WHY BATMAN MOVIES NEVER FEATURE THE BATFAMILY

Batman is one of the biggest characters in comic books, and he also has one of the most extensive groups of allies and sidekicks. Known as the "Batfamily," this group includes different versions of Robin, Batgirl and even foes such as Catwoman. Despite how extensive this list of allies is, the Batfamily is almost never seen in the Caped Crusader's movies.

That's set to finally change in James Gunn's DC Universe in the movie The Brave and the Bold. This film will feature Bruce Wayne's son Damian as Robin, and it may even feature a developed and robust Batfamily. At the same time, there may be some major changes to the Batfamily on the big screen, and given how bloated it's become in the comics, it's for the best. Still, it begs the question of why the Batfamily is rarely featured at all, especially since it includes iconic heroes like Robin and Batgirl.

Many Batman Movies Focus on Bruce Wayne's Early Years as Batman

One reason for the lack of an extensive Batfamily in most Batman movies is the scope of those films. These movies focus on a Batman who's still early in his career as the Dark Knight of Gotham City. This is obvious in the movie Batman Begins, which acts as a reboot and origin story for the cinematic take on the character. In fact, he doesn't become Batman until about halfway into that movie. Matt Reeves' The Batman is somewhat similar, with Robert Pattinson's take on Batman having been in operation for only about one year at that point. Even Tim Burton's first Batman movie had a version of the character who wasn't that far along into his career, as both crooks and the Gotham Gazette were still shocked by his existence.

In the comics, Batman is a lone soldier against crime for a good bit before he finally takes on Dick Grayson as his partner, Robin. Likewise, the same goes for other Batman allies such as Batgirl, other versions of Robin, and the Huntress, who in some continuities, is his biological daughter with Catwoman. Given how early on these cinematic takes are in Batman's life, it makes sense that he wouldn't have a Robin, let alone a developed Batfamily. Even in the Burton/Schumacher Batman movies, Batman only took on a sidekick in the third of the four films. Ironically, the much-maligned Batman and Robin was the one live-action movie to have the most developed Batfamily, as the film ended with Batman having both Robin and Batgirl at his side.

Batman Movies Thrive Best When Bruce Wayne Sticks to His Noir Roots

As much as more hardcore Batman comic book fans may not want to admit it, Batman works best when he's a fairly grounded, noir detective character. This can especially be seen in the hero's modern movies, which largely eschew his more "comic booky" villains and concepts. Doing so was definitely necessary after the controversy of the campy Batman and Robin, and it's also the easiest way to sell the character to moviegoers. In fact, this more grounded yet cinematic scope has given the hero a sort of "prestige" aura, and doing away with that could be harmful at the box office.

Some of Batman's best comic book storylines are also similar to this tone and scope, be they Batman: Year One, Batman: The Killing Joke or the various stories from the anthology series Legends of the Dark Knight. Those stories have Batman on his own, so emulating them means doing away with a large Batfamily. Any sense of grit or noir mystery might be hurt by a teenage sidekick in a colorful costume, which speaks to the main reason why Batman's superheroic supporting cast hasn't been featured in most of his movies.

Mainstream Audiences Associate Robin and Batgirl With Campiness in Live-Action

Whether fans want to admit it or not, there are still certain attitudes surrounding both Robin and Batgirl as concepts. To mainstream audiences outside of the comic book fanbase (or even those who grew up with Batman: The Animated Series), Robin can be easily dismissed as an unnecessary character who doesn't add much to the Batman mythos, especially with how similar Dick Grayson's origin is to Batman's. Similarly, both Batgirl and Batwoman could be seen as extensions of Batman, especially if they're not given their own character goals and storylines that differ from Bruce Wayne's. This aura is especially felt due to a few projects in particular.

For older audiences, Robin is still defined by Burt Ward's take on the character in the 1960s Batman TV series. Not only did the show thrive on lighthearted fun, but Robin in particular was always depicted saying variations of the same one-liner that started with "Holy..." and ended with "Batman!" Batgirl aka Barbara Gordon was also a late addition to that series. But like most 1960s television programs, she wasn't given the type of nuanced writing and characterization she would later get in other TV adaptations like the DCAU and even the 2002 Birds of Prey series. Though Barbara functioned as the information broker, Oracle, in the latter series, it sadly didn't make a strong enough impression on mainstream audiences to shed the image of the 1960s Batman show.

The final nail in the coffin that may have solidified the idea of the Batfamily as a campy concept for mainstream audiences is 1997's Batman and Robin. The movie can even be argued to have surpassed the 1960s TV series on that front, especially since the latter was a product of its time. Since then, however, modern uses of Robin have been much darker, be it the Titans TV series or the modern Damian Wayne Robin in the comics. Even the 2003 Teen Titans animated series -- which was much more lighthearted than the source material -- had Dick Grayson as fairly serious. Thus, the character has an uphill battle making it back onto the big screen, as does the rest of the Batfamily.

Properly Adapting the Batfamily Will Require More than a Trilogy to Develop

Perhaps the biggest issue with putting the Batfamily in movies is how extensive and overgrown it's become in the comics. There are five Robins (Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown and Damian Wayne), three Batgirls (Barbara Gordon, Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown) and other allies such as Batwoman, Huntress (Helena Bertinelli), The Signal, Azrael, Orpheus and others. That's not even counting sidekicks and allies from other continuities, namely the Earth-Two Huntress (Helena Wayne, the daughter of Batman and Catwoman) or Carrie Kelley's Robin. Many fans have complained about the abundance of Batman Family members, and translating it perfectly to the big screen requires more time than even an extensive shared universe might allow.

For instance, Jason Todd, the second Robin, wasn't introduced until Dick Grayson was an adult and became Nightwing. Jason operated as Robin for a little while before being killed by The Joker, and he was thereafter replaced by Tim Drake. The latter was Robin for quite awhile, briefly replaced by Stephanie Brown before taking the mantle back and then being permanently replaced by Damian Wayne. There was a 16-year publication gap between Tim Drake and Damian Wayne's introduction, and there would need to be some sort of similar time gap to make this work in the movies. It's simply not feasible for a long-running movie series to last that long, which is why the Batfamily might have to be truncated even in the upcoming DC Universe.

Given that Damian will be Robin in The Brave and the Bold, it's highly likely that Dick Grayson is already Nightwing. Likewise, it's also possible that Jason Todd was the second Robin and was killed by The Joker. Barbara Gordon may also be operating as Oracle, having given up the Batgirl identity after being paralyzed by The Joker. From there, however, the Batfamily gets tricky. Though he's a fan-favorite, Tim Drake may not have strong story potential if Damian is already fronting the Batman brand. Similarly, the other Batgirls may be harder to sell without the mainstream presence of Barbara Gordon. The other Batman allies, besides maybe Helena Bertinelli's Huntress, may likewise be harder to adapt without the right storyline.

At best, the only way to properly adapt the Batfamily in its entirety would be a television series, namely an animated show. This will allow a large time gap to take place without having to worry about actors' ages, and if it's successful enough, it can go long enough to make these gaps feel organic. It's all more than a movie trilogy or even a shared cinematic universe can accomplish. After all, even the DC Animated Universe skipped Jason Todd in favor of going straight to Tim Drake once Dick Grayson was Nightwing. Hopefully, a new DCAU equivalent could adapt the broader Batfamil. For now, it's likely something that will only exist at its biggest within the comics.

2024-04-13T08:03:36Z dg43tfdfdgfd