Since he first appeared in 1940, Robin has been a staple character in the Batman universe. And he grew to become one of the most popular and beloved characters in the DC universe. Much like the name Batman, Robin has become a symbol to many, a symbol of hope and light in a dark city. And while the title of Robin has been passed down to quite a few people, the intentions of Robin are the same: fight crime, protect those that need it, and keep Batman from going too far.
While he may not admit it, Batman needs Robin to keep him from falling to the darkness. It’s a fact that Batman always does better when he has a partner. He may claim to like to work alone, but everyone knows, including him, that he does better when he’s working with someone.
Robin has been in quite a few comics, movies, and TV shows. Probably the most famous TV shows he’s been in was Batman: The Animated Series and Teen Titans. Both of these series helped cement Robin’s popularity and we’ve been in love with this flashy bird ever since.
But with all the stories about Robin and all the different versions of Robin, there are a few things about this hero that don’t quite add up. As much as we love Robin there are some things about this hero that just don’t make sense or are crazy enough to make you go, “huh?”
So here are 20 facts about Robin that are pretty crazy and kind of confusing. Think we missed some good ones? Make sure to let us know in the comments section!
20 Robin's Had A Few Broken Wings
When you’re a superhero, getting hurt usually comes with the job. And this is especially true if you don’t have any cool powers to even out the playing field like invulnerability or super strength (superspeed would come in handy too). When you’re fighting the good fight and are only human, you can only go up against thugs and supervillains so many times before you get hurt. All it takes is one mistake and you could wind up with some serious injuries. And Robin has definitely gotten those.
Really, all of the Robins have survived some pretty crazy stuff (and some of them ultimately didn’t). There’s the usual wounds, etc. And then there’s the more serious stuff like explosions, paralysis, and internal injuries. And if we’re looking at the Robin from the Teen Titans series, he probably shouldn’t be alive. This kid has taken on some pretty crazy villains and has taken hits that probably should have ended him. Besides Slade’s treatment of him, there’s the fact that he’s fallen from some impressive heights, has been punched by a guy who was basically a living cinderblock, and has undergone some pretty strange psychological pain.
19 There's No Way Humans Look Like That
We know for a fact that none of the Robins have had superpowers (though some people joke that Dick Grayson’s ability to read people could be a superpower). They’re just regular human beings who have human limitations. Well, sort of. Much like Batman, most of the Robins have trained excessively to the point that their bodies are in peak human condition. But there have been times where even these human guys seem to be beyond that.
There are definitely times where Robin seems a little superhuman.
This is especially true in the Teen Titans Robin, since he manages to do some truly impressive feats that should defy his humanity. There’s the fact that he often punches incredibly solid objects, like the villain Cinderblock, with zero injury to his fists. He’s also taken some pretty heavy hits from villains without suffering too many injuries, and he’s apparently even strong enough to carry a bear up a mountain (that was an interesting episode). And he can’t be much older than sixteen. I get that this is a cartoon, so we can suspend some disbelief, but there are definitely times where Robin seems a little superhuman. I don’t know what Robin has been doing as part of his training, but it’s apparently working.
18 Wait, How Tall Is This Guy?
In the Teen Titans series, the order of height of the main Titans is pretty straightforward. Cyborg is the tallest at 6’, Starfire comes next at 5’6”, then Raven and Robin at 5’4”, and Beast Boy is the shortest. We aren’t actually certain about Beast Boy’s actual height, since it tends to fluctuate a bit (comes with being a shapeshifter). Sometimes he’s Raven’s height, and sometimes he’s shorter. But apparently, Beast Boy isn’t the only Titan whose height is a bit inconsistent. While Robin is said to be 5’4”, his height has fluctuated throughout the series.
This is usually seen in comparison with other characters. Normally, Robin is shorter than Starfire and the same height as Raven. But there have been moments in the series when he was clearly taller than the two, or at least the same height as Starfire. We could argue that he’s growing, but then in later episodes, he’s back to his shorter height. And there isn’t much explanation for this. Beast Boy’s height inconsistencies could make sense since he’s a shapeshifter, so his height is a bit more fluid. Robin doesn’t have this excuse. Is he wearing shoes that make him taller? Is it an animation error? Or is it the hair? We may never know. Maybe it’s a trick Batman taught him.
