The Robin costume seen in the Batcave during Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice may not belong to Jason Todd after all, according to a cryptic tease from the film’s director.
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Zack 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 mounted in a glass case in the Batcave, 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.
Vero was co-founded by Ayman Hariri, the son of former Lebanese prime minister Rafic Hariri, who was assassinated in 2005. Before Snyder and several of his behind-the-scenes folks became some of the platform’s most visible users, Hariri — a comic book fan with one of the largest collections of vintage comics in the world — appeared in an uncredited role in Batman v Superman.
Snyder’s involvement in the DC movies seems to be mostly at an end at this point; while it was originally said that his Justice League would be a two-part outing, Snyder and his wife Deborah, also a producer on the films, started to walk that back during production on the film. Eventually Snyder left altogether following the death of his daughter, and Joss Whedon finished the film, including overseeing reshoots requested by the studio.
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.
