Robin in other media

Batman (1966)

In the 1960s Batman television series and its 1966 movie offshoot, Robin (Dick Grayson) was played by Burt Ward. Ward reprises his role as Robin in Legends of the Superheroes, and the Dick Grayson of Earth-66 in Crisis on Infinite Earths”.[1]

Burt Ward played Robin in the 1966-1968 Batman TV series as well as a 1966 film of the same name

Titans (2018)

Two incarnations of Robin appear in the 2018 DC Universe series Titans. Brenton Thwaites portrays Dick Grayson, the former sidekick of Batman who took Dick in after being orphaned following his parents death, and is the leader of a group of vigilantes known as the Titans. Curran Walters portrays Jason Todd, Dick’s suceesor of Robin who was caught stealing Batmobile tires. The Tim Drake incarnation will make his live-action debut in the third season with Jay Lycurgo portraying the character as an African American descent.[2]

In DC Comics related cartoon series, produced by Filmation and Hanna-Barbera throughout the 1970s and 1980s, such as the Super Friends, Robin (Dick Grayson) was voiced by Casey Kasem or Burt Ward. Both the live-action and animated versions wore the standard Robin costume, much like the film serial versions of the 1940s. He is not paired with Batman in the Cartoon Network programs Justice League and Justice League Unlimited due to the Bat-Embargo which limited the use of Batman-related characters from any media source outside of the new Batman Begins movie franchise and The Batman animated series.

The Dick Grayson Robin made his first appearance during the first season of Batman: The Animated Series (1992–1995), voiced by Loren Lester. The second season was known as The Adventures of Batman and Robin. By the time the revamp series The New Batman Adventures takes place Grayson has adopted the identity of Nightwing.

Tim Drake appears as the second incarnation in The New Batman Adventures (1997–1998), though he is also partially based on Jason Todd. Versions of the Carrie Kelley (Anndi McAfee) and 1950s (Brianne Siddall) Robins, both in the original costume, also make short appearances on the show in a dream sequence from the episode "Legends of the Dark Knight".

Tim Drake was voiced by Mathew Valencia in The New Batman Adventures, and by Eli Marienthal and Shane Sweet on Static Shock. Dean Stockwell voiced an older Drake in Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker while Valencia reprised the younger version.

The Cartoon Network series Teen Titans (an adaptation of the New Teen Titans comic book series) with one similarity is that the character Robin is the Teen Titan's leader. Robin joins Beast Boy, Cyborg, Raven and Starfire when Jump City is threatened by aliens in "Go!". Robin is generally respected by the others as the team's best leader, but on the inside he is driven by an unhealthy obsession to win, which sometimes alienates him from his teammates ("Divide And Conquer", "Masks", "Winner Take All", "The Quest").

In many instances, Robin's relationship to Batman is heavily referenced. In "Go", just before Robin attacks a thief, bats fly at him. After a while the thief says, "This isn't your town, aren't you supposed to be with..." only to be interrupted by Robin who says, "Just moved here. And from now on I work alone.", and throughout the episode, he says he doesn't want to be in a team again so soon. In "Haunted", Raven uses her powers to enter Robin's mind; one of the images she sees is Robin's shadow in a cave area swearing an oath to someone, and part of a circus ring with two figures falling (taken from Dick Grayson's origin). When Robin rejects Slade in "Apprentice: Part 2" as a father figure he mentions "I already have a father", and then the screen shows a shot of a dark sky with bats flying through it, also referring to Batman. In that same episode, a battle ensues on top of a building that says "WAYNE ENTERPRISES". In "The Quest", Robin says that he was trained by the best and this is believed to be a reference to the Batman.

Robin also has shown to have romantic feelings for Starfire since they first met (just like Dick Grayson). There have been romantic moments shared between the two in the series, but neither Robin nor Starfire admit their feelings for each other until the movie Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo. During the film, Robin and Starfire come very close to admitting their feelings and having their first romantic kiss, but sadly Robin proves to be too focused on the mission (and also being interrupted by Beast Boy and the others) before insisting that, as heroes, they can never be anything more. However, after the film's climax battle, Robin and Starfire finally admit their feelings for each other and share their first true romantic kiss with Cyborg commenting, "Well, it's about time!". In the end, they are both seen holding hands and finally become a romantic couple.

