I barely follow DC news, but I heard that with Crisis on Infinite Earths part 3, the DC animated universe has been wiped clean. Just as they do with the comics and literally all media they produce, the DC animated universe is primed for a reboot. If there's any point in time to make a Bat-family show, it's now.

While I only dabble in DC content and don't consider myself a fan, I am a fan of the Bat-Family. Sadly, there's very little content on Gotham's plethora of vigilantes as DC adores Batman, but seems to fear and/or despise his sidekicks. The best content you can find on this disfuncional family of vigilantes is the Wayne Family Adventures WEBTOON, which is heavily based on fanon. Regardless, it's a masterpiece of a series.

Anyway, movies and tv are hesitant to feature Batman's sidekicks, including Robin. The few portrayals of Robin we have are either brief, inconclusive or unfaithful. Rarely do they depict these characters getting along (Batman Beyond being one horrendous example) and most fans of the Bat-Family are disappointed with the butchering of their favorite characters. Dick Grayson aka Nightwing is my favorite DC character and the best adaptation of him I can find is Young Justice (and maybe Teen Ttians). All others fall short and I won't get into it because I could rant for hours. Oh, and YJ was cancelled... twice.

As you can see, Bat-Family media is long overdue. However, my frustrations were not the only thing to spark this post. A few weeks ago, I was watching Bat-Family TikTok compilations on YouTube (because that's how starved of content we are) when I stumbled across an animatic that became a hyper-fixation in itself. Content creator Pinkiemachine roughly animated a Bat-Family show intro to "Back from the Dead" by Skillet. Though unfinished, it was beautiful. It focused on Batman and the four male Robins, each lyric collaborating with the respective character. I watched it multiple times and thus sparked my daydreaming of what such a show would be.

It would be animated for sure. Media today seems to deem animation as less than live-action. Comics has always been a little ridiculous, unrealistic and cartoony, which translates better in animation. Certain stunts and powers would look better drawn than attempted in real life, if it's even possible to do in real life (that's why animated characters brought to live-action don't feel the same, like Ahsoka Tano).

Like the animatic TikTok suggests, the current Robin would be Damian Wayne. If the show writers want to keep this part canon, this could imply that the show takes place after Bruce returns from being lost in time, during which Dick Grayson took up the mantle of Batman and made Damian his Robin. Personally, I'm a bit torn on whether or not keeping that storyline as canon. On one hand, it could set up Dick and Damian's relationship and explain why the family is at odds with each other. On the other hand, I think having Bruce disappear and forcing Dick to take up the mantle would be a great future arc in the show. I guess I'm leaning towards not. Tim Drake could leave his role as Batman's partner and Damian Wayne could fill the void (or Bruce fires him). Regardless of how it happens, Damian is the current Robin.

How I would set up the pilot is that the family is pretty estranged. Dick Grayson is the hero of Blüdhaven, Jason Todd is a crime lord in Crime Alley, Tim Drake is off being lone detective, and Bruce and Damian work together as the new dynamic duo. Damian is very new to the Robin role and feels the need to prove himself to his father and as better than his predecessors. Aside from Batman and Robin, they aren't working together or speaking to one another. Then a case pops up and our heroes cross paths. They put the two-and-two together and realize their cases are linked, bringing them to a temporary and reluctant alliance. As siblings do, former and current Robins alike fight like cats and dogs between following leads and cracking clues. Each child has their own beef with Bruce and all this unresolved tension drives rifts between them and compromises their ability to solve the case. At the climax, they part ways.

Then something draws them together. Maybe Batman gets caught, maybe they each crack the case at their own time and realize they need to work together to defeat the villain. I'm not sure. I haven't thought it through. Regardless, they decide to come back together and they stop the nefarious plot, save Batman or whatever, but the main villain escapes, giving them a reason to keep working together in Gotham and to spur the season's plot.

So who would be the season's big bad? For a while, I thought it would be low key with a couple gangs. Then I remembered Batman basically handled that in his early years. That's not high enough stakes for Bat-Family. I think an appropriate main villain for season 1 could be the Joker. I considered saving him for later, but he is Batman's most recognizable bad guy and has the means to bring Batman's rogues gallery together. Besides, a lot of Jason's unresolved issues come from the Joker.