17 They Were Just Mostly Gone
We’ve talked about how the Robins have gone through quite a few terrible things and it’s a miracle that any of them are alive right now. But we do know for a fact that at least three of the Robins have perished on the job: Jason Todd, Stephanie Brown, and Damian Wayne. Considering how dangerous being a vigilante is, I’m kind of surprised that more of them haven’t perished. But what’s really crazy is that all of these deceased Robins came back.
It is fairly common to bring back superheroes after they’ve perished. The passing brings drama, but of ,course we can’t get rid of them permanently. So there are quite a few stories of characters coming back after they’ve supposedly perished. Though, in the case of two of the deceased Robins, they actually were deceased. Jason Todd was ended by the Joker and Damian Wayne was ended by an evil clone of himself (that was a crazy story arc). Stephanie Brown was harmed almost to her demise after causing a city-wide gang war, but managed to survive and was taken to Africa to Leslie while everyone was told she perished. But seriously, how all these Robins have perished and were brought back is pretty insane.
16 Robin’s Not The Only One Wearing The Costume
Robin has gone through a few costume changes over the years. There’s those early years where the kid was apparently against pants and loved green scaly underwear (the forties were wild, man). Then, over the years, changes have been made: adding pants (thank you, Tim), wearing leggings, adding a hood, and so on. It was like each Robin added a new element to the costume. (I personally really liked the goggles Carrie added to the costume in The Dark Knight Returns). Even the color schemes have changed a bit from red, green, and yellow, to red and black. But there was one constant: Robin was usually the one wearing the costume. Or so we thought.
Apparently, in the Silver Age comics, Batman revealed that he used to dress up as Robin when he was Dick’s age. Yeah, before his parents were ever done in, Bruce had created the whole Robin persona and was swinging around Gotham as Robin before he ever became Batman. Confused? Me too. Looks like Batman in the early days has always had a few screws loose. There have also been a few times where Bruce has taken on the Robin persona, like the time he was de-aged. But at least those times make more sense.
15 That Is Some Gravity Defying Hair
We can agree that all the Robins are pretty good-looking people that draw others to them. Dick’s got charm, Jason has the bad-boy image, Tim is a total nerd, and Damian has that air of mystery to him. But a lot of people can agree that Dick Grayson as Nightwing is incredibly cute, and he’s even been voted to have the best behind of all the superheroes. This boy is absolutely flawless. And I think quite a few Teen Titans fans can agree that Robin was a pretty attractive character.
No matter what this Robin goes through, his hair always stays perfectly styled.
But one thing that doesn’t make sense about Robin’s appearance in Teen Titans is his hair. For some reason, Robin’s hair just stays pretty much perfectly styled throughout the series. We know that Robin uses a crazy amount of hair gel to spike up his hair. We hardly ever see Robin without this hairstyle throughout the series, regardless of what insane fight he’s in. No matter what this Robin goes through, his hair always stays perfectly styled. There’s even a moment where we see his hair gets wet after he gets drenched and all he has to do is shake his head a bit and his hair is styled as before. How does he do that? I need his secrets.
14 Talk About Fighting Yourself
Considering how many Robins there have been, it’s not super surprising that there have been quite a few clashes between former Robins and current Robins. Dick and Jason had a bit of a rivalry going on, though Dick was still just mad at Bruce for their fallout. Jason hated Tim with a passion because he felt like Bruce had replaced him. Damian also despised Tim (seriously, what did Tim ever do to you guys?) because he felt like Tim was an imposter. And Tim thought Stephanie was crazy to be Robin after he was forced to quit.
But did you know that there was an all-out Robin war? A group of people started up the We Are Robin movement where many started dressing up as Robin, which Damian didn’t care for. And then the Court of Owls got involved and then all the former Robins had to band together to stop the threat, but things got complicated. At one point, Tim and Jason were forced to fight to the grave, which they refuse to do, oddly enough. It’s a crazy story arc that not only pitches the Robins against each other, but also with each other in one crazy scenario that doesn’t make a ton of sense but is pretty interesting to read.
13 The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far From The Tree
All of the Robins do take after Batman in some aspect. And all of them represent different elements of Batman’s personalities and capabilities. Dick has Bruce’s compassion and drive, Jason has his ruthlessness and snark, Tim has his smarts and tactical knowledge, Damian has his strength and anti-social personality, Stephanie has his stubbornness, and so on. And whether the Robins like it or not, they do all end up becoming like Batman in one way or another.
