New Titans Footage Shows Exactly Why Robin Left Batman

“Fuck Batman.”

For better or worse, those two words have undoubtedly hung over DC’s live-action rendition of Titans ever since the first trailer dropped during the summer.

And while some comic book fans have balked at the sudden shift in tone when compared to Teen Titans Go!, there’s a good reason why Robin is flying solo – far away from the shadow of Gotham’s Caped Crusader.

Via IGN, a new sizzle reel for Titans has arrived online in which Dick Grayson (Brenton Thwaites) explains why he no longer abides by Batman’s rule book, ultimately deciding to turn over a new leaf as a police officer in Detroit. Because who needs a mentor when you’re operating on both sides of the law?

Feast thy eyes:

According to series showrunner Greg Walker, allowing Dick Grayson to stand on his two feet will foster a coming-of-age story the likes of which we haven’t seen from DC in quite some time. Besides, for years, Robin has been associated with Batman’s ward, so it’s up to Titans to establish Brenton Thwaites’s young, foul-mouthed lead as a well-rounded character.

Here’s what Walker told IGN in a previous interview:

Dick Grayson is in exile, trying to figure out who Dick Grayson is and who Robin is, and how both of them or either of them or neither of them relate to Batman. In many ways, like a lot of us have to deal with branching out on our own to set the course towards adulthood, he’s dealing with that and trying to understand the darkness that came with him – is it nature or nurture? Is it due to the horrible circumstances that drew him to be Bruce Wayne’s ward, or is it because of the actual raising and upbringing? So a lot of the story’s about that, and a lot of the trajectory of the character has to do with that struggle.

DC’s deliciously dark rendition of Titans premieres Friday, October 12th exclusively on DC Universe.