Critical consensus might be divided, but the fans have spoken — and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice looks to be a solid box-office hit. So, looking forward, what does it mean for the future (and past) of the DC Universe?

Spoilers ahead for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice!

Director Zack Snyder was working to plant a whole lot of stuff into this film, balancing everything from Batfleck’s introduction to nightmarish dreams for future films, all with teases for Wonder Woman, The Flash, Cyborg and Aquaman sprinkled in. But a piece of Batman’s lore was also buried in the background, in the form of a defaced Robin suit on display in the Batcave. The suit doesn’t get any real narrative focus, though Ben Affleck’s Batman does take a moment to brood over it.

So, what’s the story, here? Snyder opened up to IGN about that old Robin suit and confirmed it is from a now-dead Robin (no word on which Boy Wonder it was) who was killed by the Joker about a decade ago. Here’s the choice excerpt:

“In my mind it was that Robin had died about 10 years earlier in some run in with a young Joker. So that was an interesting thing to me. Sorta a fun backstory to play with.”

There’s obviously a lot to unpack here. Context clues pretty much indicated this suit was from a former Robin who was killed by the Joker (thanks to the graffiti) and brooding, but now we know the death happened a full 10 years ago — featuring the Joker when he was apparently just getting his start.

If you’re thinking about future Batman films (which could certainly take the form of a prequel, if Wonder Woman is any indication), it’s interesting to actually put a date on this. Could Ben Affleck’s working script for a Batman solo film focus on this era, following the Joker’s origin as Robin is killed?

What do you want to see from a solo Batman film? Do you like what Snyder is doing with the Dark Knight?

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(Via IGN)