Here’s how The Boys season 3 can parody the DCEU’s Robin. He may be Batman’s most renowned comic book sidekick, but Robin the Boy Wonder hasn’t enjoyed a great time on the big screen. Chris O’Donnell was a solid casting choice, but found himself in the midst of a campy reinvention under Joel Schumacher. Batman’s partner disappeared completely in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, deemed too cartoonish to join Christian Bale on the mean streets of Gotham. Then, in the DCEU, Robin was already dead by the time Ben Affleck’s Caped Crusader appeared – not Jason Todd’s second Robin either, but the one and only Dick Grayson.
Following in the spirit of the original comic series by Garth Ennis, Amazon’s The Boys gloriously parodies superhero culture. Rather than taking aim at the pages of DC and Marvel, however, the TV show makes jabs toward the MCU and DCEU. There’s the Vought Cinematic Universe, Eagle the Archer, and “everyone loves a team-up.” And for the DC connoisseur, Dawn of the Seven and its Whedon rewrite is a clear snipe towards Batman V Superman and Justice League. Unlike its source material, The Boys hasn’t yet taken aim at DC’s Robin, but that could change in season 3.
Since he’s already been mentioned several times on-screen, The Boys season 3’s Herogasm event could potentially introduce Tek-Knight, a parody of Batman with the worst sex addiction known to man. Riffing on Bruce Wayne’s endless procession of Robins, Tek-Knight’s current sidekick is Laddio, but he once fought crime alongside SwingWing. Tek-Knight’s sidekick setup is a clear mirror of Batman’s Jason Todd Robin and Dick Grayson Nightwing.
The Boys‘ playfully twisted sense of humor is perfect for a character like Robin, who has been routinely mistreated by cinema over the years. Similar to how Eagle the Archer played with Hawkeye’s reputation as the MCU’s lamest Avenger, SwingWing can mimic all of Dick Grayson’s movie mishaps from 1995 to the present day. Perhaps Vought foolishly attempt to market SwingWing as an overly-cheery, brightly-colored rebel, aping Joel Schumacher’s approach to the sidekick. Maybe he’s fired for not being “gritty” enough, and then tries to work his way back into favor by adopting a more brooding, intense, Nolan-esque aesthetic. Or, taking cues from the DCEU, Vought could abruptly kill SwingWing off-screen, displaying his empty suit in a mischievous nod to Dick Grayson’s fate in Batman V Superman.
As brilliant as The Boys can be when spoofing superhero culture, the gags always highlight a genuine issue. Whether it be the Joss Whedon Justice League mess, the saturation of MCU movies, or the increasingly corporate nature of the superhero genre, The Boys always hides a valid criticism behind the laughter. Because of this, the DCEU’s Robin failure is perfect fodder for Homelander and the gang. Not only is the Boy Wonder a comedic gold mine, but fans have been forced to watch Dick Grayson get short-changed on the big screen time and time again. Hopefully, SwingWing can do better. Then again, judging by his homophobia storyline and grim fate in the comic books, perhaps not.
