A Live Action History of Robin
The Boy Wonder Has Been on Screen Almost as Much as Batman
Dec 16, 2008
The mantle of Robin, the Boy Wonder, has been held by three boys and two girls since the character was created. Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake and Stephanie Brown have all worn the Robin costume in the DC Universe and in Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns, which takes place outside the official DC Comics continuity, Robin's outfit is donned by Carrie Kelly.
Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger in 1940, Robin has fought alongside Batman ever since. It didn't take long for the character to leap off the pages and onto the silver screen. Riding Batman's cape tails, Robin has a decades long pedigree in films and on television.
From Serial Art to Serial Film
In 1943, Batman hit cinemas all over North America. The 15 chapter serial starred Lewis Wilson as Batman and Douglas Croft as Robin. The Batman serial introduced the idea of a Batcave, the iconic grandfather clock hidden entrance to the cave and turned Alfred from a plump gentleman's gentleman into a slim butler who sported a trim mustache, all elements that remain part of the Batman mythology to this day.
A sequel of sorts, the 15 chapter Batman and Robin, starring Robert Lowery as Batman and Johnny Duncan as Robin, was released in 1949.
Holy Television Show, Batman!
Robin arrived on the small screen in 1966, portrayed by Burt Ward. Next to Adam West's Batman, Robin became inseparable from his trademark "Holy (insert relevant item), Batman!" line. West and Ward would do three seasons of Batman and star in a feature film as the characters as well.
The two would be typecast as Batman and Robin for the remainder of their careers and returned to the roles they made famous in Legends of the Super Heroes, a 1979 two episode special. Ward and West also voiced the characters for the 1977 animated The New Adventures of Batman.
In 2003, both actors starred in the made for television movie, Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt.
Return to the Silver Screen
Although Tim Burton considered adding a Robin character to both 1989's Batman and 1992's Batman Returns, the Boy Wonder did not appear until the directing duties passed from Burton to Joel Schumacher for 1995's Batman Forever. Portrayed by actor Chris O'Donnell, Dick Grayson discovers Bruce Wayne's secret after the billionaire takes him in, following the murder of Grayson's parents.
Robin returned in the final film of the series, Batman and Robin. Sporting a costume more reminiscent of Nightwing, the persona that Dick Grayson adopts when he splits from Batman as an adult, O'Donnell reprized his role from Batman Forever.
The Graysons
As the run of Smallville entered its eighth season, the CW explored the possibility of developing another DC Comics property as an eventual replacement in the line up. With the success of the Batman films helmed by Chris Nolan, the idea of bringing Batman's sidekick to the small screen seemed logical. Fortunately for comic fans, the concept of The Graysons, which appeared to be a clone of Smallville with a circus replacing a farm, has been shelved.
