DC Comics Needs To Embrace A Child Robin

Modern fans tend to know Dick Grayson primarily as Nightwing, with his past as Robin only a part of his backstory. While DC Comics has aged up the various Boy Wonders in mainstream canon, the publisher should embrace a child Robin again. Before he was a solo hero, Dick was Batman’s young sidekick, bringing a brightness to the Dark Knight’s adventures through his contrasting sense of optimism and fun.

When Robin was first introduced in Detective Comics #38 (1940) written by Bill Finger with art by Bob Kane, he provided a way for kids reading comics to imagine themselves as Batman’s crimefighting partner. As an audience surrogate, Robin turned the Caped Crusader’s war on crime into an interactive experience. In terms of his practical function within stories, Dick Grayson AKA Robin gave Batman someone to share dialogue with. Finger had previously made the Dark Knight a solemn and mysterious figure, mainly utilizing narration boxes. Now, Batman finally had a Watson to his Sherlock Holmes, assisting him during investigations and helping him lock up villains. In recent years, the various Robins have grown up into heroes of their own, moving on from the Boy Wonder persona.

Although the notion of a grown-up Bat Family might seem more grounded in reality than a child sidekick, DC Comics has frequently missed out on the dynamic between a young Robin and the Dark Knight. This continually missed opportunity was recently emphasized in Robin & Batman #1, written by Jeff Lemire with art by Dustin Nguyen, in which a school-aged Dick Grayson becomes the Boy Wonder for the first time. Dick’s time in class is put side-by-side his adopted life, and his ambition to become a superhero, honoring his mom by using a nickname she gave him. He wasn’t concerned with being cool like Nightwing, or brooding like Batman. Instead, he was the superhero that only a young sidekick could be. The retelling of his origin story reminded fans of the Dynamic Duo that had originally been introduced in 1940, and redefined Batman’s image in pop culture. Contrasted with the currently aged-up Dick Grayson, there’s a sense that something is missing in Batman’s modern day crusade in Gotham City.

While Damian Wayne’s introduction to the DC Universe served as a similar reminder of a time before Nightwing, his assassin training from Ra’s al Ghul compensated for his young age. Despite being a child characterized as brash and impulsive, his advanced skillset compromised the traditional Robin’s charm, as a young crimefighter learning firsthand from Batman. Since he is the biological son of Bruce Wayne, Damian’s Robin didn’t require the same journey as Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, or Tim Drake as they earned their surrogate son status over time.

Unlike Damian, Dick was believable as a regular kid, who happened to have acrobatic training from his family’s time in the circus, in which they were known as the Flying Graysons. The tragic fall of his parents gave him a paralleling story to Bruce, as he witnessed the death of his parents around the same age. Since Dick has reconciled with his past trauma by the time he leaves Robin behind and becomes Nightwing, his relationship with Batman isn’t the same as an adult. His vow to follow in Bruce’s footsteps helps both of them evolve into better heroes, as seen in Batman: Dark Victory, written by Jeph Loeb with art by Tim Sale. While Bruce is motivated to raise an orphaned child to eventually become a greater man than he is, Dick is similarly inspired to avenge his parents and fight for justice.

In the DC Universe of 2022, Dick has moved far past this notion, as he has evolved into a vastly different hero from either Robin or Batman. As the various iterations of the sidekick continue to be aged-up in comics and other media to create a heightened sense of realism, the era of the original Boy Wonder feels like it is being forgotten. Such compromises make DC appear embarrassed about the Dynamic Duo, preferring Batman’s more expansive Bat-Family. In recent years, the publisher has largely exchanged the initial story of a young Robin for the Bat-Family, serving a similar function in healing Bruce’s traumatic loss by giving him a new sense of belonging.

However, Dick Grayson’s Robin allowed Batman stories to focus on their shared journey of recovery, becoming the heroes that Gotham City needed in the process. Whereas the mainstream Batman is a member of a family that he has built as an outward result of his inward growth, the earlier version of Bruce is learning what it means to be a father. The cathartic dynamic creates a partnership that hasn’t been recreated between Batman and any subsequent Robin. Instead of discounting the Boy Wonder for his age, DC Comics should utilize the iconic Dynamic Duo in their original form.

About The Author