Robin (Teen Titans) (2024)

Robin (real name Richard John "Dick" Grayson, also known as Nightwing in an alternate future) is the main protagonist of the Teen Titans franchise and one of the main characters in Teen Titans Go! vs Teen Titans, released at least thirteen years after the original series came to a close.

He is the son of acrobats John and Mary Grayson but was orphaned at a young age after the death of his parents and was adopted by billionaire and philanthropist Bruce Wayne/Batman and became his partner and sidekick. However, Robin eventually left Gotham and Batman, moving to Jump City, going on to become the leader of the Teen Titans. He is Starfire's main love interest and becomes her boyfriend by the movie finale and also close friends with Cyborg, Raven and Beast Boy.

Robin is based on Dick Grayson, which is confirmed to be his secret identity in the comic spinoff with several elements of Jason Todd, Tim Drake and Stephanie Brown.

History

Background

Richard John "Dick" Grayson was the son of acrobats Mary and John Grayson, who were a renowned trio of acrobats called the Flying Graysons. However, Dick was in the audience when his parents performed a stunt on the trapeze in the circus ring. However, the ropes snapped and Mary and John fell and were killed. In truth, the trapeze was sabotaged by the crime lord, Tony Zucco but the incident left Richard an orphan. Taking pity on the boy, the billionaire Bruce Wayne, who was the vigilante Batman. Eventually, Dick trained to become a vigilante under Batman's tutelage, becoming his sidekick Robin and coming to see Bruce as a father. However, Robin eventually grew tired of being a sidekick and later left Batman and Gotham, moving to Jump City to become his hero. He eventually formed the Teen Titans with Princess Starfire of Tamaran, Beast Boy, Raven, and Cyborg from the Gordanians. His romantic feelings for Starfire grew as the series progresses.

The team finds themselves fighting criminals and supervillains to protect their homes. Robin's main rival and arch-enemy is the criminal mastermind Slade Wilson, even vowing to one day be the supervillain to justice.

Among his teammates, Beast Boy and Cyborg are Robin's close friends, shares a strong bond with Raven (similar to that of a brother-sister relationship), and is currently dating his best friend, Starfire.

Personality

Robin remains hardworking, stoic, and levelheaded, which sometimes causes him to clash with the other Titans. This possibly comes from his childhood, after losing his parents at a young age, and his training from Batman. However, this does not exempt him from being loyal to his friends, trying to maintain balance in the team. Both he and Raven fit the role of helping the other Titans work through their problems. When Slade threatened to kill the Titans with bloodstream nanobots if Robin didn't agree to become his apprentice for a time, Robin submitted to protect the rest of the Titans. He also knows and is understanding of Raven's past and praises Beast Boy for his leadership skills (despite being annoyed with his friend's jokes from time to time). Robin is, at heart, a brave, selfless hero and a good friend. Underneath Robin's persona is Dick Grayson, a normal teenager who lost his parents at a relatively young age.

Fear of Slade

Usually, wherever Slade is behind the Titans' predicaments, Robin grows borderline obsessed with hunting him down. However, this is because Robin knows Slade will not hesitate to harm an innocent person or harm Jump City. He hates whenever anyone compares him to Slade, as shown when he yelled at Beast Boy for doing such a thing.

During his time as Slade's apprentice, Robin was forced to remain loyal to him in exchange to keep his friends safe and to follow orders without question. After being coerced to engage his friends in combat and steeling, Robin displayed a merciless and emotionless persona, forced to remain silent when fighting them but would fight them in a way that to harm them. However, the Titans were initially unaware of Robin's sudden change in loyalties until the nanoprobes in their bloodstream attacked them during their last encounter with him.

Deep down, the Boy Wonder emotionally and psychologically never got over it, as seen in the episode "Haunted." His fear of Slade came to life after looking at Slade's mask long after the man's demise. There, Robin breathed in a dust-like substance that made him hear, feel and see Slade. The more he fought the hallucinations, the more Slade would become aggressive towards him. In the end, Robin acknowledges they do have things in common but with a difference. Robin had his friends to help him cope with anything that is troubling him.

