Nightwing in Batman vs Superman: Attempts to expand DC’s cinematic universe?

Now DC comics fans have been given reason to keep the buzz on Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel sequel alive as confirmation that the character of Nightwing is set to appear in the film surfaces and casting speculations begin anew.

For those who missed it, about a month after the a Superman/Batman movie was announced with great aplomb by Warner Bros. at this year’s San Diego Comic Con, the news that actor Ben Affleck had been signed up for the role of the Dark Knight induced a storm of opinion that generally kept the buzz going. The title and release date are tentatively set as Batman vs Superman for the far-off July of 2015, and much was made of the plot’s potential in depicting the antagonism between the two heroes.

The announcement that Nightwing would be featured in Batman vs Superman was swiftly followed by the report that he would be played by Adam Driver, but the actor (of Girls fame) has since denied the rumour.

The fact that Nightwing will appear in the film may prove to have interesting implications. Nightwing, the matured crime-fighting persona of Batman’s first sidekick Robin, has yet to be realised on the big screen, despite several appearances on animated TV and a long history in DC comics. Nightwing on a live-action, feature-length film will be a first, and will add another superhero name to DC’s cinematic universe (a roster that is at the moment hugely eclipsed by rival Marvel).

Story-wise, utilising the Nightwing character complements the idea of an older and more experienced Batman, one that is interesting to consider in tandem with Man of Steel, where Superman was very much new to his role as a hero. The two big heroes of the DC comics universe have classically had tension that ranged from cautious but mutual respect to an outright antagonism rooted in clashing philosophies, so the inclusion of Nightwing—a character who is practically the embodiment of Batman’s grown-up son—would spell interesting things for the cast’s dynamic.

It may also induct the character of Dick Grayson into more mainstream media, an opportunity passed over by the recent Christopher Nolan Batman film series, which had no patience for the Robin character and ignored it as much as it could.

Still, though the character of Nightwing has been announced, neither Dick Grayson nor Robin have, and at this point the character could be up for interpretations as mystifying as the John ‘Robin’ Blake decision of the Nolan films.

Most interesting to consider, however, is how the inclusion of Nightwing—emphatically a ‘Batman character’—in the film tilts the scales somewhat in a Bat direction, despite the fact that Batman vs Superman is meant to be Zack Snyder’s sequel to his Man of Steel. One would expect a sequel to a Superman movie to include more Superman characters. There are sound reprisals on the Superman side of things, with Lois Lane, Martha Kent, and Perry White played respectively by Amy Adams, Diane Lane, and Laurence Fishburne. The sudden inclusion of Nightwing could mean doors opening for other beloved DC characters, and (though I am aware this is a stretch) maybe even a step in the direction of a sorely lacking Justice League film.

And so the questions will remain. Will Batman vs Superman be another chapter in Superman’s epic journey into becoming the most iconic superhero of all time? Or will it be another rumination on what it means to be a hero the world deserves as opposed to the one it needs? Or will the film surprise us entirely by giving us a fun-loving superhero movie that does not spend a hundred minutes or so dwelling on the existential angst of being a heroic empowered male?

(It just might, especially considering the still more maddening reports that the casting for the film’s female lead is in the market for a description that some have taken to mean Diana Prince, a.k.a Wonder Woman [re: Variety]. But then, that’s another discussion entirely, isn’t it?)