A new report indicates that James Gunn is making an unexpected change to Robin for his DC reboot. Batman's trusty sidekick has already been mentioned several times in Gunn's initial plans for his new interconnected DC universe, with the character set to play a big part in titles like The Brave and the Bold, Teen Titans, and Dynamic Duo; however, which version of the Boy Wonder will actually take the DCU spotlight has remained a massive question mark for fans.
Thankfully, insider Daniel Richtman is here to provide some clarity for fans, suggesting that Gunn's Robin choice for the live-action Teen Titans movie, in particular, will break from the character's on-screen history with the team. Looking at the rest of the DCU Batman slate, this change may have already become apparent to those who looked closely enough, but that will not make it any less surprising to the general DC fan.
According to Richtman, who shared the news on his personal Patreon page, the Teen Titans movie will feature Damian Wayne as Robin rather than the typical Dick Grayson.
In the Teen Titans' most popular on-screen appearances to date, the teenage team has been led by Dick Grayson (aka Batman's first Robin). This was the case in the early 2000s Teen Titans TV series, Teen Titans Go!, and Max's gritty Titans TV show.
However, that looks to be changing with the release of the Teen Titans movie, with Batman's fifth proper Robin taking the reins for the team on the big screen.
For those completely taken aback by this move, there is some precedence of Damian Wayne's Robin leading the Teen Titans at several points in comic book history, so the change is not entirely out of nowhere.
Damian notably led the Titans in Adam Glass and Bernard Chang's Teen Titans run from 2018, as well as a short stint from the beginning of DC Comics' Rebirth era, in which Damian's Robin ran a team of teen supes that included Beast Boy, Starfire, Raven and Wally West’s Kid Flash.
The live-action Teen Titans movie was first announced in March 2024, as it is set to follow the group of teenage superheroes from DC Comics, usually consisting of Robin, Starfire, Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Raven (although that specific lineup has not been confirmed for the film adaptation).
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow writer Ana Nogueira is set to pen the script for the live-action DCU film, but no director or release information has been attached to the project yet.
Why Damian Wayne's Teen Titans Role Makes Sense
Even though fans may have thought Dick Grayson was going to be the Robin in Teen Titans for James Gunn's DC reboot, Damien Wayne actually hopping into that role make a lot of sense.
One thing has been clear since the beginning of Gunn's new vision for the Blue Brand's on-screen efforts: this is an established superhero world. Where fans are getting dropped into the DCU is technically mid-continuity. This means heroes have come and gone, various villains have been defeated, and this world has already lived a life before audiences even got a chance to see it.
Evidence of this can be seen in how the franchise will handle its Batman-focused fare. The DCU's first Batman movie, The Brave and the Bold, is set to be based on the comic run of the same name, focusing on a slightly older Bruce Wayne as he teams up with his son, Damian, to take on crime.
That fact shows where Gunn's head is with the Bat-Family characters and how they will be tackled in the DCU.
If Damian is going to be the Robin Brave and the Bold, then it would make sense to have the same character jump over to the Teen Titans movie when that story is ready to be told.
This also leaves the door open for past Robins like Dick Grayson and Tim Drake to pop up elsewhere in the super-powered franchise as their other superhero alter egos (i.e., Nightwing and Red Hood)
