Preferred duration of Dick Grayson's Robin career?

[Aahz]

Ideally I would like something like this Batman 33, Dick 21, Jason 19, Tim 16 and Damien 10 is this doable and believable.

This what we roughly have in the new 52, but it doesn't really work logical imo, to have Jason and Dick that close in age you have either have Dick have Dick become Nightwing at a quite young age and/or Jason become Robin at a quite high age and kill him quite fast so you can still squeeze Tim in.
And Bruce must either start younger than usually or you must have him come together with Talia during his training, otherwise Damian can't be 10.

Btw. thanks to the Lazarus Pit, or the Dynosium or how this stuff was called, he could be physically younger than his actual age.

[DurararaFTW]

You can't have a prime of his youth Bruce, and Damian at minimum Robining age, and Dick with a decent career under his belt and Jason and Tim, one of those things would have to go in any timeline.

[Aahz]

And what I forgot, in the original comics Bruce was already around 33 when he met Jason (25 years after the death of his parents).

[twincast]

I actually thought about this quite a lot while working on my own ideal/streamlined reboot/AU concept I was inspired to do back in 2011 due to the rewhatever.

Dick should be Robin from 12 till 18, maybe 20.
Young men used to travel Europe and then some as journeymen and squires from ages 14 to 21 (on average) and occasionally even led armies that young, which - in addition to plain old common sense - is why I'd normally put 14 as the minimum for (unpowered) heroes, but having started before puberty is a big part of Dick's origin, so I'd be willing to go as low as 12; any lower than this, however, thoroughly breaks my suspension of disbelief. You can have his parents be killed a bit earlier but not by much to keep Tim's full origin.

As for Jay and Tim: I'd have them both start at 14.

[VolcanikTiger86]

Why? People are living longer now and lots of men can keep their youthful looks and peak physical condition later in life. I'll be 40 next year and still get carded everywhere and am in better shape than I was when I was 20.

Check out John E Peterson (fitness author.) He's 60 and would be my first choice for Dark Knight Returns.

http://blog.livingfuel.com/wp-conten...uthorPhoto.jpg

I think it’s a preference, maybe you’re right but its kinda like I couldn’t see Bruce still active in his 50’s especially with all his injuries like Knightfall etc so I kinda want to keep him young so I can tell the story but not too young so it sounds stupid. Does that sound bad?

This what we roughly have in the new 52, but it doesn't really work logical imo, to have Jason and Dick that close in age you have either have Dick have Dick become Nightwing at a quite young age and/or Jason become Robin at a quite high age and kill him quite fast so you can still squeeze Tim in.
And Bruce must either start younger than usually or you must have him come together with Talia during his training, otherwise Damian can't be 10.

Btw. thanks to the Lazarus Pit, or the Dynosium or how this stuff was called, he could be physically younger than his actual age.

Ok thanks Aahz but here would be my timeline.
Bruce started at 23 after spending 2/3 years traveling the world and would meet Dick when he was 25 and Dick was 13 even if we take he was… actually I get it. Thanks that clears things up.

You can't have a prime of his youth Bruce, and Damian at minimum Robining age, and Dick with a decent career under his belt and Jason and Tim, one of those things would have to go in any timeline.

Technically speaking prime would be up to 40 imo anyway and its possible, Dick is robin at 13 – Nightwing at 20, Jason Todd starts being Robin at 15 and dies just before his 17th Birthday so about 18-22months and then Tim. So Technical Bruce could start at 24 be 31 when Dick becomes Nightwing and 33 when Jason dies say 34 when Tim starts and give Tim 4 years as Robin and that would be 38 which is from what I understand before being past your prime at 45. But I have decide I won’t have Damien in my story until later.

[Aahz]

Technically speaking prime would be up to 40 imo anyway and its possible, Dick is robin at 13 – Nightwing at 20, Jason Todd starts being Robin at 15 and dies just before his 17th Birthday so about 18-22months and then Tim. So Technical Bruce could start at 24 be 31 when Dick becomes Nightwing and 33 when Jason dies say 34 when Tim starts and give Tim 4 years as Robin and that would be 38 which is from what I understand before being past your prime at 45. But I have decide I won’t have Damien in my story until later.

Thats seems more in line with the comics.

But I still don't really see the appeal in ageing up Jason so drastically. letting him also start around 13 and having him die shortly before he turns 15 seems more in line with the comics (I would even argue that he was a year younger than that).

[1984]

In reality I don't think he should really have taken up the Robin mantle until he was about 15. I mean seriously if Batman is taking out kids to risk their life fighting on the streets earlier than that he's just reckless. I guess I could make a bit of an exception for Damien as he was trained before Bruce took him into his care. The others he would have trained up, so no way they would have been ready to fight thugs at 13. I mean realistically 15 is still too young, but comics.

Dick was still Robin when he started college right? So I would put his Robin tenure at the either 4 or 6 years, so starting his Nightwing persona at 19 or 21. I guess 21 might make more sense, getting to the end of College is when most people think about where their life is headed, so this might have encouraged Dick to branch out.

In reality though I don't think it really matters, people get so annoyed when DC try to enforce a strict timeline, but then try and work out their own anyway!! Just enjoy them as they are I think. Loose timelines, where looking back you can think Dick was Robin for a period, before becoming Nightwing after several years he became Batman etc.

[VolcanikTiger86]

Thats seems more in line with the comics.

