Robin's Role

[babyblob]

I have always liked Robin. Tim Drake being my favorite. I have always viewed his role in The Batman Family as someone to keep Bruce grounded. Someone to help Bruce keep his humanity and help keep him centered. But with Damian Wayne as Robin I think his role has changed. Damian is self center, violent, and just doent seem like he cares about much. Unless he has changed in newer issues (I have only read the ones that are a couple of years old.) Now I am not bashing Damian he is started to grow on me. It is just that The Batman Robin dynamic has changed a great deal from what I am used to and Robin's role in my eyes has changed. It is taking some getting used to.

What do you all think Robin's role should be and does Damian fit into that role?

[Batknight]

Damian has grown and developed over the last couple of years through Tomsai's Batman and Robin run and Super Sons to where he does now fulfill the role as you describe it. The role of Robin with Batman to me is meant to be symbiotic. Their two characters who need each other to live. Batman needs Robin, because Robin gives Batman an anchor to his humanity by allowing him to save a child who was in the dark place he was once in. But be the mentor and guide for him that wasn't there for him that can empathize with their situation. It also allows him to rebuild the family he lost and gives him someone to care about and protect. And forces him to be a good role model so he can install proper morality and ethics for them to follow. This is why I've kinda always found Tim to be the weakest of the Robins, because he was never in the dark place Dick, Jason, and Damian were and didn't need Batman like they did. Had Tim never been Robin he would've been fine. Thus making their relationship much less symbiotic. Bruce needed Tim...but Tim didn't really need him. Which to me isn't as compelling.

[dietrich]

I have never subscribed to the idea that Robin's role is to ground Batman or to be his light or stuff along those lines. If a grown man like Bruce needs someone to ground him then that someone entered his life the moment he became a father. The moment he had someone to look after and take care of.
He's had someone to ground him since Dick Grayson.

Robin in story was created to help give direction to a young boy's life. To save a young boy's life.
In the real world Robin was created to be an audience surrogate.

I love Damian not just because he's a brilliant and interesting character who's brought so much to the role and to the batman universe. I love Batman and Robin Reborn and what it symbolises. batman and Robin coming full circle.The first boy that Bruce saved and made family saved his son and made him family.