It's become quite fashionable to have a go at poor Dick Grayson. 69 years of loyal service to that darkest of knights and Christian Bale turns around and says "If Robin crops up in one of the new Batman films, I'll be chaining myself up somewhere and refusing to go to work"

Since this many have come out to say that placing Robin in the Nolan Batman films would be 'unrealistic' and detract from the tone of the films. Many others would say, as I'm sure many will in the comments to this, that it doesn't make sense for Batman to take on a child and train him to fight crime, that the costume doesn't work, that Robin doesn't make that much of a difference to the Batman Universe. Here, ladies, gentlemen, hermaphrodites of all ages, I call bullshit!

There's a reason Robin exists. There's a reason Bruce Wayne needs Dick Grayson, and it's not the simple Robin is the light to Batman's darkness. Let's look at the first issue; why does the Nolan franchise need Grayson?


In the events of the last film Rachel, Bruce's "hope for a normal life", is dead. Harvey Dent, Gotham and Bruce's one chance at escaping from the Batman and the criminals, is destroyed. Commissioner Gordon is hunting him down. Bruce is alone, alienated from the world. He has no purpose, no future. What's the point of Bruce even existing as a person? Why does he not simply become the Batman forever, forgoing a 'normal' life? Dark Victory, by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, addresses much the same issue. Bruce is in the comic less and less as Batman takes over.

After The Dark Knight Bruce has no future except for the Batman. Sure Bruce Wayne often attends parties etc but, according to the comics, only to gather information. There's no-one left to protect should his secret be discovered. This then, is why Nolan needs Grayson; Dick Grayson is taken in by Bruce, this we all know, and given a house. But it's the growing attachment Bruce feels for Dick that gives him a home and gives Bruce hope. Gives him something to fight for. Gives Bruce Wayne a reason to exist. Bruce needs to exist to be a father to the orphan child. This could not only be the emotional core of the story for the next Batman film but also pave the way for the dawn which Harvey Dent said was coming in The Dark Knight. Bruce Wayne needs Dick Grayson as he forces Bruce to hold onto his humanity. Bruce losses everything, like Harvery Dent, but survives because of Dick Grayson. But this doesn't explain the idea of Grayson joining Bruce Wayne in his war on crime.


I'll use Dark Victory again as a reference (this may seem like over reliance on one text but The Dark Knight takes a lot of its cues from The Long Halloween so it isn't out of the question to base the third film on this comic). Here Grayson, tired of being stuck in Wayne Manor and never seeing Bruce (he's ebbing away and being replaced by the Batman), decides to take matters into his own hands. Grayson breaks out and goes in search of the man responsible for killing his parents. Batman stops him and eventually realises that Dick is exactly like him, desperate to see justice brought to the man who killed his parents in front of him.

Bruce, rather than let the child go out and get killed fighting to see justice done, reveals himself as the Batman and trains him. In much the same way as Dark Victory, and based on the personality of Grayson in the comics, the completely trained Grayson dons the Robin outfit and would follow Batman out and join the war on his own, helping Batman. Again, rather than let Robin go out on his own and get himself killed, Batman decides to keep him nearby so he can direct him to the least dangerous positions. Of course it would be up to the film makers how long it takes Dick to become fully trained, after all we aren't given a timeline in Batman Begins how long Bruce is with the League of Shadows. Thus Robin could emerge as a child, a teenager, or only fight once as Robin, to capture his parents killers, and then become Nightwing (the only issue with this is that such a length of time would have to be spread out properly so more than one film might be required).

Lastly, there is the issue of Robin's costume.

Something like the original costume would probably be a bit outlandish and too much of a stretch. Perhaps the more complete body armour suit of Drake's Robin would suit the films better.

While some of you would no doubt think that the colour scheme of either of the costumes would look terrible I simply add this poster for the FanFilm Grayson...

The Original Robin Colour Scheme


and say that, it doesn't matter what it is but rather the way you shoot it.

Nicely Highlighted Tits

Looks Like A Brick Wall Of Armour


I honestly hope they include Robin, or at least Dick Grayson, in the Nolan Batman franchise. It's not impossible to place the character in the hyper-realism which Nolan strives for. Robin is important to the Batman mythos and deserves a place in the film series.


Talk to you later!