The following contains spoilers for Flashpoint Beyond #0, on sale now from DC Comics.
Batman needs a Robin. That was what Tim Drake said to the Dark Knight before he took the mantel of the Boy Wonder. However, Thomas Wayne's Batman in the world of Flashpoint never had one. In this dark and twisted alternate timeline, he worked alone as the Caped Crusader. Now, that may be about to change.
Flashpoint Batman was brought over to the main DC Universe's timeline by the Reverse-Flash, as revenge for killing the evil speedster in the original Flashpoint (by Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert). As a consequence of that, Thomas Wayne got to see what his son become in his absence. At first, he hated that Bruce had turned out the same way that he had; as Batman. Then he saw the one thing Bruce had as Batman that he did not - a family. And not just any family either, the Bat-Family.
Now that Thomas is somehow trapped in the world of Flashpoint once again, he may do things differently this time around. He's attempted to be more like his son and emulate many of his methods. That may extend to Bruce's penchant for adopting kids in need and bringing them into his crusade. At least, that's what it looks like in Flashpoint Beyond #0 (by Geoff Johns, Eduardo Risso, Trish Mulvihill, Rob Leigh, Dexter Soy, and Alex Sinclair).
Flashpoint Batman's story before this surprise return, as chronicled in 2011's Flashpoint: Batman - Knight of Vengeance (by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso), saw Thomas Wayne rushing to save Harvey Dent's kids. Although he managed to save them from Joker, the daughter, who had already survived a potentially fatal gunshot wound, took her own life as a result of the trauma caused by the incident. Gilda Dent, the children's mother, was hospitalized in Arkham after her daughter's death as well. That just left Harvey, out for Batman's blood, and his son, Dexter Dent.
The end of this issue took the tragedy to extremes. Harvey Dent was dead and with his mother in Arkham, Dexter Dent is all but an orphan. After saving the kid, Batman investigated the scene of the crime, and it's hard not to see the similarities here to Bruce Wayne's first tragic meeting with Dick Grayson. A traumatized child who just lost his parents, in a situation to which Batman can all too well relate. Before the issue's closed, it was revealed that Thomas actually took the child in. If the Robin parallels weren't obvious before, they are now.
Despite Batman's good intentions, it's unlikely that his attempts to make his own Robin will result in any sort of success. He's failed multiple times to be the sort of Batman that his son is. In this issue, he attempted to bring a criminal to justice the way the true Batman would. However, the killer's words were too taunting and Thomas brutally murdered him. He may understand why Bruce is a better version of Batman now, but he still can't measure up to him when it matters. Not even with the good example his son set.
He's also had his own "Robin" before. Back during "City of Bane" arc, when he joined up with the supercriminal to break Batman and force him into retirement, he took Gotham Girl as his sidekick. Her costume even reflected that of the Boy Wonder, and they patrolled the oppressed Gotham as the new Dynamic Duo. They were brutal and had no qualms about killing. In all counts, they were a failure as Batman and Robin. Thomas was unable to succeed with that sidekick, and she was already a trained crimefighter. There's no way he can manage to train a child to be an effective Robin.
There's also no guarantee that Dexter Dent will want to be Robin. It's likely that he hates Batman for what happened to his family. After all, Harvey was already on the warpath with Thomas over the kidnapping of the kids. It's more than likely Dexter already blames Batman for that too, as well as his sister's suicide. Then there's the death of his father now. It wouldn't take much for the child to blame the distant Wayne for that too, theorizing that he wanted to get rid of his father after threatening him with prison. All in all, then, it looks like this new Robin is a disaster waiting to happen. Not only because of Flashpoint Batman's own failings but because of the possible hatred Dexter Dent harbors towards him too.