This also becomes pretty apparent in the Teen Titans Robin. In this series, he seems to be much more like Batman than his previous version was. While Robin was usually the more light-hearted kid who balanced out Batman’s dark persona, Robin kind of became that dark persona. It makes some sense, since he became a leader of a group of teen heroes, and by taking that responsibility, Robin had to be more serious. A mistake on his part could lead to the destruction of his team. He was the guy the rest of the team looked to for help when things got bad. But that doesn't mean that he could get downright nasty sometimes. It’s kind of crazy to see this Robin acting so much like Batman when we know he didn’t want to be like him.
12 This Romance Was All Kinds Of Wrong
We know that Dick Grayson is quite the ladies man and has had romantic ties to a fair amount of people. A few well-known ones are Barbara Gordon, Koriand’r (Starfire), and Zatanna. Since he’s often considered the cutest superhero in the DC universe and he’s incredibly charming when he wants to be, it does make sense why he’s so popular with the ladies. But he has pulled a few stunts that would make a lot of women mad. For example, he slept with Barbara while he was engaged to Koriand’r, which made Barbara justifiably angry.
But there is one romantic liaison that Dick has had that makes our skin crawl and makes us go “what on earth?” And that’s his little romance with Huntress, also known as Helena Wayne. In this particular universe, Helena Wayne is the daughter of Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle. Dick practically grew up with her and helped raise her. But in Wonder Woman #284, things get decidedly much more heated between these two, and it’s weird and kind of creepy. While Dick may not be related to Huntress by blood, it’s a little uncomfortable that he would be into a woman who he helped change diapers as a baby. We do not understand your taste sometimes, Dick.
11 One Outfit To Rule Them All
Half of the struggle many superheroes have is trying to balance their superhero identity with their civilian one. (This is a huge thing in Spider-Man, where Peter Parker had a hard time keeping his regular life and hero life separate). There are superheroes that just go by one identity, and that can have its ups and downs too (like zero privacy). But that was the route the Teen Titans took in the TV series. And it brought about some rather interesting results.
In the show, everyone goes by their superhero names and don’t have any kind of civilian cover. For people like Starfire and Raven, that would make some sense, since they didn’t really have any earth identities before. And Cyborg seems content to forget about his past life, as well as Beast Boy. But then there’s Robin. He’s more dedicated to keep his previous life a bit of a secret. In the series, we don’t know much about him, and this is doubled by the fact that we never see the guy in anything other than his costume. He even sleeps in it, which can’t be that comfortable. Robin, there’s a thing as too much dedication. You might want to relax a bit.
10 No One Lasts Long In This Role
It’s no secret that there have been quite a few Robins over the years. There’s Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown, and Damian Wayne. Let’s also not forget Carrie Kelley from The Dark Knight Returns Universe. And this doesn’t even cover all the other people who’ve joined the Bat Clan, like Barbara Gordon who becomes Batgirl, Cassandra Cain who becomes Black Bat, and Duke Thomas who becomes The Signal. For a guy who claims he works alone, Batman has quite a few people helping him out.
Most of the Robins don’t stay Robin for very long before they leave, are ended, or take on a new identity.
But what’s really crazy is the surprisingly high turnover rate for the Robin persona. Over the course of a couple of decades, there have been five Robins. Most of the Robins don’t stay Robin for very long before they leave, are ended, or take on a new identity. Part of this was because of the various reboots which often shortened the length of time the various heroes were Robin. But seriously, no one stays Robin for very long. I think Dick was Robin for the longest time, depending on the universe, and Jason was Robin for the shortest. Robin seems to be this persona that you eventually outgrow. I wonder how long Damian is going to stay in the role.
9 He Can’t Look Us In The Eyes
One of the things I always liked about the Teen Titans series was that the characters were all pretty expressive, especially in their eyes. You could see the emotions in everyone’s eyes, whether you were looking at Star’s cheerful, vibrant green ones, Cyborg’s intelligent, dark blue ones, Raven’s pensive, violet ones, or Beast Boy’s mischievous, light-green ones. But there is one character that we actually never see his eyes fully. Yep, we’re looking at you, Robin.
