Titans: Joseph Morgan on Sebastian's Power-Up, a Possible Weakness and the 'Massively Physical' Series Finale

The beginning of Titans‘ end is nigh, with the back half of the superhero team-up series’ fourth — and final — season kicking off this Thursday on HBO Max, with the first two episodes of six.

When last we tuned in…. Dick, Kory et al had valiantly tried, yet failed, to keep Mother Mayhem from fulfilling the Blood Moon Prophecy. Rachel (newly transformed into White Raven) and Kory (who now has access to a 80% of her potential power) were raining white and blue power blasts on Mother Mayhem, until Sebastian — tired of “being nothing” — proceeded to drink the ceremonial blood.

Sebastian then let out a supersonic roar that disappeared the Titans, one by one. And after the last hero blinked away (to where/when?!), Sebastian submerged himself in the temple’s pool of blood, to complete his fulfilling of the Red Moon ritual.

TVLine spoke with Joseph Morgan about Sebastian’s bloody power-up, mother-son conflict, brother-sister bonding and the “huge” series finale to come.

TVLINE | What is going through Sebastian’s head as he emerges from that bloody, primordial ooze in the midseason premiere?

You know, it’s just the feeling of power, of newfound power, that is thrumming through his body. He just feels different, and he’s trying to put his finger on why that is. But I think it’s a good thing for him. It’s very positive.

TVLINE | How would you describe his dynamic with Mother Mayhem (Franka Potente) following this transformation? Are they full partners, is he subservient to her, does he lord over her….?
Like with every parent-and-child dynamic, there are mixed feelings. There is obviously a lot of love and respect for her, for bringing him out of the rut he felt he was stuck in, but there’s conflict as well, because she has her own agenda — and it doesn’t necessarily line up with his. There’s also a sort of resentment there, because he feels a bit like he is being used as opposed to being accepted, which is all he has ever wanted. To be accepted.

TVLINE | Yes, those flashbacks we got in the first half of the season, to the assorted points in his earlier life, were very moving. They showed us the damage his psyche sustained time and time and time again.
Oh, yeah. That was a lot of fun. Especially the flashback with [girlfriend] Julie (played by Rebecca Amzallag), seeing that pattern repeat itself where he felt like anybody that he loves or commits some kind of feeling to will betray him.

TVLINE | The poster for the final episodes reminded us that Sebastian will be wearing some sort of get-up at some point. How would you describe that costume and its comfort level?

[Laughs] It was an intense process getting fitted for that costume. It was many, many fittings, going back and forth to Los Angeles, and they really started from scratch with it. I would describe it as having an “ancient armor” feel to it. The gauntlets are strapped on with leather straps and buckles, and there’s really a feeling of history to it.

TVLINE | It looks as if the mask is almost made of bones.
Yeah, it’s supposed to be almost a piece of alien skull or something, a foreign creature’s skull thats been molded into a mask. There’s an otherworldly feel to it, and there’s a feeling of scales to the suit itself. There’s this language across the cape and the arm pieces that they developed, derived from blood capillaries and meant to mimic Sanskrit. There’s an ancient warrior feel to it.

TVLINE | Now that Sebastian has accepted his identity as Trigon’s son, and Rachel (played by original cast member Teagan Croft) is of course Trigon’s daughter, what will it be like the next time they come face to face? Will there still be a kinship… or not so much?
Definitely a kinship. That’s something I felt was an integral part of my character and the season itself, that bond between Sebastian and Rachel. Teagan and I worked to bring that forward in Episodes 1 through 6, and I definitely wanted to keep it prevalent to the end.

He’s torn by that feeling now, because she also represents a weakness to him. He cares for her, he feels something for her, he is still pulled in that direction. That is going to be a struggle for him, right up until the last moments of the season, that feeling that he has, his bond and responsibility to her as his sibling.

TVLINE | Lastly, what can you tease about the season finale, which will also serve as a series finale? 
It’s huge. And they wrote it as a series finale. There’s complete resolve, and they go go bigger than they have done.  I think it was really important to all of the actors, to [showrunner] Greg [Walker], and to Brenton [Thwaites, who plays Dick] specifically, that the Titans come together as a team, to face the threat ahead of them. It was hugely exhausting for me, massively physical, and I really went through it with all of them.

Want scoop on Titans, or for any other show? Email InsideLine@tvline.com and your question may be answered via Matt’s Inside Line.

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