The DCU’s New Batman Can Break A 35-Year Movie Trend

Batman: The Brave and the Bold looks like it could break a Batman movie trend that has been prominent for 35 years. The Brave and the Bold will be the first Batman movie in James Gunn’s DC Universe reboot. Though little details have been revealed about The Brave and the Bold, or indeed the DCU’s future, the movie is primed to counter a Batman movie trope that has appeared in every movie since 1989’s Batman.

Batman boasts an impressive cinematic legacy in the DCU, with numerous celebrated performances and movies. While many of these have varied in tone, exploring different iterations of a darker, more mature Batman, they have still all relied on the same narrative feature. While plot details are scant, The Brave and the Bold is poised to change the cinematic Batman precedent, or even evolve it into new territory.

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Batman’s 35 Year Movie Love Interest Trend Explained

Throughout the history of live-action Batman movies, Bruce Wayne/Batman has consistently been depicted with romantic interests, adding layers to his complex persona beyond the cape and cowl. These romantic entanglements humanized Wayne and deepened his emotional struggles and motivations as Gotham’s protector. Many of the 1990s Batman movies featured a love interest that challenged Bruce Wayne’s sense of identity and duality. Vicki Vale, Chase Meridian, and Catwoman each explored relationships with both Bruce Wayne and Batman. Julie Maddison in Batman & Robin, on the other hand, had a very brief role and was seemingly oblivious to Bruce’s alter-ego.

Rachel Dawes in The Dark Knight trilogy, on the other hand, served mostly as Bruce Wayne’s long-term romantic interest. Rachel’s knowledge of his Batman identity served to demonstrate Bruce’s love and devotion. Meanwhile, his brief dalliance with Talia al Ghul in The Dark Knight Rises served to demonstrate that Bruce Wayne’s personal interests are a threat to Batman’s ability to function effectively.

Batman’s subsequent romance with Selina functions to cement Bruce’s commitment to Batman’s interests instead. Later cinematic romantic interests have also been established through Batman’s hero identity, with Ben Affleck’s Batman teasing a romance with Wonder Woman, and The Batman establishing a Selina Kyle romance completely separate from Batman’s Bruce Wayne identity – suggesting that Batman is Bruce Wayne’s more dominant persona.

Why The Brave And The Bold Can Break Batman’s Romantic Trend

James Gunn has specifically stated that The Brave and the Bold will feature a “strange father and son story“ about Batman and his preadolescent son, Damian Wayne. The movie will adapt Damian Wayne’s introduction in the comics, depicting him being trained by Batman to assume the role of Robin. The movie is therefore far less likely to repeat the romantic interest trope prevalent in Batman’s cinematic legacy. The Brave and the Bold will focus on a new dynamic, exploring Batman’s role as a mentor and paternal figure.

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This would finally give the hero his position as the head of the Bat-Family, comparable to his role in DC Comics. This has been largely unexplored in most Batman movies, with the few extant examples (Batman Forever and Batman & Robin) failing to depict the hero as an effective mentor. Introducing the young Damian Wayne will immediately turn Bruce Wayne into a father, and therefore allow for a personal narrative that doesn’t rely on romantic interest.

Will Talia Al’Ghul Appear In Batman The Brave And The Bold

There has been no confirmation about The Brave and the Bold‘s plot or characters outside of Gunn’s statement regarding the Bruce and Damian Wayne dynamic. However, the comic book plotline features an infamous Batman villain and love interest, Talia al Ghul. The daughter of another Batman villain, Ra’s al Ghul, Talia appeared in The Dark Knight Rises and has a complex relationship with Batman.

The pair engage in an on-and-off sexual relationship complicated by her father’s villainous motives, making her one of Batman’s most layered romances, intimately connected with Bruce Wayne and Batman. Most notably, Talia is Damian Wayne’s mother. In DC Comics, Damian Wayne was raised by his mother Talia for many years, while Bruce Wayne was unaware of his existence. Talia placed Damian in his father’s care in an attempt to disrupt Batman’s plans.

The Brave and the Bold could therefore include Talia al Ghul in some form, either while introducing Damian to his father, or in flashbacks to Damian’s younger years. Talia remained a central aspect of Damian Wayne’s Batman narrative in the comics, suggesting that Talia will be a vital component of Batman’s future under James Gunn’s reboot. As a result, The Brave and the Bold is primed to evolve the Batman romance trope to a compelling climax, exploring the unexpected results of Batman’s romantic past.