Relationships with Starfire and Batman

Robin and Starfire have a crush on each other and are their main love interests. However, only five episodes are focused on their relationship and they do not end up together until Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo.

As for Batman, Robin may, however, have a strained relationship with his mentor, as he tries to avoid mentioning him. This is evident in the episode "Go!" where he cuts off a burglar questioning, "Aren't you supposed to be..." and reveals he came to Jump City to work as a solo superhero. Despite his apparent falling out with Batman, Robin still considers the man his father and when discussing his combat skills, claims he is "learned from the best."

Powers

• Leadership
• Gadgetry: Robin is the only member of the Teen Titans to have no superpowers, often relying on gadgets, especially using a metallic Bo-Staff and his combat training from Batman.
• Genius Level Intelligence: Robin is one of the intelligent characters of the Teen Titans series. However, he is often outsmarted by his arch-enemy, Slade.
  • Skilled Detective: Due to his training from Batman, Robin is one of the greatest detectives of his generation. Robin was able to figure out Terra was struggling with her earth powers on his own. However, Terra thought Beast Boy had told the other Titans.
• Martial Artist: Robin is a skilled martial artist being trained by Batman. He uses a bo staff in combat.
• Master Acrobat and Gymnast
• Bo-staff
• Peak Human Condition
• Stealth
• Tracking
• Skilled Escapologist
• Master Tactician and Strategist

Relationships

Family

Batman

Adoptive Father

Shortly after the deaths of his parents, the young Dick Grayson was adopted by billionaire and philanthropist Bruce Wayne, who was in the audience when the Graysons fell. After learning his adoptive father was Batman, Dick Grayson became his sidekick known as Robin. However, after a disagreement between father and son, Robin left Gotham City to become his hero and Escape Bruce's shadow. He found a second chance in Jump City, where he formed a gang of superheroes known as the Teen Titans. Despite the bad blood between Robin and Batman, Dick still considered himself to be a true son of Batman. During his time as Slade's apprentice, despite the apparent bad blood, Robin still sees Batman as his father after rejecting Slade's idea the former would see him as a father figure one day. He was also forced to steal from Wayne Enterprises, his adoptive father's company.

In the 44th issue of Teen Titans Go! Batman watches his adoptive son and Starfire from afar, knowing that Robin will be just fine with her.

Friends

Starfire

Best Friend/Girlfriend

Starfire and Robin's meeting was initially a harsh one; revealed in the episode "Go!" they began embedding each other in combat. Throughout their first meeting, Robin was unaware of her name or her intentions on the planet. However, after a while, Robin realized that Starfire was feeling threatened because she was stranded on an unfamiliar planet. He was the first person to show her kindness, and after by freeing her from the remains of her bonds. Afterward, Starfire kissed Robin on the lips, which began his romantic feelings for her. However, she only did this to attain knowledge of the English language. She threw him on the ground again, not understanding the kindness he was showing her and going on her own because it was not a term she knew about her planet. Starfire was initially aggressive and mistrusting of Robin, even after he freed her. Despite the animosity growing between them, Robin still chased after Starfire, with Raven, Beast Boy, and Cyborg, especially when the Gordanians were searching for her. When they met again in the movie theater, Robin remained friendly towards her despite Starfire's continuing aggression. However, she calmed down as Robin talked to her before the Gordanians attacked them and they were forced to fight them to protect Starfire from them. Following their encounter with the Gordanians and the enemies' threats of destroying the city, Starfire and Robin began arguing until Raven snapped them all out of their fighting. Even though they went on to protect Jump City from the Gordanians, Robin was obliged to protect Starfire as well. The two apologized to each other. She was very concerned for him when Robin was thrown off by the leader of the Gordanians who viciously attacked him in retaliation for hurting Robin. After Starfire chose to stay on Earth, Robin welcomed her to the planet. The two blushed upon looking at each other, hinting at their mutual attraction.