Dick Grayson appeared as Robin in The Batman, voiced by Evan Sabara. In this version, Dick Grayson is an energetic, gifted 15-year old acrobat and one of the main attractions of Hayley's Circus, along with his parents, as part of the amazing Flying Grayson's act. His life was changed forever when Tony Zucco and his brothers tried to threaten Grayson's father into taking a "protection" policy. When the Graysons refused, an altercation resulted in the police and Batman being called. The Zuccos were easily defeated for the moment one of Tony's brothers was even captured.

An angered Zucco altered the rigs on the Flying Graysons trapeze act, causing Dick's parents to fall to their deaths right in front of their son during a performance. With no surviving family members, Dick was taken in by Bruce Wayne as Bruce saw shades of himself in Dick after his own parents' murder. After Dick discovered that Wayne was Batman, the two worked together to capture Zucco. Dick chose the codename "Robin" because that is what his mother had called him.

As depicted in a possible future during the episode "Artifacts", Dick Grayson gives up the "Robin" name and costume to become Nightwing. Barbara and Batman still persist in calling him by his original codename. Batman did this more out of habit, and Barbara did it as a flirting sort of way to annoy Dick. The police department who discover the Batcave in the beginning of the episode call Robin as 'Red Robin', a reference to Kingdom Come, and they theorize that Bruce Wayne was Red Robin (with his father as Batman and his mother as Batwoman).

In the Krypto the Superdog episode, "Bathound and the Robin", a literal robin called Robbie is saved by Ace the Bathound and wants to be Ace's sidekick, much to the dismay of Ace. Robbie's costume resembled the classic outfit of Dick Grayson.

Dick Grayson was featured in Batman: The Brave and the Bold in the episode "The Color of Revenge!" He is depicted as the protector of Blüdhaven - the city where he fights crime in the comics as Nightwing - but he is seen in the episode still as Robin. The rift between him and Batman has already taken place, and he is seen to still be angry at Batman for still treating him as a sidekick rather than a superhero in his own right. It is only after cooperating with Batman to defeat Crazy Quilt that Robin earns Batman's respect. After Crazy Quilt is defeated, Robin joins Batman when Killer Moth hijacks the Gotham Bank Money Train, but he rides in the sidecar of Batman's motorcycle (something he stated he never wanted to do again). Robin was voiced by Crawford Wilson, and the teaser episode has several references to the 1960s Batman television series. Subsequently, he is seen in "Sidekicks Assemble!" where he leads fellow sidekicks Speedy and Aqualad in a battle against Ra's al Ghul. At the end of the episode, he decides to step out of the shadow of his mentor and take the costume and identity of Nightwing. He is seen as Robin once again in the teaser for "Emperor Joker!", which shows a flashback to an earlier battle between the Dynamic Duo and Firefly. In "The Criss Cross Conspiracy!", Nightwing returns and a flashback shows him as Robin. Dick eventually becomes the new Batman in the alternate future story, "The Knights of Tomorrow!", with Damian Wayne acting as the new Robin. The episode ends with Damian succeeding Dick as the new Batman after the former retires, and Damian's unnamed son (voiced by Sebastian Bader) becomes the new Robin. Damian Wayne is voiced by both Patrick Cavanaugh (as a child) and by Diedrich Bader (as an adult). Later, in the opening for "Triumvirate of Terror" Robin was seen in the team of the Justice League International playing baseball against the Legion of Doom.

