DC’s New Batman Has Already Set Up The DCU’s First Shocking Death

The DC Universe will have its own version of Batman thanks to the movie The Brave and the Bold, and due to its comic book inspiration, it’s already setting up the DC Universe’s first shocking death. While the DC Extended Universe releases the last titles on its schedule, Warner Bros. continues preparing for the release of DC Universe, a soft reboot of the DCEU. Unlike the latter, the DC Universe will feature a united continuity across live-action films, TV, animation, and video games, and will introduce new versions of some of DC Comics’ most popular characters, such as Superman and Batman.

Kicking off the DC Universe is Superman: Legacy, and after meeting a new team in The Authority, the DC Universe will introduce its own Batman in The Brave and the Bold. This version of Batman is separate from Ben Affleck’s Bruce Wayne from the DCEU and Robert Pattinson’s younger Batman from Matt Reeves’ The Batman universe, and he will be accompanied by his son, Damian Wayne, as Robin. The Brave and the Bold will see a side of Batman that hasn’t been explored on the big screen before, but it also sets up the DC Universe’s first shocking death.

Related: DC’s New Batman Movie Will Break 1 Annoying Live-Action Dark Knight Trend

Although The Brave and the Bold will be the introduction of Damian and a new Batman, the former’s presence in the DC Universe prepares the path for his comic book death to be adapted to the big screen. Damian Wayne is the son of Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul, thus being Ra’s al Ghul’s grandson and the heir to two opposite worlds. Bruce was unaware of Talia’s pregnancy and continued fighting crime in Gotham City, while Talia took advantage of Damian’s impressive genes and, with the help of the League of Shadows’ extensive scientific resources, she inorganically sped up Damian’s aging.

Damian was raised by Talia and trained by the League, becoming a skilled assassin at an early age, and when Talia deemed he was ready to meet his father, Damian traveled to Gotham and volunteered to be his sidekick, taking the mantle of Robin. Together, Batman and Damian went through a lot on their mission to fight crime, such as Batman’s supposed death, with Dick Grayson taking over the role of Batman, and Damian’s death and return. Damian was fighting the Heretic, who impaled Damian through the chest, killing him instantly.

Angered by the murder of his son, Batman vowed to avenge him, but unable to healthily cope with his loss, he started seeking ways to resurrect Damian, but his body was stolen by the League of Shadows as Talia was also planning to resurrect him. Batman eventually reclaimed Damian’s body, but it was later taken by Glorious Godfrey and taken to Apokolips, with Batman fighting Darkseid and the Parademons to rescue his son, who he finally resurrected.

Why The DCU Needs To Use Damian Wayne’s Comic Death Storyline

It’s unlikely The Brave and the Bold will cover Damian’s death, as it has to properly introduce Batman and Damien first (and without origin stories), but if their stories continue beyond this first movie, the DC Universe definitely needs to use Damian’s death storyline. As mentioned above, the DC Universe is exploring a side of Batman that hasn’t been seen on the big screen before, and Damian’s death brings out a darker and more personal side of Batman that is definitely worth exploring.

Damian’s story is also quite interesting, as his death shows that, even though he was trained by the League of Shadows, he was more on the side of the good than the bad. Damian Wayne’s death is a key moment in his and Batman’s stories, but whether he’s resurrected or not will depend on the tone of the DC Universe’s Batman and where their stories lead.

Key Release Dates