Shraman Mitra
Hank Hall AKA Hawk’s sudden and brutal death on ‘Titans‘ is both unexpected and disturbing. Moreover, with Hank being a fan-favorite character, it was surprising that the show did away with him so abruptly. In season 3 episode 3, Red Hood captures Hank and embeds a Wayne Tech explosive inside his chest. Although it seems like the heroes will rescue Hank in the nick of time, the show does a 180 and completely baffles viewers as Hank explodes. As expected, the character’s death sent shockwaves through the fandom, who immediately demanded reasons for the same. We, too, decided to jump into the fray and find out the truth for ourselves!
Why Did Alan Ritchson Leave Titans?
According to reports, Alan Ritchson did not have a hand in his exit from ‘Titans.’ In a September 2021 interview, the actor shared that if it were up to him, he would choose to stay on since he enjoyed portraying Hank Hall. However, Alan’s departure was supposedly a decision made by officials above his paygrade, and the actor had to comply. In fact, Alan mentioned that he was completely taken aback by the decision as he was aware of Hank’s popularity among fans. The actor even stated that he was entirely in line with the production schedule and found it to be extremely accommodating, which made leaving the show even harder.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly in September 2021, Alan revealed that he was quite content with the way the show rounded up his character arc. He shared, “I don’t know if they’ll ever feel like servicing Hank and that Hawk-Dove storyline again, but I do love where we left it. I think it’s really beautiful. This journey that Hawk was on mirrored my own life in such an eerie way.” However, Alan went on to tease that he might return in a future episode. He revealed that the producers and writers left the conversation open-ended and that he would “absolutely” be willing to return if given the chance.
In the ninth episode of season 3, we see Hank once again as Donna and Tim meet him in the afterlife. Although the duo finds a bridge back to the living world, Hank stays behind to fight off the ghouls. Later, Hank even meets his brother, Donny, and the two decide to help lost souls stuck in limbo. Filming this episode was quite emotional for the cast as they knew they were bidding farewell to Alan. On the other hand, the actor was humbled by the love he received and was grateful to have been a part of the show.
Where Is Alan Ritchson Now?
Alan Ritchson admitted that his wife had a significant role in helping him deal with Hank’s onscreen death and moving on from the show. Following his departure from ‘Titans,’ Alan landed the lead role of Jack Reacher in the Amazon Prime Video series titled ‘Reacher.’ The upcoming show is now in its pre-production phase. Moreover, Alan is also set to appear in the movies ‘Spring Break ’83’ and ‘Bad Seeds of Loving Spring.’
‘Dark Web: Cicada 3301’ is an action-comedy thriller film that released in March 2021. You may recognize Alan in the role of Agent Carver, but his involvement with the film runs much deeper. He has co-written the script and produced the film, which also happens to be his directorial debut. As promising as his professional life looks, the father of three gives a lot of importance to his family life. Alan openly shares what his wife and sons mean to him and unabashedly talks about the importance of mental health on social media.
So, by the looks of it, fans may have to be content with Hank Hall’s story arc as Alan Ritchson may not be back in the role anytime in the foreseeable future. But the good news is that Alan is active on social media and also has several projects in the pipeline. So, this isn’t the last we have seen of the actor and we, for one, are quite excited to see what he does next.
Read More: Are Hawk and Jason Dead in Titans?
