Robin. The Boy Wonder. Batman’s sidekick. Originally created by Bob Kane, Bill Finger, and Jerry Robinson, Robin is the alias for Batman’s crime-fighting partner in the DC Comic Universe.
The initial incarnation of the character first appeared in Detective Comics #38 (April 1940), just one year after Batman’s debut. As there was rarely a Batman published story without the Boy Wonder, Batman and Robin became known as the Dynamic Duo or The Caped Crusaders.
As Batman is a dark and brooding hero with a personal vendetta against crime and injustice, Robin is a more light-hearted, joyous, and spontaneous character. The two characters complement each other, and together, they created one of the most iconic comic book partnerships.
Robin began to live his own short adventures as soon as 1947, published in Star Spangled Comics (we will have to wait until 1992 for Robin to have his own title). He would also be a founding member of the superhero team Teen Titans (in 1964), and since then, Robin is almost always part of the team.
Throughout the years, several characters have held the mantle of Robin, from the most popular Dick Grayson to our favorite little brat Damian Wayne. Discover all the Robins with the following guide.
Where to start with Robin, the Boy Wonder?
As DC reminds us, though Batman has always needed a Robin, it hasn’t always been the same Robin. Many different crimefighters have taken up the name and costume, from jovial Dick Grayson to calculating Tim Drake to violent Damian Wayne. Each left his or her mark on the character, and today the Boy Wonder is almost as recognizable and beloved as the Dark Knight himself. The company celebrated the best sidekick for his 75-year anniversary with an omnibus collecting the best of Robin stories. A perfect way to become more familiar with the famous sidekick
- Robin, The Boy Wonder: A Celebration of 75 Years
Collects key appearances of every Robin from Batman (1940) #20, 107, 156, 408, 424, 428, 442, 657; Batman and Robin (2011) Annual 1; The Batman Family (1975) #1; Batman: The Dark Knight (1986) #2; DC One Million 80-Page Giant (1999) #1; Detective Comics (1937) #38 & 342; Justice League of America (1960) #55; Nightwing (1996) #25 & 101; Robin (1993) #46 & 126; Star Spangled Comics (1941) #82, 86, 103; Superman/Batman (2003) #7 & 77
For more stories, DC also celebrated the 80th year anniversary of Robin with another collection of classic and modern crime-fighting tales:
- Robin: 80 Years of the Boy Wonder The Deluxe Edition
Collects Batman #368, Batman #410, Batman #411, Batman #466, Detective Comics #38, Detective Comics #394, Detective Comics #395, Detective Comics #535, Detective Comics #796, Robin #25, Robin #26, Batman Chronicles: The Gauntlet #1, World’s Finest Comics #141, Star Spangled Comics #65, Star Spangled Comics #124, Teen Titans #14, Batman and Robin #0, Batman Incorporated #1, Super Sons #5
Dick Grayson, The Best Robin
Our first Robin is also one of the most popular sidekicks in the DC Universe. Dick Grayson was introduced in Detective Comics #38 to make Batman more appealing to younger readers and to lighten the tone of his adventures. And it was a smashing success.
But who is Dick Grayson? He was the son of John and Mary Grayson and part of the “Flying Graysons”, a family of trapeze artists working at Haly’s Circus and famous for always working without a net. As tragedy is never far away, Dick’s parents were killed following the sabotage of their trapeze by Tony Zucco, a mafia leader. Present that day at the circus was billionaire Bruce Wayne who choose to take Dick under his care and train him as his sidekick. Dick became his crime-fighting partner Robin.
While Batman uses his parents’ death as a drive to what he does, Dick Grayson chose to not let tragedy define him. While he is as a dedicated crimefighter (and the pinnacle of human athleticism) as his mentor, Dick Grayson is naturally a more charismatic, positive, and open person. Dick Grayson has set a standard for all the Robin that will follow, and dare we say, sometimes a too high standard to attain for his successor, as he is one of Bruce Wayne’s greatest successes.
Recommended Reading:
- Batman Dark Victory – A sequel to The Long Halloween, this story by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale takes place three or four years into Batman’s career as a crimefighter. It’s a Batman story that doubles as an origin story for Robin.
- Batman Chronicles The Gauntlet (1997) – By Bruce Canwell and Lee Weeks. This one-shot tells us about Dick Grayson’s final exam before he officially becomes Robin.
- Robin: Year One – Written by Chuck Dixon and Scott Beatty and illustrated by Javier Pulido and Marcos Martin, it tells of Dick Grayson’s first year as Batman’s sidekick, Robin.
- The New Teen Titans – By Marv Wolfman and George Perez. The sidekicks to the greatest heroes of the DC Universe have joined together once more as the Teen Titans in this classic 80’s run, and DC’s flagship book at the time, in which Dick Grayson will grow as a person and superhero, leading him to become Nightwing.
