I don’t think it’s controversial to say that Batman’s partner Robin is the greatest example of the superhero sidekick. While sidekicks might not be as popular as they once were, much of the popularity in their heyday can be directly attributed to the original Robin, Dick Grayson. Not only did Robin inspire other heroes to take up a partner, but the Boy Wonder became an integral part of the Caped Crusader’s operation. Since Dick, Batman has had a handful of Robins, like Jason Todd and Damian Wayne, many of them known by name to the general public.
But in the vast DC Universe, there are other people who have adopted the Boy Wonder’s moniker or who have acted in a similar role. Some are from other worlds, like Drake Winston, the Robin of the Batman ’89 franchise. Others currently operate in the main DCU, such as the Justice League of China’s Robinbot. But whether they’re in the Prime Universe or not, these Robins don’t have the same reputation as Batman’s more well-known sidekicks. Read on to discover 5 great Robins that I can almost guarantee you have never heard of.
5. Robin of Zur-En-Arrh
You might be familiar with Batman’s outlandish backup persona, the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh. But did you know that when Zur-En-Arrh broke out of Bruce’s head, he actually created his own Robin? After a failed attempt to recruit Damian Wayne, Zur-En-Arrh revealed he had cloned Bruce and artificially aged the clone to serve as the Robin of Zur-En-Arrh. Unfortunately, this Robin’s time on Earth was short, as he continued to age with no way of stopping it, so he was taken in by Bruce, who took care of him in his final days. A tragic, but interesting addition to Robin lore.
4. Jenny Wren
Anita Jean is a curious case in that she wasn’t technically a Robin. However, she was one of Batman’s earliest allies, and Bruce did take her under his wing with the possibility of making her his official partner. However, Bruce rejected Anita when she killed a criminal who threatened to expose Batman’s identity. She faked her death and later returned as the criminal Jenny Wren with a plan to get revenge on Bruce and every other person he took in and trained as a Robin. She’s only appeared once, but the idea of a lost, villainous Robin is quite interesting.
3. Robinbot
You can probably easily guess what makes Robinbot so different from the rest of the heroes here. Robinbot was created by the Batman of China, Baixi Wong. Though he intended for his sister to be his Robin, he built Robinbot after her sudden turn to crime. Thankfully, Robinbot was more than ready for the job. Baixi programmed him to be incredibly strong and skilled at fighting, arming him with rockets and all sorts of other weaponry. He’s also a great resource of information, constantly popping off with facts to the Justice League of China (whether they asked or not).
2. Drake Winston
Fans of Tim Burton’s Batman franchise may already know that Marlon Wayans was once signed on to play Robin in Batman Returns before his character was ultimately cut. While Wayans’ Robin never got a chance on the silver screen, a character inspired by him did appear in the Batman ‘89 comic. This series gave us Drake Winston, a gifted mechanic and bird lover who took on his new life as Robin after a chance meeting with Batman. As much as it sucks that Wayans never got to play the character, Winston did a fine job realizing that missed opportunity.
1. We Are Robin
You may know Duke Thomas, aka the Signal, but did you also know that he, along with several of Gotham’s youths, adopted the Robin name for themselves? In the wake of Batman’s presumed death after “Endgame”, several proactive young people banded together to keep their city safe. They all donned the colors and symbol of the Boy Wonder and called themselves We Are Robin. They didn’t have the training or gadgets of Batman’s actual sidekicks, but they had heart. And Duke did such a great job with them, he was later invited to join the Bat-Family in an official capacity.
Who is your favorite lesser-known Robin? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts on the ComicBook Forum!