Batman is one of the most highly featured superheroes in the genre, and when he is on-screen, odds are his faithful sidekick Robin isn’t far behind. Much like in the source material, there are many different iterations of the character in different films and television shows, but they’ve all carried the mantle of Robin in some shape or form. Here we will be reviewing every live-action character to take on the mantle, whether they be adapting a character from the source material or playing an original interpretation of the caped crusader’s sidekick. We’ll be looking at both films and television when making this ranking, citing some of the actor’s best scenes, their performances, and how their character’s stories impacted the overall project.
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6 Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Warner Bros. Pictures
While the character never dons the costume, Detective John Blake would later be revealed as “Robin,” as the moniker is actually his legal first name. While this may seem to be a loophole, it is noted that Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character was meant to be an amalgamation of three distinct Robins. Having grown up an orphan, John Blake would become a street kid with enough intellect to connect the dots and decipher the true identity of Batman. This would lead to Blake teaming up with Bruce Wayne to help protect the citizens of Gotham during Bane’s brutal attack. After Batman’s apparent death, John would retire from the force and inherit the Batcave, essentially stepping in to take a turn with the cape and cowl.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
5 Jay Lycurgo
Warner Bros. Television Distribution
Tim Drake is a young man with a high level of intelligence. Crafting a room for him to track police chatter and any possible Batman sightings, Tim would work hard to deduce Batman’s true identity as well as the identity of the original Robin. Shortly after Jason Todd’s death, Tim would attempt to join the Titans only to be killed by Jonathon Crane. After surviving a journey in the afterlife, Tim Drake and Donna Troy would help the Titans defeat Scarecrow and save Gotham City. After this, Tim Drake would officially be accepted as a Titan and join the team on their trip to Metropolis, where he would begin his training to become the next Robin and be given what will become his signature weapon, the bo-staff.
4 Chris O’Donnell
Warner Bros.
Becoming the first (and so far, only) Robin to appear in two live-action films, Chris O’Donnell would debut as Dick Grayson in Batman Forever (1995) and reprise the role in Batman & Robin (1997). In this iteration, Two-Face is responsible for the murder of Dick’s parents, leading to Dick Grayson becoming the ward of Bruce Wayne.
After discovering the Batcave, Dick Grayson would take on the mantle of Robin and, after considering taking vengeance for his parents, elect to fight Two-Face the right way, though the madman’s obsession with his coin would lead to his apparent death regardless. Later on, Robin would attempt to leave Batman’s shadow under the influence of Poison Ivy, though Robin would eventually work through Ivy’s pheromones and team up with the new Batgirl to help his mentor defeat Mr. Freeze.
3 Curran Walters
When Titans begins, Jason Todd is already operating as the second person to bear the Robin moniker. During his introductory episode, audiences see that Jason is much more aggressive than his predecessor, violently beating down cops and gangsters alike. Curran Walters would get to display a wide range of emotions, with Jason suffering trauma after nearly being killed by Deathstroke and being sent home from the Titans to recover with Bruce Wayne.
While Bruce and Jason would begin to reconnect, Jason still sought an unhealthy way of coping with his fear by reaching out to Jonathon Crane and using his anti-fear toxin. This Scarecrow weapon would cause Jason to seek out dangerous encounters, and Jason would ultimately meet his most significant test when he fought The Joker and lost fatally. This would lead to Jason donning the moniker his comic counterpart is more well-known for in Red Hood.
2 Burt Ward
20th Television
The original Dick Grayson, Burt Ward would help to raise the comedic and campy factors that went into the original Batman television series. This iteration of Robin would often be depicted as extremely innocent, though at times hot-headed, until the wiser Batman would give him advice. Robin would still provide intelligence of his own, often helping to devise an immediate plan to help Batman defeat whichever villain they happened to be facing that week.
One of the running gags featured throughout the show would see Robin become the victim of kidnapping, with the likes of Riddler, Penguin, the Joker, and more catching the “Boy Wonder” and leaving him as a trap for Batman to fall into. Robin’s intelligence would also be a running theme, with Bruce often being seen helping Dick study different languages throughout the show’s run, such as Latin and French. Burt Ward is also one of the only actors to portray Robin in television, live-action film, and animated film.
1 Brenton Thwaites
When the casting process was done for Titans, Brenton Thwaites was one of the first confirmed actors for the show, with the star possessing many of the qualities that defined the original boy wonder. While Thwaites’ version of Dick Grayson is noticeably more violent, he would soften as the show continued, even giving up the Robin mantle during the show’s first season.
During the course of the second season, Dick Grayson would have to face his most formidable enemy in Slade Wilson/ Deathstroke, and to do so; he asked Lucius Fox to make him a new suit. Taking on a new identity, Dick Grayson would finally become Nightwing. While this version of the character would entirely leave the title of Robin behind, Nightwing is often considered one of the greatest continuations of a Robin and has commanded much respect for his actions both in the show and in the source material. For these reasons, along with Brenton Thwaites’ fantastic performance, he is given the top nod in these rankings.
