in the Titans that we’ve been growing up with. We wanted to make our best efforts at allowing that to transcend in live-action. That definitely comes across, and just like with chemistry as friends in the real world, it is definitely going to come across on screen.
If there had been a season 5, was there a plan to have Cyborg maybe show up more on Titans and finally get to engage with other characters? Because I felt the story was leading to something more, that they were clearly not done with each other yet.
Ryan Potter: Who knows?! [laughs] My hope is that Joivan would have come over, which I would have really appreciated that. I think that would have helped the dynamic of the team. We would have had a bit more comedy in the different dynamics, but obviously, Joivan is an incredible dramatic actor too. So just bringing on another person who can make people cry at home or make people feel the tension in the drama? It’s a win.
Joivan Wade: Yeah, I think that would have been an amazing scenario to be able to have these characters together within the Titans. I think, first and foremost, just as a fan – takeaway being Cyborg and just seeing these characters together was something that I, as a fanboy in me, want to see. So yeah, I would have thrived at that opportunity to be able to – if we did continue – have Vic and Gar able to team up a lot more. So, yeah, I’m really grateful that we even get an opportunity to do so and leave the fans wanting more because that’s all that you’re really going to get once you see it displayed.
Ryan Potter: Yeah, we gave him just enough because we didn’t want to hop in and have them have an undeveloped friendship from the jump because that would make no sense. So we had to earn it for those final moments. When people watch the crossover, they will feel that bond really cement, and it’s the first time we get to do the Beast Boy/Cyborg friendship in live action on screen. I hope the fans like it. I had a blast working with Joivan – we were eating that up! [laughs]
Joivan Wade: I’ve got so many BTS videos and pictures that I have just been waiting to put out. I literally created a whole album, a whole folder of Titans with just a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff.
Ryan, how much red tape did you and Geoff Johns have to go through to get The Flash, Shazam, Smallville, Superman: The Movie, and Grant Morrison? This was like Thanksgiving for DC fans.
Ryan Potter: You had two nerds writing for a show for nerds…
I couldn’t help but notice! [laughs]
Ryan Potter: The goal is to provide all the fan service, but with it having stakes and opening the door, raising questions in a way where DC fans can start to potentially draw parallel lines and play with the idea that not everything is an independent entity or story. That really speaks to, I think, the overall message of the episode, which is everything is better with connectivity and being interconnected.
Whether it’s with yourself or your community, your family, your friends, your neighboring countries and the narratives that are playing out over there as opposed to here. Because that starts to, I think, play into the real motive of what it means to be a hero, which is to save the day. After the last several years, we just saw a very divided country and divided world. This is the genre to get people as a call to arms to come together but any medium that can exemplify connectivities, I think what’s needed right now. The opening of the DC multiverse is a really exciting opportunity because that’s the really only opportunity we’ll get in, in this past iteration of DCU and DCTV.
It opens the door and closes the door all in one go. But being able to have Grant Morrison also a part of it – I didn’t want to explore that idea without really paying homage to Grant Morrison and their initial run of the Animal Man comics that we pulled so much influence from that. If you’re a DC fan and if you are a deep cut comic book guy or gal: this is the episode!
I always thought we would see Grant on Doom Patrol. Joivan, can you tease whether or not they might be popping in during your final season?
Joivan Wade: Mate, I don’t want to spoil anything! [laughs] We got to let the cookie crumble and let this party get started. I think Morrison is the GOAT. Even like when we started with Doom Patrol, it was Grant’s work that we looked at in terms of the materials. We knew that a lot of what they were going to be doing was going to be based on Grant’s iterations.
Just seeing them be part of this world on Titans and the knack that Geoff and Ryan had in that inclusion is going to be something that we got really – quietly – excited about. A lot of fans will just really appreciate, I think, these little things as a nerd, a comic book head, you get to tick off the certain boxes, and it’s going to be something that [I feel] ‘Okay, cool. I can go to sleep now. I can rest knowing that this happened.’ I love Grant. I love everything they have done, and there’s a real huge reason why the show is the way that we have with Doom Patrol and now how exciting it’s going to be for the inclusion in Titans.
