MovieChat Forums > Batman & Robin (1997) Discussion > Why Are Batman Movies Afraid Of Robin?

Why Are Batman Movies Afraid Of Robin?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yabUYM5uN0

We’ve had a lot of Batman movies in the past 20 years, and they’ve all avoided putting Robin onscreen. Maybe it’s time to reconsider?

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As much as I absolutely love Batman, he is a ridiculous concept - but Robin is even more so. A grown man putting a literal child in mortal danger, night-in, night-out? It's one thing to accept that a billionaire with virtually unlimited resources, traumatised by the murder of his parents in front of him, is willing to take those risks himself; but happily putting an eleven-year old repeatedly in life-or-death situations goes against everything Batman is. No matter how well trained Robin is, he's a little boy against hardened career criminals. I know people say that for story purposes Robin's there to counterbalance Batman, to make sure he doesn't go too far or too dark, but that's simply solved by the writer. If Batman's written as fine on his own, he's fine on his own. No, I don't want Robin, and I'm both grateful and relieved he's been sidelined in the movies.

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Good answer.

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Even on the 1960s TV series, Burt Ward was 19 when he was cast as Dick Grayson. Of course, that's not as old as Chris O'Donnell was when he made Batman Forever (I believe that he was 24-25 when he made that), but he still wasn't exactly the literal child as Dick/Robin was traditionally depicted in the comics.

And on Batman: The Animated Series, Dick Grayson was if I remember correctly, depicted as a college-age student instead of a prepubescent child. It wasn't until the series was retooled as The New Batman Adventures and they brought in Tim Drake as the new Robin, when they went back to having Robin be depicted as a literal child.

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As far as I'm concerned, if he's 18 yrs old or older in live-action he should be Nightwing, not Robin. Introduce him as Nightwing, no problem. They can allude - verbally, never flashbacks - to earlier adventures. But no kid sidekick onscreen. Only show/refer to him as Nightwing.

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First of all, it's a comic book/tv show/movie series about guys in tights and capes--already a ridiculous concept.

Second of all, I always got the impression Robin was around seventeen or eighteen, an age at which my dad was on the crew of a U.S. Navy destroyer in the south Pacific being hunted by the Japanese navy, and my brother was in a U.S. Army helicopter over Vietnam. Teenagers in life-or-death situations is nothing new or unrealistic.

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Robin was around 11 when he started.

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"A grown man putting a literal child in mortal danger, night-in, night-out?"

That The Dark Knight is putting his LOVER in danger makes this scenario even more improbable

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Because we're used to seeing Batman, Robin is a bigger novelty and would therefore draw more attention naturally - away from Batman and from the dark atmosphere of the world of Batman, venturing into a more goofy and camp vibe that most directors are trying to move away from. That's the main reason, I think.

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Robin is like the shoehorned female character that serves no purpose and No one asked for.

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I liked the way Nolan did it, making him the successor instead of a sidekick.

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John Blake wasn’t literally Robin. He was an original character who served as an homage to the comic book character Robin. Calling John Blake “Robin” is about as logical as calling Coleman Reese “The Riddler”.

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I realize he wasn’t Dick Grayson but he was a nod to Robin. How many versions of Robin does DC comics have?

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Nolan? He created a Robin who could tell Bruce Wayne was Batman just by looking at him because apparently people with no parents can identify each other with a look😂

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It probably wouldn’t be that hard to figure out in the real world. If I remember correctly in Ironman he didn’t even bother to have a secret identity.

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Robin is problematic. In the comics he is a kid, no one wants to have a kid in their movie and most of the more interesting plot lines are unfitting for a kid. So why would you need to try shoehorning him in? No, Robin works much better in a potential Teen Titan movie with a Batman Cameo (making the current Batman look older), so after both are established, they might team them up in the more interesting stories like when Joker kills Robin or how he becomes Nightwing etc.
So better to establish them separately, but always linked instead of teaming them up. So you can cater YA and Adults and build their heroes up.

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Maybe the prime demographic of 16 to 35 year old males feel threatened by Robin? Therefore an intentional deletion of the character by the producers of Batman movies. Why do young men feel threatened by Robin? I don't see an air of irresponsibility by Batman in terms of putting Robin in harm's way as an answer. The most likely reason is they don't want to see a boy as it makes them feel like a boy. The whole self identification thing. Most non fans see the franchise as childish and Robin puts the exclamation point on that point. While we are at it most don't like to see Batgirl because that puts pressure on those who desire but lack a girlfriend usually not by choice. The dark universe tripe is just to muddy the water in terms of revealing self-inadequacy. Best to enjoy the franchise for what it is which is kicking butt of bad guys and not dig too far in for personal motivation as to fandom.

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this cant be a serious reply..

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Why not? I'm being very serious. Please give well thought out ideas. For me as a kid Batman was entertainment for the moment. With the 1960's show it was enjoying the performances of the guest villains. But even as a kid I knew that the Batman universe is not very deep. It makes no sense whether it be comic books, television, or motion picture for Batman (and Robin) to continually endanger themselves with the end result being the villain gets a soft sentence and is soon out making new havoc. Play for low stakes nobody pays much attention to the bad guy. Start screwing with society in terms of taking 10's of millions or more dollars or wanting to eradicate society and a broad section of society will come down hard on that bad guy. If you were a high profile citizen in Gotham City would you repeatedly allow yourself to be threatened or would you organize a hit squad to be done with the likes of the Joker. Enjoy the franchise for the colorfulness and clear sense of right and wrong but its not intellectually deep.

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because this sounds like a skit of some silly professor who is overanalyzing things that arent there.

But even as a kid I knew that the Batman universe is not very deep. It makes no sense whether it be comic books, television, or motion picture for Batman (and Robin) to continually endanger themselves with the end result being the villain gets a soft sentence and is soon out making new havoc.


then you didnt understand it at all or Batmans character or the villains.

but you are now going on another tangent unrelated to your first "psychoanalysis" of why viewers didnt want to see robin.Also robin is prominent in many of the more mature, albiet animated batman/justice league material. So there goes your whole "theory".

If you were a high profile citizen in Gotham City would you repeatedly allow yourself to be threatened or would you organize a hit squad to be done with the likes of the Joker.


we have people who do target high profile people now (albeit not through the same dramatic or silly way batman villians do). wheres the hit squads for them?

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I understand. Batman is your retreat from the real world and criticism is not allowed. Conversation over.

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as i said in my reply. you went from one topic, to a completely different one.

a focused mind is a good one. and you seem to just want to rant about whatever tickles your fancy in that moment.

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if I was Batman, I wouldn't be threatened by him, I'd be annoyed that there was someone else I'd possibly have to take care of and look out for. quick, the Jokers getting away. ahh, but Robin's got stuck between a lorry and some scaffolding

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Robin's reliant on Batman

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to actually answer the question, Robin was a character for the original TV show which was a lot less dark than the modern films? maybe his character just translates better to the original TV format than it does to the Hollywood Batman

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Robin was in the 1940's serials and in the comic books well before the 1966 series. The way Hollywood works I would sooner accept an explanation that they did not want to pay a major salary to have Robin be in a movie. Artistic concerns would be secondary to that.

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