Behind the Scenes

Bat-Family Animated Show, Please?!

I barely follow DC news, but I heard that with Crisis on Infinite Earths part 3, the DC animated universe has been wiped clean. Just as they do with the comics and literally all media they produce, the DC animated universe is primed for a reboot. If there's any point in time to make a Bat-family show, it's now.

While I only dabble in DC content and don't consider myself a fan, I am a fan of the Bat-Family. Sadly, there's very little content on Gotham's plethora of vigilantes as DC adores Batman, but seems to fear and/or despise his sidekicks. The best content you can find on this disfuncional family of vigilantes is the Wayne Family Adventures WEBTOON, which is heavily based on fanon. Regardless, it's a masterpiece of a series.

Anyway, movies and tv are hesitant to feature Batman's sidekicks, including Robin. The few portrayals of Robin we have are either brief, inconclusive or unfaithful. Rarely do they depict these characters getting along (Batman Beyond being one horrendous example) and most fans of the Bat-Family are disappointed with the butchering of their favorite characters. Dick Grayson aka Nightwing is my favorite DC character and the best adaptation of him I can find is Young Justice (and maybe Teen Ttians). All others fall short and I won't get into it because I could rant for hours. Oh, and YJ was cancelled... twice.

As you can see, Bat-Family media is long overdue. However, my frustrations were not the only thing to spark this post. A few weeks ago, I was watching Bat-Family TikTok compilations on YouTube (because that's how starved of content we are) when I stumbled across an animatic that became a hyper-fixation in itself. Content creator Pinkiemachine roughly animated a Bat-Family show intro to "Back from the Dead" by Skillet. Though unfinished, it was beautiful. It focused on Batman and the four male Robins, each lyric collaborating with the respective character. I watched it multiple times and thus sparked my daydreaming of what such a show would be.

It would be animated for sure. Media today seems to deem animation as less than live-action. Comics has always been a little ridiculous, unrealistic and cartoony, which translates better in animation. Certain stunts and powers would look better drawn than attempted in real life, if it's even possible to do in real life (that's why animated characters brought to live-action don't feel the same, like Ahsoka Tano).

Like the animatic TikTok suggests, the current Robin would be Damian Wayne. If the show writers want to keep this part canon, this could imply that the show takes place after Bruce returns from being lost in time, during which Dick Grayson took up the mantle of Batman and made Damian his Robin. Personally, I'm a bit torn on whether or not keeping that storyline as canon. On one hand, it could set up Dick and Damian's relationship and explain why the family is at odds with each other. On the other hand, I think having Bruce disappear and forcing Dick to take up the mantle would be a great future arc in the show. I guess I'm leaning towards not. Tim Drake could leave his role as Batman's partner and Damian Wayne could fill the void (or Bruce fires him). Regardless of how it happens, Damian is the current Robin.

How I would set up the pilot is that the family is pretty estranged. Dick Grayson is the hero of Blüdhaven, Jason Todd is a crime lord in Crime Alley, Tim Drake is off being lone detective, and Bruce and Damian work together as the new dynamic duo. Damian is very new to the Robin role and feels the need to prove himself to his father and as better than his predecessors. Aside from Batman and Robin, they aren't working together or speaking to one another. Then a case pops up and our heroes cross paths. They put the two-and-two together and realize their cases are linked, bringing them to a temporary and reluctant alliance. As siblings do, former and current Robins alike fight like cats and dogs between following leads and cracking clues. Each child has their own beef with Bruce and all this unresolved tension drives rifts between them and compromises their ability to solve the case. At the climax, they part ways.