Robin (Dick Grayson) is one of the main cast members in the animated adaptation of Young Justice.[3] The character is voiced by actor Jesse McCartney.[4] Along with Aqualad, Kid Flash and Superboy, Robin is one of the founding members of Young Justice. However, when not on team missions, he still lives and performs his duties in Gotham City. As the most experienced member of the team, he assumed that he would automatically be the leader, but this would prove to not be the case. When in combat with Batman, their relationship is so defined that they do not need to communicate and Robin therefore assumed he could disappear and that others would immediately know what to do. Robin nominates Aqualad who accepts, saying that Robin will one day take over as he was born to lead the team. Throughout missions, Robin is shown to be the hacker of the group, making use of the computer interface on his wrist. As the youngest member of the team, he is still a bit immature and can often be heard laughing in combat as to either toy with or intimidate his opponents. He also questions the meaning of words, such as wondering why something is overwhelming, and not just "whelming".

In Season 2, set five years later, Dick Grayson has become Nightwing. He still leads the Team and has been replaced as Robin by Tim Drake. During the episode “Satisfaction,” a memorial hologram of Jason Todd, the second Robin, can be seen.

The third season, Young Justice: Outsiders, is set two years after the previous outing. Nightwing still plays a prominent role in the story. In addition, Tim Drake and Stephanie Brown play minor roles. There are also cameo appearances from Damian Wayne and a revived Jason Todd.

The Teen Titans iteration of Robin returns in the New Teen Titans shorts, with Scott Menville reprising his role. One of the shorts included an appearance by the DC One Million version of Robin.

The Teen Titans iteration of Robin returns in Teen Titans Go! with Scott Menville reprising his role. In the show, Robin is portrayed as the self-appointed, hard-as-nails, hubristic, slightly power mad leader of the Teen Titans but fairly more light-hearted, and has a huge crush on Starfire but is too nervous to admit this, though he is also seen as being very arrogant, often depicting himself as the so-called "best superhero", believing that he is better than his friends and heroes should always put themselves in the spotlight and take all the glory. He is also a "sleep-Fighter", and is insecure about his lack of superpowers, which has, on multiple occasions, led to one of the other Titans committing mutiny and replacing Robin as leader. In some episodes, he is shown to fall into fits of madness easily, completely ignoring his team to follow through on his own view of how to carry something out. Such examples included continuing to dig an escape tunnel despite being rescued, forcing his teammates to rely on seven numbered options and scant resources during an educational 1800s-style road trip without even the slightest bit of concern for their well-being (which ultimately leads to their deaths, which he reacts to with a lot of callousness), and thinking that nature is so dangerous he needs to be on edge and eat whatever he can find. An episode also showed that he had a backup Robin squad which features Carrie Kelley, a darker Tim Drake, and the upbeat 60s version all voiced by Scott.

In director Lambert Hillyer's 1943 film serial Batman, Robin was played by Douglas Croft. Croft was the only actor to portray Robin at the actual age of sixteen; subsequent live-action actors have either been in their early to mid to late 20s.

Robin was played by 26-year-old Johnny Duncan in Columbia Pictures's Batman and Robin (1949), directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet.

Robin did not appear in the Tim Burton movies Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992). This was an unusual move as the two 1940s serials as well as the 1966 movie and attendant TV show had presented the 'Dynamic Duo' as an inseparable pair, with the general public unaware that the comic-book incarnation of Batman often worked alone. The special edition version of the Batman (1989) DVD features an animated storyboard sequence of when Robin's parents are killed by the Joker. Jason Hillhouse provides the voice of Dick Grayson, while Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill reprise their respective roles (from the DC animated universe) as Batman and the Joker in the storyboard sequence. Burton planned to cast Northern Irish actor Ricky Addison Reed as Robin, but later felt it was unimportant to the story and cut Robin out altogether. In an earlier script of Batman Returns, he was portrayed as a technologically savvy street kid who would help Batman following his narrow escape when The Penguin tried to kill him. He would later play a crucial role in Batman's final confrontation with The Penguin. In that script, he was simply called Robin, has no known real name, and was to be played by Marlon Wayans.[6]

Wayans was considered for the role of Robin in Batman Forever, but the change in directors from Burton to Joel Schumacher would also mean a change in the choice of actor for the role of Robin.[7] Chris O'Donnell played the character of Dick Grayson in the film, alongside Val Kilmer in the role of Batman. Dick Grayson's parents and older brother were murdered by Two-Face during a hostage situation at the annual Gotham Circus after the family helps get rid of a bomb rigged to explode. Bruce Wayne takes him in as his ward out of guilt for being unable to save Dick's family. Dick soon finds out that Bruce is Batman and becomes a costumed hero in his late teens.

