As Batman’s former sidekicks come together in Robins #1, the Dark Knight’s first partner is revealed, and they are quite different from the others.
WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Robins #1, on sale now from DC Comics.
Batman’s very first sidekick has made a surprising move against their successors in Robins #1 (by Tim Seeley, Baldemar Rivas, Romulo Fajardo Jr., and Steve Wands), and it’s clear from the beginning that their goal is to drag the other wearers of the mantle on a demented trip down memory lane. After watching the group discuss the different factors involved in the role, this Robin responded in a manner that offered a twisted perspective on the generally positive and heroic persona.
The sidekicks all gathered in Dick Grayson’s apartment, taking turns to explain why they became Robin and how they feel about it now. To each of them, it represented something entirely different. Dick viewed it as a way to keep Batman from being consumed by his own darkness, Jason saw it as being conscripted in a war, Tim wonders if he could have a different dream had he been older when he decided to become Robin, Stephanie worries that Robin might have been the peak of her career, and Damian views it as a training period. They all viewed their time as Robin differently, but ultimately, it changed them all.
It is this change that the mysterious, self-proclaimed first Robin seems to be attacking. Though not much has been shown about them, this new figure clearly has a great deal of resentment and animosity towards the Bat-Family. This is metaphorically expressed during the opening pages of Robins #1 when they caught a falling baby robin from a nest of six. They then proceeded to toss a grenade into the nest, killing the robins and injuring nearby civilians. It’s clear from the outset that this other Robin feels slighted and abandoned by the Bat-Family, and their quest for revenge does not appear to take innocent lives into consideration.
But more than that, they seemed to have been quite upset at not being invited to the commentary on the position of Robin. Each of their predecessors has been changed by the role, there is no denying that, but the question was whether or not that change was for the better. And judging from the alleged first Robin’s actions, words, and even appearance, being Batman’s sidekick can warp a person in very extreme ways.
All of this presents a question as to the necessity of the Robin mantle. The persona serves the vital role of balancing out Batman’s darkness and simultaneously training the next generation of Gotham City’s protectors. But to put a child in that position has the potential to corrupt them, steal their childhood, and make them into something even worse than the Dark Knight. The first Robin seems to be incensed about this, but hides it behind a personality that appears to be severely damaged.
This mysterious Robin gathered the very first villains each of their successors faced in their respective “gauntlet” trials to prove that they were ready to patrol Gotham. For reasons that are not yet clear, this twisted Robin is setting up an elaborate scheme against those who have followed in their footsteps. And judging from the demented smile they had after killing a person, it appears that Batman’s first sidekick experienced something more horrible than almost anything that happened to the later additions to the Bat-Family. It goes without saying that the first Robin does not look back well on the formative experience of being the Dark Knight’s first partner.
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