2. The Introduction of Robin... Sort Of.
Less an introduction and more of a wink to the audience. Of course, this is still a totally derivative of the source material. Firstly, no Robin has been called Robin. Secondly, Blake isn't going to be Robin but either become Batman or his own creation. In many ways this is an elegant way of the film-makers tipping their hat to a huge (and totally ignored) part of the Batman universe. No one would argue that Blake is a pretty cool guy. He is a bit of a goody goody but then he can kick ass pretty damn well. He would have been the perfect Robin and in many ways he was Batman's sidekick. He played a pivotal supporting role along with Catwoman, he just didn't wear a mask. There are certain aspects of Dick Grayson in Blake as well; Blake is an orphan and he lost a parent to murder. He was also partially raised by Bruce Wayne, through Wayne's commitment to the city's orphans. Yes it is a weak relationship but it made a strong impression on the man Blake became. Of all the changes to the source material, Blake is my favourite. If ever there was another sequel I could invest in Blake, be he Batman or someone else. It would have been cheesy to suit and boot him and come up with an excuse to call him Robin (some things don't work outside of the comics after all) so instead he played the role on the other side of the mask.