Why Batman Always Needs A Robin

3. It Makes Batman Vulnerable

Robin Suit Batcave
DC Comics

On the flip side of a Robin increasing the stakes and bringing a bigger sense of jeopardy to a Batman story, one added element that the presence of Robin brings along with it is a sense of vulnerability to the World's Greatest Detective.

With those higher stakes, it has often meant that various villains have purposely gone after Robin as a way to get to mess with Batman - again, A Death in the Family being a prime example of that, or in how Leviathan had Heretic go after (and kill!) Damian Wayne in 2013.

Following the death of Jason Todd at the hands of The Joker, his crowbar, and a rigged bomb, Bruce Wayne was more troubled and vulnerable than he'd ever been before. This was an angry, emotional Bruce who was stripped bare and put into a tailspin as a result of the heinous acts of the Clown Prince of Crime.

Looking away from Jason and Damian's deaths, the initial death of Stephanie Brown is another moment which showcased the Dark Knight's vulnerability - with Bruce left aghast at how he'd been double-crossed by long-time cohort Dr. Leslie Thompkins.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.