Hints picked up within the Dawn of Justice trailer tell us a few things about what we can expect of the “Boy Wonder” in the upcoming DC film.
The DC Universe is always changing, constantly evolving, continuously adjusting plots and storylines in each and every facet within its reach. From their long-running animated series’ to various dimensions/universes in the comics, to the little big-screen presence that will explode into a flurry of DC properties over the next several years.
The above being said, one thing is for sure: There are many who have taken on the role of the Dark Knight’s sidekick, Robin. Dick Grayson was first before becoming Nightwing, a character on par in a variety of ways with that of Batman.
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A Little History on the Role of the ‘Boy Wonder’
Following Grayson was Jason Todd who was killed by Joker, then brought back to life, went crazy, and became the vigilante known as the “Red Hood”, a nod to Joker’s earliest years and origins in crime.
Tim Drake was next, who later became Red Robin. In the New 52, Tim never became “Robin” out of respect for the recently deceased Jason Todd and instead became “Red Robin” from the start of his career as Batman’s sidekick.
Drake’s girlfriend, Stephanie Brown became Robin to fill the role and ended up dying (which was faked), all before becoming Batgirl. The New 52 reboot retconned her time as Robin and instead focused on her time leading into Batgirl instead.
Damian Wayne, Batman’s estranged ninja-assassin son is the final mainstream character to land the title of Robin, a role difficult for Batman to handle as Damian grew up in secret among the League of Shadows under his grandfather, Ra’s al Ghul. Damian’s killer instinct constantly puts himself in a bad position with the law and his father, the latter of whom focuses most of his time training the young assassin not to kill.
Okay, so now that you are well-versed on Robin, what does all this mean for Bats v Supes? Well, if you recall the trailer, at one point shows a very tarnished Robin outfit (I missed this several times in the trailer thinking it was a Batman suit due to its dark color). The trailer below picks up just when the suit is shown. Take a look.
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As you can plainly see, the suit, which resides in a glass display case in the BatCave, is old, worn out, and covered in HAHAHAHA graffiti presumably from the Joker himself. Let’s break down what this could possibly mean for the movie.
What we do know is that Robin is clearly in the movie to some capacity, with rumors suggesting that director Zack Snyder is putting his son Eli in the role within flashbacks as Robin.
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No, this is not Jonathan Taylor Thomas, it’s Eli Snyder. Haven’t you been paying attention?
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You probably don’t recognize him now, but Eli Snyder first appeared as Young Leonidas in the movie 300, a film that was directed by his father as well. Whether it’s appropriate casting or not isn’t for us to judge, though the kid does pull off the athleticism and look we would expect in a teenage Robin, so it is possible that this is true. Though it is believed the role will be smaller due to his Robin being dead throughout the events of Batman v Superman.
In the comics, Dick Grayson leaves his role of Robin due to disagreements about safety with the Batman. Mainly because Barbara Gordon is killed (so we are lead to believe) by the Joker. Dick goes rogue on destructive behavior as Nightwing, essentially shunning Batman and keeping the Dark Knight from having a major role in his life. Enter Jason Todd.
Jason Todd is doing some sleuthing, and is caught by Joker, who mercilessly beats him near death with a crowbar. Batman is coming to save him and, at the last minute the warehouse where Jason is being tortured explodes, and the Joker gets away. Batman holds onto Jason Todd’s body, who is clearly dead.
Eventually Jason is brought back to life through the Lazarus Pit (the green pool of goo that keeps R’as al Ghul an immortal), though with horrible results. Jason goes crazy, loses his mind, and demands revenge. In doing so, he changes his name to the Red Hood, goes on a criminal killing spree, Batman has to stop/save him, etc. etc. etc.
Okay, enough with the comic history lesson, though I promise you this is all within the necessity of creating my point.
So, now that you know all that, you may already be able to piece together our thought process on this. If the Robin suit has clear signs of Joker tampering, with hints that Batman “let his family die”, a potential nod to Barbara being killed (by Joker), causing Grayson to go on his own, then Jason Todd stepping up into the role as Robin, and also being killed by Joker, Batman could have hung up his cape and gone into hiding/retirement (which is what we are lead to believe is a major plot point before he comes out of retirement to fight Superman and bring him to justice).
If that is the case, and it sounds like it could be due to the fact that Bruce Wayne has been Batman for 15+ years, and is clearly older and shows signs of wear and tear, then Nightwing could be in the film too (or at least mentioned), thus implying that Barbara is dead (but not really), and the Robin we are shown is Jason Todd, presumably in flashbacks.
Not too much of a stretch if you really think about it. And, it could also mean that Nightwing could play a big part in the solo Batman film being written by, directed by, and starring Ben Affleck. If that’s the case, maybe we will even see Tim Drake step into the role as Robin? Or maybe not, and none of this is even remotely accurate. Guess we will just have to wait and see the film when it comes out in 2016 to know for sure.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice comes to theaters March 25, 2o16 and stars Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter, and Gal Gadot. The film is directed by Zack Snyder.
