As a fan of DC, specifically Batman and the other Gotham-based heroes, I remember being extremely confused trying to figure out who Robin was. At first, I thought it was Dick Grayson, then I thought it was Tim Drake, afterwards, Jason Todd, and at one point, some blonde girl—I was so confuzzeled. Eventually, I did my research and realized that, in fact, all of the aforementioned people—and some more—have all been Robin, and that I wasn’t going crazy. And so, I’ve decided to list below a (very) basic timeline of which people were Robin and for how long they acted as Robin.
Robin #1 – Dick Grayson
- Dick watches his parents die due to someone tampering with the equipment (they were acrobats and Dick was raised in the circus)
- Bruce Wayne (Batman) was in the crowd while it happened
- Bruce sees himself in Dick and adopts him
- Dick convinces Bruce to let him be his sidekick so Dick can avenge his parents
- Dick gives himself the superhero name “Robin,” which was his parents’ nickname for him
- The Robin legacy officially begins
- Dick eventually quits being Robin due to an argument with Bruce and moves to Bludhaven to become Nightwing
Robin #2 – Jason Todd
- Batman finds Jason jacking the tires off of the Batmobile
- He adopts Jason and trains him to be Robin
- After ~6 months, the Joker captures Jason (using his biological mother to trick Jason) and tragically blows him up in a warehouse with his mother
- Jason dies, and Bruce goes crazy with grief and almost kills the Joker (which would violate his no-kill rule) before Superman stops him
Robin #3 – Tim Drake
- Tim Drake, who was left alone by his parents for the majority of the year since they were traveling archeologists, figures out Batman and Robin’s identities when Robin was Dick
- Knowing Batman’s identity, and realizing that Batman was going to get himself killed due to his grief after Jason’s death, Tim tries to convince Dick to become Robin again
- Dick refuses, so Tim takes matters into his own hands, dons a Robin costume, and convinces Batman to let him be Robin
- Tim’s father discovers his identity as Robin, and forces him to quit
Robin #4 – Stephanie Brown
- Stephanie, who had been operating as the vigilante Spoiler and was also Tim’s ex, took over the mantel of Robin
- It doesn’t last long and she is quickly fired by Batman due to their conflicting personalities:
- He didn’t like that she disobeyed his orders
- Tim Drake returns as Robin after she’s fired and continues to act as Robin for a couple of years
Robin #5 – Damian Wayne
- Batman gains a surprise biological son: Damian Wayne, the son of Bruce Wayne (Batman) and Talia al Ghul (daughter of the head of the League of Assassins)
- Batman is presumed dead after the Final Crisis event, and Dick Grayson takes over the mantle of Batman
- Tim believes the Batman is still alive and is lost in the timestream (he’s right, but no one believes him)
- Dick decides that Damian needs to be Robin more than Tim does, and fires Tim (partially because he thinks Tim is unstable)
- Tim takes the name of Red Robin, and eventually brings Batman back
- Damian continues to be Robin (and still is currently)
Less Mainstream/Official Robin’s:
- Duke Thomas
- Was part of a street squad who acted as Robin-themed heroes, but wasn’t really Robin
- Acts under the name of Signal currently
- Carrie Kelley
- Was Robin in Frank Miller’s The Dark Night Returns and then never really showed up again
Find more in-depth information about the Robins here!!