This Is Why Robin May Be In The Dark Knight Rises

The man you see in the photo above is Joseph Gordon-Levitt. He’ll be starring in The Dark Knight Rises and he’ll be playing a cop named John Blake. That much is confirmed and that much we know. But, ever since his casting was announced, the internet has been lighting up with rumors stating that the actor will actually be playing Robin, Batman’s sidekick.

The rumors stem from, among other things, the fact that Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a fairly big name in Hollywood and to cast him in such an insignificant role in one of 2012’s biggest films seems a bit odd. Granted, he’s far from the biggest star in the film but still, he deserves a better role than John Blake, who’s being described as a “Gotham City beat cop assigned to special duty under the command of Commissioner Gordon.”

Adding fuel to the fire of these rumors is Forbes, who is pointing out yet another reason why Gordon-Levitt may be Robin. What’s Forbes doing spreading pesky rumors about Christopher Nolan‘s upcoming film you ask? We’re still not sure, but they do bring up a good point.

They bring our attention to that little symbol that Blake goes around the city drawing. You can check it out below. Look familiar?

I’m sure you recognize it but let’s look at what happens when you take the above image and compare it to the below image.

See the similarities? No? Unless you’re a big Batman fan you probably haven’t clued in. What Forbes is trying to point out is that the chalk symbol that Blake draws looks a lot like the symbol above, which is the symbol for Nightwing. Nightwing is the alias taken on by Robin after he stops being, well, Robin and sets out on his own.

Now, if that’s not enough for you, get this. When you turn the chalk symbol upside down, it actually looks like a bird and as we all know, a robin is a type of bird. Coincidence? I think not.

Lastly, additional rumors say that Joseph Gordon-Levitt is being prepped to lead the franchise once Christian Bale and Christopher Nolan depart. Many think that the ending of The Dark Knight Rises will see Batman hanging up his cape and giving the “keys to the city” over to Robin, in some capacity at least.

That leaves the door open for Warner Bros. to continue the franchise with Joseph Gordon-Levitt at the helm. Whether they’ll make a standalone Nightwing/Robin film or simply continue the story of Batman is unknown but by turning Gordon-Levitt into Robin, they leave themselves a lot of possibilities.

Look, I know, it’s a long stretch. It very well could turn out that Gordon-Levitt is indeed just some cop named John Blake. It’s more than possible in fact. But, Robin seems to be integral of the Batman universe and it’s hard to see Nolan completing his trilogy without so much as a nod to the classic character, right?

Now it’s your chance to chime in, scroll down to the comments and let us know what you think. Is Robin going to appear in The Dark Knight Rises?