Robin in other media

This article is about the comic book superhero Robin as he appears in "other" media, such as films, television and radio. Dick Grayson, the first Robin, is generally the version of Robin chosen to be portrayed.

For decades, Robin rarely appeared without Batman. The only exceptions have been animated stories featuring Robin as a member of the Teen Titans. Furthermore, from the 1940s to 1980s, Grayson was generally portrayed as being a teenager or adult. This was somewhat different from comic books, as Grayson started out at the age of eight.

From the 1940s to 1980s, Robin appeared in the classic comic book suit of Grayson. However, since the 1990s, Dick Grayson's original "pixie" outfit has been discontinued in other media. Instead, Robin usually wears a costume similar to the original uniform of Tim Drake, the third and current Robin in the comics.

1940s

*In director Lambert Hillyer's 1943 film serial "Batman", Robin was played by Douglas Croft. Croft was the only actor who was young enough at fourteen/fifteen to play Robin, subsequent live-action actors have either been in their early to late 20s.

*Batman's radio series with Robin, the Batman Mystery Club, in which Batman told ghost stories, never aired. One episode was made: " [http://www.radiolovers.com/pages/batman.htm The Monster of Dumphrey's Hall] ".
*During radio broadcasts of the "Adventures of Superman" radio drama Batman and Robin were paired with Superman over the years from September 15, 1945 to 1949. The pairing was pure novelty. The Batman and Robin appearances provided time off for Bud Collyer, the voice of Superman on radio. These episodes called for Superman to be occupied elsewhere and the crime fighting would be handled by Batman and Robin. On that series the voice of Robin was played by Ronald Liss.

*Robin was played by 26 year old Johnny Duncan in Columbia Pictures' "Batman and Robin" (1949), directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet.

1960s to early 1980s

In the campy 1960s "Batman" television series and its 1966 movie offshoot, Robin (Dick Grayson) was played by Burt Ward. Burt's version of Robin was known for the catchphrase: "Holy [relevant pun] , Batman."

In DC Comics related cartoon series, produced by Filmation and Hanna-Barbera throughout the 1970s and 1980s, such as the "Super Friends", Robin (Dick Grayson) was voiced by Casey Kasem or Burt Ward. Both the live-action and animated versions wore the standard Robin costume, much like the film serial versions of the 1940s.

Late 1980s to late 1990s

Film

Robin did not appear in the Tim Burton movies "Batman" (1989) and "Batman Returns" (1992). This was an unusual move as the two 1940s serials as well as the 1966 movie and attendent TV show had presented the 'Dynamic Duo' as an inseparable pair, with the general public unaware that the comic-book incarnation of Batman often worked alone. The special edition version of the DVD features an animated storyboard sequence of when his parents are killed by the Joker. Jason Hillhouse provides the voice of Dick Grayson, while Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill reprise their respective roles (from the DC animated universe) as Batman and the Joker in the storyboard sequence. Burton planned to cast actor Ricky Addison Reed as Robin, but later felt it was unimportant to the story and cut Robin out altogether.

In an earlier script of "Batman Returns", he was portrayed as a technologically savvy street kid who would help Batman following his narrow escape when The Penguin tried to kill him. He would later play a crucial role in Batman's final confrontation with The Penguin. In that script, he was simply called Robin, has no known real name, and was to be played by Marlon Wayans.Fact|date=March 2008

After the 1980s, Robin appeared in Joel Schumacher's two "Batman" films, but not in Dick Grayson's classic costume. In "Batman Forever" (1995), Robin was played by Chris O'Donnell. Grayson's parents were murdered by Two-Face during a hostage situation at the annual Gotham Circus. Robin meets Batman and becomes a costumed hero in his late teens. O'Donnell reprised the role again in the 1997 film "Batman & Robin". The film features tension between Batman and Robin, which some say is greater than in other adaptations.Or|date=January 2008 In "Batman Forever," his costume closely resembles the Robin uniform worn by Tim Drake. In the latter film, Robin's costume resembles Dick Grayson's third "Nightwing" costume, but with rubber nipples, a cape and red/crimson coloring instead of blue. This latter outfit has been comparedweal to the "Renegade" outfit Dick Grayson wore in comic books many years after the films.

Animation

The first two seasons of "" (1992) feature Robin/Dick Grayson. He was voiced by Loren Lester and only made occasional appearances due to Lester's real-life commitment to college. In the third and final season (1994–1995), the show was retitled "The Adventures of Batman and Robin" and Robin made regular appearances. In the series, Dick Grayson wore a costume much like Tim Drake's original suit.

In "The New Batman Adventures" (1997–1999), Grayson becomes Nightwing, and his place as Robin was taken by Tim Drake, voiced by Mathew Valencia. The animated series continuity does not include Jason Todd by name, but the cartoon's Drake is described as a combination of a young Grayson, Todd and Drake. Between his origin and appearance in "", he mostly resembles Todd in storyline while bearing little resemblance to the comic book's Tim Drake.Or|date=January 2008 A 2006 costume adopted by Drake in the comics seems very similar to the animated Drake's red and black outfit.Or|date=January 2008 A version of the Carrie Kelly Robin also makes a short appearance in "Batman: Gotham Knights", in a dream sequence in the episode "Legends of the Dark Knight."

2000s

*In the "Krypto the Superdog" episode, "Bathound and the Robin", a robin called "Robbie" is saved by Ace the Bathound and wants to be Ace's sidekick, much to the dismay of Ace. Robbie's costume resembled the classic outfit of Dick Grayson.