As the season progresses, the Bat-Family knows Joker is out and are actively searching for him to put him away (or in Jason's case murder) before he can do anything disastrous. Each episode would feature a villain who is either distracting the Batfam from the main conflict or is playing their part in Joker's schemes. A filler episode here and there can feature unrelated crimes and some character development. I would love for some episodes to focus on certain dynamics, such as Nightwing and Red Hood, Red Robin and Robin, Batman and Red Hood, etc. By the way, the girls are around, but not featured. Oracle and Spoiler are working with the Birds of Prey while Orphan is out of the country. An episode here and there will feature Oracle and Spoiler, but they will be saved for later. Season 1 ends with Joker being put back in Arkham as Jason decides not to kill him, and the family is finally in a good place. However, Joker never stays in Arkham for long...

As things are finally quiet in Gotham, Nightwing returns to Blüdhaven. The rest of them are now working both independently and occasionally together on Gotham threats. In season 2, the Court of Owls shows its face and the entire Bat-Family must come together to face this threat. I thought of holding back the Court for later, but I couldn't think of another threat that's bigger than the standard rogues gallery yet smaller than the Court. We now bring in Oracle, Spoiler, and Orphan. The Batfam learns there's a secret organization ruling Gotham and they have beef with Batman, who's efforts have upset their control. Throughout the episodes, the Bat-Family overthrow the Court's plans, fight Talons, and tangle with the standard rogues gallery in filler episodes. A main plot point would be Nightwing's past with the Court and his potential to become a Talon. A great climax would be Nightwing's capture and brainwashing. They turn him against his own and through the power of family, he breaks the mind control and helps them take down the Court. Oh, and Duke would get his powers and be initiated into the Batfam as Signal.

Season 3 has the Bat-Family face the League of Assassins. Talia al Ghul is calling for the return of her son. Ra's al Ghul thinks Damian is becoming too soft with his father and he has plans for him to be the next Demon Head. Only his plans are later revealed to use Damian as a younger, stronger body for his own consciousness. The focus of this season is assassins, so Deathstroke would make an appearance to make Dick his apprentice and also maybe Cass' past comes back to haunt her. Also, Duke is beginning to become a full fledged vigilante in his own right. The family struggles to keep Damian from their clutches, but Damian offers himself to spare his family. The Bats storm Nanda Parbat and get Damian back, but lose Bruce to seemingly death. It's highly probable for Talia to raise Bruce from the dead using the Lazarus Pit, but I don't really like that idea since it already happened to Jason. They did it in Gotham Knights and it was weird. Maybe in a scrap with Ra's al Ghul, they both fall over a cliff and Bruce is severely hurt and Talia nurses him back to health using the Pit while also brainwashing him to her side... yeah. I like that better. I'm thinking of a lot of his on the fly, okay?

Anyway, season 4 starts with the presumed death of Bruce Wayne. The family is once again torn apart. Jason is angry, Damian blames himself, Tim refuses to believe Bruce is dead, and Dick decided to reluctantly take up the mantle. A lot of this would pull from Dick's run as Batman in the comics. He and Damian are trying to figure out their dynamic. Acting like Bruce puts him at odds with Jason. Tim is trying to find Bruce. And Dick is falling apart under Bruce's legacy. Working together to protect Gotham, the family eventually pulls themselves together to be the team Bruce would want them to be. Eventually, Tim finds Bruce and they rescue him.

I'm not sure where I would go after this. The final season would probably include a scarier and more deranged Joker. Like staples his own skin to his face as a mask and murders babies crazy. Even the other rogues are terrified of him. This Joker wants to kill the Bat-Family, all but Batman. With all the bats dead, this will finally show Bruce that one bad day can break him. It's wild. People are getting hurt, everything is chaos and Gotham looks like a war zone. Bruce doesn't kill Joker, but he realizes there's no saving him. Joker dies because he deserves it and someone needs to take out that motherfu–.

Ahem. Yes, anyway. I would like a Bat-Family animated show, please. Amazon is doing an early Batman series in the style of the old animated show. I'm actually looking forward to it. I don't think Robin will be in it because it's like year one Batman, but it would be wonderful if his sidekicks start appearing down the line.

Would love to hear your ideas in the comments. Who's your favorite Bat-Family member and storyline? Sorry this... rant(?) is kinda messy and unorganized. Thanks for reading!