Hank's Bon Jovi song choice is far from random in Donna Troy in season 2, for example), but Hank's demise felt definitive and made every effort to tug the heartstrings. It's surprising, then, that the Hawkster returns for something of an epilogue chapter in "Souls." Now populating the afterlife, Hank teams up with Donna Troy and Tim Drake to locate a mysterious bridge rumored to connect the black-and-white world with the mortal realm. Though the mission is a success, one of the trio must hold back Hades' Ghouls, and Hank bravely steps up to the plate.
When Alan Ritchson's Hank first skids into view, he's driving a convertible 1970s Ford Thunderbird, while Bon Jovi's "Livin' On A Prayer" blares loudly. The song is implied to be diegetic music playing over Hank's car stereo as he pulls up to save Donna and Tim, though the tune can still be heard as the gang escape. Either way, it's a striking choice of song - the intense battle between Donna and the Ghouls abruptly pierced by the sound of Richie Sambora's talkbox guitar riff. It's also strange that Titans slips a few seconds of such a well-known 1980s hair metal number into an otherwise serious fight sequence, but multiple layers of reasoning lay behind the choice.
For starters, "Livin' On A Prayer" is more or less the soundtrack to Hank's personality. A jock who never really grew up, the classic rock stylings of Bon Jovi suit Hank's gung ho attitude and past life as varsity footballer, not to mention his posthumous choice of wheels, perfectly. The romantic and macho themes of Bon Jovi's music both match up to Hank's "lover and a fighter" philosophy, but there's an even deeper resonance to the song choice.
"Livin' On A Prayer" is a ballad in which Jon Bon Jovi recounts the tale of Tommy and Gina - down-on-their-luck lovers struggling to make a living working dead-end jobs, relying purely on each other's love to "make it." Tommy and Gina are a pretty close analogy for Titans' Hank and Dawn. The super-lovers were dealt a tough hand by life, but clung to each other as a means of getting through difficult times. Hank's dock worker union hasn't gone on strike and Dawn isn't waiting tables at the local diner, but the characters found each other while each struggling with grief, and immediately became inseparable (even when they weren't officially an item). Hank listening to "Livin On A Prayer" in the afterlife is a reminder of the woman he left behind.
More than just a metaphor for Hank, Titans season 3 is certainly an unusual use of music licensing, but it sure had fans dusting off their air guitars.