He’s been an acrobat, an orphan, a son and a boy wonder. He’s been a sidekick, a leader of Teen Titans and he’s been the Batman himself. Robin has been around almost as long as the Dark Knight and his career has seen just as many highs and lows. The role of Robin has been filled by a myriad of young boys (and girls!) including Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Damien Wayne, Carrie Kelly, and more. Each person has brought their own edge to the role of Robin and they all, to various levels of success, have done their job, which was to humanize Batman a little. All of the Robins have done that and, in doing so, they have ingratiated themselves to literal generations of Batman fans.
It perplexes, then, that Robin has had such a hard time being portrayed on screen. He’s appeared in a couple movies TV shows but, until recently, Robin has sort of been the laughingstock of theatergoers. Recently that has started to change, thanks to the character’s portrayal in the DC Universe show Titans, which has put not one, but two Robins on television screens. To commemorate this, we wanted to showcase the multimedia adventures of the world’s first sidekick.
7) Johnny Duncan — Batman and Robin (1949)
Johnny Duncan could dance. He learned to dance the Jitterbug at a young age, which led to various opportunities in Hollywood. The biggest opportunity was the chance to play Robin in the 1949 serial of Batman and Robin. Though he looked like a teenager, Duncan was 26 years old when he first donned the cape and mask. Duncan played the part of Robin for fifteen chapters of the serial and, while he wasn’t the first actor to play Batman’s best friend, he was certainly the second. His costume was shoddy but, compared to Batman’s costume, he looked like the greatest cosplayer of all time. Duncan did a fine job as Robin and he was well remembered for his time in the cave, appearing at conventions all the way up to his death in 2016.
6) Douglas Croft — Batman (1943)
Douglas Croft was the first actor to ever don the tights and pixie boots and his portrayal of the Boy Wonder was very much a product of its time. The costume was shabby and his acting was hokey. In Croft’s defense, he was only 16-years-old at the time. So not only was Croft the first person to portray the Boy Wonder on screen; he is also the youngest! Additionally, his portrayal did lay the groundwork for a lot of the ways Robin was portrayed in the Batman television show. Those facts led to us ranking him a little bit higher than his predecessor. Also, Croft was a World War II vet, so that’s cool. To Douglas Croft, we salute you.
5) Joseph Gordon Levitt — (The Dark Knight Rises)
The only reason our friend JGL isn’t higher on this list is that technically, he wasn’t the actual Boy Wonder. He was a cop named John Blake. Blake’s given name, we find out towards the end of The Dark Knight Rises, is Robin, so it still counts. Levitt played a cop on the GCPD who becomes disenchanted with the badge after the city is held hostage by Bane. When Bruce Wayne retires, it is Blake who he entrusts with the mantle of the bat. Audiences assume the only reason Wayne did this was that Robin figured out his secret identity, thus proving his incredible detective skills.
4) Chris O’Donnell — Batman Forever & Batman and Robin (1995, 1997)
When you cast a 30-year-old for the role of a “Boy Wonder,” you know you’re going to have issues. When said 30-year-old is portrayed as a whiny, annoying little monster who karates his laundry, you’re going to have major issues. Such was the case with Chris O’Donnell’s time as Robin. Joel Schumacher’s heart was in the right place when he cast O’Donnell in Batman Forever. O’Donnell was, and is, a very capable actor. It’s just, he was an adult. This Dick Grayson didn’t become an orphan when his parents were killed; he just became a dude who had to get his own apartment.
3) Curran Walters — Titans (2018)
Following in the footsteps, both on-screen and in real life of Dick Grayson’s Robin (played by Brenton Thwaites), Curran Walters was a bit of a surprise. Audiences were shocked when the actor showed up on Titans as Batman’s second Robin. For years, people tried to imagine what Jason Todd would be like on screen. Would he be arrogant? Would he be angry? What kind of costume would he wear? All of those questions and more were answered when Todd showed up in the Season 1 episode of Titans. While Grayson is terrified of turning into his former mentor, Todd eagerly embraces his destiny. To him, being Robin is fun. It’s an adventure and beating the pulp out of the bad guys is the best part. Walters is perfect for the role of Jason Todd.
2) Brenton Thwaites — Titans (2018)
“F*ck Batman.” Those two words were the first we heard from Brenton Thwaites’ Robin during the premiere episode of Titans. The show has made Robin out to be an angry young man, hell-bent on doing everything he can to not be Batman. The resentment between Batman and Robin has been explored in various mediums for decades, but never to this extent. When Robin’s first words are a kiss-off to a character beloved by generations of fans, it was going to take a lot to get audiences on his side. After just one episode of Titans, everybody was. What Thwaites brings to his portrayal of the Boy Wonder is a youthful exuberance mixed with a grizzled and checkered past. This Robin is tired. He is angry. He doesn’t want to be responsible, or held responsible, for anybody but himself. There are many layers to this version of Robin and, perhaps for the first time in history, this Robin doesn’t need a Batman to be interesting.
1) Burt Ward — Batman (1966)
Burt Ward is Robin. When one thinks of the Boy Wonder on screen, it is Ward’s image that first comes to mind. While he only played the character for a few years, Burt Ward has become synonymous with the name “Robin.” Alongside the late, great Adam West’s Batman, Ward’s Robin had as many punches as puns. He had no problem utilizing both when the situation allowed. Even though Ward famously hated the Robin tights, he was consummate professional. He had a great time in the role and it shows. Yes, this Robin is more “innocent” than others. That was just the 60’s. But no other version of Robin has played such a pivotal role alongside Batman than Burt Ward’s version. Ward first put on the mask over 50 years ago and he still plays the role with conviction, even in animated form. Titans is a great show, and we will undoubtedly see a big screen version of the Boy Wonder in the future. There will ever only be one true Robin, though, and that is Burt Ward.
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