Although it got off to a shaky start, the DC Extended Universe seems to be on track as it’s opening up the multiverse to clear up the crowded timeline and reboot the most disappointing elements. With new incarnations of Superman and Batman joining the franchise and such beloved B-tier heroes as Batgirl, Zatanna, and Blue Beetle on the way, the DCEU could finally manage to rival Marvel’s big-screen output within the next few years.

As Marvel has proven, the current wave of superhero franchises can lead to gripping multi-movie arcs for characters like Tony Stark and Steve Rogers that capture the essence of their journey from the comics with several crucial cinematic junctures. These arcs can take superheroes from their origins to their greatest feat by way of their most interesting storylines from the comics. One DC character who’s primed for this kind of decade-long arc tying into a larger cinematic universe is Robin.

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The Boy Wonder is still something of a laughing stock among DC fans, but in the comics, he’s an complex, lovable character and a great foil for Batman. The story of an orphaned acrobat being adopted by the Dark Knight and trained as his young ward before eventually becoming a masked crimefighter in his own right has the potential for a compelling long-running on-screen character arc.

Robin the Boy Wonder in the DC comics

Warner Bros. has been desperately avoiding Robin since the disappointment of 1997’s Batman & Robin, but the Chris O’Donnell incarnation massively let the character down. Batman and Robin work best when they have a father-son dynamic, and audiences can see Bruce using Alfred’s wisdom to raise his own surrogate son, but Joel Schumacher gave them more of a homoerotic relationship. Instead of taking on Robin as his ward when he was a kid in need of guidance, Schumacher’s Batman adopted Robin when he was already a fully grown adult.

In the DCEU, with the flexibility of a vast multiverse, a great young actor like Timothée Chalamet or Finn Wolfhard could do wonders with the character arc of Dick Grayson. Moviegoers could spend years following Robin from Batman’s early mentorship to his own solo superhero career to his eventual work with teams like Young Justice and the Teen Titans. Getting to know Robin beyond his attachment to Batman could help to endear fans to the underappreciated hero.

Robin isn’t the only DC character who’s widely mocked by fans. Until a few years ago, Aquaman was also a laughing stock. His ability to talk to fish was ridiculed in comparison to Wonder Woman’s ability to fly and Superman’s ability to bend steel beams and Green Lantern’s ability to conjure up his wildest imagination. However, since Jason Momoa started playing Aquaman as an ice-cool badass, he’s been one of the world’s most beloved superheroes. The DCEU could finally get audiences to take Robin seriously like it’s done with Aquaman.

In Batman v Superman, with the “HA HA HA joke’s on you, Batman” Easter egg, Zack Snyder revealed the DCEU’s Robin to have been murdered by the Joker a long time ago. But that movie introduced an older, grizzled Bruce Wayne toward the end of his vigilante career. The DCEU is introducing a new Batman played by Robert Pattinson who’s just starting out as the Caped Crusader. A couple of movies down the line, when Pattison’s Batman has matured a little, taking Dick Grayson under his wing can be tied into his on-screen arc.

Robin in the comics

The great thing about Robin is that, on top of having the potential for his own captivating arc, he’s also crucial to Batman’s own arc. As explored hilariously in The Lego Batman Movie, becoming Dick Grayson’s caregiver gave Bruce Wayne’s life purpose. He led a solitary existence following his parents’ murder and tried to avoid getting to close to anybody except Alfred to prevent the same kind of heartbreak. Becoming a father figure to Robin taught him to care for other people again, eventually paving the way for the “Batman Family.”

Casual audiences only know Robin as Batman’s sidekick, but that was just the jumping-off point of his arc. He went on to become one of the DC universe’s most relatable heroes as he set out on his own quest to rid Gotham City of crime. As the DCEU boldly charges into the future and several major villains and story events are surely on the way, young Robin could play a key role in the wider universe. DC needs its own Kevin Feige-like architect so that arcs like this can tie into the ongoing DCEU storylines.

Robin’s reputation in the pop culture landscape means that Warner Bros. might be reluctant to introduce the character into the DCEU. But that reputation doesn’t reflect what an interesting character Dick Grayson can be in the hands of a writer who really cares about him.

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