TITANS Casts Alan Ritchson as Hawk, Minka Kelly as Dove

The Titans are almost together.

Deadline reported that the upcoming DC Comics direct-to-consumer digital service series Titans has cast Alan Ritchson and Minka Kelly as the superheroes Hawk and Dove.  They join Brenton Thwaits as Nightwing, Teagan Croft as Raven, and Anna Diop as Starfire.

The roles are recurring, with options to become regulars in Season 2.  The article claims "the producers also are exploring a potential Hawk and Dove spinoff series down the road."

Hawk is described as "Hank Hall, an aggressive, offensive bruiser", while Dove is described as "Dawn Granger, who is strategic, defensive and lithe."  Together, Hawk and Dove are a "crime-fighting, vigilante duo and romantic couple."

Written by Akiva Goldsman, DC Entertainment’s Geoff Johns and Greg Berlanti, Titans follows a group of young soon-to-be superheroes recruited from every corner of the DC Universe.  In the action-adventure series, Dick Grayson emerges from the shadows to become the leader of a fearless band of new heroes that includes Starfire, Raven, and others.

Ritchson, 32, is probably best known as Aquaman on the WB series Smallville and as Gloss in the movie The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.  He also voiced Aquaman for the direct-to-video animated movie Justice League: The New Frontier, and voiced Raphael in the movies Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows.  His other television appearances include episodes of Black Mirror, Workaholics, Hawaii Five-0, 90210, and Blue Mountain State.

Kelly, 37, is probably best known as Lyla Garrity on the NBC series Friday Night Lights and as Valerie Stahl on the Fox series Almost Human.  Her other television appearances include episodes of Parenthood, Jane the Virgin, Charlie's Angels (2011), Entourage, and What I Like About You.  Her film appearances include the movies The Butler, The Roommate, 500 Days of Summer, and The Kingdom.

Created in 1968 by Steve Skeates and Steve Ditko, Hawk first appeared in Showcase #75 as Hank Hall, the son of Judge Irwin Hall.  Hank and his brother Don found out that their father had many enemies when their father was nearly assassinated.  Hank and Don eventually followed the assassin back to his hideout, where they accidentally locked themselves in the closet of some criminals plotting to dispose of him.  Hank and Don, who found for the first time they could agree on something to save their father, heard mysterious voices offering the boys a chance to do just that.  All they had to do was call upon the powers of the Hawk and the Dove.  The voices belonged to a Lord of Chaos named T'Charr and a Lord of Order named Terataya.  The Hall brothers invoked their new powers and became Hawk and Dove. The conservative Hawk (Hank) was hot-headed and reactionary, while the liberal Dove (Don) was more thoughtful and reasoned, but was prone to indecisiveness.  Judge Irwin Hall displayed a more balanced political beliefs, and firmly disapproved of vigilantism, not knowing his sons were costumed adventurers and the fact that Hawk and Dove had saved him from his would-be assailants.

Dove died in 1986's Crisis on Infinite Earths while saving a young boy who was being attacked by the Anti-Monitor's shadow demons.  The creature that killed Dove came from behind while he was saving a kid from a falling building and Hawk was too far away to intervene.  Hawk continued on his own, but without Dove to restrain him, he became violent to the point where many superheroes considered him nearly as much trouble as the supervillains.

In 1988, Barbara & Karl Kesel and Rob Liefeld created Dawn Granger as the new Dove, who first appeared in Hawk & Dove (vol.1) #1, who mysteriously received her powers while attempting to save her mother from terrorists.  At the end of the mini-series, it was revealed that Dawn received her powers the moment Don had been stripped of them.  This Dove, while considerably more aggressive and self-confident than Don, also has greater-than-average strength and dexterity, faster-than-human speed, and expanded mental capabilities.  Dove fights mostly defensively, preferring to out-think and remain in control of her opponent.  She also heals quickly and cannot revert to Dawn if her wounds or some other condition would be fatal to Dawn.  Hawk was initially resistant to the new Dove, but they soon became partners, holding their own against the Lords of Chaos' creation called Kestrel.

This will be the first time the characters have been depicted for live-action, although Hawk has appeared in the animated projects Justice League Unlimited (voiced by Jason Hervey), and Batman: The Brave and the Bold (voiced by Greg Ellis).

Titans is expected to debut on DC Comics' digital service sometime in 2018.