Warner bros announce superhero films through 2020

Yeah, but Nightwing is one of the most underused characters of the DC Universe. He has zero live-action appearances so far!

 

I'm ok with a Nightwing movie because, as was pointed out, we've never even seen him in live action. I mean, I could think of a huge number of DC characters I'd rather see get a film before Nightwing, but I'm fine with him getting one.

 

Yeah, I'm happy any time we get a new character onscreen. So if we do get this, then I wonder how many Robins the DCEU Batman will have had.
If they go by the number and order from the comics, would it be Dick Grayson first, and then at least Jason Todd, who it was confirmed owned the suit in BvS? Or was Tim Drake between them? I can never remember exactly what order the main universe Robins happened.

 

Dick
Jason
Tim
Stephanie
Damian

 

Carrie

 

I suspect in the DCEU Dick Grayson has left Batman for many years and has become Nightwing, Jason Todd was killed (or wasn't he?) and Tim Drake (or Damian Wayne) could be introduced if they need a new Robin.

 

How did he pick the name Nightwing though if he didn't interact with Superman at any point in the DCEU?

 

He probably just brainstormed it after a discussion with Batman:

Dick Grayson: I need a name! Batboy, Nightwing, I dunno. What's a good sidekick name?

Bruce Wayne: How about Dick Grayson, college student?

Dick Grayson: Screw you!

 

Don't be so harsh, that's a bit of an open wound now for Bruce, considering what happened recently in Detective Comics with Tim...

 

I knew someone would mentio her! She's a a future Robin.

 

Thanks. So if they stick to the comics then Dick and Jason could potentially have been the only Robins so far. I wonder if they decide to bring in a new Robin if they might skip right to Damien next? They seem to be trying to push him pretty hard, and with this already being an older Batman there's been plenty of time for him to have a teenage son.
I guess they could throw Tim in there too just to be thorough, but with the way Bruce seemed to be acting towards the Jason's Robin costume, I think it would make more sense if he hadn't had a Robin since then.

 

Given how much they're pushing Damien in the comics, I can kinda see them skipping over Tim for Damien. Tim seems kind of out of place anyway.

 

I liked Tim. He was like Dick, in that he was an optimistic counterpoint to Batman and helped keep him grounded, but updated for modern times in that he was a computer expert. And he was like Barbara in that he sought out the role because he wanted to do good, rather than because of a personal trauma (though I gather that came later). It seemed to me that he made a good balance for a Batman who was growing darker. (DCAU Tim didn't work as well, because he was essentially Jason Todd going by the name Tim Drake.)

I think Damien is a somewhat ridiculous character. A small child who's a cold, lethal assassin? Gimme a break. The animated movies I've seen him in have done a decent job with him, but I still think the concept behind the character strains credibility, and it doesn't seem right for Robin to be a darker, more forbidding character than Batman.

 

He was introduced as Dick Grayson's Robin, and I've gotten the impression that Dick was a much lighter Batman than Bruce. So if that was the case, then maybe they introduced him to as counter to the Dick's lighter character.

 

Oh, yes, that's right. Still, a master assassin who hasn't even hit puberty is still a pretty silly idea.

 

I think Tim would make a lot more sense for both The Batman and the DCEU in general.

If they go with Damian, they have to introduce Talia, League of Assassins, Ra's... and then the movie has to involve the League again in some way, making it the third of the last four standalone Batman movies to do so. They could theoretically have a story that has nothing to do with them except the flashbacks to explain his origin, but if you set up something and not use it later in the movie that's just poor storytelling.

Tim's origin story on the other hand is just a great fit in so many ways, his original motivation for joining Batman in the comics was because he saw him get increasingly more violent after Jason's death, so he decided to join up with him to "course correct" him. His story also ties into Dick's origin as well, so really through introducing him we get to see Batman's history and both other Robins as well which I think could work brilliantly for the movie, and then you can have any kind of story with any kind of villain after that. Plus, you get to introduce Dick as well, which helps with tying into the Nightwing movie and none of it is forced.

Well it worked for Hit-Girl
But if they do go with Damian, I could see them age him up for the movies, they've got leeway since Batfleck's been active for 20 years.

 

Doesn't that make him a rather different character, then? Damian as a boy assassin may be a silly idea, but it's the defining idea of the character, that he's Batman's literal son and that, while he's capable of adult-level reasoning and combat, he's still emotionally immature and learning. Part of the premise, I think, is that even though he's been shaped in a warped way by his early upbringing, Batman/Bruce now has the chance to redirect him onto a better path before his violent ways become too ossified. That's harder to do with a teen/adult character.

 

Maybe, but no challenge is too great for Batman (besides, from what I recall 16 year old boys aren't particularly more emotionally mature than 12 year old ones )

Other than not being slavishly faithful to the comics, I don't think it would matter that much, and a slight age bump would make it easier to cast and, more importantly, easier to sell to general audiences who'd probably see the trailers and wonder why is there a baby fighting next to Batman...

 

How about an early teen assassin like Bucky? (Okay they upped his age when they went with the trained killer route)

 

I'd say they're both attempts to take comics characters from the '40s intended as identification and wish-fulfillment figures for the young boys who were the target audience at the time and retcon them for the darker, older-skewing sensibilities of modern comics. Today's audiences are less able to accept the conceit of a preteen boy mascot risking his life fighting crime or battling Nazis, so any such character must be an incredibly precocious combatant in order to justify their presence.