DC Just Killed Robin (But Not the One You Think)

Batman and Robin are comics’ greatest team. They’re the Dynamic Duo who redefined what superheroes could do, introducing the idea of a sidekick and showing everyone that two heroes will always be better than one. In the main timeline, nothing has ever managed to break this partnership up for long, but things aren’t quite the same in the Absolute Universe. Here, instead of a warrior of order who adopted youths just like himself, Batman is a rogue agent striving to take down this world’s Bruce Wayne equivalent, the Jack Grimm. The Joker is the one who recruited the Robins, turning them into his team of hunters to bring down the Bat.

Absolute Batman‘s “Straw Man” arc has followed Bruce’s descent into madness as he battles the physical and psychological forces of the Joker and Scarecrow, alongside the entire team of Robins sent to bring him in. Five Robins united and manned giant mechs and robot suits to take down the Bat, but as this series has proven time and again, it’s in a hurry to take us through all of Batman’s most important stories in an all-new way. Issue #23 just killed one of the Robins, and Batman is going to blame himself, because the monster who did it looked just like him.

A Robin Gets His Wings Clipped

The issue beat home the idea that Batman is well past his breaking point. For issues now, he’s dealt with constant tragedy and psychological attacks, and by the time this one started, he had become a full-blown conspiracy theorist finding patterns where there were none. Not even his friends and mom coming together could snap him out of his daze, and Batman nearly attacked his own mother to get information. Knowing that he went too far, just like when he worked for Falcone, he went to turn himself in to the Robins. He found Jason Todd and Tim Drake, but while they celebrated, they didn’t notice Clayface appear behind them.

Disguised as Batman, Clayface killed Tim Drake, leaving Bruce to cradle the body and Jason to swear eternal vengeance on the Dark Knight. This is shaping up to be one heck of a climactic arc, and with Bruce having just pushed all of his friends and allies away, even they might believe he lost his mind and killed this kid. Batman is at an all-time low, having failed and inadvertently caused the death of a child, an orphaned young man, which is the exact thing he created his superhero identity to prevent. This is Batman’s ultimate failure and his greatest trial. Now, he not only has to convince the city and his family that he isn’t a monster, but himself.

A Death in the Family That Pushes Everyone Onward

Obviously, this death will have major impacts going forward. Jason will definitely take Tim’s death the hardest of all the Robins. He was already the vengeance-focused, angriest of the bunch, and this is more than enough to send him into a full-blown killing spree across the city with his giant mech. I can also see this being a major moment of growth for Dick, who has always pushed back against the idea that they exist just to catch and punish Batman. The other Robins could fully commit themselves to Jason’s mission of vengeance, while Dick could learn the truth and finally be pushed to join Batman’s side.

The fact that they killed Tim instead of Jason means that they have some serious plans for Jason’s arc. Just like in the Prime timeline, this event will almost assuredly be his trigger for a much darker path, but the question is what it will do to Batman. The Dark Knight is at his lowest point, but he’s also never been one to take death lying down. Instead of being broken, this moment could be the bucket of cold water that Batman needs to finally snap out of his delusion and become a hero once again. It’s also possible that this could send Batman into an even deeper depression, knowing that his attempt to give it all up led to this.

No matter what, it’s no coincidence that Barbara Gordon’s debut as the Absolute Bat occurs exactly one issue after this. The world has lost one young hero, but it’s gaining another one. With Batman potentially out of commission and needing a new path forward, there’s no better setup for somebody like Babs to swoop in and continue the fight. The Joker and Scarecrow have been controlling the narrative this entire time, but now it’s time for Batman to snap out of it and save the day. Joker killed a young man in front of Batman, and he would never, ever let that go without justice.

What do you think of Tim Drake’s death? It’s a shame to see him go so soon, but it opens the door for all kinds of incredible character arcs that I cannot wait to see in action.

Absolute Batman #23 is on sale now!

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