Batman: Every Live-Action Robin Ranked From Worst To Best

"Holy ranking Robin, Batman!" - Which Boy Wonder did it best?!

Robin Burt Ward Chris O'Donnell Brenton Thwaites
20th Century Fox/Warner Bros.

Life is always easier when there is someone by your side giving you a helping hand, and that goes double for superheroes. Having a sidekick helps budding vigilantes with their work/life balance and gives them a great chance to train their successors whilst on the job. When it comes to the best of these glorified interns, there are few better than Robin.

The mantle of Robin has been worn by many, with characters like Dick Grayson, Tim Drake and Jason Todd becoming worthy heroes in their own right. Despite this, the character gets a little dicey when it comes to the realm of live-action.

While Batman has seen plenty of incarnations on the big screen, the same cannot be said for his red-clad protégé. Oftentimes, Robin will either be cast aside as a less important shadow behind The Dark Knight or cut from the project entirely.

Still, despite the character's precarious position, there are just enough live-action Robins to go around. Thanks to this, you can pull a Batman-like analysis of each one, examining their writing, acting and presentation to weed out the worst from the best.

7. Joseph Gordon Levitt - John "Robin" Blake (The Dark Knight Rises)

Robin Burt Ward Chris O'Donnell Brenton Thwaites
Warner Bros. Pictures

If there's one term to describe this character best, it's Schrodinger's Robin; because John Blake both is and isn't Robin at the same time. That's why he's here more as an honourable mention than anything else.

As you likely already know, The Dark Knight Rises was the epic conclusion to the Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy. You probably also know that it received mixed reviews, with some fantastic highs and crushing lows. Unfortunately, this character sat more on the latter end of that spectrum, feeling tacked on and not turning many heads.

John Blake was a Gotham Police Officer who discovered the identity of Batman and became an ally in the fight against Bane. The trilogy concluded with John revealing his real name (Robin) and inheriting the Batcave.

It's easy to put him at the bottom, as the character never becomes Robin officially. In fact, it's implied that he's going to take the mantle of Batman. Including him in the list at all is a tough decision, but the deliberate parallel to the iconic sidekick means he gets a place - even if it is at the bottom.

Contributor

Michael is my name, overanalysing comedy is my game! Anime, wrestling, TV, movies and video games all live in my head rent free!