Robin – More than just a Sidekick

By Rob Richardson

I’ve a plethora of favourite heroes across many comics’ franchises but for me Robin is one of the most endearing and definitely one of the most enduring. Over the years the character has had many incarnations and many personalities, with several young individuals each bringing something different to the role of Batman’s partner in what became to be known as the dynamic duo – some were greeted more favourably than others. There have been five canonical Robins in total; Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown and the current Robin, Damien Wayne.

Robin was introduced to bring more young readers to the Detective Comics book and was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. He debuted in issue #38 in April 1940, to critical acclaim. He is often said to have been a ‘Watson’ to Batman’s ‘Sherlock’, adding, from a creative stand point, someone for Batman to talk to and discuss narrative points with, thus helping the reader follow the story and its detective logic. Robin’s rather bizarre costume was inspired by the medieval look of the hero of folk lore, Robin Hood, something that has been echoed throughout its various styles – in later years Damien’s Robin even had a brief period of wearing a hood.

This first Boy Wonder was Richard “Dick” Grayson, son of John and Mary; the trapeze artists known as The Flying Graysons. A crime Boss called Zucco, who was extorting money from the circus where the Graysons lived and profited, sabotaged their equipment leading to the death of Dick’s mother and father. Batman investigated the crime and placed Dick under his care as alter-ego Bruce Wayne.

Together they both shared a similar tragedy; as young children both had witnessed the brutal murder of their parents. Batman saw in Dick Grayson a chance to channel the rage and anger he had felt as a youngster and turn it into an avenging force for good and created the superhero sidekick Robin. They went on to fight crime together for many years, forming a father/son relationship, and becoming a force to be reckoned with on the streets of Gotham.

He later went on to become one of the founding members of the Teen Titans and then to become Nightwing, a role Dick held for many years. After the events that followed Final Crisis, Gotham was left without a Batman. During the epic Battle for the Cowl, Nightwing had to reclaim the city from a manic Jason Todd (I’ll come to him shortly), who was posing as Batman, and then himself take up the Mantle of the Bat. This was a bold move on DC’s part – it seemed that for once characters were following natural progressions of their own. It was right that Dick should have eventually have become Batman. He, in turn, gained a partner in the form of Damien Wayne as Robin – a whole different Robin from what we were used to might I add. With the return of Bruce and the DC relaunch, it seems this Robin is set to return as Nightwing in September but can currently be followed in the “Batman and Robin” title.

Dick Grayson is the probably the most recognisable of the Robins and the one most referenced in pop culture. Not only was he played by Burt Ward in the 1960’s Batman TV series alongside Adam West as Batman but was also portrayed (perhaps not to great avail) by Chris O’Donnell in Batman Forever and Batman and Robin. Dick Grayson was voiced by Loren Lester in the animated series of Batman. Although his costume was changed to look like that of Tim Drake’s, he was Dick Grayson.

Jason Todd was the second young man to become Robin. His original back story was that of an acrobat – pretty similar to Dicks in all fairness (although Jason’s parents were murdered by Killer Croc) – but was changed after the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths. Jason became a homeless orphan and was discovered by Batman as he tried to steal the tires from the Batmobile. Rather than hand the child over to the authorities, Batman placed Jason in care. The boy later helped Batman take care of a group of thieves (incredulous, I know!) and was taken on as his new ward and the latest Robin.

Jason was much more headstrong than Dick had been and much more impudent towards Batman than ever before. Readers didn’t warm to him and in one of the most brutal moves – but brilliant for publicity and marketing – DC gave them the option of killing the character off. By a phone vote, the public voted ‘yes’ by a small margin (5,343 to 5,271) in favour of Jason’s death and he was murdered in the subsequent storyline, A Death In The Family, by the Joker; bludgeoned to death by the psychopath with a crowbar and left in a warehouse rigged to explode with a bomb. It really is quite savage and I would recommend any comic book fan to read it.

As is the world we love though, no one stays dead for long and Jason returned as the Red Hood – what many have established to be the Jokers original criminal persona – and was hell bent on revenge; not only on the Joker, but also to discredit and wound Batman as much as possible. He later became a twisted version of Batman after the events of final crisis, one not afraid to kill or torture his victims, until he was stopped by Dick Grayson.

