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Batman is about to get a new big-screen incarnation in The Batman, but as with nearly all of his cinematic adventures so far, his sidekick Robin will have to wait…
…but maybe not for long as rumors suggest the Boy Wonder will make his long-awaited feature film return in some form in the Batgirl film later this year.
But whether he does or doesn’t in comic books, Robin is as active as ever – in fact, multiple Robins are running around right now. From Dick Grayson to Damian Wayne and more, these are the ten best Robins of all time.
10. Jason Todd
Controversial, perhaps, but let’s be honest: while the second Boy Wonder has evolved to be a great character as Jason/Red Hood, was never a particularly good Robin, was he?
In his pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths (opens in new tab) incarnation, he was essentially an over-eager, nervous clone of Dick Grayson, and in his post-Crisis incarnations, he was just a jerk with a temper.
We’re not saying that the Joker was justified in murdering the dude, but at the same time, if there was ever a Robin who didn’t seem to be worthy of the name, it was young Mr. Todd.
His current status quo as Red Hood has kept with the characterization that he just isn’t made from the best stuff of Batman’s sidekicks. More recent developments seem to indicate DC is having Jason reconsider his more extreme, violent tendencies (giving up firearms, for example) and working towards getting back into the good graces of the Bat-family.
He’ll never be an Eagle Scout, but more firmly rooted in heroics rather than anti-heroics seems to be the direction he’s headed in, and maybe some movement up this list if it sticks.
9. Robin, the Toy Wonder
What’s that, you say? You don’t remember the cybernetic sidekick of the 853rd century from DC One Million (opens in new tab)?
Shame on you – not only does the character have a great pun for a name, but he’s also had a pretty great origin story, being a robot programmed with the personality of the 853rd century Batman as a 10-year-old boy.
If it wasn’t for the fact that he only made a handful of appearances, this Robin would be far higher up this list.
8. Bruce Wayne, Jr.
Decades before Damian Wayne was a glint in his mother’s test tube, Batman’s son was fighting crime as Robin in a series of ‘imaginary stories’ set in the future starting in Batman #131, back in 1960, where, yes, he teamed up with a Batman who was actually Dick Grayson, taking over for his own mentor.
After four years, the character disappeared only to reappear in 1997’s JLA #9 (opens in new tab), resurrected by none other than Damian Wayne co-creator Grant Morrison, in a dream sequence. Damian’s secret origin revealed!
7. Helena Wayne
And speaking of Dark Knight offspring, in the ‘New 52’ universe, the Huntress started her career as the Robin of Earth-2.
This was revealed in the early issues of both James Robinson and Nicola Scott’s series of the same name as well as Paul Levitz, Kevin Maguire, and George Perez’s Worlds’ Finest, even though we didn’t really get to see her in action as the Girl Wonder of an alternate world for too long before Darkseid’s invasion brought her to our world.
Now, a new version of Helena Wayne is part of DC’s Batman/Catwoman (opens in new tab) limited series, as the Batwoman of the future.
6. Stephanie Brown
Yes, we know that Stephanie has a massive following online that, in large part, stems from her short tenure as Robin, but we think she made a much better Spoiler and then Batgirl than she ever managed as a Robin.
The fault here was less the character than the creators, as Stephanie was pretty much given the role with the intent of setting up her eventual (and ultimately undone) death, necessitating that she was less than capable.
Thankfully, the character was redeemed for a short while in Bryan Q. Miller’s fondly remembered Batgirl (opens in new tab) series, and several years as Spoiler again before taking up the Batgirl mantle again along with her friend Cassandra Cain and the original Batgirl Barbara Gordon who together all star in the Batgirls title.
5. The Pre-Crisis Earth-2 Robin
Although, yes, the Pre-Crisis Earth-2 Robin is essentially Dick Grayson and therefore the same character as the ‘regular’ Dick Grayson, the strange and wonderful late-career of the character merits his own entry in this particular top 10.
After all, while all other Robins have either given up their life or the identity at some point, Earth-2 Grayson kept being Robin well into adulthood, maintaining the identity even after the death of Batman himself, despite also becoming an international ambassador for the United States in his secret identity.
Because, really, what else says political envoy if not a former sidekick who can’t quite say goodbye to the past?
4. Carrie Kelley
The only reason that Carrie isn’t higher in this list is that she abandoned the Robin identity pretty quickly in the grand scheme of things, having already ditched it in favor of becoming ‘Catgirl’ in Dark Knight Strikes Again (opens in new tab).
Otherwise, Carrie is downright awesome, from her snarky can-do attitude down to the ridiculous goggles she wore when taking on the identity. Carrie made Robin her own in a way that few others have managed. Jason Todd, you should’ve taken some pointers.
She was seemingly primed to be used more with an appearance in the early days of the ‘New 52,’ but we’ve since learned those plans were aborted – but were the catalyst – for her return as part of Dark Knight III: The Master Race (opens in new tab).
3. Tim Drake
What was that we were just saying about can-do attitudes? Tim Drake was a pretty great Robin, maybe a little too great, when you think about it.
Tim’s early appeal was obvious. Here was a teenager that was a little nerdy and a little socially awkward, and a Batman fanboy to boot. Maybe we all saw a little bit of ourselves in Tim. And he actually parlayed all those qualities into getting to be one half of the dynamic duo for years. It was wish fulfillment that hit close to home.
But Tim’s later evolution into a detective, athlete/fighter, and superhero to almost rival Batman himself seemed just a little too much, somehow.
In the ‘New 52,’ Tim’s natural detective abilities were seemingly transferred onto Dick Grayson’s revised origin, and despite some conflicting mentions in early issues, for a time Tim always called himself Red Robin, with the modifier, out of respect for his direct predecessor’s (albeit temporary) death, although how much of that New 52-stuff is still mainstream continuity is unclear.
Tim was believed dead for a time a few years back before escaping the clutches of the villainous Mr. Oz – and he’s now finally back to using the Robin moniker after that stint as ‘Red Robin’ and then simply the unfortunate ‘Drake.’
His personal life is now front and center in his journey, as he recently came to the realization he’s romantically attracted to his male friend Bernard, making him the first openly queer Robin among their ranks.
2. Damian Wayne
In many ways, the ultimate distillation of all previous Robins – the snark of Carrie Kelley, the bad attitude of Jason Todd, the smarts of Tim Drake, the actually-being-the-son-of-Batman of Bruce Wayne Jr., and the natural athleticism of Dick Grayson – Damian is a remarkably, unexpectedly fun Robin, with a lot of the comedy coming from his inability to conform to (and disinterest in) social norms.
In other words, he is a Robin who really acts like a little kid at times, as annoying and hilarious as that could be.
Plus, by rejecting his mother’s plans and choosing to become a superhero, Damian proved that, deep down, he was a good kid. That is what we want from our Robins, surely?
1. Dick Grayson
The original, and still the best. Dick set the template for what it means to be Robin, thanks in large part to the fact that he assumed the role for so long.
We’ve seen Dick-as-Robin in so many different ways: excited and eager, surly and sullen, and almost everywhere in between. But Dick also knew when enough was enough and didn’t want to grow up to become Batman (ironically, considering his future), which allowed him to outgrow the identity in a way that none others have properly managed.
For setting the pace, and for knowing when to leave, Dick Grayson is the best Robin we’ve seen so far – and, just to be particularly controversial, some would argue that he’s the best Batman we’ve had to date, as well.
