Starfire is a beloved character from the Teen Titans comic books and animated series. She is a princess from the planet Tamaran who comes to Earth and joins the Teen Titans superhero team. One of Starfire’s most iconic powers is her ability to fly by channeling ultraviolet energy and projecting it behind her like rocket thrusters. However, in the live-action Titans TV series on the DC Universe streaming service, fans were disappointed to see that Starfire does not fly. So why did the showrunners make this controversial change to her character? There are a few possible explanations.
Difficulty of live-action flying effects
The main reason that Starfire doesn’t fly in Titans is likely due to the difficulty of pulling off flying effects consistently in a live-action series. Flying works well in comic books and animation, where the laws of physics don’t necessarily apply. But live-action introduces many more challenges. Rigging an actor up with wires for flying scenes is time-consuming and can look unconvincing on screen, especially compared to state-of-the-art CGI flight effects in big budget superhero movies. Given Titans’ more grounded, gritty aesthetic compared to the bright, cartoonish Teen Titans animated series, they may have felt that poorly executed flying effects could undermine the realism.
Some key flying scenes with Starfire may have simply been too complex or expensive to pull off properly within the show’s budget. Since Titans airs on the DC Universe streaming service rather than a major network, its per-episode budget is lower than most superhero shows. The showrunners may have decided that grounding Starfire was ultimately better than forcing subpar flying effects just for the sake of staying true to the comics.
Focusing on other abilities
While flying is one of Starfire’s most famous abilities in the source material, Titans seems to have consciously focused on spotlighting some of her other powers. For instance, Starfire still exhibits her trademark bright green energy bolts, which she can shoot from her hands as offensive blasts. She also still has her incredible strength, which allows her to pick up cars and toss enemies across rooms in fight scenes.
Emphasizing Starfire’s energy blasts and super strength may have been a strategic choice by the showrunners to make her stand out, since those are powers not commonly seen in live-action. Since we’ve seen plenty of superheroes like Superman and Supergirl flying on TV, removing that ability forced the writers to highlight what makes Starfire unique compared to other heroes. The show has even come up with creative fight choreography that incorporates her strength and energy powers together.
Freedom from DC multiverse continuity
One other potential reason why Starfire doesn’t fly in Titans is that the show exists separate from the Arrowverse and DC movie continuity. Unlike for major crossover events between movies and shows, the producers don’t have to adhere to strict consistency about every character’s abilities across different universes.
With this freedom, they can tweak parts of characters like Starfire to fit their particular show’s tone and realism. While hardcore fans may complain, removing her flight lets the showrunners craft their own distinctive version of Starfire that doesn’t have to follow the exact template from comics. Focusing on her other powers arguably helps the character stand out more in Titans’ gritty realistic universe compared to being just another flying hero.
How she could gain flight abilities later
While Starfire’s lack of flight was initially disappointing for fans, there are still opportunities for her to gain that iconic ability later on in the show. Now in its third season, Titans is using more ambitious effects and visuals than in those grittier first seasons. With the budget ramping up, the VFX team could be equipped to pull off flight more convincingly for Starfire now.
Fans have speculated that an upcoming crossover plot with the Doom Patrol show, which shares continuity with Titans, could be how she unlocks flight powers. In the comics, it was a member of Doom Patrol called Mento who helped Starfire master flight for the first time. Introducing Mento in the shows and having him catalyze her flight would be a great nod to Starfire’s origins.
It would satisfy fans to see her soaring through the sky blasting enemies with energy bolts. The producers even teased that a future Starfire-centric episode will be called “Grounded”, hinting she finally takes flight.
Conclusion
Starfire not flying was a controversial change from the Teen Titans source material, but the reasons make sense considering the constraints of live-action TV. The show wanted to ground her abilities more realistically and focus on her other powers. But introducing flight later on can still satisfy fans, and the loosening budget may make that possible. While she may have started off grounded, Starfire could and should still achieve flight before Titans ends. The show is already embracing more comic book elements, so hopefully Starfire will join her fellow heroes in the skies soon.