When Collider asked Robert Pattinson what he thought of introducing Robin to the new Batman cinematic universe, he agreed it could work, on one condition.
“Yeah, but he has to be 13,” Pattinson joked. “That’s the only way I’ll accept it. No, I love ‘Death in the Family’ and stuff, but I think it’d be so cool. Also, people are so scared of it, but it’s kind of exciting. I think it would be a really fun addition.”
Director Matt Reeves was hesitant to agree at first, but he too came around. “Yeah, there’s no way,” he agreed, referring to bringing Robin in. “We won’t do that. No, I’m kidding. Yeah, totally, I agree with that. The thing about doing a Batman movie is it’s scary to do a Batman movie. Because, first of all, there’ve been great ones, and also every single one of you has a vision of Batman in your head. And so we’re competing with the vision that… I mean, one of the things I was doing when I was writing, I was walking down the street one day, and I suddenly noticed, I was like, ‘Oh my God, Batman sweatshirt. Oh my God, Batman cap.’ You literally, if you just notice it, I mean I was talking to some round tables today, people have their Batman shirts on.”
Reeves also likes “Death in the Family,” so the likelihood of it being implemented into The Batman sequel is ascending to new heights.
If you haven’t been knee-deep in black capes and angst for thirty years, you may not be familiar with “Death in the Family,” a comic storyline from 1988 in which Joker murders Jason Todd’s unfortunate Robin. Yes, that Jason Todd, from Titans.
Murdering Robin was a controversial move, and writers attempted to redeem themselves years later by bringing Robin back under the guise of Red Hood, and even brought in a new Robin the following year.
Todd donning the Red Hood was a beautiful nod to the original Red Hood, which longtime fans may recognize as Joker’s alias from the 1950s.
In 2020, Robin’s fate was placed in the hands of viewers with the release of Batman: Death in the Family. In the animated movie, fans were taken back to the classic “Choose Your Own Adventure” conceit, albeit via new technology, and empowered to select their favorite among potential plot developments. The movie has seven possible endings, and an average viewing time of 95 minutes.
So there are multiple possibilities to bring a “Death in the Family” element to The Batman sequel. Simply bringing Robin in for one movie only to kill him is one way. But perhaps Pattinson favors a “Choose Your Own Adventure” approach to cinema.
If the latter is the case, the movie would take a lot longer to produce. But if killing off Jason Todd is Pattinson’s primary concern, this too gives producers a set story to work with, following the comic book canon.
However, we may be getting ahead of ourselves; the first movie in the series, The Batman, hasn’t even been released. It hits theaters next month on March 4, 2022.