Ben Affleck’s Batman should set up a Nightwing movie after his appearance in The Flash. Despite reports that Affleck had hung up his cape and cowl for good after Justice League, the actor is set to reprise his role as the Dark Knight in The Flash, in which Ezra Miller will return as Barry Allen. The movie, which is expected to release in 2022, is reportedly adapting one of the Scarlet Speedster’s most important comic stories, Flashpoint.
Created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, Nightwing made his debut in Tales of the Teen Titans #44, although Dick Grayson’s origins date back almost as far as Batman’s. The first of Batman’s sidekicks, Grayson was a young acrobat, taken in by Bruce Wayne after his own parents were murdered. Suggested by Superman himself, Nightwing is the name Robin took after leaving the Caped Crusader in order to strike out alone. Aside from his many adventures with the Teen Titans — in a rather fantastic disco outfit —Nightwing would go on to headline his own comic as well, albeit with a better suit.
A Nightwing film has been in the works for quite some time and seemed to have gained some traction after landing The LEGO Batman Movie director, Chris McKay, to helm the project. However, that was several years ago and there haven’t really been any updates on the movie since 2018. Dick Grayson has been most recently portrayed by Brenton Thwaites on DC Universe’s Titans and the character finally debuted his Nightwing suit in the season 2 finale. He has yet to make his big-screen live-action debut — though Grayson’s Robin did appear in Batman Forever and the much-maligned Batman & Robin, played by Chris O’Donnell.
There are many questions about how Dick Grayson could potentially enter the DCEU and most of the answers logically point to Bruce Wayne setting up his intro. There were rumblings of Grayson being involved in The Batman, but these rumors have since been debunked. It seems far too early in Bruce Wayne’s journey for Robin’s inclusion to be believable. Hopefully, if he is introduced in that film, his involvement will be minimal. That version of the character would be a long way off from taking up the mantle of Nightwing anyway. Further complicating matters, there will be at least three different actors playing Batman between 2021-2022, with Keaton set to reprise the role in The Flash as well, and Robert Pattinson suiting up in The Batman.
Ben Affleck’s DCEU Future Could Extend Beyond Flashpoint
![Affleck’s Batman Should Set Up A Nightwing Movie After Flashpoint](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Ben-Affleck---s-Batman-Returning-In-The-Flash-Movie.jpg)
There are many theories as to what role Affleck’s Batman will play in The Flash, one being that the Dark Knight won’t survive the experience. That is a distinct possibility, considering Affleck’s reluctance to continue to play the character. However, his role in the Snyder Cut of Justice League will be quite different from the quippy one he had in Whedon’s version of the film. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was a divisive movie, but his Batman was widely considered a bright spot — before Justice League’s confusing rendering of the character. Snyder had mapped out a major arc for the Caped Crusader, one that was largely abandoned when he stepped down as director. While the Snyder Cut likely won’t impact the DCEU as a whole, it could redeem Affleck’s Batman and pave the way for a more prominent role in The Flash.
It seems unlikely Affleck will be suiting up for more Batman solo outings after The Flash, but that hardly means he can’t appear in other DCEU films. Even if he doesn’t survive the events of Flashpoint, the film will essentially be throwing the old rulebook out the window. In fact, with The Flash set to unite the entire DC Multiverse, the possibilities are endless. Depending on the success of Snyder’s Justice League, as well as Affleck’s appearance in The Flash, there is plenty of room for his Dark Knight to co-exist with Pattinson’s, especially since The Batman will be a completely separate entity.
Robin’s Forgotten Story Could Build To Dick Grayson’s DCEU Debut
![Batman V Superman Robin Suit Batcave](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/Batman-V-Superman-Robin-Suit-Batcave.jpg)
Robin’s desecrated suit was little more than a footnote in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but its impact on the Dark Knight was clear. Many comic fans suspected the dead sidekick was Jason Todd, the second to don the mantle of Robin, who died tragically at the hands of Joker in the comics. Although Warner Bros. initially backed up this theory, Snyder later revealed it was Dick Grayson who was dead in the DCEU. However, it was hardly explicitly stated in the film and was not expanded upon in Justice League, so a retcon certainly isn’t out of the question, even if Snyder chooses to clarify which Robin wore the suit in his Justice League. It would be simple enough for the dead Robin to be Jason Todd after all. This could allow Grayson to already exist in the DCEU, estranged from Batman, perhaps with the Teen Titans or on his own as Nightwing.
