Is Robin A Necessary Part Of Batman, Or A Waste Of Space?

Pretty much every facet of Robin is a counterpoint to Batman. They are, essentially, the Dark Knight at his brightest and most, uh, morning-y? The opposite of a knight-y? While Robin Hood was the original impetus for the character, the songbird has become the more prevalent association – and robins are traditionally symbols of hope and optimism. 

Batman may be vengeance, he might be the night, but Robin is the breaking dawn.

The Dynamic Duo (of Codependence)

To be clear, an underage carny in neon hotpants makes absolutely no sense running around with a noir-inspired detective who works pretty much exclusively in dark alleys and abandoned funhouses. But, put simply, Batman can’t exist without Robin.

The best Robins aren’t sidekicks but partners – someone who understands that Batman needs help, too.

Let’s look at the “A Lonely Place of Dying” arc as an example. After Jason Todd’s death, Batman goes to a bad place and starts taking that rage out on bad guys – and on himself. He’s reckless and self-destructive and letting himself get beat up to the point that even Alfred, the guy who singlehandedly supported Batman in his myopic quest to become a revenge-fueled opera villain, is all like, “Oh, dear. Master might have a problem.”

Only once Tim Drake shows up in a red-and-green leotard is Bruce pulled back from the edge, returning from violent vigilante to actual hero again.

All of which is to say, without Robin, Batman gets dark. Without someone to quip away his worst impulses, without something nobler to strive for, someone else’s redemption and protection to set his sights on, Batman loses even a hint of the light.

Batman, fundamentally, can’t change. But Robin can. And that lets the reader believe, at least for a little while, that maybe we’re wrong. That maybe Batman can change, too. 

The only thing that sucks about Robin is how enmeshed the identity is with another hero. Good or bad, they’re forever trapped in the shadow of that Bat.

Eirik Gumeny (@egumeny) is the author of the Exponential Apocalypse series, a five-book saga of slacker superheroes, fart jokes, and assorted B-movie monsters. Or, if you’re more into classical literature, he added werewolves and assassins to The Great Gatsby, too.

Top Image: DC Comics