How should Robin be handled in the DCCU?

Robin should sport the red and black look if he's included in the new universe

Hey everybody! I'm Ryan Howitzer and you're in The Line of Fire! DC has really stepped up their game by announcing projects for both Flash and Batman/Superman. With the new Batman coming soon, questions are beginning to arise about Robin and his possible appearance in the DCCU. I'm a personal fan of Robin so of course i'm of the opinion that he should indeed show up. But why? Also, how could we get audiences to take him seriously? Well, that's what I'm here for.

1. Batman will be older and established:

Affleck, age 41, will be an older Batman

Tomasi's Batman and Robin

Ben Affleck is said to be playing an older, more grizzled, established Batman. Those of you who read the Batman comics already know the angle I'm going for here, but for those of you who aren't as familiar with the source material, around the time Batman starts getting jaded and grizzled, Robin steps in to bring him back to humanity. In Peter J. Tomasi's current run on Batman and Robin, Batman has recently suffered the loss of another Robin, his son Damian. That even lead into the recently completed Stages of Grief story line.
Where am I going with this? Batman needs Robin. Plain and simple. Once Batman is established, he becomes jaded and slowly loses his humanity. Without a Robin, Batman would probably turn into somebody like the Punisher, who often doesn't sleep or take a break or focus on anything but "the war."

2. Robin hasn't been done justice in mainstream media

This was as close as we got to a mainstream cool Robin

Chris O'Donnell's awful Robin

Robin gets a bad rap from the general public. People still seem to subscribe to the Frederick Wortham theory that Robin is a homosexual. Other people see the goofy Burt Ward or the whiny Chris O'Donnell. Clearly the public at large has not had a proper representation of Robin. I had hope that people would see the real, cool Robin with Young Justice, but it was canceled so soon that it couldn't really be considered mainstream. So we're left with campy and crappy representations of the Boy Wonder. This is a serious injustice that needs to be corrected by the DCCU. We need a smart, tough, well-written Robin who needs to be on the older side (16 or so, not 23 like freaking Chris O'Donnell). The new DCCU has a chance to create a cool character who changes the popular conception of Robin. 

3. Nightwing and Teen Titans franchises

How has this movie not happened yet?

Establishing Robin in the cinematic universe opens up a few doors for Warner Bros. Dick Grayson forms and leads the Teen Titans. That could be a whole new franchise of team films that could tie in to Justice League. It would also introduce characters like Starfire, Cyborg, Raven and Beast Boy who have become popular because of the Teen Titans tv show. Heck, long-time Titan Roy Harper is being established on the CW's excellent super hero series Arrow. Titans should be a no-brainer for DC Comics, especially when you consider how popular both Teen Titans and the previously mentioned Young Justice were with fans.     

Robin would not only be a smart edition to the list of DCCU characters, but I feel that he's essential. Robin, Nightwing and the Titans have been out of the spotlight for far too long. Warner Bros, get some people on these movies! Until next time, this is Ryan Howitzer telling you to keep your head down, because you're in The Line of Fire!