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Why Dylan O'Brien Is Perfect For Playing The Antihero Robin

Whether you know Dylan O'Brien from his previous works, or just from rumors of him playing Spider-Man, the fact of the matter is this dude has a huge following.

By Tyler S. CallawayPublished 6 years ago 4 min read
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By now, Dylan O'Brien's name is one that any superhero fan will recognize. Whether you know him from his previous works, or just from rumors of him playing Spider-Man, the fact of the matter is this dude has a huge following.

Within the last month, rumors have been rapid about the inclusion of Robin in Ben Affleck's upcoming #DCEU film #TheBatman. This has led fans to speculate what Robin we could see in the film, with either Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, or Tim Drake being the obvious choices. There have been no details on which Robin would be included, but that has not stopped speculation.

We have seen plenty of fan casts for all three, and in most of them you will end up seeing Dylan O'Brien pegged for the role of either Dick Grayson or Tim Drake:

  • Dylan O'Brien For Dick Grayson
  • Dylan O'Brien For Tim Drake

While he would be an amazing fit for either of those I think that most people are overlooking him for Jason Todd.

Why is he overlooked for the role?

Jason Todd is by far one of the more violent characters in the Batman mythos. He is a vengeful young man who is risen from the dead and immediately goes on a killing spree in Gotham after being murdered by the Joker. He seeks revenge for his death by the Joker and on Batman for not killing the Joker himself. It's fair to say he has a few chips on his shoulder.

So, obviously you would need an actor who would be able to play that type of dark character who is fueled by hatred. When you think of a character like that, O'Brien isn't the first name to pop into your head. He has such a large young adult following and a population of females flaunting over him, which in most cases gives you the impression that he must not be much of a badass.

It's unfortunate, but true that for most people, any actor or musician that has a substantial female following must go through the process of breaking the mold of the pretty boy heartthrob, something O'Brien is on the road to doing with his upcoming film American Assassin.

Why he should be considered?

Until #AmericanAssassin is released, we will be unable to see just how well he can play a gritty, badass role, but we have already gotten a taste of O'Brien playing a Jason Todd-esque character on Teen Wolf.

Many people probably just shook their heads and clicked off this article, but stay with me. While his character on the show — Stiles Stilinski — is more of the goofy sidekick meant for comedic effect, in Season 3B his character took on a much more sinister role. During this story arc, O'Brien showed off his acting range in being able to play a villain, even taking home a Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Villain.

Jason Todd would require an actor who is able to reach the emotional distress and anger that would come when facing off against Ben Affleck's Batman.

Here is a scene from #TeenWolf that shows off the same type of emotions:

O'Brien demonstrated through out Season 3B that he can play a character that has anger spewing out of his mouth in every scene, and he did a damn fine job with it, giving me goosebumps on multiple occasions. Even after that story arc, his character continues to go down dark paths as he finds himself at odds with his friends more and more.

Teen Wolf is a show that progressively has gotten darker as the series went on, and only O'Brien has been able to transcend his character into these darker situations as it's gone on. He can go from his goofy disposition to threatening a man's life in the blink of an eye, and in many scenes shows off a more damaged side to Stiles that Jason Todd would have in a live-action adaptation.

At the end of the day, Dylan O'Brien is talented enough and has enough range to play any of the three Robins, and almost any character that Hollywood can throw at him. If The Batman does plan on casting any of the three Robins, if not all of them, I hope Ben Affleck gives Mr. O'Brien a call.

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About the Creator

Tyler S. Callaway

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