The Batman Won’t Deal With Jason Todd’s Death, After All
Yesterday brought some news that got DC fans excited. It was rumored that Matt Reeves’ The Batman would tackle the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin. We know this seminal event from the comics is part of the DCEU’s history, as there were references to it seeded in both Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad, so hearing that the upcoming Dark Knight solo film would depict the moment only made sense.
As it happens, though, new evidence suggests that this earlier rumor was completely unfounded. The Wrap reached out to their insider at Warner Bros., who apparently has “knowledge of the project” to clarify the Jason Todd story, and they shut the theory down with a simple one word response: “False.” Ah, well, it was fun while it lasted.
To recap, BvS featured a Robin suit defaced with Joker graffiti on display in the Bat-Cave. It was hinted that Robin’s death was what pushed Bruce Wayne over the edge into the darker man depicted in the film. Suicide Squad followed this up by claiming that Harley Quinn was “an accomplice in the murder of Jason Todd.” So, it seems that Jared Leto’s Clown Prince of Crime killed Robin at some point in the past, much like in the comics’ “A Death in the Family” storyline.
The recent report was far from the first time Jason Todd has been linked with The Batman and there’s obviously a massive desire from the fans to see the character explored on the big screen. This specific rumor wasn’t even claiming that Todd would be resurrected as Red Hood in the movie, as per the comics, but it seems that even a flashback won’t form part of The Batman.
On the other hand, Reeves is still in the development stage of the film as he’s working on honing his screenplay to make it the best it can be, so it’s possible that things might change before The Batman goes into production. As for when that is, the director has apparently been granted carte blanche to move at his own pace, so don’t expect any substantial updates for at least a little while more.
