Warning: The following contains possible spoilers for "Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice."
We are less than one year away from DC's first ever big screen super hero team up "Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice." The film, as one can guess by the title, will pit the Caped Crusader and the Man of Steel against one another, at least until they are forced to join forces for the common good. Director Zack Snyder also plans on unveiling Wonder Woman, Aquaman and possibly Cyborg in the film in anticipation for his two-part "Justice League" series that will follow.
But "Batman V Superman" is much more than DC's first attempt to compare with Marvel's "Avengers" franchise. Snyder's film will also open up storylines for future films taking place in the DC Cinematic Universe, including David Ayer's "Suicide Squad."
One of the big rumors floating around about Ben Affleck's upcoming version of Batman is that he will be accompanied by a sidekick. Actress Jena Malone is thought to be playing Carrie Kelly, whom comic book fans will remember from Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns." Her character assumes the mantle of Robin after Jason Todd is murdered.
However, it is Todd who may prove to be the more important of the two.
Umberto Gonzalez of Latino Review is claiming that Todd's murder will be addressed in "Batman V Superman" and that the villain responsible will be present in more than one of DC's upcoming films.
"Jason Todd's uniform is in a display case inside the Batcave!" Gonzalez wrote. "In fact, The Joker & Harley Quinn are estranged in SUICIDE SQUAD because she feels guilt over the death of Todd. I'm also told that the RED HOOS is now a priority character for DC."
Todd replaced Dick Grayson as Robin after the latter became Nightwing as he got older. The 1988 "Death in the Family" comic storyline saw The Joker kill Todd, significantly impacting Bruce Wayne.
If rumors are to be believed, this version of Wayne is older and has already spent years battling The Joker. Although the character of Robin is hard to introduce in the grounded, realistic DC Cinematic Universe, borrowing from the Todd storyline would create an even more tragic backstory for Batman and also work as a revenge arc for him against The Joker. This would fit in perfectly with the unconfirmed reports that The Joker escapes from prison in "Suicide Squad" and set up a new solo Batman movie pretty well.
The latter part of Gonzalez's report is also interesting. As comic book readers know, Todd didn't exactly fade away into The Other Side. He returned, seeking vengeance on The Joker and upset with Batman for never avenging him. He took on the persona of the "Red Hood" to torment both characters.
Are all of these storylines going to play out on the big screen for DC? Remember, these are still unconfirmed reports at the moment. But if true, it looks as if the DC Cinematic Universe will be heavily interconnected and drawing from some fan favorite storylines.
"Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice" will hit theaters on March 25, 2016.