For more Dick Grayson, check out our Robin (Dick Grayson reading order) and our Nightwing reading order.
Jason Todd, The Troubled Robin
When Dick Grayson became Nightwing, Batman found himself without a Robin, until he met Jason Peter Todd, in Batman #357 (1983). Jason became the second Robin, the new sidekick to the Dark Knight, introduced initially as a substitute to Dick, having a similar story (son of circus acrobats, killed by a criminal). The major difference then was his red hair (that he doesn’t have anymore). After Crisis on Infinite Earths, Jason was rebooted by Max Allan Collins, giving him his own backstory and making him an enthusiastic student, but also the most troubled kid, because of his former life on the streets making him a more aggressive person.
But who is our Second Robin? In a Post-Crisis world, Jason was “raised” by Willis and Catherine Todd. Catherine was a drug addict who died from an overdose, while his father was a crook murdered by his boss, Two-Face. To survive, Jason turned to crime, and became quite a skilled thief, as he met Batman as he stole the Batmobile’s wheels. After that, Bruce Wayne sees to it that Jason Todd is placed in a school for troubled youths, which turns out to be Ma Gunn’s School for Crime. After Jason helped Batman in capturing her gang, he is taken in by the superhero to be trained as the new Robin. If he doesn’t have Dick’s athletic abilities, he has the rage to fight.
He then became the “Rebel” Robin, or the black sheep of the Batfamily, as Jason is the most prone to defying Batman’s order and using quite different methods to fight crime than the Cape Crusader. He tends to be a practical person, going straight for the jugular of any problem.
If Dick Grayson is Batman’s greatest success, Jason Todd has always been described as Batman’s greatest failure and it will lead us to a tragedy in one of the most famous Batman stories now.
Recommended Reading:
- Batman: Second Chances – By Max Allan Collins. Discover the earliest adventures of Jason Todd, a boy more criminal than crimefighter when Batman first meets him. But from that first encounter, a powerful new bond is forged. Can Gotham’s greatest hero help his protege fly right?
- Batman the Cult – By Jim Starlin and Bernie Wrightson. It follows Batman’s investigation into the killings of several small-time criminals in Gotham City and it’s one of the most emblematic story during Jason’s time as Robin.
- Batman: A Death in the Family – Should the Boy Wonder die? That’s the question that has been asked to Batman’s readers, giving us one of the most controversial story arcs in the history of the Caped Crusader. And the most famous Jason Todd story ever.
To know more about Jason Todd, check out our Jason Todd reading order.
Tim Drake, The Perfect Robin
Created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist Pat Broderick, Tim Drake made his first appearance in Batman #436 in August 1989. He introduced himself to Dick Grayson in the storyline Batman: A Lonely Place of Dying, and is convinced that “Batman needs Robin.” As Dick refuses to become Robin again, Tim was the perfect young boy to take the mantle and become the third Robin. Though Batman will make him go through a rigorous training program for his own safety (to avoid history repeating itself), Tim Drake will obviously rise up to the challenge. He will be the first one to headline his own title, which will last 185 issues.
Unlike Dick and Jason, Tim Drake’s life was not riddled with tragedy and both of his parents, Jack and Janet Drake, were still alive when he entered in Batman’s life. Tim actually comes from the same social class as Bruce Wayne and trained himself in martial arts, acrobatics, detective skills, and scholastics after being inspired by the dynamic duo’s exploits.
Recognized as the most intellectually gifted of the Robins, he speaks several languages, excels in computer science, and possesses a large knowledge in other scientific fields, including biology, engineering, and genetics. He is also the most calculated of all Robins in combat, and of course a great martial artist.
Recommended Reading:
- Batman: A Lonely Place Of Dying – By Marv Wolfman, George Perez and Jim Aparo. This is Tim’s introduction where he showed his detective skills before even putting on the Robin costume.
- Robin Vol. 1: Reborn – By Chuck Dixon and Alan Grant. After discovering Batman’s identity, Tim Drake must now endure months of intensive physical training before he can publicly debut as the Caped Crusader’s new partner. This story details the journey of Tim Drake’s transformation into Robin. After that, Chuck Dixon wrote the next two miniseries (collected in Robin Vol. 2: Triumphant) and the first 100 issues of the ongoing Robin series.
- Young Justice – By Peter David and penciled by Todd Nauck. Tim Drake is one of the founding members of this superhero team. It has his dark moments, but it has a more playful approach and a great group dynamic.
- Red Robin – by Christopher Yost. After Damian became Robin, Tim Drake adopted the guise of Red Robin and took his battle against crime out of Gotham City and into the realm of the international!
To know more about Tim Drake, check out our Tim Drake reading order.
