A Robin movie

[AmiMizuno]

I guess the thing is 12 years old gets taken in but doesn't become Robin until 15. However, maybe he should do it on his own free accorded. He made the Robin mantle himself. He discovers Bruce's secret but doesn't say anything. Then when Bruce goes missing he becomes Robin

[Alan2099]

The child concept of Batman and Robin is inherently stupid. Bruce is a grown man he does not need a child/teen to back him up because ultimately he is always regarded as a liability and another thing for Bruce to worry about consider instead of just focusing on his own life. If he does why is he even Batman? He does need an adult partner though
Which is why aging Robin up and removing the unpleasant power dynamics and making them true partners would always be an inherently better story.

You're looking at it from the wrong angle.

Bruce started on the road to becoming Batman when he was Robins age (give or take whichever timeline you want to use). He being the mentor for Robin that he wanted when he was that age except he knows what not to do. The reason there's a Robin is so that someday there can be a hero that's better than Batman is.

Further to the point Batman is not in the MCU and even in that universe they showed their hand for stuff like that
Even with the MCU they aged Bucky up and gave him powers because surprise making him a child soldier who fought in WW2 with cap was highly unrealistic

Not quite the same argument.
At first Bucky was the kid sidekick.
The comic later changed this to him being Captain America's assassin/black ops partner.
The movie split the difference.

[Ascended]

Y'all are overthinking it.

Of course the idea of Robin is stupid. Everything in comics is. Bruce Wayne has all the resources in the world, and what does he do? Go into politics and create socially conscious policies that help the poor and desperate? Use his business to provide free healthcare for Gotham? No! He beats up muggers and mentally ill people while wearing S&M leather.

Superman has powers beyond mortal keen, a mind beyond all of earth's super computers together, and some of the most advanced technology the universe has ever seen. What does he do with it; create sustainable free energy for mankind? Cure diseases? Solve world hunger? Of course not; he punches aliens and wife beaters. Oh, and he's an alien from another galaxy who just happens to look exactly like a white man.

None of this makes any sense. Grown men dressing in spandex and getting in fights is no less stupid than teen sidekicks. Hell, at least child soldiers are a real thing that actually happens.

If the movie is good, audiences will accept the most stupid and ridiculous premises. Robin included. If the movie isn't good? A teen sidekick is the least of your problems.

[LordMikel]

Y'all are overthinking it.

Of course the idea of Robin is stupid. Everything in comics is. Bruce Wayne has all the resources in the world, and what does he do? Go into politics and create socially conscious policies that help the poor and desperate? Use his business to provide free healthcare for Gotham? No! He beats up muggers and mentally ill people while wearing S&M leather.

Superman has powers beyond mortal keen, a mind beyond all of earth's super computers together, and some of the most advanced technology the universe has ever seen. What does he do with it; create sustainable free energy for mankind? Cure diseases? Solve world hunger? Of course not; he punches aliens and wife beaters. Oh, and he's an alien from another galaxy who just happens to look exactly like a white man.

None of this makes any sense. Grown men dressing in spandex and getting in fights is no less stupid than teen sidekicks. Hell, at least child soldiers are a real thing that actually happens.

If the movie is good, audiences will accept the most stupid and ridiculous premises. Robin included. If the movie isn't good? A teen sidekick is the least of your problems.

Well said.

[Tsukiakari1203]

With the Robins being adapted into anything, you're going to have problems. They would likely skip Steph altogether which I don't want to happen (I'd accept her subbing in for Tim in his movie). Dick should be introduced in a Batman movie and then you can have him be in a Titans movie where he becomes Nightwing. Then Nightwing is his own thing. Jason's trickier, you would have to adapt Death in the Family (I'd do it under the red hood style) where it's in flashbacks. Tim is the Robin most likely to get a solo movie. I can see Steph being the love interest (maybe a loose adaptation of Batman Eternal?). Damian I can see being solo or in a Batman movie.

It's my dream to have the entire Batfamily adapted (Flamebird, Bluebird, Azrael etc). Preferably in TV animation though.

[K. Jones]

An interesting thought experiment.

The general public knows who "Robin" is but certainly this is a scenario where it would be very well served to go full tilt on a Dick Grayson Year One story that is functionally similar to what Batman Begins did. Which is showing Dick before he's Robin for quite a bit. Like a movie where Dick is the lead and you don't see Batman for 45 minutes and then don't see Robin until over an hour in would be cool. You meet Dick and like him, you certainly hear about Batman all the time. Dick is a kid in a circus and who knows other kids, Batman has got to be the talk of the town.