What’s even crazier is that it’s never explained why we never see Robin’s eyes, or why he wears the mask all the time. I guess technically we do see his eyes a couple of times, but both times, they’re super wide and anime-stylized in shock, so we’re pretty sure that’s not what they look like all the time. Even when Robin doesn’t have his mask, like in Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo, Robin puts on a pair of sunglasses so his eyes are covered when he was to go undercover. In this show, Robin apparently has an issue with people seeing his eyes. I guess if he’s trying to keep his civilian identity a secret, that would make sense, but for not to show your eyes to your team is a little crazy, dude.
8 Things Are Getting Literal Here
DC comics can get pretty wild sometimes. There have been quite a few interesting universes with different scenarios and alternate futures. For example, there’s a universe where Superman’s pod lands in Russia and he becomes a communist, there’s one where Earth has become completely flooded, and there’s even one where the Nazi’s won WW2 and took over the world. And with all the different universes and comic series, we’ve gotten quite a few interesting versions of Robin. Some are good, some are bad, and some are just plain weird.
We’ve seen Robin as a robot, a monkey, a Native American, a Samurai, and even as an actual robin. Yep, in the 1980’s comic series Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew, various superheroes are portrayed as animals. Robin appears in this series as Boyd the Bird Wonder, who fights alongside his mentor Batmouse. You know, it would be kind of cool if they did a modern version of this; kind of like Zootopia, but with superheroes and vigilantes. It would be a great way to introduce younger audiences to some classic comics but with a modern twist. I think people would be into that, or at least find it hilarious. Alright DC, get on that!
7 This Team Is Too Nice
You have to admit that most of the Robins have done some not so good things. Being a superhero can require you to make difficult decisions, and these guys are only human. That being said, it’s kind of surprising they have friends at all. I think all of the Robins have alienated their friends at some point in time. Whether it’s because they had to lie to them to protect someone under cover, or if they pulled a dirty trick, the Robins sometimes have a bit of difficulty keeping friends. It kind of comes with the territory of being Batman’s sidekick.
But let’s take a look at Teen Titans Robin, since he’s definitely done some harsh things to his teammates. This Robin is a pretty serious guy with a bit of a temper to match. As a result, his interactions with his teammates can get a bit volatile. And there’s the time where he pretended to be a villain in order to try and get closer to Slade, and he ended up betraying his teammates. Then there’s the time where he was an apprentice to Slade (though he was forced to be, so that wasn’t really his fault.) Let’s face it, the Teen Titans are surprisingly forgiving of their leader, even when he’s given them some legitimate reasons to be done with him.
6 There May Be Something More Between These Two
Throughout the years, Batman and Robin have remained the dynamic duo, and they were often close. It was pretty obvious that the two had a teacher/student relationship, and some would even argue that it was more of a father/son relationship. Since Batman does adopt quite a few of the Robins he takes under, that relationship seems pretty solid. Of course, Batman still has quite a few falling outs with various Robins, but eventually they do reach an ultimate understanding. This family is dysfunctional, but they do care.
A lot of people, especially in the early days, were convinced that Batman and Robin were together.
But people have often speculated that there was much more going on between Batman and Robin than was strictly professional, or even family-oriented. A lot of people, especially in the early days, were convinced that Batman and Robin were together. It didn’t really help that a lot of the early comics did have some suggestive elements to it that would make you question a few things. Batman and Robin in the Silver Age were definitely close, and maybe they were a bit too close. What doesn’t make sense is why these two would be involved at all. Batman is quite a bit older than Robin, and their relationship seems to be much more of a father/son type. Any kind of romantic relationship stemming from that would be unhealthy at best, toxic at worst.
5 He’s Not One Person But Many
Since Teen Titans first came out, fans have speculated for a long time who Robin was as a civilian. Was he Dick Grayson? Jason Todd? Tim Drake? And for most of the series, we don’t’ really find out who Robin actually is, which is a bit surprising since we get a bit of a backstory on pretty much all the other main Titans. (though Cyborg’s backstory was a little murky). While there were a few references that implied this Robin was Dick Grayson, it wasn’t fully confirmed in the original series. So, who was Robin hiding underneath that mask?
Well, in a way, it was no one. It was revealed that the creators came up with this Robin by combining various elements from all the previous Robins. And you can actually see it. He has Tim’s computer skills and tactical knowledge, Jason’s fierceness and snark, Dick’s acrobatics, and Stephanie’s stubbornness. (Damian hadn’t shown up until 2006). What doesn’t make a ton of sense is that they would combine all the Robins, but then still imply that it was Dick Grayson. If they were going to have Robin be Dick Grayson, shouldn’t have they stuck more with his character? I know Dick usually wasn’t that serious all the time.
