Summary
- The DCU’s
The Brave and the Bold
will recast Bruce Wayne’s Batman, and introduce his son, Damian Wayne’s Robin. -
The Brave and the Bold
would benefit from introducing a lesser-known DC Comics villain, which happens to be a favored trend of James Gunn. - The potential introduction of Professor Pyg as a villain could challenge the new Batman and Robin dynamic, adding depth to the storyline.
Ben Affleck’s replacement as Bruce Wayne’s Batman in The Brave and the Bold would benefit from facing an important new DC Universe villain. The Brave and the Bold was first announced during DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn’s January 2023 reveal of the rebooted DCU’s Chapter 1, “Gods and Monsters”, alongside other upcoming projects, including Superman: Legacy, Booster Gold and Creature Commandos. While not much is yet known about the storyline or casting for the DCU’s new The Brave and the Bold project, the Batman-centric reboot may be the perfect opportunity to introduce some seldom-seen foes into the live-action superhero franchise.
The Brave and the Bold is set to recast Bruce Wayne, as Ben Affleck will not be returning to portray the Caped Crusader. Robert Pattinson’s younger version of the Dark Knight will continue in Matt Reeves’ The Batman franchise, but the DCU will explore a new story for Bruce Wayne, as his son will also be introduced. Damian Wayne’s Robin will play a major role in The Brave and the Bold, and the fact that Batman and Robin will be operating as a partnership means some of the duo’s most iconic and terrifying villains from DC Comics could be introduced.
Related Why The DCU’s New Batman Casting Is Taking So Long (& Why It’s Good) While several rumors have emerged about who will play the DCU’s Batman, James Gunn has made it clear that casting depends on 1 thing, and that’s good.
Batman: The Brave & The Bold Will Center On Robin’s Conflict
James Gunn previously confirmed that The Brave and the Bold would be based on Grant Morrison’s 2006 to 2013 run of Batman stories in DC Comics, which began with the Batman and Son storyline that introduced Damian Wayne into the DC continuity. Batman and Son revealed that Damian Wayne was the son of Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul, though he was shown to be as brutal as his mother and less moral than his father. Since The Brave and the Bold will introduce Damian Wayne to the DCU, it’s likely he’ll have a huge role in the upcoming movie.
Damian Wayne was introduced in Grant Morrison’s
Batman #655
in 2006, and officially adopted the Robin moniker two issues later.
Following this storyline, the DCU’s The Brave and the Bold could explore Damian Wayne’s inner conflicts as he works out what kind of hero he wants to be. While he was introduced as a brutal, and often murderous, character, Damian fought the urge to do things differently to his father as he assumed the role of Robin, Batman’s sidekick. This inner turmoil will likely be adapted for The Brave and the Bold, revealing a completely new Batman and Robin dynamic, though Damian Wayne’s battle with his own psyche and upbringing opens the door for some haunting villains to be introduced.
Professor Pyg Is The Perfect Villain For DC’s New Batman & Robin
Damian Wayne’s inner turmoil in The Brave and the Bold will likely be balanced with Bruce Wayne attempting to teach his son how to be a hero, rather than a villain. These lessons, however, would be seriously challenged if James Gunn decides to include DC Comics’ Professor Pyg. Professor Pyg debuted as a corpse in 2007’s Batman #666, but made his first full appearance in 2009’s Batman and Robin #1, opposing Bruce Wayne’s Batman and Damian Wayne’s Robin. This is the same period that The Brave and the Bold will take inspiration from, so Professor Pyg’s debut is very possible.
Lazlo Valentin, a.k.a. Professor Pyg, is one of DC’s most insane and brutal villains. Once a scientist, Valentin suffered a schizophrenic breakdown which transformed him into a deranged villain who sports a pig mask. Seeing human beings as broken individuals, Professor Pyg strives to surgically transform everyone into mind-controlled automatons, making him one of Batman and Robin’s most creepy foes. Professor Pyg’s potential introduction in The Brave and the Bold would push Damian Wayne’s restraint, as the young Robin would surely want to kill the villain and enact his own warped justice, creating conflict with his father’s no kill rule.
Batman: The Brave & The Bold Needs New Villains
Previous Batman-centric live-action movies have often focused on a similar selection of recognizable Batman villains from DC Comics, which means that repeating this in The Brave and the Bold may be a mistake. Seeing the same villains reused over and again will become mundane, so The Brave and the Bold would benefit from introducing an adversary such as Professor Pyg. It would make sense for The Brave and the Bold to avoid introducing a new version of the Joker, or featuring the likes of the Riddler, the Penguin and Catwoman, as these foes have been seen in recent Batman projects.
Thankfully, James Gunn has already demonstrated a penchant for taking lesser-known characters from DC Comics and adapting them into live-action. This has been the case for Polka-Dot Man, The Detachable Kid, Weasel, the Creature Commandos and the Authority, and it’s likely this theme will continue in upcoming DCU projects. Introducing Professor Pyg in The Brave and the Bold would fit this trend perfectly, and would provide a brilliant level of conflict and disagreement between Bruce Wayne’s Batman and Damian Wayne’s Robin.
The Brave and the Bold
doesn’t yet have a scheduled release date, though
The Flash’s
Andy Muschietti is attached to direct.