So get to know Dick, see his offbeat but really cool life and recognize the talent. Get to like his parents. Then Dick locks eyes with this mysterious rich man at the circus when his parents get murdered and we're off to the races. I definitely say adapt Robin: Year One. It's a bummer that the Nolan films blew the wad of Ra's al Ghul and Talia, actually, because Demon's Quest would be infinitely better with Dick. But you could certainly still roll with Shrike and the squad of teenage murder machines and play a whole angle of mob bosses and Batman taking in Dick Grayson not just out of pity but also so that Dick didn't get drafted into some killer assassins immediately. Frankly at that point it might be a solid play to combine Shrike with a concept like Talon and have the Court of Owls be in play, since mixing up Zucco crime family street **** and Dick being skeptical at being taken in by this rich white illuminati guy would contrast nicely with the fact that maybe a secret society of rich white Gotham illuminati have been grooming talented teenagers who are victims of mafiosos to become assassins for years. I'd also say you should incorporate the whole "Robin's Reckoning" angle into it as well for the Initial Climax or Midpoint big scene - right when he becomes Robin, he immediately bucks Batman's standing orders and goes after Zucco.

The Batman Begins formula, however with no real flashbacks because while Bruce was young and had to train for years and the flashbacks serve as a sort of mystery and montage, Dick already starts with the goods. But definitely build to Batman showing up, then build to Dick becoming Robin halfway through. I think there's also an element of like Spider-Man movies to this, in that we're looking at a younger hero who is going to school every day and dealing with some fish-out-of-water stuff and has a hero costume in his backpack. They could absolutely go the fish-out-of-water route or the culture shock angle early into Act 2 when as Bruce Wayne's ward he starts going to private school. They can play a lot of comedy with Alfred. And they can give Dick at least a couple young people to interact with to show off his personality.

Now, Nolan's trilogy might have blown the wad on giving us a good Demon's Quest set-up, but this new Batman series coming out would be a lovely place to do it. Give us two or three Batinson flicks then three more featuring Robin. Go from a hybrid fusion Year One/Court of Owls mash-up, to a comics accurate Demon's Quest with lazarus pits, to a third flick with Deathstroke where Dick deals with conflicting mentors and chooses Nightwing.

I think it's probably more practical to just do a Tim Drake flick at this point. The Tim Drake origin sets itself up pretty nicely and you get the added benefit of having your cake and eating it too, because Nightwing is already around and is an easy sell because pop culture does at least already know Dick Grayson Robin from Batman '66, The Animated Series, the Schumaker films, Teen Titans Go and more recent animated stuff, and even "John Blake". So starting things off with Tim Drake and his supporting friends from school means you get NIGHTWING the mentor and that comedic relief, the looming shadow and story potential of Jason Todd, built right into his origin story.

And it's an easy plot as well - Tim's parents can still be around, although you could definitely kill one of them for the old Peter Parker motivation if you really needed to. And topping things off you can dive right in to the villain being Cluemaster and the Spoiler running around, giving him an instant Catwoman situation.

[The True Detective]

Y'all are overthinking it.

Of course the idea of Robin is stupid. Everything in comics is. Bruce Wayne has all the resources in the world, and what does he do? Go into politics and create socially conscious policies that help the poor and desperate? Use his business to provide free healthcare for Gotham? No! He beats up muggers and mentally ill people while wearing S&M leather.

Superman has powers beyond mortal keen, a mind beyond all of earth's super computers together, and some of the most advanced technology the universe has ever seen. What does he do with it; create sustainable free energy for mankind? Cure diseases? Solve world hunger? Of course not; he punches aliens and wife beaters. Oh, and he's an alien from another galaxy who just happens to look exactly like a white man.

None of this makes any sense. Grown men dressing in spandex and getting in fights is no less stupid than teen sidekicks. Hell, at least child soldiers are a real thing that actually happens.

If the movie is good, audiences will accept the most stupid and ridiculous premises. Robin included. If the movie isn't good? A teen sidekick is the least of your problems.

Everything you said can apply to all the complaints about BatGod, yeah it's unrealistic but comics themselves are unrealistic. Still doesn't stop people from bitching any time Bruce does anything remotely unrealistic.

I think a kid Robin is different than Spider-Man for the obvious reason Peter has powers and the Robin's don't. Also Batman's world is super dark and dangerous so putting a child in the line of fire of psychos like Joker will be seen as irresponsible on Bruce's part by the average movie goer. It may also make his villains look incompetent if they can't take out a child.

