Batman’s a busy guy, so busy that he needs a tough errand boy, or girl, to help him whup supervillain booty. These feisty sidekicks are the Robins, young people with the ninja skills to hang with the bat in style. ‘Ole Bats has been at this for years, so there’ve been quite a few people who’ve interned, so to speak, for the Dark Knight.
So here they are:
1. Dick Grayson – The first Robin, and arguably the most famous. He’s his own hero as Nightwing now, but before that, he earned his stripes as the ORIGINAL boy wonder.
2. Jason Todd – He’s the Red Hood now, and he’s bounced back onto comic book pages after fans disliked him enough to VOTE FOR HIS DEMISE. (Yikes!) He’s hot-headed, but he proves that even death can’t keep a good Robin down.
3. Tim Drake – Arguably the brainiest Robin, Tim’s a science whiz and natural detective who was smart enough to figure out Batman’s real identity. He also leads the Teen Titans right now, proving that he’s got the leadership chops his mentor has as well.
4. Damian Wayne – This most recent Robin, Batman’s biological son, was trained from birth to be a deadly assassin by his mother, so he was a one-man army by the time he was like, nine. And he’s also been taught to be an expert in tons of academic and artistic subjects, and he hasn’t even hit puberty yet.
5. Stephanie Brown – She’s fought crime as Batgirl and Robin, so this crimefighter’s dipped her toe in TWO superheroic legacies, and before that, she was her own hero, the Spoiler. She’s also the daughter of a supervillain, Cluemaster, so she’s got hardcore stuff in her blood.
BUT… who’s your favorite of the five? VOTE and make your voice heard!
Writer’s note: I know there was another Robin, Carrie Kelly, in the Dark Knight Returns, but I’m restricting this to Robins from the regular, Earth 1 universe that’s not an alternate future.
About Hilton Collins
Loves all things science fiction and fantasy, and if he had to choose between video games, comic books, movies, TV shows and novels, he’d have a brain aneurysm. Check out his blog at www.superheroesareawesome.com. Twitter: @HiltonCollins
It’s tough for me to vote, because I like Tim and Damian so much, in different ways. But if I could pick my favorite TWO, it would be them.
Dick Grayson. Though badass as Nightwing, he was an equally fantastic Robin. There was a great scene in Batman and Robin, back when Dick was Batman where he’s training Damian and all he’s doing is talking to him. Damian gets more and more frustrated, telling him to shut up and Dick pummels him. Then he tells him, “That’s why Bruce and I were such a good team. I distracted them while he went in for the punch.” Or something to that effect. Still, it just shows why Dick was a great sidekick and why he continues to be a great hero.
I voted, but it was tough because I like Tim and Damian so much in different ways. I also think, with those two, DC has great story potential for years to come. They’re perfect enemies / adversaries who could fight bitterly for Batman’s love and affection for decades. In their different ways, each could have the edge over the other. Damian may seem the most obvious, since he’s Batman’s real son, and likely the better fighter, BUT if he’s so ruthless while Tim’s more heroic in Batman’s eyes, that could give him the edge for being the “better” Robin in terms of proper behavior, and if he’s embraced by the teen and superheroic community as a whole while Damian comes off like a jerk to them and doesn’t have their respect… oh the possibilities.
I apologize for the 1980s soap opera reference, but Tim and Damian are like the Crystal and Alexis of DC. Yes, I mentioned Dynasty, folks, DYNASTY. I went there. (But I’d imagine the catfights between Tim and Damian would be way less girly than the Crystal / Alexis slapfests and rolls in mud).
I think that’s what makes all of the Robins so interesting. Each of them carry their own histories that, when played against each other, make them distinct individuals. When it’s written well, the Robins all act like brothers, which makes for some great interactions.
When he was adopted by Bruce, pre-reboot, Tim was seen, by Damian, as an obstacle, one he’d have to essentially kill in order to take his proper place by Bruce’s side as his biological son and therefore heir to the mantle of Batman. Tim, on the other hand, just saw Damian as a murdering psychopath with no redeeming qualities who sullied the title of Robin when Dick picked him to be his sidekick as a means of keeping an eye on him.
But I would also vote for Damian.