The two didn't officially become a couple until the film, Trouble in Tokyo. However, every time they try to kiss each other, they are interrupted. Despite whatever feelings Robin has for Starfire, he cannot confess them to her and instead, tells her that he can only be a hero and cannot have a romantic relationship with her. Heartbroken and crying, Starfire fled but later returned to help him escape Commander Daizo and the Tokyo Troopers. Following the epic battle, Starfire and Robin finally kiss in the rain, with the other Titans watching and Cyborg stating, "Well, it’s about time". During the award ceremony, Robin and Starfire are seen holding hands, confirming they are officially boyfriend and girlfriend.

In the comics, Starfire and Robin commit themselves to a serious relationship. On the anniversary of his parents' deaths, Starfire immediately comforts Robin when he breaks down crying and she hugs him before they have another kiss.

Raven

Close Friends/Like Siblings

The series portrays Robin and Raven as having a close sibling relationship and close like it is in the comics. They both care about each other and respect each other's privacy and history. When they first met, Raven told the team she wouldn't be able to help the boys track Starfire. This was built on the fear that they wouldn't like her anymore if she told them the truth about who she was. However, Robin showed that his opinion wouldn't change her, showing he didn't care what she was and rather who she was. They also established an empathic link ever since Raven entered Robin's mind and learned of his past with her magic. This includes his parents' deaths and his adoption by Bruce Wayne/Batman. Robin has asked her at least once to let him in because she had seen his own. However, she showed she didn't want to burden him with her own problems.

Out of all the Titans, Robin appears to understand her the most because of their tendencies both to feel a sense of loneliness and show their social isolation when they need it. She and Robin also know and understand each other's pasts, and will like to work things out on their own. They are each other's emotional support, both towards each other and their other friends. With help from Robin (and the other Titans), Raven can ultimately defeat her father once and for all and later hugged him as a sister would. In the comics, Robin also seems to empathize with her about losing families. However, they have established they are already a family, despite it being chaotic. Robin identified Raven as the sister he never had. They share a strong psychic link with Raven after entering his subconscious in "Haunted". He was willing to work with Slade to literally go through hell on earth to find her, albeit in her child form.

In the comics related to Teen Titans, Raven showed concern and sadness for Robin on the anniversary of his parents' deaths, when she saw how he was reacting to such events. Instead, he called her the "sister [he] never had," showing their sibling-like relationship.

Cyborg

Close Friend/Teammate

Cyborg and Robin both met when they came to Jump City and noticed a disturbance going on in downtown Jump City. They discovered that a warrior princess from another world was causing destruction due to her fears of being in an unfamiliar place. After Robin showed kindness to Koriand'r, she began softening for them. Later, Raven and Beast Boy joined Starfire, Robin, and Cyborg in defeating the Gordanians, their true enemies. After their team formation, Robin made Cyborg his second in command and they came up with a move called "The Sonic Boom."

Cyborg and Robin rarely fight with each other, but when they do, it is usually because of their position as the leader of the Teen Titans. However, they have a strong bond that involves sparring with each other. Despite their hardships, he values Cyborg's friendship, as he was visibly distraught when his friend temporarily left the Titans in "Divide and Conquer." Both boys make up when Cyborg saves Robin from falling into a vat of acid. Together, they were able to defeat Plasmus and later, make up. Following this incident, in "Final Exam," an episode that aired first but chronologically took place after "Divide and Conquer," Robin tried to stop a fight escalating between Cyborg, Raven, and Beast Boy on account of what happened in the previous episode. After Robin was seemingly killed in the confrontation between the Titans and the HIVE Academy students, Cyborg was infuriated and without Robin's leadership, the Titans nearly fell apart.

From their interactions, Cyborg likes to tease Robin, mostly about his relationship with Starfire, and appears to support it when the duo got together in Trouble in Tokyo. It shows that Cyborg is a DickKory shipper, as he remarks "Well it's about time" when he saw Starfire and Robin kissing each other.

Beast Boy (Close Friend/Teammate)

BB was starstruck when he first met Robin, having been a fan of his for years. Finding it somewhat discomforting, Robin more or less had to tolerate the younger superhero. As their dynamic changed, Beast Boy's admiration for Robin turned from being a "fanboy" to one that is on the ground of mutual respect. Most of the time, Beast Boy and Robin are at odds, but usually, know when to come together. Robin usually doesn't find any of his teammate's jokes funny and gets rather irritated by them. They are the veteran heroes with the most experience of being a vigilante. The worse thing Robin ever did to BB was in "The Beast Within," where Robin dismisses Beast Boy's concerns of becoming a beast-like creature. Despite their differences, BB and Robin have more in common than they realize. They were boys who were both orphaned at a young age (despite Robin being slightly older than Beast Boy), have strained relationships with their adoptive fathers, and left due to a disagreement.

