Now that Zack Snyder’s Justice League has been officially dropped on HBO Max, people finally get to see the fabled Snyder cut for the first time. Not only is the four-hour spectacle a vast improvement on the Joss Whedon theatrical release version of the film, but the Snyder cut also explored multiple characters in much more depth than they were initially given.
Characters like Bruce Wayne were expanded upon in significant ways, and their backstories were more fully fleshed out. As such, people found out more information about just what, exactly, happened to Robin in the DCEU. There are a few things even hardcore fans of the DCEU still don’t know about Robin in this franchise.
10 Bruce Considered Robin His Adopted Son
When Bruce is having his extended Knightmare dream sequences in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Zack Snyder’s Justice League, there are quite a few glimpses given to the audience into Bruce’s psyche. He is obviously struggling with some heavy things, including the death of Robin.
When he talks with Mera and The Joker in the Snyder cut during the Knightmare sequence, the Joker mentions that Bruce has lost people he has loved, contrary to Mera’s accusation that he never had. When The Joker lists people Batman has lost, he mentions, “an adopted son” — the Robin that The Joker killed.
9 The Joker Is Responsible For Robin’s Death
Even worse than the fact that Robin died is the fact that The Joker killed him. The audience could feel the tension between the two characters, as well as the very human anger, rage, and grief pouring off of Bruce in waves. He feels responsible for Robin’s death at the hands of The Joker.
While Zack Snyder has mentioned a couple of times that The Joker was responsible for Robin’s death in the DCEU, this was cemented when the Robin suit was first shown with The Joker’s handwriting spray-painted all over it. The comments between Bruce and The Joker in the Snyder cut are just more evidence pointing to the fact that The Joker killed Robin.
8 Batman Sent Robin To His Death
Another startling bit of information revealed about Robin’s death in the Snyder cut was that Bruce actually sent Robin to his death. After The Joker initially started taunting Bruce about Robin’s death, he asked Bruce why he sent “the Boy Wonder to do a man’s job.”
This implies that Batman was the one who made the call to send Robin to fight The Joker — a decision that would ultimately result in Robin’s death. Bruce has clearly carried this guilt ever since the event happened, nor does it seem likely that he will ever let it go.
7 The Robin That Died In The DCEU Was Dick, Not Jason
While it seemed obvious at first that the Robin that died in the DCEU would be Jason Todd, Zack Snyder has repeatedly confirmed that this was not, in fact, the case. While Jason Todd is the Robin most commonly killed in Batman interpretations, Zack Snyder made it very clear that Dick Grayson was the Robin that died in the DCEU, not Jason Todd.
In fact, not only has Snyder repeatedly confirmed this in multiple interviews, but he has tried to include Dick’s gravestone multiple times in the DCEU, as evidenced by set photos from Batman v Superman as well as trailers for Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Zack Snyder even once corrected a fan and told them it was “Richard” who had died, not Jason.
6 Robin Is Buried In The Wayne Family Plot
The aforementioned set photos and trailer snapshots that have proven that it was Dick Grayson who died have proven something else, as well. Not only did Dick die, but Bruce Wayne buried him in the Wayne family plot, and put Dick’s full name on the headstone: Richard John Grayson.
There are set photos from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice that show one gravestone bearing this name. In addition, there was a trailer released for the Snyder cut that showed what could potentially be the same gravestone for Dick. However, it had the same name on it: Richard John Grayson, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that Snyder meant for the dead Robin to be Dick, not Jason.
5 Zack Snyder Wanted The Next Robin To Be Carrie Kelley
After Zack Snyder revealed that the Robin that had died was Dick Grayson and not Jason Todd, fans were wondering what he intended to do next. There was speculation that Dick Grayson would be returning as a Red Hood-esque Nightwing, and still more speculation that Dick would never return at all — but that Jason or Tim might be introduced to the DCEU.
Snyder put all that to rest, however, when he told fans that he didn’t want any of these famous characters to be his next Robin. In fact, Snyder had plans to introduce Carrie Kelley as his next Robin in the DCEU, a move that shocked fans even more than if he had decided to use Damian Wayne or Stephanie Brown.
4 Batman Once Lost Someone He Loved Dearly — & It Changed Him Forever
After Bruce Wayne fell asleep in Zack Snyder’s Justice League and experienced yet another Knightmare dream sequence, he interacted with Mera. In this dark future, it was revealed to the audience that characters like Aquaman and Wonder Woman had long since died. Mera even accuses Batman of having no idea what she feels having lost Arthur, as he has never had to deal with the loss of a loved one.
The Joker makes his appearance then to inform Mera that this is very much not the case. Not only did Bruce Wayne famously lose his parents at a young age, but he lost his adopted son, as well. This refers, of course, to Dick Grayson, and the pain and grief Bruce feels over Dick’s death has clearly changed him forever.
3 Robin Died Before He Got A Chance To Found The Teen Titans
The Robin suit that was shown in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was obviously large enough to belong to somebody who was at least a teenager. As Dick is usually a fairly gangly teen, it could be assumed that he died when he was either a teenager or a young adult. However, he died before the formation of the Justice League.
Not only that, but Cyborg became a cyborg while he was in college — and so the famous Teen Titans have already moved on from their teen years. The audience knows, at least, that the Titans will be different than they’re used to if the team ever does appear in the DCEU.
2 There Is Still Potential For Jason, Tim, & Damian To Appear
Despite the fact that Zack Snyder intended for Carrie Kelley to be the next Robin in the DCEU, Warner Bros. has made it very clear that Zack Snyder’s Justice League is not canon to their main timeline in the DCEU. As a result, this means there is still a chance for any other Robin to appear in the franchise.
If Dick is dead — and stays that way, though fans would love for him to come back — then any of his younger brothers could take up the mantle of Robin. Jason Todd, Tim Drake, or Damian Wayne would all be great choices to introduce as the next Robin in the DCEU.
1 There Has Been A Nightwing Movie In The Works For Some Time
It has been reported for some time that there is, in fact, a movie about Nightwing in the works. Chris McKay has signed on to direct, and he has promised multiple times that he intends to deliver an action movie befitting an acrobatic hero like Nightwing.
While the movie still doesn’t seem to be in active production, fans are excited to see who will be cast in the role of Dick Grayson in the film. Hopefully, he will be cast accurately to his portrayal in the comics — and depicted similarly, with all the flirtatious charm and compassionate kindness fans have come to love about Dick.
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