Whenever it comes to the DCAU, fans often look back to Bruce Timm’s masterful work on Batman: The Animated Series, which by many is still considered the peak of the caped crusader. However, the DCAU isn’t just limited to BTAS, as there have been several different interpretations of the iconic character in the realm of animation, with one of them being The Batman.
Not to be confused with Matt Reeves’ The Batman, The Batman animated series was a fun reimagining of Batman and its coterie of supervillains, which scored well critically throughout its run. One thing that fans found odd about the show was the introduction of Batgirl as Bruce’s first sidekick, but the writers can’t be blamed for this decision.
The Batman Animated Series Wasn’t Initially Allowed to Use Robin
Robin has been put on ice in live-action since the failure of Batman & Robin. However, his history predates Joker, and he still remains one of the most important aspects of the Batman mythos. So it’s reasonable to see why the character has been heavily incorporated into every medium, apart from live-action. So, when The Batman animated series started airing, fans assumed Dick Grayson, the first Robin, would be introduced as the caped Crusader’s first sidekick.
But to everyone’s surprise, it was Barbara Gordon’s Batgirl, who became Batman’s first sidekick, which didn’t sit well with everyone. Later acknowledging this change, executive producer Alan Burnett revealed that they were kind of forced by Teen Titans, another iconic DCAU show, which was running on air at the time. As a result, the network didn’t want two variations of Robins on two different shows, and it wasn’t until the acclaimed Teen Titans show concluded that they were free to use the character.
He said The World’s Finest:
“Maybe people were expecting Robin to be introduced first, but Robin wasn’t available to us until this season [4].”
DCU Will Finally Give Robin Its Time to Shine in Live-Action
Although Robin has been excelling in the medium of animation and comics for years now, after almost three decades, the character is finally set to mark his return to the big screen in the DCU.
Not only DCU’s The Brave and the Bold will serve as an introduction to this universe’s Batman and his son, Damien Wayne, but Teen Titans is also set to get their time to shine in the new universe.
Ana Nogueira, who is behind the script of DCU’s Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, has been reportedly tasked to pen the script for the upcoming Teen Titans adaptation.
The Batman animated series is available to stream on Max.