If you guys got the chance to revisit the DC Universe, what kind of stories would you want to see for Beast Boy and Cyborg together, whether it be in a Titans revival or a Teen Titans movie? Are you guys game to come back to this world if James Gunn comes calling?
Joivan Wade: For me, 100%. I think it’s bittersweet to really getting to dip your toe in the water and finally get these characters together in a conclusion. I’m sure I can speak for Ryan that we’ve always wanted to continue doing this and just have that set up. We have to let the fans do the work. If they love it, maybe there will be an opportunity for us to come back and circle back. But I’d definitely love to continue that journey, and there’s a whole world of stories and waffles that I would love to explore with Ryan and move forward with.
Ryan Potter: I’ll sign up for the Waffle-verse, essentially! But really quickly, Andy, before we hop off, I wanted to give a shout out to Geoff, because the question you’d ask prior on how we were able to get all of the cameos like Shazam, The Flash and Grant Morrison: I had pitched to him this close-ended story and Geoff said, ‘If we’re doing this, let’s do it. Let’s pull out all the stops and have a story of interconnectedness on a scale that we haven’t done before.’
Because all the same elements were in play. But we were still looking for a way to really end the episode in a way that made sense for Vic’s and Doom Patrol’s arrival so that door of exploring the multiverse is thanks for Geoff. I’d love to craft stories – I’m definitely here for that. But as I said, I’ll return for the Waffle-verse of Beast Boy and Cyborg! [laughs]
What are you guys working on right now separately, outside of promoting Titans and Doom Patrol?
Joivan Wade: I’m currently on the second season of Bel-Air and really focused on writing at the moment. I actually got a couple of films that I’m developing with a couple of studios. I am just really focused on getting my head frame in that. You can catch me on all the social medias as usual, and I’m sure I’ll be popping up, especially over the next few weeks as all this stuff starts to air.
Ryan Potter: I’m kind of switching career paths, studying various trades at the moment. I do have a script for a film that is being worked on. But in the acting world, I have an AFI short film that I worked on with a longtime friend, Giselle Bonilla, and that’ll come out sometime next year. Then there’s a DC-just-for-the-love-of-it-project that’s in the works, and hopefully will come out by the end of the year. But yeah, that’s super top-secret – I can’t give you more than that!
Okay, I will stay patient! Well, we’re almost halfway through the year anyway, so hopefully, whatever this is, they will announce it soon. But, gentlemen, thank you so much for your time today. Thank you for everything you’ve done with these characters that people fall in love with all over the world, and hopefully, we’ll chat in the near future.
Ryan Potter: Thank you, Andy!
Joivan Wade: Awesome; thank you so much for your time, Andy!
About Titans Season 4
In the mid-season premiere, the Titans – with the exception of Gar – are returned to the place they had vanished, the Temple of Trigon, only to find Sebastian and Mother Mayhem are no longer there. The Titans rush to find them before Sebastian summons Trigon, their pursuit leading them to a mysterious town whose populace is hiding a deep secret. Along the way, the Titans come across a prophecy that may require Kory to make a huge sacrifice to save the world, but Dick’s feelings for Kory surface and he refuses to let her die.
In the final episodes, the Titans enter into an epic battle to save both Kory and the world. Gar goes on a quest of self-discovery, attempting to find his true purpose and to save his friends. Rachel embraces darker powers while Conner, struggling with his Lex Luthor side, goes his own way to defeat Sebastian. Tim and Bernard’s growing feelings for each other become increasingly difficult to resist, and when Bernard’s life is threatened, Tim finally becomes the hero he has always strived to be.
Check out our other Titans season 4, part 2 interviews here:
Titans season 4 drops new episodes Thursdays on HBO Max.
