Within the DC Extended Universe continuity, Ben Affleck’s Bruce Wayne had been fighting crime as Batman for approximately two decades. That’s enough time to lose at least one sidekick, as we saw in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice that Bruce kept a Robin suit in a memorial display case in the Batcave. There wasn’t any mention of the Boy Wonder within the theatrical release of Justice League, but for Zack Snyder’s Justice League, a.k.a. The Snyder Cut, Robin’s death will be readdressed.
This information comes straight from the man himself, Zack Snyder, who was responding to a fan on Vero who asked if he had planned to delve deeper into the background of Robin’s death in future movies. In addition to reaffirming that it was Dick Grayson who was killed by The Joker in the DCEU, Snyder said that there’s a “hint” of the Robin tragedy in his cut of Justice League, so be on the lookout for that when the feature drops on HBO Max.
Within the main DC Comics continuity and most adaptations, it’s Jason Todd, the second Robin, who The Joker kills, although Todd has since been resurrected and taken on the Red Hood identity. This was Warner Bros’ position on the matter a couple months after Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice came out; however, Zack Snyder said in 2018 that the Robin memorial was meant to honor Dick Grayson, the first Robin.
It’s unclear why Zack Snyder selected Dick Grayson to be the one to die rather than Jason Todd, and since he only described the addressing of Robin in The Snyder Cut as a “hint,” who knows if he’ll actually be identified by Batman or one of the other characters. Still, for those of you who left Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice wanting to know more about Robin in this universe, now you can take comfort knowing that at least a little more information will be provided in Zack Snyder’s Justice League.
Of course, as far as Warner Bros choosing to go with Jason Todd being the dead sidekick rather than Dick Grayson, that likely had to do with the studio putting a Nightwing movie into development, as that’s the identity Dick takes on after retiring as Robin, thus requiring him to be alive. However, there hasn’t been any major update on that project for a couple years now, casting doubt on whether it’s even still happening.
As far as Batman himself is concerned, Ben Affleck’s time wearing the cape and cowl is done, and Robert Pattinson will portray the Caped Crusader in Matt Reeves’ The Batman. That movie is set in a separate continuity from the DCEU and follows a Batman who’s still early into his crimefighting career, but there have been rumblings that the movie might lay the groundwork for a Robin appearance in a sequel.
The Batman swoops into theaters on October 1, 2021, and Zack Snyder’s Justice League will hit HBO Max sometime that same year. Don’t forget to look through our DC movies guide to learn what else this corner of the superhero film genre has coming up.
