The DCU’s First Look At Robin Shows Exactly How It’s Solving A Big Batman Challenge

The DCU‘s first Robin tease has shown how the universe can deal with one Batman challenge that appears to be cropping up with its world. The next few years for the DCU timeline promise a veritable buffet of DC debuts, with a huge range of characters positioned to make their first appearance in the franchise soon.

The DCU’s latest set pH๏τos have painted a fascinating picture of what the near future is set to look like. With in-universe posters teasing not only the DCU’s Joker but also the DCU’s Penguin, it seems one 2026 DCU film will set the proverbial stage for Gotham and Batman’s wider lore at the same time.

Clayface’s Robin Tease Shows The DCU Can Still Explore Batman’s Backstory Whatever Approach It Takes

Comic book art: a young Dick Grayson with the Flying Graysons.

While it already seemed that Clayface could possibly be set earlier than present day in the DCU timeline – given it’s a villain origin story – recent set pH๏τos seem to confirm this will be the case, as the Penguin doesn’t appear to be a villain yet but rather a circus act, and The Flying Graysons also appear to be operating.

With The Flying Graysons famously being the family business Richard Grayson was a part of before his parents’ deaths led to him becoming Batman’s first sidekick, this latter tease also helps set up the DCU’s first Robin – who may well be operating as Nightwing in present day, depending on how the DCU intends to handle this side of the timeline.

Thanks to Creature Commandos, we know that Batman has been actively operating for some time in the present day DCU. Similarly, reports have stated The Brave & The Bold will feature Damian Wayne, who is conventionally the fifth comic Robin. This sets up a very unique DCU Batman, who has had huge chunks of his story happen off-screen.

However, it seems Clayface shows a way to navigate the challenges of introducing Batman at this point in his life, as Batman’s history and lore can be expanded upon by releases set further back in the timeline – much as Clayface seems to reveal a lot about an earlier era for Gotham, including this allusion to Richard Grayson’s origin story.

Clayface Being A DCU Batman Prequel In Essence Would Make It Even Better

Clayface shapeshifts in Batman One Bad Day variant cover by Brian Bolland

Ultimately, Clayface does need to be its own thing, as an R-rated horror movie that is set to expand the idea of what superhero films can be – since this territory is pretty much unexplored for DC or Marvel when it comes to live-action movies, despite much of their comic catalogs arguably being along these lines.

However, that doesn’t mean it has to cut itself off from the wider universe. Indeed, to do so would be to the film’s detriment, since its exploration of Gotham and how one of its supervillains came to be works best if what Gotham is like during the time of the film is expanded on in detail.

This serves the added bonus benefit of encouraging those who might not have been as willing to give a film based around more obscure Batman villains a chance, since the film thus more directly sets up Batman’s DCU world and mythos, making it a prequel of sorts for the Dark Knight’s own film debut.

Though it’s possible Batman won’t appear in Clayface, any work the movie does to help pave the way for his impending full live-action entrance will be endlessly useful for making the hero and the franchise more broadly detailed and more interesting – much as the Flying Graysons poster has already fleshed out the first bit of Robin’s DCU story.