The Brave and the Bold was among the movies announced by DC Studios as part of its "Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters" slate last January. The Batman franchise won't be folded into the DCU, meaning we'll get two different versions of Bruce Wayne in theaters at the same time.
One key way this reboot will stand out from Matt Reeves' movies, and its predecessors, is the fact Batman is going to be paired up with his son, Damian Wayne, as Robin.
With that in mind, we're now taking a deep dive into what we'd like to see from this movie. From the way Batman is portrayed to possible love interests and villains, we think you'll agree with many of these points...though our final entry could split opinions!
To find out what we're hoping to see in The Brave and the Bold, click on the "Next"/"View List" buttons below.
6. An Experienced Caped Crusader
When Ben Affleck was cast as Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice's Dark Knight, it was apparent we were getting an older version of Bruce Wayne. Unfortunately, Zack Snyder failed to really capitalise on that, with only a throwaway nod to a dead Robin serving as a glimpse into his history in Gotham City.
The filmmaker didn't do a terrible job, but we're sure The Brave and the Bold can improve on what we saw back in 2016.
We don't think the DCU's Batman should be middle-aged, but it would be good if he's been protecting his home for upwards of a decade. That means many of his villains will already be established and, crucially, it ensures Batman is an experienced superhero when the Justice League eventually assembles.
5. The Bat-Family
The other main advantage of an experienced Batman is it means we'll finally see the Bat-Family on screen. By this point in the hero's history, we'd like it if Dick Grayson has already become Nightwing after serving as Robin and for Jason Todd to still be suspected dead after a run-in with The Joker.
Where does that leave Tim Drake? Well, we've always had something of a hard time accepting that Batman would enlist another child so soon after Jason's demise, so it might be best to sideline him until down the line.
Batgirl should absolutely be operating in Gotham City by this point and we'd like all of these characters to play small, yet important parts in The Brave and the Bold.
4. The Reluctant Robin
Just like when Grant Morrison introduced Damian Wayne, we want to see this snot-nosed kid give his father hell. Raised in the League of Assassins, he needs to be a reluctant Robin who Bruce needs to bring in line, largely because that's such a unique dynamic for Batman and his Boy Wonder.
By the time the credits roll, we'd expect Damian to have decided he should remain by his father's side, but a Robin who leans towards lethal justice and rebels where his predecessors toed the line sounds like a blast to us.
DC Studios is expected to cast a 10-year-old as Robin, but even if there's only 2 or 3 years between each Batman movie, that won't give the actor long to remain in this role. With that in mind, DC Studios needs to take advantage of this kid being a pain in the ass for as long as possible!
3. Batman's Complicated Love Life
Outside of Catwoman, Batman's big screen love interests have never been overly compelling. The Brave and the Bold should change that, with Bruce's complicated past with Talia al Ghul a solid place to start.
The Batman franchise looks set to continue exploring the hero's relationship with Selina Kyle, so this movie can do something fresh by having Talia use Damian to convince the Dark Knight he needs to make good on past promises by joining the League of Assassins.
Does that mean Ra's al Ghul should be added to the mix? Potentially, but we're keen to see this franchise shift focus of villains who haven't already been given lead roles on screen...
2. Fresh Villains
As fun as it was to see The Joker show up in The Batman, we couldn't help but roll our eyes at yet another iteration of the Clown Prince of Crime appearing in one of the Caped Crusader's movies.
This character has one of the best rogues' galleries in all of comics, so why not put the spotlight on someone other than the usual suspects? We're due a new take on Bane and Poison Ivy, but then there are underutilized baddies like Clayface, Mr. Freeze, Professor Pyg, and Ventriloquist.
DC Studios has the chance to do something new with The Brave and the Bold, and while Batman's classic foes should absolutely exist in Gotham City, let's relegate them to cameos or even mere mentions for the time being.
1. A New Director
Sorry, but after The Flash, Andy Muschietti should not be let anywhere near another superhero movie (and certainly not one as important as The Brave and the Bold).
The filmmaker faced his fair share of challenges with the 2023 movie, yes, but beyond the terrible VFX and underwhelming story, he still delivered a thoroughly average outing for the Scarlet Speedster full of cringeworthy moments and baffling creative decisions.
Muschietti did a good job tapping into the nostalgia which comes with Michael Keaton's Batman, but that's not enough to sustain a new take on the hero which needs to compete with the likes of The Dark Knight and The Batman.
Would you ask Josh Trank to helm Avengers: Secret Wars? Or SJ Clarkson to take charge of the Wonder Woman reboot? Nah...