Earlier this year, James Gunn announced the first wave of movies and shows in the soon-to-be-rebooted DC Universe, including The Brave and the Bold: a new film starring the legendary Caped Crusader, Batman. However, this movie won’t be featuring Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne from 2022’s The Batman, but rather a new Batman for the new DC Universe — one who already has a Robin.
Gunn confirmed that The Brave and the Bold will be based on the 2006 “Batman and Son” storyline by Grant Morrison and Andy Kubert, which features an older Bruce encountering his son by Talia al Ghul, Damian Wayne, who soon becomes the new Robin. Notably, this film will be the first live-action Batman movie since 1997’s Batman & Robin to feature any Batfamily heroes besides Bruce himself. As a result, it opens the door for the new DC Universe to feature other beloved Batfamily members like Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon — as well as plenty of other Gotham City heroes who have yet to make their big-screen debut.
Jason Todd
In the comics, Damian Wayne is the fifth crime-fighter in the main DC continuity to hold the mantle of Robin. It’s currently unknown whether this will be the case in James Gunn’s rebooted DC Universe, but it stands to reason that Damian won’t be the first Robin to fight alongside the new Batman. The most famous Robin is of course the original — Dick Grayson, aka Nightwing, who’s long been rumored to have his own movie in the works. However, Grayson’s immediate successor as Robin has carved out quite a name for himself as well in recent years.
Originally introduced in 1983, Jason Todd became Dick Grayson’s replacement as Robin after he struck out on his own as leader of the Teen Titans. However, Jason soon proved to be unpopular with Batman readers. So, in 1988, DC held a telephone poll to let the fans vote on whether Jason would die at the hand of the Joker or be rescued by Batman. The fans voted no, and thus Jason met his end in the notorious 1988 storyline “A Death in the Family'' by Jim Starlin and Jim Aparo. Afterward, Jason’s death continued to haunt Bruce for years. But in 2005, everything changed.
In the storyline “Under the Hood” by Judd Winick and Doug Mahnke, Jason mysteriously returned from the dead and became a ruthless vigilante under the guise of the Red Hood — the original criminal alias used by the man who would become the Joker. As the Red Hood, Jason began using lethal force against the criminals of Gotham, causing him and Batman to clash. Since then, the Red Hood has been a villain, a hero, and everything in between. While he’s sometimes an ally to Batman and sometimes an enemy, Jason Todd has become a consistent fan favorite since his return. As such, it’s easy to imagine that popularity translating well to the big screen.
Tim Drake
Introduced in 1989 following Jason Todd’s death, Tim Drake has gained a reputation as the awkward middle child of the Robins. Originally a devoted fan of Batman and Robin, young Tim used his own detective skills to deduce Batman’s identity as Bruce Wayne, and became determined to fight by Batman’s side as his new sidekick. In his own words, “Batman needs a Robin.” Perhaps it’s fitting, then, that Tim has had trouble moving on from the role of Robin. While he enjoyed great popularity during the 90s, Tim fell out of prominence after Damian replaced him. And unlike Dick and Jason, Tim has largely failed to find a niche for himself — his later alias “Red Robin” lacks the distinct identity of Nightwing or Red Hood.
Still, Tim has managed to set himself apart from the rest of the Batfamily in a few ways. There’s his signature bo staff, which Dick Grayson’s Robin copied in the 2003 Teen Titans cartoon. But more importantly, there’s his keen analytical mind — Bruce himself has stated that Tim will someday surpass him as the World’s Greatest Detective. And finally, after coming out as bisexual in 2021, he’s one of the few openly queer members of the Batfamily. Currently, Tim has gone back to his original identity as Robin, sharing the role with Damian. It may be a tricky fit to include two co-Robins in the DC Universe, but even so, Tim’s more than earned his movie debut.
Stephanie Brown
First introduced in 1992, Stephanie Brown is the daughter of the minor supervillain Cluemaster, who decides to help foil her father’s schemes as the superhero Spoiler. Spoiler soon began working closely with Tim Drake’s Robin, and the two eventually started dating. Stephanie would later go on to become the fourth Robin in 2004, and the third Batgirl in 2009. But no matter her hero identity, Stephanie never loses her upbeat attitude, which makes her a rare ray of sunshine in the darkness of Gotham City. Should there ever be a Batgirl-focused installment of the new DC Universe, Stephanie would be a perfect fit.
Cassandra Cain
Perhaps the biggest fan-favorite on this list, Cassandra Cain was introduced as the second Batgirl in 1999. The daughter of assassins David Cain and Lady Shiva. Cassandra was raised to be a perfect killing machine — a living weapon who knows no language but violence. But after taking her first life, Cass was overcome with guilt and ran away, eventually being taken in by Barbara Gordon as a teenager. After she saves Jim Gordon’s life, Bruce allows her to join him as the new Batgirl. Under the tutelage of Bruce and Barbara, Cassandra fights to protect the innocent, overcome her dark past, and prove herself as a true hero.
Unlike the other characters on this list, Cassandra has technically appeared on film before. In the 2020 Birds of Prey movie, she was portrayed by Ella Jay Basco as a young pickpocket targeted by Black Mask. However, this Cass hardly has anything in common with her source material besides the name, and has been widely criticized by comic fans as an unfaithful adaptation. Hopefully a more comic-accurate Cassandra Cain will appear in live action soon.
Ace the Bat-Hound
Making his comics debut in 1955, Ace the Bat-Hound is the epitome of Silver Age camp. A crime-fighting dog with his own Batman mask is the sort of idea that no one could ever conceivably take seriously. But as silly as it is, there’s something undeniably fun about Batman having his own dog who sometimes helps him fight villains. And with Bat-Mite already confirmed to exist in the Peacemaker TV series, anything is possible in James Gunn’s DC Universe.