The DC Extended Universe has been in a state of flux since the beginning, so there is always a sense of comfort when fans see a long discussed film finally secure a release date. Most recently, news broke that Matt Reeves' upcoming standalone film, The Batman, is scheduled to hit theaters in 2021, followed by the upcoming Suicide Squad reboot from James Gunn.
We know very little about the first solo Batman film since Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises in 2012, except that Ben Affleck will not be stepping back into the Batcave. Reeves previously revealed that his plans for the film will feature a "young caped crusader," with a focus on his moniker as the World's Greatest Detective.
Batman's skills as a detective are a key part of what makes him so successful as the Dark Knight, and have been fairly underrepresented in the cinematic versions of the character we've seen so far.
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Despite this, the idea of seeing a young version of Batman starting out in his career as a crimefighter seems somewhat redundant at this point, having seen that before with the aptly named Batman Begins. More recently, Ben Affleck showcased an older Batman, years after his debut and in a stage of his life far past what could be considered his prime, with the intervening years left largely unexplored.
So, while Reeves' vision for The Batman could pay off big by showcasing the World's Greatest Detective, the franchise might be heading in the wrong direction and once again leaving one of the most important aspects of Bruce Wayne in the comics.
Despite most cinematic adaptations of Batman focusing on his time as a loner vigilante with only his trusted butler by his side, the comic version of Batman has been surrounded by an ever-growing team of heroes inspired, and in some cases trained and raised, by the Batman.
Bruce Wayne's solo mission against the superstitious and cowardly criminals of Gotham was joined by Dick Grayson as Robin way back in 1940's Detective Comics #38, and Bruce's role as a father figure to Dick eventually blossomed to include a literal family of characters like the Golden Age Batwoman and Batgirl. While that Batman Family was erased from continuity by Crisis, the Batman Family evolved as Bruce Wayne took on new partners over the years and developed a network of heroes that help lead some of DC's most popular comic series.
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Most readers these days know Batman as the leader of a diverse group of heroes that includes multiple Robins, Batgirls, Gotham police officers and even villainous members of the hero's rogues' gallery. Dick Grayson kicked off the addition of new members to the family after he grew into his new role of Nightwing, leaving the Robin persona open for characters like Jason Todd (Red Hood), Tim Drake (Red Robin), Stephanie Brown (Spoiler) and Damian Wayne (current Robin) to jumpstart their own heroic careers.
Barbara Gordon is another constant of the family as the first and current Batgirl, and the family soon grew to include other Gotham heroes like Huntress, Batwoman, Batwing, Black Bat and even former villains like Catwoman and Clayface, many of whom are set to appear in the upcoming Birds of Prey film.
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Maybe instead of re-examining Batman in his youth, it's time to finally see Batman on the big screen in his prime. The key themes of Batman's character, like the loss of his parents and his drive to protect the good people from the bad, are easily explored through his role as a father to Dick and the other Robins. His need to help other children he sees in a similar position as his own, and the drive to give them the parent he himself didn't have as a child, mirror many of the same origin themes that we've seen time and time again.
The ongoing cycle of adoption and mentorship not only forced Bruce to become the parent he remembered his own to be, but also furthered his own goals as Batman by training a veritable army of heroes to keep Gotham safe, ensuring that no other child would lose their parents to crime. While his detective skills do remain underrepresented in the cinematic universe, it is Batman's defining characteristic as a family man that demands to be further explored in the DCEU.
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It's okay to have feelings of hesitation about bringing Robin and the extended Batman family into live-action. Try as we might, no one is forgetting Joel Schumacher's attempts at a live-action Robin and Batgirl in the continually disappointing Batman Forever and Batman & Robin.
Chris O'Donnell's Dick Grayson walked an uneasy tightrope between bad boy circus kid and campy Bat-sidekick, with Val Kilmer's Bruce Wayne failing to rise up to the fatherly mentor who takes young Grayson under his wing.
Alicia Silverstone's introduction as Barbara Pennyworth (not Gordon) only further caused the deepening chasm of camp and corn that tanked the franchise, which led to an eight-year hibernation until Christian Bale took on the mantle of the Bat in 2005.
It's now been seven years since we've seen even a glimpse of a live-action Robin with Joseph Gordon-Levitt's John "Don't Call Me Robin" Blake in Dark Knight Rises. Fans did catch a glimpse of an enshrined Robin costume in Zack Snyder's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, with the ensuing buzz proving we might just be ready for the return of Robin and company to the big screen.
Warner Bros. and DC have even begun developing standalone films for both Nightwing and Batgirl, though both films have stalled in production, seemingly waiting for Reeves' plans for The Batman to come to fruition. It's hard not to imagine these films would move quickly through development if the new Batman franchise was set in the age of the Bat Family instead of his early years. This would not only help springboard those stalled standalone films, but fast-track other characters and teams to join the DCEU.
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Instead, Matt Reeves will be revisiting the early days of the Dark Knight detective, again leaving a vault of incredible characters and storylines untapped for yet another retread of the tried and true origins of the Batman. Really, if the Shazam Family can make it onto the big screen, then so can the Batman Family. It's time they got the chance to shine alongside the Bat.
Matt Reeves' The Batman opens in theaters on June 25, 2021.