Batman’s Most Important Story Killed Robin, But Not for the Reason Everyone Thinks

There have been a lot of comic book stories over the years about a whole lot of characters. Batman is the most published superhero of all, starring in more comics than anyone else, so keeping track of all his stories can get pretty complicated. A lot of Batman’s stories, if only due to volume, wind up being forgotten or not making a splash. However, the stories that do leave an impact are remembered for generations. Some stories are so massive or have such a huge effect on Batman or his world that they become integral parts of the world. No reboot or relaunch could wipe these stories away, and no Batman universe feels complete without them.

Perhaps the best example of a story that became famous, or infamous, for its impact was “A Death in the Family.” This story saw Jason Todd die to what many now consider a very rigged vote, where fans could call DC and choose whether he lived or died. However, it doesn’t really matter if that vote was fair or not, because the truth of the matter is, Jason was never long for this world. He had something even more powerful than the fans working against him: the writer. Jim Starlin was the main force behind killing Jason Todd, and it wasn’t because the fans wanted it at all. If they did, it was because he made them want it, because he really, really hated Robin.

The Jason Todd That Time Forgot

To explain why Starlin killed Jason, let’s first look back at who Jason Todd was before him. While most fans know Jason as a street kid with a chip on his shoulder, originally, his origin was a near copy-and-paste of Dick’s. He was a circus acrobat who saw his parents die before his eyes, and would join Batman after as his ward and eventual adopted son. Heck, he didn’t even have black hair, as he was originally blonde and dyed it for the Robin disguise. For the first few years following his introduction, Jason was very different from how we know him. He was a tad edgier than Dick, but he was incredibly optimistic and jovial. He was a happy-go-lucky kid.

Then Crisis on Infinite Earths reset the universe, and Jason was fundamentally changed. He went from an occasionally brooding teen to a downright angst fest. The new Jason was brash, arrogant, and more than willing to rush into danger even when Batman tried to rein him in. In the story almost immediately preceding his death, “The Diplomat’s Son,” it was heavily implied that Jason pushed a criminal to his death. Fans were given every reason to dislike Jason. He was genuinely a massive brat for the entire post-Crisis period until his death.

At least, he was in the main Batman comic. In every comic that wasn’t the main title, Jason was just as happy and heroic as ever. Why the massive change in just the one title? Why, because Jim Starlin was the main Batman writer at the time, of course! He single-handedly changed Jason’s character to be the bratty loose cannon that we all remember him as today, inadvertently leaving a mark that has followed Jason to the present day. Starlin wanted fans to hate Jason because, up to that point, he couldn’t kill him, but when he finally did, he didn’t do it alone.

The Man Who Killed Robin and Accidentally Saved Him

Jim Starlin has gone on record saying that he wanted to kill Jason from the very moment he began writing Batman. He says that he finds the idea of a child fighting crime alongside the Dark Knight ludicrous, and thus wanted to remove him at the first chance he got. He made sure to pitch his murderous idea to DC editorial at every chance he got. In old interviews, Starlin recounted that DC once planned to do an AIDs focused story and set out a ballot box for who should be the character to get it. He filled the box with Jason’s name and repeatedly told the higher-ups that they should kill Jason.

Starlin finally got the chance to fulfill his dream when Denny O’Neil came up with the idea to host a fan vote to decide if Jason lived or not. There were two versions of Batman #428 made, one where Jason died and one where he survived. However, it didn’t change much of anything with the story. Either way, Jason was taken out of commission and Batman charged on ahead, swearing to never let anyone else become Robin. Starlin used this comic to smother the very idea of Robin, aiming to kill the mantle in one fell swoop. Whether Jason survived or not, Robin was dead.

Of course, we know that’s not how the story ended. Try as he might, Starlin couldn’t kill fans’ love for the Boy Wonder. Almost immediately after Jason was killed, Tim Drake became the next Robin, and he totally revolutionized the mantle. Tim breathed new life into the identity that defined the hero for the ’90s, while also establishing that Robin was much bigger than one or two people. Robin was an idea that was as essential as Batman, and just as immortal.

Ironically, Starlin spent his entire run on the Dark Knight trying to get rid of Robin, only for his final big arc to do it and leave him with no time to write more Batman. Which, of course, led to the creation of the character some still cite as the best Robin of them all. Jim Starlin’s hatred of Robin is another simple case of a man whose suspension of disbelief kept him from seeing Robin’s appeal. How could it make sense that a child could fight alongside Batman, the impossibly rich and talented guy who dresses like a bat and physically fights crime?

At the end of the day, Robin really had the last laugh. Starlin killed Jason, but he could never kill the Boy Wonder. What do you think of this spite-filled story? Let us know in the comments below!