What is there to say about the legendary team of Batman and Robin? Since 1940, DC’s Dynamic Duo has been the preeminent model for the hero-sidekick archetype upon which all popular iterations are based. Whether it’s Green Arrow and Speedy, Flash and Kid Flash or Icon and Rocket, every mentor-mentee pairing has taken their cues from the caped guardians of Gotham City.
But which stories best exemplify what it is that makes Batman and Robin stand above all others? Which tales from their long history together show off what each has learned from the other, and how these partners are at their best when they’re working side by side? Let’s check out five stories that highlight the very best of Batman and Robin!
Grant Morrison Shakes Things Up
In 2009, writer Grant Morrison etched a seismic shift in the history of the Dark Knight forever with their series Batman and Robin. Bruce Wayne was presumed dead, and Gotham’s heroes were adrift on how to respond to the growing threats to the city without their mentor. Grabbing the cowl by the horns, former Robin and current Nightwing Dick Grayson took it upon himself to claim the mantle of the Bat. Taking in Bruce’s recently revealed son Damian as his young partner, the two hit the streets of Gotham like a bolt of lightning.
Battling memorable new villains such as Mr. Toad and Professor Pyg, this Batman and Robin team stands out from the rest in its different dynamic. The cool-headed and approachable Batman was a starkly different iteration of his predecessor, while the violent, hot-headed Robin—trained since birth by the League of Assassins—made for the darkest version of the Boy Wonder ever.
“Crime is doomed,” Damian enthusiastically proclaims, as they speed into the city on their flying Batmobile.
This was such a memorable era in Batman history, that fans to this day recall the Dick and Damian Batman and Robin team as a fond favorite.
Introducing…the Girl Wonder!
While Morrison’s shakeup was undeniably the duo’s biggest, five years earlier, the Dark Knight made history when he took on his first in-continuity female Robin.
In the aftermath of the abrupt resignation of the previous Robin, Tim Drake, the green-and-yellow cape was quickly taken up by Drake’s girlfriend and amateur crimefighter Stephanie Brown. Harshly trained by Batman to be every bit as good as her ex, one of Stephanie’s first missions saw her going against one of the worst murderers to ever prowl Gotham City—Victor Zsasz.
In Detective Comics #796, after Batman deduces that Zsasz is back on the streets, he immediately orders his new partner to go home, believing she’s nowhere near ready to fight someone of Zsasz’s caliber. Unfortunately, that puts Stephanie right in the killer’s hands, who grabs her and tries to slice her up before Batman realizes what’s happening.
Thanks to Stephanie’s enhanced costume and a survival instinct raw from her own experiences, she manages to not only save herself but subdue Zsasz just as he’s about to finish Batman. It’s a moody, suspenseful story and a terrific one-shot that puts the best qualities of this particular Batman and Robin team on display.
Tim Drake Shows Us the Strength of a Good Strategy
Tim Drake is the Robin who defied all the odds. He didn’t come from an athlete’s background, he wasn’t an orphan adopted by Bruce Wayne and he arrived when the Dark Knight was questioning the wisdom of working with young sidekicks after the previous Robin was murdered by the Joker!
Needless to say, it took a long time for Batman to feel comfortable bringing Tim into the fold, gradually training him in the art of detection and crime solving. Batman #465 details Tim’s opening performance. As he confronts a variety of street-level thugs, Tim approaches every situation with his trademark caution and intelligence, separating him from both of his predecessors. It’s the start of a new era for Gotham—a bright one for both the city and Batman, who feels at ease with such a reliable partner once again at his side.
Jason Todd Makes His Own Rules
The obvious difficulty in working with a teenage sidekick is that kids are impulsive, overeager and don’t always think before considering the consequences of their actions. Every Robin has exemplified this to one degree or another, but no Robin let his impulsiveness lead the way more than Jason Todd, the second Boy Wonder.
In Batman #415, while the Dark Knight is on an investigation, Robin is tasked with keeping tabs on the villainous Scarecrow. Having tracked him down to his hideout, Jason is anxious to stop the madman before he embarks on another crazed plot to terrorize the city, so he bombs him with a heavy dose of his own fear toxin before taking him into the Batcave in a frenetic state. Batman’s less than pleased for a number of reasons, but still has to admit he’s proud of Jason’s resolve.
Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson Set the Standard
As amazing as each Robin has been in their own individual ways, the original team that started it all has, many decades later, proven to be a tough act to follow. When wealthy philanthropist Bruce Wayne took in the young circus orphan Dick Grayson to aide in solving the murder of his parents, the two shared a common trauma and yearning for justice that made them a terrific match, despite how different they were in personality.
Those shared values reflected in each other over the years, and few stories demonstrate this better than 2022’s Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #6. After a battle with the demon Nezha, Robin was lost in time, showing up in Corto Maltese in 1892. Confident his friends would find him sooner or later, he took up housing at the local traveling circus, just in time to investigate the murder of a few roustabouts whom the other circus performers believed were killed by one of the lions. Dick’s investigative skills (far beyond those available to everyday people in the 1890s) deduce that the real killer is one of the men. In the middle of his investigation, Batman and Superman arrive to rescue him, aiding him in apprehending the murderer but leaving him to solve the mystery all on his own.
The story is proof positive of how indomitable Batman and Robin can be when their unique skills and best qualities are put on display. Between Robin’s acrobatics and youthful enthusiasm, Batman’s expertise in striking fear in criminals and their shared supreme mastery in the art of detection, crime never stands a chance when the Dynamic Duo is on the case.
Donovan Morgan Grant writes about comics, graphic novels and superhero history for DC.com. Follow him on Bluesky at @donomark and X at @donoDMG1.
NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Donovan Morgan Grant and do not necessarily reflect those of DC or Warner Bros. Discovery, nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.
