A Modern Animated 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.
Batman - The Animated Series
The Robin that appears in 1992's Batman - The Animated Series is a teenaged Dick Grayson. Ditching the short pants and pixie boots of the original costume for a more grown up look, Robin fights alongside Batman until the two have a falling out. Dick leaves the Batcave and is eventually replaced by Tim Drake. Drake's costume is similar to the modified look worn by Grayson, but with a simpler red and black colour scheme. His personality and back story closely resemble the traits of Jason Todd, who was the second Robin in the comic books. Loren Lester voiced Dick Grayson, while Tim Drake's voice was provided by Mathew Valencia.
Grayson returns to the Batman Family later in the series, sporting his new look and name, Nightwing.
In the Batman Beyond direct to DVD feature, Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, a grown up version of Tim Drake is voiced by veteran actor Dean Stockwell, while Valencia returns to reprize his role as Robin in the flashback portions of the movie.
When Batman moved from his own series to become part of the Justice League, neither Robin nor Nightwing followed suit. Nightwing and Batgirl make a very brief cameo in an alternate universe adventure of the League, the episode "Savage Time" and Nightwing is seen briefly in the shadows of his new city, Bludhaven, in the "Grudge Match" episode of Justice League Unlimited.
During the original development of the Justice League animated series, Robin and two other young characters, Impulse and a female version of Cyborg were included on the team. Before the show went to air, the young characters were dropped.
Teen Titans
Robin's first and only appearance in a television series that didn't have him as one half of the Dynamic Duo is in the series Teen Titans. In the Teen Titans, Robin is the leader of the group and one of the core group of five members that appear in each of the show's five seasons. Along with Cyborg, Raven, Beast Boy and Starfire, Robin takes the Teen Titans into battle with supervillains and interdimensional threats to the safety of the Earth.
Robin also leads the team in the Teen Titans direct to DVD feature, Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo. In that film, the long assumed fact of his Dick Grayson secret identity is confirmed.
The Batman
Dick Grayson returns to the Batcave in the fourth season of The Batman. For the first time, Batgirl has joined the team before Robin becomes the second half of the Dynamic Duo. Robin and Batgirl develop a friendly sibling rivalry in an effort to outdo each other in the bid for Batman's approval.
Robin is voiced by Evan Sabara. A grown up Dick Grayson, now sporting his Nightwing alias, is seen in a flash forward episode, Artifacts. Nightwing is voiced by Jerry O'Connell.
Justice League: The New Frontier
Robin is seen briefly in the Batcave in the direct to DVD feature, Justice League: The New Frontier. Although never seen fighting, he does display some impressive acrobatic ability. Robin's voice is provided by Shane Haboucha.
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