O'Donnell reprised the role in the 1997 film Batman & Robin, this time opposite George Clooney as Batman. Tension between Batman and Robin is present in the film due to Robin growing tired of playing second fiddle to Batman and desiring to break free from Batman's shadow, particularly after Robin's recklessness leads to him getting frozen by Mr. Freeze. These feelings are later amplified when Poison Ivy exposes Robin to her pheromone dust and causes him to fall in love with her, sowing seeds of doubt regarding Batman's faith in his ward. In the film's climax, Robin eventually sees through Ivy's schemes and makes amends with Batman, and throughout the film, it is hinted that he harbours romantic feelings towards Alfred's niece, Barbara Wilson, who later becomes Batgirl. His costume is a blue rubber suit with a red bird symbol on the chest. He also wears a silvery Arctic version of his Robin costume.

Chris O'Donnell revealed to Access Hollywood that a Robin spin-off was planned but got scrapped after Batman & Robin.[8]

In a June 2005 interview, Christopher Nolan, the director of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, said that as long as he was directing the franchise, Robin would not be appearing. Since Christian Bale was portraying Batman as a young man at the time of "Year One", Dick Grayson is still a child at this point.[9] Bale has also given the same opinion regarding Robin, even though his favorite Batman story, Batman: Dark Victory, focuses on Robin's origin.[10]

However, The Dark Knight Rises, the third film of the trilogy, features a character named Robin John Blake (Joseph Gordon Levitt), who, like Dick Grayson, is an orphan who grows up to become a police officer. He deduces Batman's identity, forms an alliance with him, and ultimately inherits the Batcave. Writer Jonathan Nolan stated the character's first name was "a wink" to the audience that references the character of Robin.[11]

Jason Todd is confirmed to exist and is currently deceased in the DC Extended Universe, with his suit covered in Joker graffiti making its first appearance in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.[12] Director Zack Snyder later confirmed Robin was killed ten years before the movie by a younger Joker, and the scene illustrated the sacrifices Bruce Wayne endured to be the vigilante and his willingness to face his past mistakes.[13] Snyder later claimed that he intended for the Robin that was killed by the Joker to actually be Dick Grayson, though for a time, it was changed to Jason Todd for a period of time given studio interference.[14][15] Subsequently, a behind-the-scenes video that was released for the DC Extended Universe, also reaffirmed it was Jason Todd who was killed by the Joker before the events of the film, and was labeled as such at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood.[16][17]

In Suicide Squad, it is revealed Harley Quinn was an accomplice to Robin's murder, something that wasn't present in the "A Death in the Family" (1988) storyline as Quinn was not yet created. Director David Ayer later clarified that the Joker was the sole person who killed Robin and that the change to Harley being added as an accomplice was by then President and CCO of DC Entertainment, and Executive Producer, Geoff Johns, through late rewrites when the film was undergoing extensive reshoots. The addition created a plot hole in the timeline of the overall canon as well.[18]

Robin (Dick Grayson) was featured in the DC DTV movie Justice League: New Frontier, where he was adopted, as a teenager (not a child, as in most interpretations), during the events of the movie. Batman did so because he realized that he was frightening those he was trying to protect. The circumstances of his adoption are not explained. He was voiced by Shane Haboucha.

In the DC Universe Animated Original Movie Batman: Under the Red Hood, an adaptation of the bestselling Batman storyline "Under the Hood" from Batman #635-650 and Batman Annual #25, Neil Patrick Harris voices Dick Grayson/Nightwing while Jensen Ackles portrays Jason Todd/Red Hood. Vincent Martella and his younger brother Alexander Martella each provide the voice of the young Jason Todd in different ages as Robin in a flashback in the beginning of the film.