In a June 2005 interview, Christopher Nolan, the director of "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight", said that as long as he is directing the franchise, Robin will not be appearing. Since Christian Bale is portraying Batman as a young man at the time of , Robin is still a little kid at this point. [cite news | url=http://www.superherohype.com/news/batmannews.php?id=3189 | title=Nolan on Robin in "Batman" Sequels | publisher=SuperHeroHype.com | date=2005-06-23 | accessdate=2006-07-31 ] When asked who he would cast if he was forced to, Nolan replied "Frankie Muniz," jokingly saying "if he doesn't age too quickly."

*Lego produced a Lego Batman line of licensed sets in 2006, currently into its first wave. The 7783-The Batcave: The Penguin and Mr. Freeze's Invasion set features Robin in the classic costume with a mini speedboat. 7785-Arkham Asylum includes Nightwing and his motorcycle as well.

Robin has been featured in two games. He is a playable character in both the "Teen Titans" video game for Game Boy Advance and the console "Teen Titans" game.

*Robin (apparently Dick Grayson) was featured in the DC DTV movie "", where he was apparently adopted, as a teenager (not a child, as in most interpretations), apparently during the events of the movie. Batman apparently did so because he realized that he was frightening those he was trying to protect. The circumstances of his adoption are not explained.

"Teen Titans" animated series

The Cartoon Network series "Teen Titans" appears to be an adaptation of the New Teen Titans comic book series. One similarity is that both series have the character Robin, who also acts as the team's leader. Robin joins Beast Boy, Cyborg and Raven when Jump City is threatened first by Starfire and then by the aliens who had captured her (episode "Go!"). Robin is generally respected by the others as the team's best leader, but on the inside he is driven by and an unhealthy obsession to win, which sometimes alienates him from his teammates ("Divide And Conquer", "Masks", "Winner Take All", "The Quest").

In the comic book series (as noted above), Dick Grayson is Robin. In the animated series, the style of his costume is still closely modeled on Tim Drake's, as in the 1990s; however, the colors are those of Dick Grayson and Jason Todd. Robin, voiced by Scott Menville, has not been directly referred to by any full name. This non-identity is intentional, according to both Sam Register and Glen Murakami. However, several clues (and confirmation of his identity in Teen Titans Go #47 have indicated that this Robin is Dick Grayson.

A time-travel themed episode of the animated series showed a future where Robin has taken on the role of Nightwing (a role taken up by Dick Grayson). In a later episode, an alternate universe Robin with the exact same DNA shows up named "Nosyarg Kcid", which is "Dick Grayson" spelled backwards. This latter clue was confirmed by the creators at a panel at the 2005 San Diego Comic Con. [ [http://www.titanstower.com/source/animated/behindcomiconpanel2005.html San Diego ComiCon 2005 ] ]

In many instances, Robin's relationship to Batman is heavily referenced. In the Season 5 episode "Go", just before Robin attacks a thief, bats fly at him. After a while the thief says, "Aren't you supposed to be with—" only to be interrupted by Robin who says, "Just moved here. I work alone now", and throughout the episode, he says he doesn't want to be in a team again so soon. In another episode, "Haunted", Raven uses her powers to enter Robin's mind; one of the images she sees is Robin's shadow in a cave area swearing an oath to someone, and part of a circus ring. When Robin rejects Slade in "Apprentice: Part 2", he mentions "I already have a father", and then the screen shows a shot of a dark sky with bats flying through it, also referring to Batman. In that same episode, a battle ensues on top of a building that says, WAYNE ENTERPRISES.

"The Batman" TV series

In "The Batman", Robin is voiced by Evan Sabara. Dick Grayson was an energetic, gifted acrobat and one of the main attractions of Hayley's Circus, along with his Mother (Mary) and Father (John) as part of the amazing Flying Grayson's act. His life was changed forever when Tony Zucco and his brothers tried to threaten circus manager John into taking a "protection" policy. When John Grayson refused, an altercation resulted in the police and the Batman being called. The Zuccos were easily defeated for the moment one of Tony's brothers was even captured.

An angered Zucco altered the rigs on the Flying Graysons trapeze act, causing John and Mary to fall to their deaths right in front of Dick during a performance. Young Grayson, with no surviving family members was taken in by Bruce Wayne, who saw shades of himself in Dick after his own parent's murder. After Dick discovered that Wayne was Batman, the two worked together to capture Tony Zucco. Dick chose the codename "Robin" because that is what his mother had called him.

Grayson sports a costume much like comic book's Tim Drake first wore, although an early promotional photo showed a suit with a bit more originality. Some tension arose when Robin and the character of Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) met. Batgirl, having been active as a vigilante and wanna-be partner of the Batman some time before Robin appeared, was quite jealous of Batman's new "official partner". This was changed when Batman took the liberty of revealing his and Robin's identities to her and fully accepted her into the fold. Afterward, Robin and Batgirl developed a more friendly, almost sibling-like working relationship.

As depicted in a possible future during the episode "Artifacts," Dick Grayson gives up the "Robin" name and costume to become Nightwing. Barbara and Batman still persist in calling him by his original codename. Interestingly, the Police department who discover the Batcave in the beginning of the episode call Robin "The Red Robin", a reference to "Kingdom Come", and they theorize that Bruce Wayne was the Red Robin (with his father, Thomas, as Batman).

"The Graysons" TV series

On October 1, 2008, it was announced that the CW network was preparing a new live-action pilot called The Graysons which would follow the life of a pre-Batman Dick Grayson. [http://tvseriesfinale.com/articles/batman-cw-builds-a-series-around-pre-robin-dick-grayson/] The pilot has yet to be formally produced or picked up by the network.

References

External links

* [http://www.titanstower.com/source/animated/charrobin.html Robin's description on the animated series]
* [http://www.batman-on-film.com/historyofthebatman_robin_jett.html Batman On Film's "Robin" biography]