BATMAN 3_why robin (yes, the boy wonder) should be in it

So a few weeks ago the powers-that-be over at Warner Brothers announced the release date for the much-anticipated follow-up to The Dark Knight… that date is July 20, 2012… and I can’t f*cking wait!  BUT I HAVE TO… because it’s only 2010… sigh.  Luckily that leaves fanboys like me (and you… maybe?)  the opportunity to endlessly discuss such irrelevant-to-life topics as “what will the new movie’s title be?” and “should they recast the Joker” and “what should the new Batmobile look like?” Hurray!!  What fun we shall have!  And to get the ball rolling I proposition the first (of many) completely asinine questions: SHOULD ROBIN BE IN THE NEW BATMAN MOVIE?!

Burt Ward. Kicker of ass.

The character of Robin forces (and may always force) a knee jerk reaction for most Batman fans… especially fans of the films.  I know where they’re coming from too, I’ve been there.  I can’t deny that the first two Batman films (Tim Burton’s films) we’re cool (or so we thought before Nolan’s series took off.)  Batman was a gritty anti-hero who didn’t need anybody.  We liked that… only to have it ruined by Robin’s introduction in Batman Forever (Joel Schumacher’s first of two.)  The fact is, that movie, and it’s successor Batman & Robin, were terrible.  And Chris O’Donnell just flat-out sucked.  So, as somebody who has completely immersed himself in the comics, I beg you not to hold that against the character!  It’s not his (or her — depending on which book you’re reading) fault that neither Burt Ward nor Joel Schumacher could do him justice.

So, this is how I see it: Robin is an integral part of the Batman mythos.  The fact is, Batman really isn’t Batman without the character of Robin. He completes the character, balancing out the struggle between Bruce Wayne and Batman.  He adds a bit of humanity and hope to Batman’s complete insanity.  So with that said, we might as well face it: sooner or later, the character will make the jump back to the big screen… we might as well have Christopher Nolan do it and do it right.  I have few (if any) complaints with the way he has handled the world of Batman thus far and if any director is going to bring Robin back, I vote Nolan be the man for the job.

Now, I know what some of you are thinking: both Nolan and Christian Bale have gone on record as saying that Robin would never be an option in their films.  Okay… I can live with that… but it doesn’t change the fact that Nolan really isn’t telling the whole story of Batman without including Robin!  So, despite what they’ve said in the past, I really think Robin is inevitable.  Some of you might argue that this Batman does not need assistance of any kind, certainly not from a kid.  But wait!  If I recall, unlike Burton’s Batman, Nolan’s Batman surrounds himself with sidekicks… they just don’t suit up in colorful costumes and fight by his side… Alfred, Gordon, Fox, Rachel… Batman could not function without them.  And that’s what I expect from Robin… a child who helps Batman, not necessarily beating up bad guys, but somebody lending a hand, making his job easier.

In addition, from a storytelling perspective, this film series needs a bit of a pick me up.  Both the film’s tone and Bruce’s life need lightened.  At the end of The Dark Knight, Batman is dangerously close to losing all hope. Despite his best intentions almost everything has turned out for the worst: the city’s organized crime has been replaced by psychotic criminals, Batman himself is now public enemy #1, and the love of his life has been killed, more or less, because of his very existence. I don’t think a million Alfred pep-talks can pull him out of this emotional funk. The thing about Robin is that the character shares so many emotional and motivational similarities with Bruce. It is very easy for Bruce to see himself in a young Dick Grayson. Now, think back to Batman Begins… who was it that kept Bruce from seeking flat-out revenge for his parent’s murder, who was it that kept Bruce from becoming “just another vigilante with a gun?”  Rachel!  And it seems like such a wonderful way, by taking in Dick and taming his need for revenge, for Rachel to carry on in Bruce’s heart.

Now, listen up:  I do not expect Robin to ever be in costume… but I do expect him to enter into the film series. It’s okay for Nolan to hint at things to come… even if he has no intention of ever seeing those story-lines through (honestly, I expect this to be the last Nolan-Bale Batman film.) So bring in two lost and confused characters (Catwoman and Robin) that both need Batman and Bruce’s guidance, respectively, and I see a very plausible existence for Robin in this film.  In my opinion, at least.

What do you think??