Carrie Kelly appears as Robin in the two-part animated film Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, voiced by Ariel Winter. Being a fan of Batman, Carrie took the mantle of Robin herself when the Mutant crime organization had been wreaking havoc on Gotham. Batman comes to see her as a suitable Robin, training her and using her to gather intel. She helps him with leading the former Mutant's group Sons of Batman into learning his less violent ways, when Gotham needed martial law enforced. When Batman is called out to a duel with Superman after refusing to go back into retirement, Carrie helps Bruce fake his death. She, along with Oliver Queen (Green Arrow) and Bruce train the Sons of Batman group to begin taking on his job.

Jack DeSena voices an unidentified Robin in the Target exclusive 2014 direct-to-video animated feature JLA Adventures: Trapped in Time.

In 2013, Justice League: War was released, the first of a series of films that shared the same continuity, known as the DC Animated Movie Universe. Damian Wayne and Dick Grayson appear in several of these films, Damian/Robin being voiced by Stuart Allan while Sean Maher voices Dick/Nightwing.

Son of Batman, an adaptation of Grant Morrison' Batman storyline "Batman and Son", was the first time Damian Wayne had appeared in a DC-related film.

In Batman vs. Robin, Damian comes into contact with the Court of Owls, being tempted to leave Batman and join him. Throughout the film, Batman and Robin fight over Damian's rawness and his lack of discipline, leading to Damian almost joining the court before Talon (voiced by Jeremy Sisto), an assassin for the Court, is ordered to kill him when the leader discovers his secret identity. After Talon massacres the entire court, he and Robin clash in the Batcave before Talon commits suicide. Afterwards, Damian leaves for a monastery in the Himalayas.

Damian returns in Batman: Bad Blood, teaming up with Dick Grayson, who briefly assumes the Batman mantle to investigate his father's disappearance. The Heretic (voiced by Travis Willingham), makes his first film appearance, as an artificially-aged clone of Damian like in the comics. Heretic attempts to absorb Damian's mind into his so he will know what it feels like to be loved, but Talia al Ghul executes him for his treachery and punishment, much to Damian's horror.

In Justice League vs. Teen Titans, Batman decides to have Robin join the Teen Titans to teach him about teamwork and has Nightwing drop him off at Titans Tower. Damian ends up warming up to the team after being initially hostile towards them, forming a particular friendship with Raven.

In Teen Titans: The Judas Contract, Robin is still a member of the Teen Titans. Suspicious of new team member Terra, he begins tracking her movements. Through this action, he learns that Deathstroke survived their last encounter in Son of Batman and that he still seeks revenge against him. Robin tries to fight him off, but is subdued and captured by Terra, who is working with Deathstroke. Later, he and most of the other Teen Titans are hooked up into a machine so that Brother Blood, leader of a cult called H.I.V.E., can absorb all their powers. Nightwing eventually intervenes and saves them; he and Robin subsequently battle Desthstroke while the rest of the titans battle Brother Blood. Terra intervenes in the fight and kills Deathstroke after he had betrayed her. Following Brother Blood's defeat and Terra's death, Damian is given a dog by Raven, whom he names Titus.

Damian makes a cameo at the end of The Death of Superman, comforting his father after Superman dies defeating Doomsday.

Damian cameos appearance in Batman: Hush. After learning that his father is dating reformed thief Catwoman, he voices concern to Bruce and warns him to cover his drink.

In Justice League Dark: Apokolips War, Robin is one of the few Teen Titans to survive Darkseid's conquest of Earth following the defeat of the Justice League. Blaming Superman's faulty strategy for the deaths of his friends, Damian reforms the League of Assassins, with Lady Shiva as his second-in-command. Two years later, Raven, Constantine, Etrigan, and a depowered Superman seek out Damian for his help in defeating Darkseid. Damian reluctantly joins them, revealing that he attempted to revive Nightwing with the Lazarus Pits, but the process left Dick insane, forcing Damian to keep him locked up. Damian privately admits to Raven that he had developed feelings for her.

