The Dark Knight Rises Anticipation Station

[Captaindemotion]

You could have a Robin who doesn't go out on the streets, who works behind the scenes as a computer hacker or the likes for Batman. Something a bit more like Oracle. But - do we really need him?

[captcalhoun]

Robin could be done as a 16 year old, who's a copycat who actually proves to be half-decent and Bruce takes him in to train him and stop him endangering himself so much.

same way you could introduce Batgirl, Batwoman or even Huntress or Nightwing.

[Christopher]

Admiral_Young wrote:

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I wish fans would quit giving me arguments why Robin wouldn't work, I'm well aware of why he's not being used and in fact stated why several times. Give me a reason instead why he WOULD work. I'm tired of hearing fans spout the same old tiresome stuff about Robin.

Easy there. I was just saying what I believe Nolan's reasons are for not using Robin. I wasn't presenting them as my own personal opinion.

[Aragorn]

Admiral_Young wrote:

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I wish fans would quit giving me arguments why Robin wouldn't work, I'm well aware of why he's not being used and in fact stated why several times. Give me a reason instead why he WOULD work. I'm tired of hearing fans spout the same old tiresome stuff about Robin.

You stated your opinion of why you think they won't use Robin, which doesn't jive with all the complaints about Robin prior to Batman Forever. You make it sound like Robin was universally loved before Chris O'Donnell changed all that, that's all.

[Alidar Jarok]

Captain Craig wrote:

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I
Granted I don't see a way to work in a mad actor on a killing spree into a TDK followup but it would be a way to showcase a villain that has yet to appear on the big screen. He and Killer Croc are about the last big ones to not appear and Bane still needs to be done right but I digress.

Black Mask is a great second tier villain so I could buy into that rumor, at least it makes sense structure wise.

I feel Bane from Batman and Robin shouldn't even count as an appearance, so he could also be open for a return.

BTW, I almost feel Dick Grayson could work, but Robin could not, if that makes any sense.

EDIT: Never heard of Black Mask before, but he seems a great fit, to be honest. Maybe a story of him trying to destroy the reputation of Bruce Wayne. In the movie, as Batman redeems himself, Bruce Wayne's esteem falls. Plus, his gang of followers has a Quasi-organized crime feel to it.

[JacksonArcher]

I think Dick Grayson, and by extension Robin, could absolutely work in Nolan's naturalistic Batman universe. I was never really a Robin fan until I read Dark Victory and I felt like I understood what Robin meant not only to Batman but the entire mythology. I can understand why Nolan wouldn't want to include Robin, but I still feel like he's an important part of the mythology and I think there could be a way to make him work and not remind people of the Schumacher films.

For one, I always thought Dick Grayson needs to be a young adolescent if they ever adapted him in a new movie (and not as a young adult as they did for Batman Forever), around the age of Bruce Wayne when his parents were murdered but obviously a little older and more of a teenager. Robin always represented for me a validation of Batman's mission: he swore never to allow what happened to him happen to anyone ever again, and when Dick's parents are murdered, he takes it upon himself to take Dick under his wing to preserve that promise. Also, in the context of Dark Victory, it especially works because after Harvey Dent's downfall Bruce Wayne is feeling guilty that he didn't trust Dent and that moment where he confesses he was going to reveal to Dent his secret identity was a powerful moment in my opinion- it showed that Bruce, if anything, deep down wants people he can trust in his company. I know people like Batman as the whole loner, but Batman would not be Batman without the help and assistance of those all around him- including Alfred, Leslie Thompkins, Lucius Fox, and yes, Robin and the whole Batman family.

I think introducing Robin in The Dark Knight Rises would be an almost perfect opportunity especially after Nolan made The Dark Knight with The Long Halloween in mind and a third film could echo Dark Victory just wonderfully. However, I don't see that happening at all and I think Nolan will be going in a completely different direction, which is a little bit of a shame but okay. Then again, I was never really completely satisfied with Nolan's interpretation of Harvey Dent/Two-Face anyway- I didn't like that he was romantic rivals with Bruce Wayne (in the comics they are loose friends) and I didn't like how Nolan practically made Two-Face just a basic vigilante and sort of just forgot about the schizophrenic nature that drives Two-Face's personality. I still feel like The Animated Series version of Two-Face is so far besides the comics the definitive version of Two-Face.

[Admiral_Young]

^ These are along the lines of how I would introduce therm and Christopher I apologize for getting hot headed, I wasn't meaning to direct it at you, I was attempting to direct it at the fandom. @Aragorn...I don't think Robin was universally loved prior to Forever but I do remember a lot of the backlash from Bat fans and Robin fans at the way he was presented and I think it was a mistake creatively to introduce the character as a near adult, why would Bruce see the need to adopt someone who was nearly an adult? I know it was explained in the film that Bruce didn't want him to rush off half cocked but still I didn't buy it.

Dark Victory is a great title and a fine example of how to handle the character. I even wrote out a one page proposal for an alternate Nolan trilogy a couple years ago here with how to include Robin. I believe that I introduced him at the end of "Dark Knight".

[Samurai8472]

To avoid the superhero kid aspect. Bruce takes Dick under his wing at 10.

It takes 8 years roughly about the same time as Bruce trained for Dick to be prepared.

18 year old Dick then takes Bruce's first kevlar suit and modifies it.

For part 3 we'll just see 10 year old dick at the new mansion. The rest could be expanded in comics.

[Captaindemotion]

^ 10 year-old dick? Is it Wayne Manor or Neverland?

[Christopher]

There can be a lot of discomfort over depictions of child endangerment in film, TV, and video games. Batman: The Animated Series had to depict Robin as an 18-year-old in college because FOX wouldn't let him be any younger -- although in the later Batman shows on Kids' WB and Cartoon Network, they were able to get away with younger Robins because the censorship wasn't as strict there. Still, maybe the movie studio was more uneasy with the prospect. With a cartoon, it's easier to accept that it's fantasy, but in a live-action movie, there could be fears that it could inspire imitation and draw lawsuits to the studio.

[Admiral_Young]

Even the Animated series handled an older Robin better than the two movies with him. I had no problem with Chris O'Donnell, I just didn't buy that he was Dick Grayson. Kind of like how I don't buy Channing Tatum as Duke in "G.I. Joe".

All though she was hot...I didn't buy Alicia Silverstone as Batgirl.

[Alidar Jarok]

Well, I didn't buy George Clooney as Batman

[JacksonArcher]

I bought Clooney as Bruce Wayne, though, and I think had he been given better material to work with, would have been a fantastic Bruce Wayne/Batman.

[Admiral_Young]

^ Agreed. If they made a serious movie and continued in the Burton mold I think George would have been fantastic, he was great as Bruce Wayne. I was a huge E.R. fan at the time and remember being very excited at the announcement of him being the new Batman. As for Alicia Silverstone...she was fine, but don't understand the need to change her backstory just to give Alfred a plot line.