WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Batman '89 #1, on sale now
One of the most successful mass media adaptations of the Dark Knight ever, Batman was a cultural phenomenon when it hit theaters in 1989. Although it was followed by a successful sequel, that universe was more or less shifted away from in the following films. But Batman '89 returns to the Gotham established in those two movies, and even introduces a potential new member of the Bat-Family in pretty dramatic fashion.
The Burton-verse incarnation of Robin officially makes his debut in Batman '89 #1 by Sam Hamm, Joe Quinones, Leonardo Ito and Clayton Cowles, and he does so in a pretty impressive way -- namely, by actually getting the drop on Batman.
Batman '89 revisits the world introduced in Tim Burton's Batman films, Batman and Batman Returns. Notably, this isn't a Gotham City that has found peace in the aftermath of the Joker and Penguin's failed plans and ensuing deaths. Although there has been reduced violence in the city thanks to the efforts of Batman and his ally James Gordon, chaos still reigns -- with criminals inspired by the Joker taking the annual Gotham Halloween Celebration as the perfect opportunity to commit large robberies. Meanwhile, people on the street are becoming increasingly hostile -- including Harvey Dent, who seeks to bring down Batman and his war on crime. Curfew is soon introduced to Gotham City, which does little to assuage a young man from stealing supplies for his younger sister.
But as he speaks to the young man, Batman is lured onto the nearby stairs. Stepping outside, Batman is caught by surprise when a hooded and masked figure jump kicks him in the face. The two quickly scuffle before the masked man pushes Batman off the side of the railing -- and into the direct eyesight of the local National Guard. The hooded figure then rushes back through the apartment -- giving the young man and his sister the few dollars he actually has. Going by the costume design and yellow/green/red color scheme of the young man, it's clear that this is meant to be the Robin of the Burton-Batman-verse.
Early drafts of Batman Returns included Marlon Wayans taking on the role of Robin -- and when he was cut from that film, he was signed on to appear in a hypothetical sequel. However, Burton left the franchise and was replaced by Joel Schumacher for Batman Forever -- which recast Chris O'Donnell as a remarkably different version of Robin that was far different than the more down-to-Earth incarnation. Although little is known about who this Robin is under the mask or even which Robin this might possibly be, variant covers for Batman '89 #1 suggest this version of Robin will be a young black man -- recalling how Wayans had been set to take on the role.
It's also exciting to see this version of Robin seemingly more committed to fighting crime from the on-set than many others, coming to the conclusion to be a hero on his own rather than being taken in by Batman and shown the path towards heroism. It gives this version of the character more agency than he usually receives, and could position him as more of a full partner to Batman instead of just as a sidekick -- that is, if Batman can find a way to get out of trouble with the local police and make his escape.