Ross Butler, who played Reggie Mantle on the first season of Riverdale before leaving for a series regular gig on Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why, took to Instagram during his Warner Bros. Studio tour to give fans a close-up look at the Robin costume from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
The costume, which appeared in a glass case in the Batcave, is widely understood to belong to Jason Todd, the second Robin, who died in the comics and had his costume similarly displayed until he returned from the grave years later.
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It appeared in early trailers for the film and became a source of preoccupation for many fans, although it was never overtly referenced in Batman v Superman.
Fans on Reddit noted that the eyes and neck for the costume appear to be copied from the molds for Ben Affleck’s Batman costume, presumably to save time and money since no Robin was ever cast.
Recently, filmmaker Zack Snyder teased fans for assuming they knew the backstory because they had read the comics, suggesting that the costume may not have belonged to Jason Todd, although DC itself seemingly confirmed it long ago.
Snyder has been spending quite a bit of time lately interacting with his fans on Vero, a new-ish social network where he has a significant presence. Plenty of that time has been spent discussing his DC superhero movies, especially Batman v Superman.
In a thread about the Robin costume, a fan asked Snyder whether there had ever been plans for a Jason Todd subplot in Batman v Superman. Snyder responded, “What makes you think that’s Jason Todd?”
The issue had been at the center of a lot of discussion after the film’s trailer provided a first look at the Robin costume, with some fans arguing that just because it happened a certain way in the comics does not mean Snyder would be bound by it. The identity of the dead Robin was seemingly confirmed when the Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood official Facebook page posted video in which tour guide John Kourounis provided a live tour of DC Universe: The Exhibit.
The video has since been taken down.
“This was one of the big things from Batman v Superman, right across this way. The Jason Todd/Robin suit,” Kourounis said of the display. “Spray painted on the front, ‘Ha-Ha. The joke’s on you Batman.’ Those of you that know the storyline, know what happened to this Robin.”
In the 1988-89 comic book story arc “A Death in the Family,” The Joker kidnapped the second Robin, Jason Todd. He tortured Jason, beat him with a crowbar, and made his estranged mother, Sheila Haywood, watch, then left them for dead in a building rigged to explode. Todd stayed dead longer than most comic book characters, but in 2005, DC Comics finally resurrected him. Now he is running around the DC Universe as the Red Hood, an identity that has appeared in video games and animated movies. Jason’s potential role in the upcoming Matt Reeves film The Batman has been a subject of frequent fan speculation.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is currently available on Blu-ray, DVD, and streaming services. The DC Extended Universe continues with Aquaman on December 21st, Shazam on April 5, 2019, Wonder Woman 2 on November 1, 2019, Cyborg in 2020, and Green Lantern Corps in 2020.
