One of the fascinating bits of world building that occurs during Batman V Superman is the quick shot of the Robin memorial in Bruce Wayne's (Ben Affleck) Batcave. This has kicked up a constant whirlwind of speculating regarding who could take on the role, including Ben Affleck's own brother Casey. What are the odds that the younger Affleck brother would ever sign on to play the Dark Knight's sidekick? He recently spoke to members of the press and admitted that he is not interested in taking on the iconic role. Affleck explained:
It's been established in the last Batman. They mix it up a lot. It hasn't been offered to me. No, I don't think I want to do that.
So I believe that we can pretty much put that idea to bed. Although the concept of a Robin exists within the DCEU, it does not look like Casey Affleck has a genuine interest in taking on the role at any point in the near future, according to his words to the press at The BAFTAs (via Metro). The odds of him taking on the role seemed fairly slim in the first place, but it is something that fans have considered ever since they first saw the Robin suit teased by Dawn of Justice.
Hypothetically speaking, even if Casey Affleck does eventually decide to sign on to play the role of Robin, we can pretty much guarantee that it would not be a traditional depiction of the character. At his core, Robin is designed from the ground up to be a young character that kids and younger members of the audience can identify with on a more personal level. At 41 years of age, it seems likely that the Manchester By The Sea star could only convincingly play an older and more seasoned Dick Grayson a.k.a Nightwing. That said, the DCEU has made plenty of changes to the comic book lore (in Affleck's words, "they mix it up a lot") so anything is possible.
It will be fascinating to see how Robin factors into Batman's story as time wears on. We know the Death in the Family story arc has already played out in this universe, and there are many different directions for this character to take. Todd could come back as Red Hood, or Bruce Wayne could enlist Tim Drake or Carrie Kelley as his new Robin. Beyond that, we may never even see a new Robin, and the franchise may stick with Nightwing and show Robin exclusively in flashbacks. The possibilities are endless, and we're excited to see how this pans out.
We will bring you more information regarding the future of Robin in the DCEU as more details become available to us. As of right now, we have no idea when the character will make his official debut in this universe, but Batman will make his next appearance when Justice League debuts on November 17.
Check out the official trailer for Justice League on the next page for a better look at the upcoming superhero epic!
