Batman Beyond: Could There Be a New Batman & Robin?

Batman Beyond has given us an incredibly fascinating look into what could be in store for Gotham City in the future.  The franchise provides us with a glimpse into an old Bruce Wayne, and even a new generation of Jokers, but now DC Comic’s might be giving us a new Robin.   Who is as excited as me?  Terry, Bruce Wayne’s mentee (and his brother Matt), have moved in and given Wayne Manor a bit of a family vibe. Bruce has recently had back surgery, and therefore, Terry has been patrolling the streets as Batman.  Bruce, of course, has provided support and helped him along the way.  He’s been able to monitor Terry’s adventures through the safety of the Batcave.  Matt, on the other hand, has been spending his time going over old footage of a much younger Bruce training Damian Wayne – in his earliest days as Robin.

After a long drawn out back and forth with Payback, both Terry and Bruce get critically injured.  With Bruce almost incapable of walking and Terry barely clinging onto consciousness, it falls to Matt to step up to the plate.  How does he do this exactly?  In his first act as Robin, he takes a sledgehammer to the glass case where Bruce keeps all of his old costumes.  Bruce is extremely (and uncharacteristically) laid back by Matt getting involved.  But the hard truth is that Bruce is getting older and he is going to die eventually.  Terry is going to need to start building a team of his own.  Is a tear forming in your eye?  Or is it just me?  That’s how these things go, and Bruce recognizes the need for this kind of transition.

Let’s back up for a moment. Bruce Wayne has been having a really hard time as of late.  Bruce retired as Batman, which is why he started training Terry in the first place.  The retirement happened before he was even back to good health.  Bruce had spent years comatose, so this temporary health comeback was a bit of a reprieve.  During that time, Damien came back to do some damage on Bruce as well. The physical wear and tear on Bruce’s body would be debilitating enough, had he not had his back broken.  Bruce needed someone to look after him.  Enter Terry and Matt.  Having seen how crime fighting is done through Bruce’s surveillance, it’s no surprise that Matt took interest in the costumes of Bruce’s former sidekicks displayed in the Batcave.

But if Bruce and Terry can be convinced that Matt’s owed the same chance to devote his life to justice, the Batman Beyond universe may see the first set of brothers take up the mantles of Batman and Robin. The story potentially seems too good to even speculate on at this point.  That said, this issue definitely delivers because it might give Matt a chance to prove that he’s ready for the next step. Unfortunately, Bruce wasn’t able to train Damien as the next Robin, but this might be a better way to play out this story line, don’t you think?  I’m not saying that I don’t love Bruce in terms of Batman, but maybe this is a way to shake up the storyline a bit?