A story from the Dark Knight’s past may provide the perfect blueprint for Robin, the Boy Wonder to join Matt Reeves’ vision of The Batman.
WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for The Batman, now in theaters.
The Batman is currently making quite the impact on the box office after its opening weekend. Rumors are already being circulated about the film being the launchpad of a trilogy of films helmed by director Matt Reeves, and there are two confirmed spin-off television shows revolving around Collin Farrel’s Penguin and the Gotham City Police Department. A new Batman trilogy or shared universe gives the filmmakers ample opportunity to introduced (or re-introduce) characters to the big screen, including Batman’s most famous companion, Robin. In a recent interview, Robert Pattinson revealed an interest in introducing the Boy Wonder in a future film, raising fans’ hopes of seeing a comics accurate version of Robin appear on the big screen.
Pattinson’s comments are in stark contrast to adaptations of the Batman franchise in recent years, as Christian Bale and Christopher Nolan shunned the idea of ever introducing Robin in their critically acclaimed The Dark Knight trilogy. Additionally, the Robin of the Snyderverse was killed off-screen years before the Caped Crusader of that universe was introduced in Batman v Superman. Although nothing has been confirmed, signs seem to indicate that Pattinson’s version of the Gotham City vigilante will eventually have his most famous sidekick by his side, as do the comics that heavily influence the series, namely The Long Halloween and it’s sequel, Dark Victory.
Reeves has made no secret about one of the most famous and critically acclaimed Batman stories, The Long Halloween, being a major influence on his cinematic interpretation of the character. Dark Victory follows a similar storyline of an elusive killer known as “The Hangman” picking off members of Gotham City’s corrupt police force and elite one by one, while Batman has to deal with the emergence of a new type of criminal in Gotham City, led by his former ally Harvey Dent, aka Two-Face. In the midst of it all, Bruce Wayne happens to be present on the fateful night that Dick Grayson’s parents are murdered by the Maroni crime family associate, Tony Zucco.
Once Grayson is taken on as the ward of Bruce Wayne, he eventually discovers that his new guardian is actually Batman. Bruce then begins to train Dick and help him contain his anger, and the two go on to confront Zucco, who ends up dying from a heart attack. This allows young Grayson to gain closure for the murder of his parents, and he eventually becomes the Dark Knight’s official partner, Robin.
A film introducing Robin in a way similar to what was done in Dark Victory would be well-suited for the world crafted by Reeves. The story centers around a mystery that is engulfing the entire city of Gotham, something this more noirish take on the character would be able to adapt naturally. It also provides a springboard for how to best introduce Dick Grayson as an orphaned child who can later be trained to become Bruce Wayne’s signature sidekick.
One of the key themes of The Batman centered around Bruce Wayne and his nemesis The Riddler both being orphans, and it seems likely future sequels will be carrying on this trend as well. The interactions between Bruce and the son of the murdered mayor also set up Bruce’s inclination to help children who have suffered a fate similar to his. If the rumors of Two-Face returning to the big screen are true, a sequel film heavily influenced by Dark Victory seems all the more likely in the future.
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