Since Amazon Prime Video’s Batman: Caped Crusader takes place in what is ostensibly “Week Two” of Bruce Wayne (Hamish Linklater) taking on the cowl of The Dark Knight, you wouldn’t expect Robin to show up any time soon. Except in the eighth episode of the season, we get not one, but four future Robins… All living in an orphanage together.
Titled “Nocturne,” the episode is written by Halley Goss and directed by Matt Peters. It takes Batman to a carnival where a seemingly young girl named Natalia, aka Nocturna (McKenna Grace) is preying on young kids, sucking their essence and draining them dry. The only thing that has previously prevented Nocturna from serial murdering children is her brother, Anton (Haley Joel Osment)… But as Batman visits the carnival, tensions get amped up and Nocturna takes advantage of a group of visiting orphans to have what is perhaps one last big meal.
The orphanage is run by none other than Leslie Thompkins (Donna Lynne Champlin), usually seen as a doctor and confidant of Batman. But our main concern here is the kids. They are, in no particular order, Carrie (Juliet Donenfeld), Stephie (Amari McCoy), Dickie (Carter Rockwood), and Jason (Henry Witcher). Though none of them are given last names on the show, given those first names — and physically what they look like — it’s clear these are all characters who could someday be Robin.
Specifically, they are:
- Carrie, aka Carrie Kelley, the Robin introduced in Frank Miller’s seminal Dark Knight Returns.
- Stephie, aka Stephanie Brown, who is better known as Spoiler and was briefly Robin in the comics.
- Dickie, aka Dick Grayson, the first Robin who later becomes Nightwing.
- Jason, aka Jason Todd, the second Robin, who later goes on to become the Red Hood.
Conspicuously absent from this packed lineup is Tim Drake, the second Robin. Perhaps little Timmy fell down a well? Or maybe since Tim is the youngest, they didn’t want to get too heavy into the continuity.
The bigger question given a second season is already in the works: are these four kids Easter eggs? Or will one of them become Robin at some point in the future? I’d venture the former since this is so early in Batman’s career. But hey, they killed Two-Face (Diedrich Bader) at the end of the season, so anything is fair game.
Batman: Caped Crusader is now streaming on Prime Video.
