Batman #54 provides multiple promising additions to Tom King’s already substantial run on the series. Not only will acclaimed artist Matt Wagner be joining King for the newest story, titled “The Better Man,” but they will be featuring Batman’s longtime partner and original Robin, Dick Grayson, in a prominent role for the first time. While Grayson has appeared in multiple story arcs before he has been primarily seen as a supporting cast member and one of many Robins. King has promised that this story will dig into his relationship with Bruce Wayne, likely providing some insight into how caretaker and ward have shaped one another’s lives in such important ways.
After all, there’s no denying that Robin is one of the most important roles within the Batman mythos. It’s not as simple as having a partner. Robin is the bright spot that pulls Batman from the shadows, making him easier to embrace as a hero in the abstract and allowing the actual man behind the cowl to see some sort of optimism in his very dark quest for justice. It’s also a role that has been played by a wide array of characters with very different personalities, skills, and costumes across the years. There have been five official Robins to date, along with Duke Thomas’ collection of volunteers in We Are Robin and ongoing hints that Carrie Kelley will one day resume the role she played in the elseworlds universe of The Dark Knight Returns.
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With so much attention being paid to the original Robin in Batman #54, we are taking a look at this complete roster to see how all seven of these once, current, and future Robins stack up against one another. There’s no doubt that they each bring their own form of charm to the table and have played important roles in the comics, but some have proven to be better suited to the role of Robin than others. Here’s how they measure up…
7. Duke Thomas
Created by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo
First Appearance: Batman (vol. 1) #21
Current Alias: The Signal
Duke is shining in his role as The Signal, both in his own miniseries earlier this year and now as a member of the upcoming relaunch of The Outsiders. However, his place as a Robin was never official and even Batman pushed him to take a different role when he officially joined the family. The We Are Robin series had some great moments, but it became clear by its end that this isn’t a job for amateurs and that’s the only way Duke was ever a Robin. He might qualify enough to join the ranking, but he can’t compete with any of the other six sidekicks wearing red and green on this list.
6. Tim Drake
Created by Marv Wolfman and Pat Broderick
First Appearance: Batman (vol. 1) #436
Current Alias: Red Robin
Tim Drake came into Bruce Wayne’s life at an important time, pulling him out of the depression caused by the death of Jason Todd and other terrible events. While his timing in the Robin costume highlighted the importance of the role, Tim Drake himself is the most milquetoast adventurer to actually fill those boots. He is a highly capable young individual, someone who benefited the Teen Titans and Bat-family a great deal, but was never the best at anything as a sidekick for Batman. Robin should evoke a lot of reactions from fans, but yawning simply isn’t one of them.
5. Stephanie Brown
Created by Chuck Dixon and Tom Lyle
First Appearance: Detective Comics (vol. 1) #647
Current Alias: Spoiler
Stephanie Brown had terrible timing for jumping into the role of Robin. Batman’s place in DC Comics was being reimagined as was the entire continuity and she only wore the costume for a brief while. Yet even in that short period of time, Stephanie regularly challenged Bruce and forced him to confront his godlike sense of self. Her “death” shortly after being dismissed as Robin also made it clear that Batman hadn’t grown nearly as much as he believed, failing another Robin with so much potential.
4. Jason Todd
Created by Gerry Conway and Don Newton
First Appearance: Batman (vol. 1) #357
Current Alias: The Red Hood
Jason Todd showed readers that not every Robin would or even should fill the same role that Dick Grayson defined. Whereas Dick wanted a mentor when he first put on the green shorts, Jason genuinely needed one. His anger and passion revealed some of Batman’s own weaknesses to himself and led to one of the greatest failures of his career. As a Robin Jason showed the real toll that crime fighting would take on a young ward and made it clear that the role of teacher was far more than letting a youngster tag along. His time as Robin redefined both the costume and Batman’s career forever.
3. Carrie Kelley
Created by Frank Miller, Klaus Janson, and Lynn Varley
First Appearance: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns #1
Current Alias: None (civilian)
Even though Carrie Kelly has only been hinted at in the mainstream continuity of DC Comics, her significance from The Dark Knight Returns is worth discussing. She provided light in the midst of one of Batman’s darkest stories at the time and made it clear that this brutal and cynical old man was still capable of being a genuine hero for the masses. The role of a Robin is as much about teaching Batman as it is the other way around. That’s something Carrie did brilliantly in this series, guiding him to save Gotham City instead of just break the criminals who threatened it.
2. Dick Grayson
Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane
First Appearance: Detective Comics (vol. 1) #38
Current Alias: Nightwing
Dick Grayson defined everything that is most important about being Robin, specifically helping Batman be a better superhero and providing hope to the people of Gotham City. His enthusiasm, optimism, and sense of leadership were so potent that it’s no surprise he outgrew the role, going on to become Nightwing, Agent 37, and even Batman. He is a friend to everyone in DC Comics and the character you have to look to in order to understand what it means to be Robin. That having been said, he’s also better for having moved beyond the role of Robin.
1. Damian Wayne
Created by Grant Morrison and Andy Kubert
First Appearance: Batman (vol. 1) #655
Current Alias: Robin
Damian is has a much harder edge to him than almost anyone on this list, but that hasn’t stopped him from inspiring the best in two different versions of Batman (both Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson) or being a true hero to Gotham City. At the end of his original arc when he died at the hands of a clone, Damian was the hero who went through high-flying, brightly colored stunts to save a single little girl. He made his father work to reexamine himself and be a more heroic Batman and showed Dick what he was capable of as a leader beyond the shadow of his mentor. Most importantly, no Robin has learned or grown more in the role than Damian. He came from a training and family that suggested only his capacity for evil and chose to become a beacon of goodness in Gotham City. Damian Wayne hasn’t simply earned the mantle of Robin, he has provided it with its greatest legend to date.