But I still don't really see the appeal in ageing up Jason so drastically. letting him also start around 13 and having him die shortly before he turns 15 seems more in line with the comics (I would even argue that he was a year younger than that).

Mhmm that gives me ideas, thanks Aahz however before the new52 would you say there wasn't that much difference between Tim and Jason, after all we are making there be about two years or so between them if Tim starts at 14 that would be about a year after Jasons death at 15 so the ages would be something like this
Bruce 34, Dick 20, Jason 16 and Tim at 14 with Tim being the active Robin tell the story which at the minute could last about 3 years and starts two years into his tenure and that would be him about 19/20 and then introduce Damien at 13 to take up the mantle. so Bruce would be about 38 when Tim starts and 25/28 when he was with Talia, is that more in line with your thinking.

[kevink31593]

I voted for 6 years as Robin. My head cannon:

Dick is currently 26 years old

The Flying Grayons fell to their deaths 14 years ago, Dick age 12

Dick became Robin 13 years ago, at age 13 (he's been doing the "super-hero thing" for half of his life now)

He was Robin for 6 years, became Nightwing at age 19, 7 years ago

Filled in for Bruce in the Prodigal storyline at around 21/22 years old

Moved to Bludhaven around 22/23 years old

At age 25, became Batman after Bruce "died" in Final Crisis.

Current age 26

[Aahz]

In reality I don't think he should really have taken up the Robin mantle until he was about 15. I mean seriously if Batman is taking out kids to risk their life fighting on the streets earlier than that he's just reckless. I guess I could make a bit of an exception for Damien as he was trained before Bruce took him into his care. The others he would have trained up, so no way they would have been ready to fight thugs at 13. I mean realistically 15 is still too young, but comics.

The problem is that if you make them to old you take away the Father-Son relationship, Dick and Jason had with Bruce. And without this for example Jasons whole behaviour in Under the Red Hood doesn't make much sense.

Only in Tims case the age is nor such a big issue since he didn't had such a close bond with Bruce. But he is for some reason the one many writers and fans want to keep young.

[DurararaFTW]

The problem is that if you make them to old you take away the Father-Son relationship, Dick and Jason had with Bruce. And without this for example Jasons whole behaviour in Under the Red Hood doesn't make much sense.

Only in Tims case the age is nor such a big issue since he didn't had such a close bond with Bruce. But he is for some reason the one many writers and fans want to keep young.

Well he's the designated leader of Teen Titans, which they prefer to keep in their teens.

[Aahz]

Well he's the designated leader of Teen Titans, which they prefer to keep in their teens.

During the NTT era most Titans were older than 18, and it is still the most popular incarnation of that franchise.
And Tim was iirc allready 15 when he joined Young Justice and 16 when he became a Titan, and was in Highschool during the majority of his run, so him starting as Robin at 15 wouldn't cause such big problem.

But if you would take out the scenes with the cute little Jason out of Under the Red Hood and start directly with the aggressive teen, the movie wouldn't work that well imo.

[Aioros22]

Jason didn`t just get more agressive due to growing pains and hormones working.

I was never a fan of just one year for Jason and there`s no reason to stick with it like a bible. Have Dick have 4 to 6 years that go from his post inception to turning into a young adult and Nigthwing and have Jason have 2 years until he dies.

[Celgress]

I'll go with roughly six years, all things considered.

[phonogram12]

I voted six, personally. I have no reason for this other than I like things to be equal and apparently I like math more than I thought I did, but in my own personal made up timeline in my head Bruce left Gotham to travel and train around the world at 16 (emancipating himself from Alfred, Leslie, Phillip, or whoever was his legal guardian at the time), returning at the age of 22. I figure this is more plausible than in Batman Year One where he returned at 25 after "12 years abroad," meaning he left Gotham at 13.

He'd spend his first two years solo (only because I love Mike W. Barr's Year Two dearly even though I know that isn't a very popular opinion to have), before becoming the guardian at Dick at the age of 12. And although I know Miller's All-Star Batman & Robin isn't exactly a beloved Batman story, I always did like the idea that Dick was already pretty accomplished even before becoming Robin, already being a black belt and earning top grades in school. After a year or training, he becomes Robin at 13, which I honestly don't think is entirely outside the realm of possibility since I have a nephew who's both taller than me already and a black belt at the age of 12 (he probably would've become one sooner if he didn't split his time between that and baseball and whatever else he did growing up). At eighteen, he'd leave for college and become Nightwing at the same time, realizing that he can't be a kid sidekick forever and that the path he sees for his life doesn't exactly align with that of Bruce's.

Bruce would then spend two years with Jason, the first training during Jason's 12th year, and the second with Jason as an active Robin before being killed by The Joker a year later.

The following year would be a solo one for Bruce as he slowly self-destructs with no Robin to keep him in check before Tim arrives to straighten him out. Tim is 12 at the time and like Dick before him, spends the next six years as Robin before becoming Red Robin at the age of 18. IDK, I just like the idea that given that they survived, Bruce would like to make sure each and every Robin had the exact same amount of training that he did so that they could be as prepared as possible before they went out on their own.

Add a couple years onto that for Damien, and bam, Bruce is 40 and Dick is 28. IDK if this makes any sense to anyone else, but it makes sense to me. I know a father/son dynamic is preferred, but I just find it difficult to fit everything in and not have Bruce end up at Dark Knight Returns age.