Batman and Robin: Why Robin is Needed

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Hello everyone!

I am now an official BYU Alumni! Now I have to be a real person. Yay.

Anyway, I never thought I'd be the one writing this, but this post is all about Robin and why Batman needs Robin as a person and as a character.

Yep, you heard me right: I'm defending Robin. Me, the girl who didn't like him at all at first. Is the world coming to an end? Have I finally lost it?

(Well maybe, but that's beside the point.)

Now in my defense,  Robin's portrayal in the beginning left a lot to be desired. His character in the early 50s and 60s comics was just plain cheesy and stupid. And his portrayal in the live-action movies and series wasn't much better (holy heart-failure, Batman!). I generally saw him as annoying and useless.

It wasn't until Batman The Animated Series that I began to see the value of Robin as a character.

So that's what this post is about. As I talk about this subject, I'm going to be referring mostly to the Batman The Animated Series, though I'll probably use Young Justice at times as well. I'll also be referring only to Dick Grayson, the first Robin. (I'm saving the other Robins for another post!)  So here we go: Why Batman needs Robin.

Robin's Humor and Light-Heartedness Complements Batman's Dark Demeanor

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Initially, Robin was probably created to bring in a younger audience. Batman is great, but if you want more kids to watch your show, you have to have a kid. In Batman The Animated Series, Robin managed to be a good character because he brought a bit of levity to the series without being annoying. He was snarky, a bit mouthy, and pretty entertaining. He provides a funny and fresh perspective on the Dark Knight's character and quirks, since he's probably the only one brave enough to point out Batman's idiosyncrasies.

So yes, as a character, Robin's lighter personality provides a good complement to Batman's dark brooding nature. It's also fun to see Batman's reactions to Robin's antics, since he obviously can't punch Robin like he would a criminal. You can also tell he's pretty amused by Robins antics as well.

The show, Young Justice, also does a great job of showing Robin's funny and light-hearted side. While I like Robin in Batman The Animated Series, I absolutely love him in Young Justice. His style and personality are both endearing and hilarious. He always has some snarky comment on hand, and his cackle is entertaining, though slightly creepy. You can tell he's been with Batman for a while because his wit is pretty sarcastic. He brings a much more endearing quality to the Robin character that I've never really seen before.

Unfortunately, we don't see as many interactions between Robin and Batman in Young Justice, but the moments we do see are surprisingly touching.

Robin Makes Batman More Human and More Well-Rounded

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Yes, Batman is human (it's talked about a lot in the Justice League series), but he rarely acts like one. What the Batman is notorious for is staying emotionally distant. He's frightening, unapproachable, and stand-offish. While that type of character provides a lot of intrigue, I think you can only go so far before he becomes a flat character. If Batman were to be simply that kind of stoic, emotionless character, he wouldn't nearly be as interesting. He needed to be fleshed out more; he needed to have more emotion.

But being Batman, he isn't going to show emotion easily, so how do you get the Batman to be more human?

Simple: you bring in a child.

A child that went through the same trauma Bruce Wayne did. You bring in a child that Bruce Wayne will identify with to his very core, so much that he can't help but be drawn out of his Batman shell.

Part of that is also that the line between Bruce Wayne and Batman tends to get blurred when he's alone. In fact, many people argue that the real person is Batman and Bruce Wayne is the mask. I want to argue even further about the idea of there being two masks, both Bruce Wayne and Batman. Behind the mask of Batman is another person; we could call him Bruce, but he's definitely not the Bruce Wayne everyone knows, but rather, he's the real Bruce, the one who chose to hide behind the mask of Batman and the mask of Bruce Wayne.

This is why we rarely see this Bruce because he hides behind multiple layers. But Robin, or Dick, brings out that Bruce. The real Bruce is too used to retreating in his Batman persona, but when Dick comes along, a bit of the real Bruce/Batman comes out.

Robin Gives Batman Someone to Care about and Protect

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Robin causes Batman to show emotion because for the first time in many years, Batman has someone else he has to care for, someone he is afraid for.

I'll never forget the first time I realized how important Robin was to Batman. It was an episode in The Animated Series where Robin had been captured, along with Ras Al Ghul's daughter. When Batman received the ransom letter and a picture of Robin, the expression on Batman's face was such an expression of horror, disbelief, and anger, I had to pause the show and take a breath. For a character as stoic as Batman to display that much emotion, it's a bit startling and very powerful.

These new powerful emotions are what adds to Batman's character. For me, the parts that intrigued me about Batman weren't necessarily his detective skills, or his fighting abilities, although those are very cool as well. What intrigued me was his passion.

Batman doesn't let people in easily, but when he does, he's devoted to them completely. We can see this a little with the friends he's made, but we wouldn't see it as much if Robin hadn't been brought into the picture. Oh, it's true that Batman is attached to Alfred, but it isn't as poignant as Batman willing to give up everything for a child he reared and grew to love.

I think it needed to be a child to bring Batman out of his emotional shell, because I don't think anyone else would've been able to get close enough. To me, that's something unique and beautiful, that the Dark Knight can also be a protective father.

He Shows that Batman isn't Perfect

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Now, just because the Dark Knight became a father doesn't mean he was the perfect father; far from it, actually. Batman had all sorts of issues with all the kids he took in. Even though the Dark Knight began to show a bit more emotion, it didn't mean all of his own problems were fixed. He was still stubborn, obsessive, and often mean. And the kids he took in were also stubborn, and in a sense, broken, so of course there was fighting, pain, and dysfunctional relationships.

In fact, most of the time, it ended with Batman and his protege becoming estranged, and/or his protege getting killed or horribly injured/scarred.

But I think that's what makes the story of Batman interesting. Everything isn't just great after Batman adopts Dick. Things are difficult: Dick goes away and Batman takes on new sidekicks who become estranged or injured in different ways. It makes it all more relatable, I think.

So yes, I'm a fan of Robin, and I love Batman and Robin together, but only when it's done right. It's not enough for Robin to be there for just comic relief, nor is it enough for the two to be simply partners. There needs to be that special teacher/student and father/son emotional bond for these two characters to really work together. It makes the fighting, the pain, and the touching moments all that more powerful, and it's what really makes me love Batman even more.

So go Batman and Robin!