At one point, rumors swirled that Robin would be introduced in Matt Reeves’ upcoming The Batman, but those rumors were eventually put to bed and for good reason, as Robin can’t and shouldn't be in The Batman. Audiences still have nearly a year’s wait to see Robert Pattinson’s Batman take on Paul Dano’s sinister Riddler and many plot details remain unknown. However, one thing is certain, the film will explore Batman's Year Two, Bruce Wayne's second year in the cowl. It's a period in Batman’s career where he is still learning to be the hero he’s destined to be.
Year Two means a relatively low-tech Batman whose gadgets are still developing and few allies in Gotham. While Bruce will be able to count on Alfred, as always, his relationship with the GCPD seems complicated. Gordon appears to be on his side, but tensions with uniformed officers run high. This Gotham that Reeves is crafting, while incredibly interesting, is not ripe for the inclusion of additional members of the Bat-Family.
This isn’t the first time a Batman franchise has been steered in this direction. The Dark Knight Trilogy featured a realistic take on the character, one Robin was never intended to take part in. Yes, Joseph Gordon-Levitt was given the name Robin as a fun Easter egg, but this doesn’t count as including the character. After all, it’s hard to imagine Christian Bale’s Batman running around with a teenager at his side. The same goes for Reeves’ version of the Caped Crusader. His decision to showcase another young and brutal Batman in a dark and gritty Gotham City is why Robin can’t be introduced in The Batman. A young Batman fighting his way to establishing himself in a pragmatic Gotham City is not yet ready to shoulder the responsibility of mentoring anyone, especially a young person.
It’s moderately easy to place Batman in a world that feels real and authentic, but this choice affects the plausibility of Robin. Robin is a difficult character to adapt, especially in a world that is made out to be not so different from our own. A man taking in a young ward and teaching him to fight crime doesn’t exactly scream feasible. This may be why Robin has only been on the big screen twice, both times in Joel Schumacher’s Batman films. He was, however, highly referenced and alluded to in the Snyderverse portion of the DCEU. In fact, although he never appeared on screen, Zack Snyder’s use of the fallen Robin's suit in Batman v Superman worked exceptionally well.
Snyder’s use of Robin worked because his world felt as if a comic book came to life, something Nolan’s films lacked and something Matt Reeves’ upcoming film may also lack. This may be the hardest element of adapting Batman for film: Finding the balance between making the character feel as if he could step into our world and allowing him to exist in the comic book world he deserves. Robin only fits into a world that has struck this balance. Nonetheless, as mentioned before, it's mostly Bruce Wayne's untested status that works against introducing Robin in Reeves' film.
A Year Two Batman has not yet become the hero he is destined to be. He’s still in the process of growing into that man and working through his own traumas. Batman as a character should not and would not bring a young ward into his life if he weren’t ready to take on that responsibility. Simply put, Matt Reeves’ Batman is not ready to be a mentor. This doesn’t mean Robin couldn’t appear in a follow-up to The Batman; Reeves still may find a way to introduce the character. It just means Robin’s return to the big screen will have to wait.
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