When the heroes travel to Apokolips, Damian, as Robin, is forced to fight Batman, now brainwashed and serving as Darkseid's second-in-command. When Batman emerges victorious, Darkseid commands him to kill his son. However, the sight of his defeated son reminds Batman of the night his parents died, allowing him to break free of Darkseid's control. Darkseid attempts to kill Batman with his Omega Beams for his defiance, but Robin dies when he takes the blast for his father. With the aid of Zatanna's spirit, Raven revives Damian and heals his injuries.

In the aftermath of the battle, the surviving heroes return to Earth, where Damian gives Dick to a partially cyberized Starfire. Constantine encourages Flash to run back in time and create another Flashpoint. Just before the timeline is reset, Damian and Raven share their first and only kiss.

Ward reprised his role as Dick Grayson/Robin in the animated movie Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders and its sequel Batman vs. Two-Face.[19]

Michael Cera voices Dick Grayson in The Lego Movie spin-off The Lego Batman Movie. This version was adopted by Batman as a teenager and his Robin outfit is actually a modified Reggae outfit for Batman with the pants taken off. He has large, green glasses similar to the Carrie Kelley version. During the climax, he briefly dons a Batman armor labeled "Nightwing" when attempting to save Barbara and Alfred.[20]

Feudal Japan versions of both Robin and Red Robin appear in the anime film Batman Ninja as well as Red Hood and Nightwing. This was the first time all four mainstream Robin's have appeared together outside of the comics.

The 2018 animated film Batman: Gotham by Gaslight, taking place in Gotham City in the 19th century, features three orphan boys, Dickie, Jason and Timmy (voiced by Lincoln Melcher, Grey DeLisle, and Tara Strong, respectively), whose last names are never given. After Batman cripples their gang leader (who refers to them as his "Cock Robins", from the old nursery rhyme), they are recruited by Alfred for odd jobs and eventually adopted by Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle. This is a departure from the original graphic novel Gotham by Gaslight, in which no version of Robin appears.

Robin (Damian Wayne) appears in Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Robin (Tim Drake) is a playable character in Lego Batman: The Videogame, Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes, and Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham. Charlie Schlatter voices Robin in the second and third titles. The Robin from the Lego Batman series appears in Lego Dimensions, voiced by Scott Menville. He is kidnapped early in the game's narrative, forcing Batman to find and rescue him. The game also features the Lego Batman Movie version of Robin as a playable character, with bonus story chapters adapting his role in the events of the film; using this Robin in the Teen Titans Go! world transforms him into the version of the character from that series, reprised by Scott Menville.

Robin (Damian Wayne) is a playable character in Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes and Lego DC Super-Villains.

In Batman: Arkham City, the Tim Drake Robin, voiced by Troy Baker, appears briefly during the story and is fully playable during the Harley Quinn's Revenge DLC. Both Robin and Dick Grayson as Nightwing are playable in the game's challenge maps.[21] Dick Grayson appears as Robin in Batman: Arkham Origins' multiplayer mode, voiced by Josh Keaton, with the ability to unlock Tim Drake's costume from Arkham City.[22] In Batman: Arkham Knight, Tim Drake returns as Robin (voiced by Matthew Mercer)[23] and Dick Grayson returns as Nightwing (voiced by Scott Porter), while Jason Todd (voiced by Troy Baker) makes his debut as a new persona called the Arkham Knight, eventually transitioning into Red Hood.

Dick Grayson as Nightwing appears in Injustice: Gods Among Us, voiced by Troy Baker. Damian Wayne, voiced by Neal McDonough, appears as a villainous version of Nightwing in the same game. Damian in his Robin and Nightwing personas later appeared as a playable character in the game's sequel, Injustice 2, voiced by Scott Porter.[24] Jason Todd as the Red Hood, voiced by Cameron Bowen, appears as a playable character in the game via downloadable content.

The Teen Titans animated series version of Robin is a playable character in both the Game Boy Advance game and the console game adaptations; Scott Menville reprises his role from the TV series. Robin also appears as a playable character in video game adaptations of The Adventures of Batman and Robin and the films Batman Forever and Batman & Robin. The Tim Drake version of Robin, Dick Grayson as Nightwing, and Jason Todd as Red Hood will be three of the four main playable characters in the 2021 video game, Gotham Knights.