Jason was a true victim of the worst trauma and has been expertly written since as a credible, damaged individual. I have to say he has grown and grown in my eyes into an incredibly sinister and cunning villain. He has all the training and knowledge of Robin but has gone over the edge, a place where even Batman fears to go. Whenever I read the exchanges between him and the other characters (see Batman: Under the Hood, Batman: Battle for the Cowl) there is an electricity in the air and a tension rarely captured by other villains.

DC was left with a hole in their Batman series with the death of Jason. They didn’t know whether there was a place or not for Robin as a character anymore but they took a brave move and introduced Tim Drake as the next sidekick.

Tim used his detective skills to uncover the Dynamic Duos secret identities after following the appearance of the original Robin, Dick Grayson. Tim had been present at the murder of The Flying Graysons and had followed the careers of Batman and Robin closely. With this connection it was hoped to link the two Robins and not have the animosity connected to Jason Todd. Batman was reluctant to accept Tim, still reeling himself from Jason’s death, but was impressed by the boys deductive skills. He has said on later occasions the Tim could one day become a greater detective than himself. Tim was a likeable Robin, and still is, he is not too keen like Dick was in his day, nor is he arrogant and cocky like Jason. After the events of Final Crisis and his failure to become the Batman during Battle for the Cowl, he set off on a quest around the world in the guise of Red Robin to find any evidence that Bruce was not gone, or if there was a way of bringing him back.

Tim was the first Robin to have his own title and after the relaunch looks set to be another founding member of the new Teen Titans, much as he was a founder of Young Justice as Robin.

Stephanie Brown has been a fan favourite, firstly for becoming the Girl Wonder and secondly for becoming Batgirl.

Stephanie took over from Tim following his resignation – don’t you hate it when your girlfriend proves she’s better at the job than you are? She instigated a gang war across Gotham to prove her worthiness to Batman and ended up being captured and tortured by an insane Black Mask. She died due to the nature of the wounds but reappeared later – Doctor Leslie Thompkins helped Stephanie fake her death until a time she was safe after the gang war had subsided.

Stephanie has proved to be a very popular Batgirl since taking over from Cassandra Cain but little is known of what is to happen in her future. DC’s move to return Barbara Gordon to the role has left fans guessing as to where, if any, Stephanie’s place is in the future of the DC Universe.

Bruce Wayne had a son and nobody knew? Don’t worry; Bruce was as shocked as anyone.

Damien Wayne is the product of a union between Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul, daughter of the infamous Ra’s al Ghul. Damien was trained by the League of Assassins and intended to be a vessel for the soul of his grandfather, eventually to be used to destroy the Dark Knight. Batman prevented this and the boy was left in his care. Following the struggle of coming to terms with his father’s death, Damien was promoted to the role of Robin by Alfred Pennyworth to save Tim from Jason during the Battle for the Cowl storyline. It looks however that he will be reunited with his father after the DC relaunch as the pair take on the streets of Gotham as the new Batman and Robin.

Damien is violent and lacks the discipline, ethics and sense of morality the other Robins have had. He is an interesting character indeed. Could this be what may have happened to Bruce had he stayed loyal to the League of Assassins? He makes a brilliant foil for Dick Graysons Batman; the roles of the two have almost been reversed. Now Batman is the acrobat, the quite witted dispatcher of one-liners and quips whilst Robin is the highly trained combatant, doing what needs to be done to complete the job.

What has always appealed to me about Robin, and I think has made the character a mainstay, has been his ever evolving nature. No two Robins have ever been the same. The personalities of the five have remained current to the times but they have also provided an excellent grounding for their mentor. The creators of the characters have taken many risks along the route but nearly all have paid off. Even the gamble of Jason Todd, his death and subsequent resurrection, has produced an incredibly interesting, layered villain.

I think, not only was Robin chosen as someone for Batman to train, teach and focus but I also think the character was there to provide the view point of youth and innocence. Gotham is a dark place and Batman is a dark personality, often treading a fine line between the evil and the just. Robin is there to give him perspective, to rein him in and offer him the voice of the light in such as dark place. It is only by listening to him that he maintains on a clear path. Look at what happened to John Paul Valley (Batman: Knightfall) when he assumed the Mantle of the Bat and ignored the help of Tim Drake. His fall from grace was only aided by his ignorance.

What started out as character introduced to bring interest from a younger audience has grown into an invaluable asset to Batman lore, integral to Batman as the Bat-mobile and the utility belt.

But this is only because Robin has proven him/herself. As Robin has shown by going off and leading the Teen Titans, Young Justice and the Titans – and then even becoming Batman – Robin is a strong a character as any DC has ever produced.