4 Things Are Strange In The Titans’ World
Thanks to various versions of Robin and the various people that have taken on the role of Robin, things can get a little confusing in the timeline element for DC comics. Not to mention all the reboots and changing what’s canon and what’s not. (Seriously, delving into DC history just gives me a headache). And this is especially true when it comes to the Teen Titans. The whole Titans’ history is pretty crazy and the different Robins involved just make it even more complicated.
Robin’s own timeline with the Teen Titans is a little complex. There are the original Teen Titans that were headed by Dick Grayson. Then there’s the Teen Titans series where Robin apparently had a falling out with Batman. Then there’s the Teen Titans where Tim Drake is Robin and the leader. And there’s the Teen Titans where Damian Wayne is Robin and was the leader for a while before he got demoted. Pretty much the only constant throughout the history of Teen Titans is that Robin has been a part of the team, if not the leader. But his own involvement can be pretty confusing to follow, depending on the universe and which person is currently Robin. But let’s hope the team sticks around.
3 This Guy Was Almost The Boy Wonder
Robin hasn’t really appeared in a Batman live-action movie since the Batman and Robin movie starring George Clooney and Chris O’Donnell in 1997. Not that there haven’t been attempts. Apparently, the second Tim Burton Batman film was going to have Robin, but the character was axed from the movie. I can’t blame directors being hesitant for putting Robin in live-action movies since most versions of Robin in these movies have been incredibly cheesy and stupid. But it’s not that people haven’t considered it.
It would’ve been weird to see him in a Robin costume.
But did you know that Eddie Murphy of all people was going to play Robin? There was originally going to be a Batman film directed by Ivan Reitman (who directed Ghostbusters), who had wanted Bill Murry as Batman and Eddie Murphy or Michael J Fox as Robin. And he wanted David Bowie to play the Joker. So why didn’t this happen? Well, the film was then ultimately offered to Tim Burton to direct, who went in a completely different direction. I am a little confused on why Eddie Murphy was going to be Robin. I guess if the movie was more of a comedy, he would be a good fit, but man it would’ve been weird to see him in a Robin costume.
2 He Mentored This Lady
In the Teen Titans series, Robin had quite the interesting relationship with the villain Slade, also known as Deathstroke. Slade was one of the main villains for the majority of the series and Robin soon became obsessed with stopping him. It got to the point where the obsession turned toxic and Robin almost got himself and his team killed a few times because of it. Slade was this character that was not only a master of combat but of manipulation as well. Robin went through a lot of psychological harm because of that man, so its safe to say he has quiet the hatred for him.
So, it may be surprising to know that he ends up training Slade’s daughter. Well, not this version of Robin. Dick Grayson, who is Nightwing, is eventually approached by Slade and asked to train Rose, also known as Ravager. And he actually agrees to do it. It’s surprising he goes along with it, considering the history between him and Slade. Even though he may not hate Slade as much as the Robin in Teen Titans does, these two have clashed in the past. For Dick to agree to train the daughter of one of his enemies is a little strange.
1 This Former Robin Broke The Ultimate Rule
The Bat Clan has quite a few rules that everyone tries to abide by for the most part. But the biggest one is “don’t eliminate.” (Okay Jason breaks that rule a lot, but that is kind of why his relationship with the rest of the Bat Clan is shaky at best). No matter what, you shouldn’t eliminate. It’s a rule that everyone in the Bat Clan has taken to heart, even Damian, who previously couldn’t care less about eliminating someone. But there was one former Robin who broke this rule, and it’s not the one you’re thinking of.
Dick Grayson has ended someone, and not just any person: it was the Joker.
Dick Grayson has ended someone, and not just any person: it was the Joker. You’d think that out of all the Robins, Dick Grayson would be the one who was the most ardent supporter of the no eliminating rule, and for the most part, he is. He’s the one who convinces Damian to stop ending people and to be better. But even Dick can be pushed to his limits and that’s what happened in Last Laugh. Joker tricks Nightwing into thinking he ended Tim Drake and that causes Nightwing to snap. He then beats the Joker to his demise with his bare hands. It isn’t until Tim comes in and tries to stop him that Nightwing sees that he was tricked. But by then it was too late; he had ended the Joker.