Batman’s Time as Robin Gave Him His Most Underrated Mentor

Fans of Batman know all about the rigorous training he underwent to become Gotham’s vigilante. However, it was his time as Robin that provided him with a mentor that many are not familiar with. Detective Comics #226shows that Bruce was working with detectives long before he ever took on the mantle of his most popular alter ego.

Published in 1955, Detective Comics #226 revealed that Batman created the Robin identity—down to the classic suit. Not only did he create it, he wore it himself and was given the name Robin by his first mentor. Batman has had a few mentors, but they aren’t frequently talked about if they aren’t R’as al Ghul or Henri Ducard—two separate men in the comics who shared a singular identity in film. Recently, Henri Ducard made an appearance in Batman: The Detective. However, these two men weren’t his only mentors, and they weren’t one of his earliest.

Detective Comics #226 has the creative team of Edmond Hamilton, Dick Sprang, and Charles Paris for the story “When Batman Was Robin.” In his youth, Bruce Wayne admires the career of detective Harvey Harris, leading him to don a homemade Robin costume to hide his identity as he learns from him. This makes Harris one of Batman’s earliest mentors, apart from Alfred, since he appeared sixteen years before R’as al Ghul—who was not initially his mentor the way he was depicted in Batman Begins. He also predated Henri Ducard by 34 years.

Ducard taught Batman manhunting, but Harris taught Bruce about the art of detection and fighting. Harris’ role in Bruce’s early life was also revisited in Detective Comics Annual 2 in 1989. During this time, as a teenager, Bruce had an apprenticeship under Harris. However, his death in both issues was different. What was the same was the way the detective handled his ward and his secret identity. As Robin, Bruce could not hide his identity from Harris because Harris let Bruce believe that he never knew. In his later appearance, Harris also had faith in Bruce’s detective skills despite the fact that Bruce’s adoption of the identity “Frank Dixon” wasn’t as flawless as he thought because Harris knew it was Bruce. Harris issued Bruce a warning about his anger and pain, presenting one of the most valuable lessons Batman has had to manage throughout his lengthy comic career as a hero.

Despite not being one of the most well-known side characters in Gotham, detective Harvey Harris played a large role in Batman’s long-term fight against crime. The hero’s association with the detective may even have played a part in Bruce’s respect for and willingness to work with James Gordon. Some of Batman’s best allies throughout his career have been Gotham’s hardest working, honest detectives. They have molded him, taught him, and have been beside him during tough times. While not his best-known mentor, Harvey Harris is definitely one of Batman’s most positive influences during the young hero’s brief time as Robin.