Titans actor Brenton Thwaites doubles down on Robin’s ‘F*@& Batman’ line

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

When Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment dropped their first trailer for TITANS during San Diego Comic-Con in July, many fans of the superhero squad were left feeling taken aback by a particular line of dialogue issued by the group's leader, Robin (played by Brenton Thwaites). You see, after taking a gang of thugs to the School of Hard Knocks, courtesy of a flurry of fists, Robin used the quip "Fuck Batman," as a capper to his display of angsty fury. Unfortunately, the line stood out perhaps a bit more than the studio had anticipated, seeing as it quickly became the biggest take-away from the footage. In fact, it took no time at all for the internet to "go ham" on the line, in addition to picking apart the new look for Starfire, of course. Unpopular Opinion: I think she looks amazing.

Recently, Entertainment Weekly had the chance to talk with Thwaites about the impact of his character's "Fuck Batman" line, which the actor says was "thrown in" during reshoots of the highly-anticipated series.

“We’d already shot that alley fight scene before, and there was no punch to it,” Thwaites admitted to EW. “There was no real exclamation mark. I think the producers wanted something that would kind of set the tone for the whole show.”

“It’s a show that isn’t about Batman, and I think it’s important for people to know that and maybe not be disappointed that they’re not going to see Batman jumping from the ceiling and beating up a hundred guys, because it’s not Batman, it’s a story about the Titans, essentially. I feel like ‘F— Batman’ says that in two words,” Thwaites added.

Groan. If "Fuck Batman" is supposed to "set the tone for the whole show," I'm not entirely sure that I'll be tuning in.

When TITANS debutes courtesy of DC Universe on October 12th, the new show will focus on a group of young heroes from across the DC Universe as they come of age and find belonging in a gritty take on the classic Teen Titans franchise. Dick Grayson and Rachel Roth, a special young girl possessed by a strange darkness, get embroiled in a conspiracy that could bring Hell on Earth. Joining them along the way are the hot-headed Starfire and loveable Beast Boy. Together they become a surrogate family and team of heroes.

“The whole point of [the show] is to tell the story of Robin breaking away from Batman and a life of fighting crime that he didn’t exactly agree with, and beginning the search for his own identity and his own moral center,” says Thwaites.

Personally, I hope that the point TITANS is to tell a well-rounded story about the entire team, but I digress. TITANS executive producer Geoff Johns also voiced his take on DC's bold direction for the Robin character by saying “It’s definitely a Dick Grayson that’s more violent than people are used to. It’s definitely a Dick Grayson that is struggling more than I think people are used to.”

In addition to Thwaites weighing in on his character's brood-off with the Caped Crusader, EW also shared two new photos from the upcoming show:

TITANS will premiere on DC Universe on October 12th, with new episodes set to air every Friday.