Batman & Robin has a decidedly negative reputation in the pantheon of superhero movies, which makes it incredulously weird that the 1997 misfire could almost fit right in with the MCU. After 1995’s Batman Forever re-invigorated the Dark Knight cinematically after 1992’s polarizing Batman Returns, Joel Schumacher returned to direct Batman & Robin, with the sequel taking on an even more light-hearted, family-friendly tone. However, this strategy backfired terribly, with Batman & Robin derided as one of the worst movies ever made and Schumacher himself even subsequently apologizing for the downturn it represented in Batman’s big-screen career. However, the very qualities that make Batman & Robin so reviled are, in many respects, the bread and butter of the MCU.
The MCU Recipe
From the MCU’s birth in 2008’s Iron Man, the franchise has been well-known for its sharp sense of humour. After The Avengers became the blow-out hit of 2012, the MCU was on fire like never before, leading subsequent MCU movies like Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Ant-Man to lean even more heavily into the humour established in the MCU’s Phase One. While the MCU’s comic relief has been a staple of the franchise through Phases Two, Three, and Four, what’s interesting is that its style of comedy is not THAT far off from Batman & Robin’s.
To be clear, superhero movies simply telling jokes is hardly a recipe for success, and a key reason for Batman & Robin’s failure is the movie being far too liberal in its comic relief and characters cracking one-liners. Indeed, the dialogue of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Mr. Freeze is one of the most oft-cited issues with Batman & Robin, with Freeze turning nine out of ten lines into ice puns (“You are not sending me to the cooler!”, “Stay cool, Bird Boy!”, and “Let’s kick some ice!” immediately spring to mind.)
That being said, no MCU movie – especially not one in which Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark appears – has ever been known to pass up the chance for a snappy quip. Moreover, the MCU as a whole could hardly be called “dark”, which makes Batman & Robin’s commonality with it even more unexpected.
Batman & Robin‘s Camp
The whole point of Batman & Robin adopting such a light tone was to expand the Batman franchise’s audience into a larger four-quadrant base – the very roadmap that has served as the MCU’s blueprint from day one. In fact, the MCU’s sense of humour has been known to go a bit overboard in some of its most recent films, most notably in the notoriously zany Thor: Love and Thunder. Placing the two side-by-side, the tone of the film is shockingly close to that of Thor: Love and Thunder. Additionally, the former’s MCU comparison points can also be seen in Batman & Robin’s inclusion of Batgirl (Alicia Silverstone).
Silverstone’s Barbara Wilson (retconned in the film to be Alfred Pennyworth’s niece as opposed to Commissioner Gordon’s daughter) is introduced in a manner similar to the origin of Robin (Chris O’Donnell) in Batman Forever, expanding the Bat Family on film and necessitating “a bigger cave”, as Alfred observes. Batgirl’s role in Batman & Robin isn’t that different from how the MCU has established many of its own heroes, introducing one or two either in another character’s solo movie or an Avengers ensemble.
Many MCU heroes like Black Widow, Hawkeye, Black Panther, and Spider-Man have even gone on to headline their own solo projects after appearances of this nature. Had it not been for Batman & Robin’s catastrophic failure, it’s entirely possible that Batgirl could have gone on to star in her own solo movie or series in much the same way that so many MCU heroes and heroines have.
Would Batman & Robin Have Done Better Today?
After killing the Dark Knight cinematically for eight years before he was finally revived in Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins, Batman & Robin may forever represent the nadir of superhero movies, despite the fact that it’s not even the worst one of 1997 (Steel anyone?) Even still, it may be one of the most bizarre coincidences of comic book movie history that, with Marvel characters and an MCU membership card on its side, Batman & Robin might actually have had a fighting chance for success.
Batman & Robin |
|---|
Batman and Robin try to keep their relationship together even as they must stop Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy from freezing Gotham City. |
 |
|---|
| Studio: Warner Bros. |
| Running Time: 2h 5m |
| Release Date: June 12, 1997 (Los Angeles); June 20, 1997 (United States) |
| Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, George Clooney, Chris O'Donnell, Uma Thurman, Alicia Silverstone, Michael Gough, Pat Hingle, Elle Macpherson |
| Director: Joel Schumacher |
| Writers: Akiva Goldsman |
| Genre: Action, Scri-Fi |
| Box Office: $238 million |
