#jason does TECHNICALLY exist in the DCAU

[drbatsponge]

I rewatched Return of the Joker today, or at least when I'm posting this and it's so funny because Terry is like "I'M DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHER KIDS YOU'VE TAKEN IN, I'M A CRIMINAL!"

And like if Jason or Cass existed in this universe it would be fucking hilarious. 😭

Bruce legitimately would be like "wtf r u going on about, my son and daughter literally murdered people."

[bondunlocked]

 So not only do we have all but confirmed Batfamily in the DCMU, but I think we can almost pinpoint the exact time frame the family is in. 

So to state the obvious first... The Justice League Trailer

Commissioner Gordon pointing out that he has seen Batman work with others before. He’s pleased even about it. Since Batman habitually trains children, that would suggest that either in the DCMU they are going to age up the Robins or Gordon has had a long time to come to terms with the idea. 

Thanks to Dawn of Justice, even before Suicide Squad, we knew that Batman has been operating for a while and already faced off against some of his biggest threats, like the Joker.

But it’s thanks to the Joker that we get our next hint. Have a look at the Harley Quinn Easter Egg from Suicide Squad.

One of her crimes? Accomplice to the murder of Robin.

It’s about as obvious as a mallet to the head. A Robin is dead. And any comic fan can tell you exactly which Robin was famously murdered by the Joker. (Even taking into account that the Death in the Family story arc was written before the creation of Harley) Sure, there have been other story arcs involving a Robin being injured by the Joker. Hell, one of the darkest story arcs in the DCAU involved what he did to Tim Drake. But no one is ever going to contest the fact that if you want to look at the Robin murdered by Joker, you get Jason Todd, the second Robin.

Now Jason is the second Robin. And we know that his death did send Batman into a deep spiral of depression. Bruce doesn’t tend to show emotion much from the one and a bit movies we have so far seen, so it does seem he is falling apart both as Batman and Bruce Wayne. He is so paranoid about criminals killing innocent people that he is torturing petty criminals and was fully prepared to skewer Superman simply for being an alien and a possible threat. Not exactly like the Bruce Wayne we know. And yet, the thing that pulls him onside? The idea of an innocent person getting hurt i.e Martha Kent.  

But then there is that one scene in Dawn of Justice that seems to contradict everything.

But does this mean that there is no Batfamily. Is this the false line and the others true or have we got this the wrong way round? Or is there another meaning to this? Maybe look at his relationship with the oldest Robin, Dick Grayson.

Remember that there was a few years there where Bruce had all but cut off contact with Dick after their blow up. Dick was not adopted until a lot later in canon and therefore not technically Bruce’s family and face it, during that time both were kinda pretending the other didn’t exist. Maybe by saying what he said, Alfred was lamenting Bruce’s failure to adopt the Robins and include them in the Wayne family and Dick’s estrangement and Jason’s death (Alternately, he could be lamenting the fact that there are no genetic sons which is odd for Alfred Pennyworth. He has never discriminated like that before and frankly that is not an Alfred I want in the DCMU)

So if I am correct, where does that leave us?

Although not directly stated, it has been made clear that the Bat is without a Bird at the time of Dawn of Justice. Yet, it is equally clear that there has been at least one Robin previously. To keep with canon of the second Robin being the one to meet his end by the Joker, there would have to be two previous Robins. That puts us post Death in the Family yet more than likely Pre-Tim Drake era. Which, although sad, makes sense. Part of the reason Tim Drake took up the mask was because he saw how both Batman and Bruce Wayne were being affected by the loss of his partners and well, DOJ Bats gives off that exact and worrying mentality that got Tim to don the short-shorts.

Since they are bound to do a Batman movie to hook into the JL movies, it would be a good side story to look into Bruce making amends with Dick, training Tim and making his peace with Jason’s death to bring out the human side of Batman (Sadly, I think it would be too much of a stretch to bring Damian Wayne into the movie verse but a girl can dream) All these would be wonderful to create a rich and complex character in Batman, outside of the brooding grump that he is habitually played as.

So in conclusion, if I had to guess the Batfamily timeline in the DCMU, I am going to say that there is enough small hints to suggest that we are post Dick and Jason as Robin but pre-Tim (Of course this could all be speculation and mis-direction but I like to live in this little world I made and everyone else is welcome to join me here where the Batfamily lives)