James Gunn and Peter Safran announce DCU’s 10 new films and TV shows for the first part of their 10-year plan. Gunn and Safran are designing and implementing a long-term interconnected story for the iconic franchise and characters. With this announcement, Chapter 1 of DC Universe under Gunn and Safran has officially begun. According to the announcement, audiences can expect these five films sometime soon from DC, Superman Legacy, The Authority, The Brave and the Bold, Supergirl: Women of Tomorrow, and The Swamp Thing.
Damian Wayne
The Brave and the Bold inspired by Grant Morrison’s comic series will feature not just Batman but his son Robin, with the film focusing on the unique father-son relationship. Once it was clear that Damian Wayne will feature in the film, comic book prices skyrocketed. Fans started buying the comic book in which Damian Wayne made his first appearance.
The character has starred in many comic books and animated series, in the DC Animated Universe trilogy of Son of Batman, Batman vs. Robin, and Batman: Bad Blood, and has had many appearances in the Teen Titans series and most recently in Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons.
The Brave and the Bold, according to Gunn, will center on Bruce Wayne’s Batman and, undoubtedly, Morrison and artist Andy Kubert’s most important contribution to the Bat Family canon, his adolescent son Damian Wayne. Damian is Batman’s son with Talia al Ghul, who was raised as an assassin by Talia and Ra’s al Ghul. According to Gunn, the film will chronicle Batman’s effort to educate the violent nightmare kid Damian on how to be Robin.
Bruce Wayne as Batman Begins
The Brave and the Bold has raised some eyebrows among traditionalists who would expect a Batman origin story first but we have already seen a lot of those so far. The decision to introduce Bruce Wayne as a father instead of a depressed loner is a smart one. We have seen Batman’s origin story on screen numerous times, it will be good to see him as a father for a change.
Damian Wayne in comic books
The greater DC Universe, which includes the complete Bat Family, has received little attention on the big screen in live-action. Damian’s presence suggests a world in which these heroes have already created their history in Gotham. We’ve seen enough origin stories, so jumping right into a more detailed universe may be a refreshing change of pace. Damian would also allow Batman to play a different role than what we’ve seen in any of the previous flicks, that of a parent. Bruce’s parent’s death is the most defining point in his life, and hence the advent of parenthood comes with significant weight.
While most representations of Damian are on the younger side, the character’s merciless attitude may attract a new audience that wasn’t prepared to see a new batman film starring a youngster. Recasting Robin as a coming-of-age narrative, with teenage responsibilities colliding with the duty of a hero, could be a fascinating approach.