[godisawesome]

Everything you said can apply to all the complaints about BatGod, yeah it's unrealistic but comics themselves are unrealistic. Still doesn't stop people from bitching any time Bruce does anything remotely unrealistic.

I think a kid Robin is different than Spider-Man for the obvious reason Peter has powers and the Robin's don't. Also Batman's world is super dark and dangerous so putting a child in the line of fire of psychos like Joker will be seen as irresponsible on Bruce's part by the average movie goer. It may also make his villains look incompetent if they can't take out a child.

I think the catch to the incompetence argument is how often Batman and Robin have been in serious stories and had the villains maintain their menace even when a teenager is fighting them. It really is comparable to the existence of a BatGod that yet still has Joker remain his top opponent no matter how over-prepared he is, in the same way more mundane Batman portrayals with more mundane Joker portrayals remain engaging and tense stories.

Similarly, if you portray Robin as a competent threat to his enemies and simply coach Batman as more responsible and more reluctant counterpart to Tony, I think the Spider-Man and Iron Man comparison evens out.

Likewise, the reason why Dark Victory, A Lonely Place of Dying, and something like Titans has managed to largely sidestep any question about Batman having responsibility for this teenager taking the field - cursory but well written reluctance, attempts to stop him, and persistence and agency in the writing of Robin in making the decision have stormed past those concerns in the eyes of most comic readers, cartoon watchers, and even live action and movie fans.

And on top of all that... there’s the grandfather clause. Robin has literally existed longer than well over the majority of Earth’s living human beings. He’s simply going to be something most people accept as part of the Batman franchise, provided he’s executed well.

[Steel Inquisitor]

I think the catch to the incompetence argument is how often Batman and Robin have been in serious stories and had the villains maintain their menace even when a teenager is fighting them. It really is comparable to the existence of a BatGod that yet still has Joker remain his top opponent no matter how over-prepared he is, in the same way more mundane Batman portrayals with more mundane Joker portrayals remain engaging and tense stories.

Similarly, if you portray Robin as a competent threat to his enemies and simply coach Batman as more responsible and more reluctant counterpart to Tony, I think the Spider-Man and Iron Man comparison evens out.

Likewise, the reason why Dark Victory, A Lonely Place of Dying, and something like Titans has managed to largely sidestep any question about Batman having responsibility for this teenager taking the field - cursory but well written reluctance, attempts to stop him, and persistence and agency in the writing of Robin in making the decision have stormed past those concerns in the eyes of most comic readers, cartoon watchers, and even live action and movie fans.

And on top of all that... there’s the grandfather clause. Robin has literally existed longer than well over the majority of Earth’s living human beings. He’s simply going to be something most people accept as part of the Batman franchise, provided he’s executed well.

All Robin needs are movie adaptions which take the concept seriously, what Nolan missed about the Bat franchise is the Bat Family shouldn't be something to hide from. They can also start with Grayson being Nightwing in the present and a new Robin taking over, which could be anyone from Tim Drake, Damian or to throw a curve ball use Stephanie Brown or Carrie Kelly.

[Bat-Meal]

IMHO would prefer a Nightwing, Red Hood, or Batgirl film as they are more independent whereas Robin is more of a sidekick.

[dietrich]

IMHO would prefer a Nightwing, Red Hood, or Batgirl film as they are more independent whereas Robin is more of a sidekick.

Yep. Red Hood is very popular amongst teens [those I encounter at work anyway] Robin not so much aside from the one with the swords from the games so a Red hood movie will likely be well received.

Nightwing is another great bet.

[Alan2099]

The 90s Animated series and the more recent Arkham games are often held up as great adaptions of Batman and Robin exists in both of them. Does Batman come off looking incompetent there?

[dietrich]

I guess the thing is 12 years old gets taken in but doesn't become Robin until 15. However, maybe he should do it on his own free accorded. He made the Robin mantle himself. He discovers Bruce's secret but doesn't say anything. Then when Bruce goes missing he becomes Robin

That works much better since Batman isn't co signing on the idea.

[dietrich]

The 90s Animated series and the more recent Arkham games are often held up as great adaptions of Batman and Robin exists in both of them. Does Batman come off looking incompetent there?

He comes off irresponsible especially in Arkham games since he has already lost one and he is still at it.

[Arsenal]

I like the idea of taking a Batman Begins type approach with Robin but I feel like it would work better with Jason than it would Dick.