Stephanie Brown, The Girl Wonder
Created by Chuck Dixon and Tom Lyle as a plot device in Detective Comics #647–649, Stephanie Brown is first introduced as the vigilante Spoiler, as she was trying to ‘spoil’ things for her criminal father, the third-rate villain Cluemaster. She’s also served almost immediately as the love interest/girlfriend for Tim Drake/Robin II.
Stephanie Brown briefly became the first female Robin after Tim Drake hung up the cape in favor of a normal life for a few issues. She convinced Batman to train her as the new Robin However, after enduring intensive training, Batman fired her when she ignored one of his orders. Following that decision, Steph was determined to prove her worth and this will lead to the event War Games.
As her tenure as Robin is short, you can read all her issues:
- Batman: War Games Book One – Steph as Robin appears in the issues Robin (1993) #126-128, Detective Comics (1937) #796, Batgirl (2000) #53)
- The character also appears in Teen Titans (2003) #13 during that short period.
- Robin 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular – DC Comics celebrates Robin the Boy Wonder’s 80th anniversary with a one-shot offering a new little story for each iteration of the character. The story “Fitting In”, written by Amy Wolfram, takes place during Day Three of Steph’s time as Robin.
Stephanie Brown is usually known as Spoiler and has operated under the name of Batgirl, where she had more opportunities to shine. To know more about her, check out our Stephanie Brown reading order.
Damian Wayne, The Hereditary Robin
Created by Grant Morrison and Andy Kubert, Damian Wayne is the son of Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul, and thus the grandson of Ra’s al Ghul. Grown in a laboratory, Damian was raised by his mother and the League of Assassins to make him a great warrior. Batman ignores his existence until Talia left his pre-adolescent son in the care of his father. Talia hasn’t grown a conscience but just uses Damian in an effort to disrupt Batman’s work. For Damian, two choices are offered to him: follow his grandfather and mother’s footsteps to become the future head of the League or embrace his father’s lifestyle and choose to be a superhero.
Due to his upbringing, Damian is often considered the darkest Robin. Trained from infancy as an assassin, Damian is introduced first as a violent and self-entitled brat who couldn’t care less about Batman’s no-killing rule. Those traits are diminished now, though Damian is still arrogant and snob, a Badass Kid with atrocious social skills, and most importantly, with a heart of gold.
Recommended Reading:
- Batman & Robin – This is not your typical Batman and Robin, as Morrison made a “reverse” of the normal dynamic between Batman and Robin, with “a more light-hearted and spontaneous Batman and a scowling, badass Robin”. Dick Grayson and Damian Wayne form one hell of a team.
- Batman & Robin by Tomasi & Gleason Omnibus – Damian was a great Robin for Dick Grayson’s Batman. Now, he must learn to work and live with his father while facing deadly challenges at every turn and it’s not easy for either of them to adjust to their roles. A more emotional-focused run, exploring the relationship between the characters while making them grow as a person.
- Super Sons Omnibus Expanded Edition – Superboy and Robin are following in their fathers’ footsteps and training to become the heroes of tomorrow, and it gives us the most wholesome team-up in the DC Universe.
For more reading, check out our Damian Wayne Reading Order.
Other versions of Robin
This part is still under development.
Like other DC characters, Robin has appeared in other universes, in tales from alternate realities. This is a non-exhaustive list of other versions of Robin in comic books, from the multiverse, Elseworlds, and other sources.
- Carrie Kelley (Earth-31) – The most famous alternate Robin. Caroline Keene Kelley is a superheroine from The Dark Knight Universe.
- Matthew McGinnis (Futures End) – The younger brother of Terry McGinnis briefly served as Robin during Futures End.
- The Toy Wonder (853rd-century) – A robotic Robin who contains a transcribed copy of his own personality from before his parents were murdered by Plutonian criminals from DC One Million.
- Talon (Earth-3) – Sidekick to the second Owlman of his world. He made his first appearance in Teen Titans Vol. 3 #38.
- Helena Wayne (Earth 2) – The daughter of Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle raised to become Batman’s eventual successor. She made his first appearance in Huntress Vol. 3.
- Robin King (Dark Multiverse) – Sidekick to the Batman Who Laughs from the Dark Multiverse. He made his first Appearance in Dark Nights: Death Metal #2.
- We Are Robin (Prime Earth) – A clandestine youth movement in Gotham City where multiple people adopt the name of Robin to fight for the city. Duke Thomas (see reading order), Daxton Chill, Dre Cipriani, Isabella Ortiz, Riko Sheridan, Troy Walker were members. See We are Robin Vol. 1.
- and a lot more… (coming soon! Don’t hesitate to leave in the comments some of your favorite Robins!)
Last Updated on March 2, 2024.