Gunn Has a Perfect Opportunity to Fix One Thing Nolan's Dark Knight Got Wrong
There's still a lot of unknowns surrounding the upcoming Batman film, The Brave and the Bold. But the few aspects we do know may provide DC a chance to redo the one thing the Dark Knight trilogy got wrong.
James Gunn announced Robert Pattinson 's version of the Caped Crusader will not be part of the extended universe, meaning there will be a new actor and an entirely new cast. He also announced that The Brave and the Bold will introduce Damian Wayne as Robin, along with more of the "Batfamily."
The Batfamily refers to all of Batman 's allies, including Damian, his biological son. Damian was introduced as an unnamed infant in the 1987's comic series Son of the Demon. It wasn't considered canon for years, until 2006 when Damian returned. Two issues later, he became the fifth main-continuity Robin.
Damian is the son of Bruce and Talia al Ghul – therefore the grandchild of terrorist Ra's al Ghul. Ra's and his daughter Talia al Ghul are iconic members of Batman's sprawling rogues' gallery, but in their sole live-action film appearance, they were completely whitewashed.
Ra's has a complicated ancestry, with some stories saying he's from East Asia and others saying he's Byzantine. But he's always characterized as an Asian character – nothing like his actor in the Dark Knight trilogy, Irishman Liam Neeson. Ra's' daughter appeared in The Dark Knight Rises, played by the French actress Marion Cotillard.
Cinema has a deep history of whitewashing characters, especially of Asian descent. With characters whose ancestry and culture are as important as the al Ghul family's, it became one of only a few mistakes Christopher Nolan made in the Dark Knight trilogy.
Gunn has the opportunity to rectify that.
With Damian Wayne confirmed for The Brave and the Bold, the al Ghuls are certain to make an appearance early in the franchise. Gunn has previously made diverse casting decisions, disregarding the source material.
He cast Nigerian-British Chukwudi Iwuji in Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 3 as the High Evolutionary, depicted in the comics as a white man. He said race wasn't a factor, just that Iwuji is "the best actor" Gunn's worked with (according to his Twitter).
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Gunn has promised a clear future for the previously directionless studio, and casting comic-accurate actors for Ra's and Talia would be a great first step for one of its most popular properties.
Even without an announced release date, fans are already anticipating Damian's live-action debut – he has one of the most compelling character arcs of any modern Batman character.