The following contains spoilers for Titans Season 4, Episode 9, "Dude, Where's My Gar?", streaming now on HBO Max.
Titans Season 4's latest episode just dropped, and it features the brief return of The CW incarnation of Swamp Thing.
Swamp Thing's fleeting appearance in Season 4, Episode 9, "Dude, Where's My Gar?", comes after Gar Logan/Beast Boy (Ryan Potter) enters the Red. Gar connects with the mystical force in search of his family, only to encounter characters from other DC Comics-inspired TV shows, instead. Swamp Thing is among those to appear, and is seemingly brought to life via footage of Derek Mears as the plant elemental culled from 2019's Swamp Thing. This marks the second time that this version of Swamp Thing has cropped up outside his own series, with the first occurring during the CW's Arrowverse crossover event "Crisis on Infinite Earth."
While many fans will no doubt enjoy seeing Swamp Thing on the small screen again, this moment is arguably overshadowed by Episode 9's other, more high-profile cameos. Notably, Grant Gustin and Brec Bassinger appear as Barry Allen/The Flash and Courtney Whitmore/Stargirl, respectively. Gustin currently headlines The CW's Flash series, while Bassinger played the titular role in Stargirl until it wrapped up on the network back in December 2022. Of the pair's Titans cameos, Bassinger's is the more substantial, as "Dude, Where's My Gar?" includes a dialogue exchange between her and Potter.
Cameos Galore in Titans Season 4
Titans Season 4's ninth episode also makes room for the Doom Patrol, who return to the series for the first time since their introduction in Season 1. The quirky superhero team features prominently in the episode, which reveals a dark secret about their mentor, Niles Caulder/The Chief (Timothy Dalton). It's worth noting that the Doom Patrol line-up seen in "Dude, Where's My Gar?" consists of characters who are entirely separate from their counterparts in HBO Max's Doom Patrol series. While that show is indeed a Titans spinoff, it takes place within its own continuity.
Canon-related technicalities aside, the Doom Patrol's belated comeback is also noteworthy because it supports star Joseph Morgan's recent claims that Titans Season 4 will tie up the show's remaining loose ends. Morgan, who plays Joseph Sanger/Brother Blood, stated that this is especially true of Titans' last-ever episode, which he assured fans will deliver "a complete resolve" of the wider narrative. The star also talked up the Titans Season 4 finale's scope, insisting it was the biggest episode in the show's history.
Source: HBO Max