[Warning: Potential Batman V Superman SPOILERS ahead.]
–
As DC prepares to expand their comic book universe, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice will be the gateway drug to their cinematic superheroes. The development of their brand is rumored to take place through both a post-credit montage sequence, like in director Zach Snyder’s Watchmen, and through cameos. And one of the most hotly anticipated bit roles in the upcoming Dawn of Justice, since a tattered Robin suit showed up in the Comic-Con trailer, has been the role and fate of Robin.
References to the Boy Wonder have been sewn throughout DC’s mythology, including a teaser during Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy, and fan interest has definitely been piqued.
A recently released trailer gave fans a glimpse of a battered and besmirched Robin suit. If Snyder, an avowed fan of Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns, follows the comic, the suit is evidence of the Joker viciously murdering Robin. And, according to Latino Review, the deceased Robin will very likely be Jason Todd. Their source even claims that Dick Grayson “will get a shoutout in the movie.”
Whether the “shoutout” refers to a living Grayson or a dead one isn’t entirely clear though. As the second Robin in the series, Todd’s death would serve as a rallying point to assemble the Justice League. Leaving Dick Grayson alive also leaves room for an eventual appearance by Nightwing – although not likely in Batman V Superman. Still, this flies in the face of that earlier “leaked” gravestone in the Wayne Manor mausoleum bearing Richard Grayson’s name.
At this point, nothing is certain. It’s entirely possible that the Joker won’t even kill Robin, as in the A Death in the Family story arc, especially if the DC Universe plans on pulling out as many of their superhero characters as the Marvel Cinematic Universe did. Yet Jason Todd’s death wouldn’t necessarily hinder their expansion as much as Grayson’s could, unless the second Red Hood is part of their plan. A living Grayson allows for a potential Nightwing spin off and would makes it easier to explain the 52 Nightwing series – assuming DC’s animated and film universes have any sort of cohesion.
However, it does seem strange to introduce Robin in either incarnation, only to kill him off. Yes, stranger things have happened, but, aside from uniting the Justice League, Grayson’s demise could also be faked. His murder would serve as a perfect lead-in for an undercover role in the Suicide Squad for either Grayson or a disillusioned Jason Todd, as hinted at by the comics and the rumor mill.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice opens on March 25, 2016, followed by Suicide Squad on August 5, 2016; Wonder Woman on June 23, 2017; Justice League Part One on November 17, 2017; The Flash on March 23, 2018; Aquaman on July 27, 2018; Shazam on April 5, 2019; Justice League Part Two on June 14, 2019; Cyborg on April 3, 2020; and Green Lantern on June 19, 2020. The Superman and Batman solo films have release dates TBD.