Strictly speaking, a retcon wouldn’t even be necessary, with the multiverse opening up the possibility for a completely different version of Dick Grayson anyway. Batman will probably be on a path to redemption in Snyder’s Justice League, one that will assumedly be continued in The Flash. Director Andrés Muschietti has explained Bruce will have a close bond with Barry Allen in the film. What better way for Bruce to truly atone than to be reunited with his former protégé? One of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice‘s greatest sins was how unlikeable the film made its two protagonists. Justice League ultimately only served to stifle any potential character development that could’ve resulted from the previous film in a somewhat understandable (but unsuccessful) effort to lighten the Dark Knight. Placing Bruce in a mentor role would make great strides towards redeeming Batman without undermining who he is as a character.
Ben Affleck’s Batman Could Set Up A Nightwing Movie
![Dick Grayson in his Nightwing costume](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Dick-Grayson-as-Nightwing.jpg)
If the broken Bat fans met in Batman v Superman is the result of losing Robin in such a traumatic way, it stands to reason that returning to his role as a mentor would be a vital aspect of Bruce’s journey back to himself. This will likely begin with Barry in The Flash, but that experience could open Bruce up to new possibilities. Whether the DCEU chooses to introduce a different version of Dick or just never acknowledge he was the dead Robin in the first place, a Nightwing movie without Batman’s inclusion wouldn’t make much sense.
There are plenty of ways for Ben Affleck’s Batman to set up a Nightwing film after The Flash. The possibility of another solo outing for this iteration of the Dark Knight does seem remote, but perhaps a Batman and Robin movie could act as a precursor to Dick getting his own film. Batman has had several excellent cinematic adaptations, but Robin most definitely has not. Affleck’s grizzled Caped Crusader is the perfect version of the character to tell that story, whether it takes place in the current time period with a new Dick Grayson or in the past with one that already exists in the DCEU. Another option would be to show Robin’s relationship with Batman via flashbacks in a solo Nightwing film. This could further expand Affleck’s role and lay the necessary foundation for Dick’s evolution from sidekick to defender of Blüdhaven.
The Dark Knight is obviously rather essential to setting up the character of Dick Grayson, but decades of excellent stories of Nightwing, with the Teen Titans, the Outsiders, and on his own, prove the former Robin doesn’t need Batman in order to be compelling. Plus, who wouldn’t love to see a Nightwing franchise that included him heading up one of those teams? Nightwing is not only one of DC’s most important heroes, but one of its most beloved as well. A Nightwing movie could also get the ball rolling on introducing other members of the Bat-family. Dick may be a fan favorite Robin, but comic readers would love to see live-action adaptations of others such as Jason Todd, Tim Drake, or Carrie Kelley as well.
Is Nightwing’s Movie Still Happening?
![Nightwing movie](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Chris-McKay-Nightwing-movie-director-DCEU.jpg)
There have been precious few updates on Nightwing’s film over the past couple of years. Chris McKay has previously stated that he wouldn’t leave the Nightwing movie unless DC fired him, but the fact that he was in talks to direct Dungeons & Dragons made Nightwing’s solo outing seem increasingly unlikely, at least with McKay at the helm. Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley are now signed on to direct D&D, but McKay is currently attached to the upcoming Jonny Quest movie from Warner Bros. So, either way, Nightwing doesn’t appear to be a priority any longer.
If The Batman does well, it seems likely Dick Grayson will be featured in later installments of that franchise. This could provide some groundwork for the eventuality of a Nightwing film, but certainly not any time soon. WB was once hesitant to have multiple versions of characters existing at the same time, though over the years, that seems to have become less of an issue for them, with the success of separate TV and film universes. Plus, DC’s decision to embrace the Multiverse could allow for more than one Batman to exist in the DCEU at the same time. Even with that in mind, there isn’t really room for both Affleck’s Batman and Pattinson’s to take the same Robin under their wing. With so many to choose from though, there are certainly enough Robins to go in multiple directions in different universes.
Reports that Matt Reeves has interest in introducing Dick Grayson in his own Batman films would seem to indicate the Nightwing movie has been shelved for the time being. With Pattinson’s Batman so early in his career, there is really no rush to find him a sidekick. Aside from that, Affleck’s Dark Knight was the one who made the most sense in terms of setting up a Nightwing film and while his future in the DCEU may extend beyond The Flash, it also might not. Fans have been waiting a long time to see Dick Grayson get a proper adaptation, but with the Caped Crusader’s future still so uncertain, it looks like they will have to wait a bit longer to see Nightwing on the big screen.
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