There have been several occasions where Robin sees Beast Boy as a mature and responsible person, hiding it behind his humor. During "Betrayal," he emptied with Beast Boy when Terra was revealed to be a spy. Robin noted it would take Beast Boy a while to recover from it. In "Aftershock," Beast Boy reminds Robin of his temporary leave, when Slade forced him to be the latter's appreciate, and how his situation was nearly similar to Terra's. It convinced Robin to let Beast Boy have one chance at making Terra stand down for the Titans would have no other choice but to fight her. In "Homecoming," Robin praised Beast Boy for his leadership and followed him when he took charge against the Brotherhood of Evil.

Robin and Beast Boy are somewhat closer friends in "Teen Titans Go!" tie-in comics. At times, Beast Boy affectionately calls Robin "Robbie." In one issue, Robin was also the only one to disapprove of Mento's methods of raising Beast Boy and has an understanding of why he never told the Titans about his past. After hearing Mento used Beast Boy as bait, Robin believes those methods were uncalled for, and even glared at him. Beast Boy is also aware of Robin's feelings for Starfire and like Cyborg, he teases him about it.

Enemies

Slade

Arch-Enemy

Trivia

• In "Regarding Robin/One Morning" (the forty-seventh issue of the Teen Titans, Go! comics that are tied to the original cartoon series), it was confirmed that Robin's secret identity was Dick Grayson. His family before Batman was a team of acrobats called "the Flying Graysons." Before it was confirmed, there were several indications he was Grayson.
  • In the episode, "Haunted," when Raven enters Robin's mind, she sees two shadowy figures falling.
  • In 20 years of future, Robin has adopted a new identity, Nightwing, the name Grayson chose after his partnership with Batman came to a close. (How Long is Forever?)
  • Robin's twisted counterpart, Larry's real name is Nosyarg Kcid was an anagram of Dick Grayson. (Fractured)
  • His strong main romance and dynamic with Starfire, who he often romances in the comics with. (Of course, Jason Todd also has a close relationship with Starfire when they were both members of the Outlaws.
• Grayson is called "Bird Brain" by Gizmo, another nickname insult Poison Ivy gave Robin (also Dick Grayson) in Batman & Robin.
• The creators incorporated all versions of Robin into the Teen Titans incarnation, which includes Red Hood (Jason Todd), Red Robin (Tim Drake) and possibly Stephanie Brown, with the exception of Damian Wayne, who was not created at the time of the series' production.
  • He appears to have Jason Todd's willingness to do morally questionable acts.
  • His costume resembles Tim Drake's spiked-hair, and costume version of Robin and prefers combat with a bo-staff.
  • He also seems to have Stephanie Brown's need to run into trouble.
• Like his comic book counterpart and their Titans counterparts, Grayson has a close relationship with Raven.
• He is currently dating his best friend and longtime love interest, Starfire. Robin has had two other girls show interest in him: Blackfire and Kitten.
  • Kitten used to have a villainous crush on Robin before the events of her episode went sour.
  • Blackfire was mostly using him to get to Starfire.
  • Some of Dick Grayson's other love interests who did not appear in the city series includes: Barbara Gordon, Helena Bertinelli
• Robin makes two references to Batman without referencing him by name:
  • When Robin tells Slade he already has a father, bats are seen flying out of the building (Apprentice Part 2).
  • He was made to steal from Wayne Enterprises, his adoptive father's company in the original comic book series.
  • Before going off to train with a true master against the karate supervillain, Katarou, Robin mentions learning from the best (The Quest).
  • When a burglar is stopped by Robin in Jump City, he questioned why he wasn't in his town and that he should be accompanying someone. However, Robin interrupts the burglar before he mentions Batman's name (Go!).

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