There are a ton of superheroes, but a few comic book characters stand out among the rest. DC's Dark Knight Batman is arguably the most popular of all time, and he's been adapted into various movies and television shows over the years. There's a slew of straight-to-home animated Batman movies that have arrived over the years, with the most recent being Batman: Death in the Family. The new will adapt the iconic comic book plot line with a twist: it's a choose your own adventure... including the option to kill Robin.
Batman: A Death in The Family is a four issue comic book arc that debuted on shelve in 1998. The story follows as the villainous Joker brutally kills the second Robin, Jason Todd and the aftermath that follows. That story has been adapted for an animated television movie, which will give the audience control over the events of the film through choose your own adventure options. The first trailer arrived, check it out below.
The power is now directly in the fans' hands, as Batman: Death in the Family will allow audiences to decide the character's actions, including if/when/how Robin ultimately bites the bullet. What's more, the upcoming movie will also feature the Jason Todd's future plot lines and identity as Red Robin or Red Hood. Let's break down what we're being shown here.
The trailer for Batman: Death in the Family opens on Gotham City, with Bruce Wayne lamenting about how his every choice as Batman has consequences. And in this case, the choices you make for the Dark Knight will affect the lives of Jason Todd, as well as the villainous actions of The Joker and Two-Face. No pressure though.
Just as in the comics, Jason Todd's Robin is eventually caught in a trap by the Joker, who beats him and leaves him to die in an explosion. This is when the trailer's first choice comes in. The audience can save Robin, let him die, or have the Boy Wonder miraculously cheat death. Each will set the story off in unique ways, which will be explored throughout Batman: Death in the Family's runtime.
These choose your own adventure movies have become more popular lately, particularly over on Netflix. The streaming service's first release Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, which was an unnerving viewing experience that allowed subscribers to control the protagonist's descent into madness. The movie quickly broke the internet, and Netflix followed that success up with this year's Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend. Now the superhero genre is getting the same treatment, which should also be much easier to produce than a live-action movie of this kind.
Of course, this isn't the first time Batman fans have been treated to a choose your own adventure. Just a few years ago Telltale Games released Batman: The Telltale Series, which was a number of point and click installments allowing gamers to have control over both Batman and Bruce Wayne. Each of your choices had severe consequences on the story, which will also be the case with Batman: Death in the Family.
You can purchase your own digital or hard copy of Batman: Death in the Family now. Be sure to check out our 2020 release list to plan your next movie experience.
