While there are all kinds of discussions about who will be playing the DCU’s new Batman in the upcoming Brave and the Bold movie, we also need to talk about Damian Wayne’s Robin.
According to some of the earliest DCU announcements from James Gunn, Damian Wayne’s Robin will serve as Batman’s sidekick in The Brave and the Bold, Bruce Wayne’s biological son in the comics, and the fourth Robin to fight alongside The Dark Knight. As such, there are plenty of reasons to get excited about the DCU’s upcoming Robin, and what his debut will mean for the Batman mythos at large within Gunn’s greater DC Universe.
First appearing in the main DC continuity in 2006, Damian has one of the Bat-Family’s most complex origins, being the son Bruce Wayne never knew he had until he was already trained to kill at the ripe old age of 10. Despite all of his lethal training (and massive ego), the evolution between Bruce and Damian as they learn to become both partners and family is one I couldn’t be more excited to see in live-action. Keeping that in mind, here are eight things The Brave and the Bold absolutely needs to get right when it comes to bringing Damian Wayne’s Robin into the DCU.
The DCU’s Robin Needs To Be The Right Age
First and foremost, Damian Wayne should probably be around 10 to 12 years old when he first appears in The Brave and the Bold. It’s the age that Damian will no doubt work best, either meeting Bruce for the first time in the movie itself or with the duo working and living together for just a couple of years. Given that he’s the fourth Robin in the comics, it stands to reason that Damian should still be on the younger side of his teenage years at least, allowing his predecessors like Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, and Tim Drake to be older (but not too old).
Unlike Joel Schumacher’s Batman films (the last movies to feature a live-action Robin), a younger Damian would give the DCU a genuinely young sidekick fighting alongside The Dark Knight, just like in the comics. Likewise, Damian being younger would also help maintain the accuracy of his origins and the stark contrast of his age compared to his extensive training. And speaking of his training…
Damian Wayne Needs His League of Assassins Origins
Damian Wayne’s secret upbringing with the League of Assassins is essential to understanding why he behaves so differently from other Robins. After all, he’s not just the son of Batman in the comics. He’s also the son of Talia al Ghul and grandson of Ra’s al Ghul, the Demon’s Head and leader of the League. As such, Damian was trained from birth to be one of the most formidable warriors in the entire world, well before he met his father.
Without question, the DCU needs to preserve those origins, with Bruce having no idea about Damian or his dark training until the boy is already around 10 years old. Likewise, the influence of Damian’s mother and grandfather should still be present even after Damian leaves them to live with his father in Gotham.
The DCU’s Robin Needs A Comic-Accurate Costume
Robin’s costume is easily one of the most recognizable superhero designs in DC Comics, though Damian’s Robin costume in particular does offer the chance to put some fresher spin on it, as his League history sees him incorporating a hood as well as some gray into the traditional red, yellow, and green color scheme. Ultimately, the goal should be to still capture the spirit of the comics and the distinct difference between Robin’s brighter costume next to Batman’s.
Perhaps some grey in Damian’s costume could justify the DCU Batman having a more comic-accurate grey underneath his black cape and cowl, something we’ve seen recently with Ben Affleck and Robert Pattinson’s respective bat suits. Then again, a blue cape and cowl could help the DCU Batman feel more distinct from Pattinson, while at the same time pairing better with Robin’s brighter color scheme.
Damian Should Be Entering Into An Established Bat-Family
One of the biggest advantages of introducing Damian relatively early is establishing a pre-existing Bat-Family in the DCU. By having Damian as a new or recent addition, audiences could meet a Batman who’s already spent years building relationships and a family of crime fighters with Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Barbara Gordon, and more Gotham vigilantes. The audience could then share Damian’s fresher perspective, being introduced to and exploring this new family he’s only just now joining as its newest member.
There Needs To Be Plenty of Sibling Robin Rivalries/Dynamics
One of the best parts of Damian’s character in the comics is his interactions and relationships with his fellow Robins. Despite his youth, Damian’s unorthodox upbringing and training have given him an intense superiority complex, intense arrogance, and a massive ego, leading him to fully believe that he’s the most capable Robin when he first joins his father’s crusade, not to mention his status as Bruce’s sole biological son.
While this has naturally created rifts and clashes with Batman’s other sons, like Tim Drake’s Robin and Jason Todd’s Red Hood, Damian does have a genuine bond with Dick Grayson’s Nightwing, having come to view Dick as a genuine older brother who has often been able to connect with Damian in ways Bruce has struggled to achieve. At any rate, there’s so much potential when it comes to Damian’s relationships with the other Robins in the DCU.
Damian’s Robin Needs To Feel Like An Unprecedented Challenge
Perhaps more than anything, Damian Wayne’s mere existence needs to turn Batman’s world on its head. Whether The Brave and the Bold begins immediately after his son’s arrival in Gotham or even a couple of years in, Bruce needs to feel wildly unprepared for the challenge that is raising a child like Damian.
If anything, one of the biggest challenges that comes with Damian is his dark upbringing, having been trained to kill and conditioned to believe that violence is more often than not the most effective solution. It means Batman has to teach Damian a level of restraint and moral obligation running counter to everything Damian was taught since birth. Not only that, but Bruce also has to figure out how to be a genuine father to Damian at the same time.
A True Father-Son Dynamic For Damian And Bruce
Going further, the relationship between Bruce and Damian as father and son should absolutely be the emotional heart of The Brave and the Bold (whenever it finally releases). As previously mentioned, the level of effort required to forge a genuine bond between Bruce and Damian, given the circumstances of Damian’s upbringing, is no small thing. It certainly hasn’t been in the comics.
This is also just a chance to explore a side of Batman we haven’t really seen before on-screen as a legitimate father. Hopefully, Batman and Robin’s relationship as father and son will gradually develop over time as they learn how to work and live together in the DCU.
Damian’s Robin Should Have Real Vulnerability Underneath
For all his arrogance, ego, and bravado, Damian Wayne is still a child with genuine vulnerability under the surface. It’s what makes him such a compelling character in the comics, and should absolutely be translated to the DCU as well. This is a boy who was denied a normal childhood and is suddenly expected to live with a father and family he barely knows (not to mention one with a whole crusade against crime).
While Damian’s darker nature and arrogance are necessary to his character, the DCU can’t forget that leaving the League and coming to Gotham is what allows him to start growing and evolving as the new Robin is exposed to more genuine love and support from his father and the rest of the Bat Family. Hopefully, we’ll see exactly that in The Brave and the Bold and more Batman projects in the DCU.
