Why Batman Always Needs A Robin

5. It Shines A Spotlight On Bruce As A Father Figure

Robin Suit Batcave
DC Comics

Bruce Wayne is one of the great mentors in comics. Well, bar that whole 'dead Robin' thing, but even that tragedy can't take away from how much of a fantastic father figure Bruce can be. And if anything, the death of Jason Todd only served to enhance Master Wayne's protective parental instincts.

If ever there was a believer in tough love, of course, then that's Bruce Wayne. But despite his grizzled edges and his hardened approach, having a Robin at his side - whether that's Dick, Jason, Tim, Stephanie, or Damian - affords the gloomy Dark Knight a moment or two to shine as a father figure.

Famously, that father figure has gone on to become a legal or biological parent in some cases. That being in how Bruce became the legal guardian (or, in some canon, the adoptive parent) of Dick and Tim, and the small fact that Damian is the son of Bruce and Talia al Ghul.

Even for Jason Todd and Stephanie Brown, Bruce took a fatherly approach to these youngsters. Stephanie's initial run as Robin was admittedly one that caused tension between she and Bruce, but that is again something that is part and parcel of a father/child relationship.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

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