View Poll Results: How long into Batman's career should Robin join him?

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  • 1 year

    14 20.90%
  • 2 years

    19 28.36%
  • 3-5 years

    30 44.78%
  • 5+ years

    4 5.97%
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  1. #1
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    Default How long into Batman's career should Robin join him?

    The long thread about the ''preferred duration'' of Dick's career as Robin got me thinking...how long should Bruce be Batman before Dick joins him as Robin?

    Now, in a real-world publishing sense, Robin first appeared 11 months after Batman did, so there's a historical precedent for it being about a year.

    But Post-COIE, there was a continuous reinvention and expansion of Batman's early years with stories like Year One, the entire Legends of the Dark Knight series, The Long Halloween, Dark Victory, Dark Moon Rising etc. Most notably, Batman's first encounters with most, if not all, big-name villains now retroactively occurred before he met Dick. So it became conventional wisdom that Robin came along two or three years into Batman's career (two is the more popular figure due to Year Three covering Robin's origin).

    The New 52 brought it down to one year again due to their compressed timeline, though I assume that doesn't apply anymore.

    And adaptations of course play by their own rules. If real-world release dates are any indication, Dick becomes Robin in Batman Forever about six years into Batman's career. The Batman (the 2004 cartoon) started with a solo Batman three years into his career, so I'm guessing by the time Robin shows up in Season 4 its four or five years (I haven't watched the later seasons of this show so I'm not sure). Darwyn Cooke's New Frontier, incidentially, has Dick becoming Robin in the late 1950's in a timeline where, notionally, Batman has been around since 1939!

    Personally, I lean towards it being at least two years. Real-world history aside, I think it makes more sense for Bruce to be confident bringing a kid into his world if he's already pretty established and has things somewhat under control. A relative rookie vigilante turning a 12 year old into a vigilante is more messed up than the Robin concept already is! And I guess honestly, about three to five years makes the most sense.

    At the same time of course, adaptations and Elseworlds notwithstanding, it can't be too long a gap because we need to compress the timeline to some extent. Then again, if you're wedded to the idea of Bruce and Dick having a father-son relationship, then maybe a longer gap is a better bet!

    What are your thoughts on this pretty nitpicky question?
    Last edited by bat39; 07-03-2021 at 07:13 AM.

  2. #2
    Uncanny Member MajorHoy's Avatar
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    Well, "into Batman's career" is a tricky thing to gauge.

    How long was it into his "career" before Batman started wearing his own Batman uniform?

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by MajorHoy View Post
    Well, "into Batman's career" is a tricky thing to gauge.

    How long was it into his "career" before Batman started wearing his own Batman uniform?
    Well, I'm talking about since the day he put on the uniform. Which usually is, at most, a few months after he returns to Gotham and/or starts seriously experimenting with vigilantism.

  4. #4
    Extraordinary Member Restingvoice's Avatar
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    Right after he cleaned up the crime family but before the rise of the freaks. There should be a period of time where Batman thinks everything's safer, and he can say, okay, I'll let this kid have one to make him feel he can regain control of his life, something I couldn't have, since it's just a small time crook.
    Then the next day The Joker showed up, and he's like, oh shoot, I effed up. Now the kid got bravado AND skills. So short of actually tranquilizing him I can't stop him from coming with me and things are getting more dangerous.

    1 year.

  5. #5
    Anyone. Anywhere.Anytime. Arsenal's Avatar
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    I think it makes the most sense for Dick to be introduced either when Gotham’s criminal element was still rather predictable (ie when the mob ran supreme) or during that transitionary period afterward where the more colorful caped characters started making an appearance in Gotham but weren’t quite the new top dogs yet.

    So however far into Bruce’s time as Batman DC decides that period is generally fine with me.

  6. #6
    Moderator Frontier's Avatar
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    Between 2-3 years, I think.

  7. #7
    Extraordinary Member Primal Slayer's Avatar
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    I think Dick should be introduced halfway into Year 2, officially join Batman as Robin towards the end of year 3. Though I think Dick should be 17-19 when he suits up as Robin.

  8. #8
    Ultimate Member SiegePerilous02's Avatar
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    1 year.

    And he should pre-date Alfred like he originally did.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Primal Slayer View Post
    I think Dick should be introduced halfway into Year 2, officially join Batman as Robin towards the end of year 3. Though I think Dick should be 17-19 when he suits up as Robin.
    Yeah, realistically, Dick needs to be in his late teens in order to be Robin...say, in stuff like live-action adaptations.

    That apart, I'm okay with them sticking to his classic age of around 12 when he first starts out in the comics themselves, and animation. Though, as you suggest, it makes sense that he spends a prolonged period of time training.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Restingvoice View Post
    Right after he cleaned up the crime family but before the rise of the freaks.
    You kind of still need the crime families around for his origin to work.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Aahz View Post
    You kind of still need the crime families around for his origin to work.
    Tony Zucco could be one of the last major crime bosses, trying desperately to fill the vaccuum left by the fall of Falcone and Maroni. Hell, maybe Batman's unrelenting crusade is what makes him desperate enough to squeeze circuses for protection money...

    That's an interesting angle to play with, maybe. The notion that the death of the Graysons was, inadvertantly, triggered through a domino effect of Batman's war on the Mob. It might give Bruce yet another reason to a) take Dick in, and b) agree to let him have his own 'vengeance' against the Mob as Robin.

    Dick taking down Zucco would then not just mean justice for John and Mary Grayson, but also mark the 'end' of Batman's crusade against the Mob...paving the way for the costumed freaks to be the primary threat to Gotham (cue Batman '66 theme!)

  12. #12
    Ultimate Member Robotman's Avatar
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    Towards the end of year one makes sense. Batman is winning his war with the crime families and the “freak” villains are starting to appear. Just as Bruce thinks the mob is done, Zucco has the Graysons killed and it shows him that the war will never end and that it has serious consequences.

  13. #13
    Mighty Member SixSpeedSamurai's Avatar
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    Year Three as post Crisis intended.
    Pulls: Batman, Detective Comics, SiKtC, Catwoman, Nightwing, Titans, Godzilla, Wonder Woman, Batman & Robin, Brave and the Bold, No/One, Kill your Darlings, and Deviant.
    My runs: Batman #230-, and Detective #420-

  14. #14

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    Towards the end of Batman's first year. Dick should be with Bruce or watching from the monitors as Batman fights Joker, Penguin, Two-Face, Poison Ivy and all the classic rouges for the first time.

  15. #15

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    Quote Originally Posted by SiegePerilous02 View Post
    1 year.

    And he should pre-date Alfred like he originally did.
    Yay on Year 1. Nay on Dick predating Alfred.

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