What do you think, do we need another Boy Wonder?

[Drz]

"I'm done dragging children into this life. I used to think it was therapeutic for them -- the way it'd for me. I was kidding myself. In the future, if i ever feel the need to partner up again, i'll do so with an already well-trained Adult" - Batman: The Widening Gyre #1

Now don't get me wrong. I am by no means a Batman-sidekick hater. Infact i love The Boy Wonders! Dick Grayson as Nightwing, Jason the anti-hero Red Hood, Tim Drake the now Red Robin and heck even the new Robin Damian Wayne has his punky charm with the light-hearted Grayson Batman duo. So why am i making this thread again? Because when someday sooner or later either Damian is killed or he like Tim Drake becomes an adult and pulls a "Nightwing" what happens next?

So my question is, when Batman has four former partners, who have matured to adult hood, and trained directly under him... Should he really get another kid partner, or should he work with the ones he already has?

Now the whole point of Robin being a child originally was so that children could relate more easily towards Batman, not to mention this gave Batman someone to talk to instead of the writer just putting inner monologue all the time. But isn't there enough proof that Comics have become more of a adult media? Yeah we got teenagers reading the comics who are sorta Robin-aged, but do you feel we really need Batman with a child partner forever?

 

[conjob_89]

When Bruce returns...

Dick = Nightwing
Tim = Robin
Damien = Dead. Dead. DEAD!!!

 

[hippie_hunter]

Considering that Damian is 10. We shouldn't need another Boy Wonder for a long, long, long time.

 

[hippie_hunter]

When Bruce returns...

Dick = Nightwing
Tim = Robin
Damien = Dead. Dead. DEAD!!!

1. What horrible character regression. Even if Damian dies like you want to, Tim should never go back to being Robin. He's too old now. Robin is for the role of a child. Nightwing, Red Hood, and Red Robin are roles for adults.

2. Damian is awesome.

 

[conjob_89]

1. What horrible character regression. Even if Damian dies like you want to, Tim should never go back to being Robin. He's too old now. Robin is for the role of a child. Nightwing, Red Hood, and Red Robin are roles for adults..

Ex: Making Roy Harper Red Arrow is character regression and look what happen there.

2. Damian is awesome.

I begged to differ.

 

[CConn]

Ex: Making Roy Harper Red Arrow is character regression and look what happen there.



I begged to differ.

That doesn't even make sense. Roy's situation is totally different and involves countless editorial and creative mistakes that doomed the character to its present condition. Please don't let your misplaced anger over a bad story taint your perception.

And yes, as hippie hunter said, it would be horrible character regression and would make for very bad writing and editing on your part.

As for the topic, Kevin Smith's Batman stories have been horrible so I refuse to take his advice.

 

[fifthfiend]

Sooner they flush Jason Todd Mk. II out of continuity the better.

No reason not to make Tim Robin again; it'd be exactly what he's doing now sans one useless adjective and an ugly costume design.

Barring that I guess they could find a new one somewhere; maybe the odd-numbers pattern will hold and 5 won't be completely terrible.

 

[Tron Bonne]

Yeah, if Damian stays as Robin permanently, I'll probably just stop reading comics featuring him. He's not a good character. I don't really understand why so many here are rallying around him. Because he's a dick, or maybe the fact that Morrison created and shines on him, or maybe a little of both? Meh, whatever, the character never really interested me and still doesn't.

We always need a Robin. I say make Squire Robin. I'd like to see that

 

[yenaled]

I don't know... the messed up kid who has been told he will inherit the Earth, has an ego to match that and trained to the point of absurdity. He's constantly seems to be switching between trying to act like an adult (and the man he is told by his Mother he will become) and actually just been a lost lonely kid who wants a family, to be loved and please his Father (or the memory of him).

That's a character I can't hate.

 

[Drz]

We always need a Robin. I say make Squire Robin. I'd like to see that

But then her cloak would hide her bum. >: (

 

[CConn]

Sooner they flush Jason Todd Mk. II out of continuity the better.

No reason not to make Tim Robin again; it'd be exactly what he's doing now sans one useless adjective and an ugly costume design.

Barring that I guess they could find a new one somewhere; maybe the odd-numbers pattern will hold and 5 won't be completely terrible.

Damian's five, technically.

 

[CConn]

Sooner they flush Jason Todd Mk. II out of continuity the better.

No reason not to make Tim Robin again; it'd be exactly what he's doing now sans one useless adjective and an ugly costume design.

Barring that I guess they could find a new one somewhere; maybe the odd-numbers pattern will hold and 5 won't be completely terrible.

Damian's five, technically.

 

[Watson]

When Bruce returns...

Dick = Nightwing
Tim = Robin
Damien = Dead. Dead. DEAD!!!

There's no way Dick goes back to being Nightwing.

 

[Drz]

There's no way Dick goes back to being Nightwing.

He did it in the 90s. Why is it suddenly so different in 21th century?

 

[CConn]

He did it in the 90s. Why is it suddenly so different in 21th century?

Maybe because that was a totally different story that featured an entirely different motivation for Dick taking over for Bruce?

 

[Drz]

Yes and what is so hard for Dick giving away the mantle and going back as Nightwing? Don't give me that #666 crap and Dan Didio's lust for comic murders. We're talking about cutting away a 40-60k selling monthly title opportunity with Nightwing here. >: (

 

[CConn]

Well, for one, I'm not saying Dick has to be killed.

They just have to do something that advances his progression of a character.

Look at it this way; Robin defined Dick as a youth. He became Nightwing because he was his own man, he was coming into his own. Becoming Batman this time around marked a new era in his life - that he's more than just his own man, but a mentor, and the head of the whole Bat family. To take that away, and put him back to just being loner Nightwing, 20s-something hero...it takes something away from the character as well.

It's pretty much the same scenario that you had with Bucky and Steve in the Marvel Universe. To make Bucky Winter Soldier again just because Steve was back, would have set the character back light years. I'm not suggesting that Bruce shouldn't be Batman when he comes back...but there's gotta be a new, more mature place for Dick in the DCU after Bruce has returned.

 

[Drz]

Let's rename him Batwing and give him a modified Bat-Nightwing costume!

I understand what you're saying now tho, but i still don't see it as a major deal breaker if he becomes Nightwing again. Yeah he's been the the head of the family for 9 issues now and what important has happened outside Damian receiving training and resurrecting a Batclone? Tim Drake has done important things too and he's now his own man the Red Robin.

I can't personally imagen Bruce becoming something else than Batman especially with Morrison in charge and it is a highly discussed topic whenever or not we're going to have 2 Batmans and what is the point of 2 Batmans in the DC Universe itself.

I just don't see why he can't return as Nightwing but still progress that character. He took the Nightwing mantle to be his own man, why would he need to change that?

 

[Tron Bonne]

No matter what they do with Dick's character, he's screwed. Going back to Nightwing or becoming a new character is just going to be a downgrade from the much bigger and more significant role of Batman, and him being a second Batman is basically going to mean he'll be a second fiddle Batman that will only be used when Bruce is off the table

 

[Micah12345]

Tim has had more than enough time as robin. He should stay as red robin. Damian is a great character, and I'd like to see him stay robin for a long time to come.

As far as dick goes, I think it would be interesting to kill him off, and maybe have that as the thing that inspires bruce to take back the cowl. If they don't, and he becomes nightwing again, it will be a little disappointed. By now I trust morrison enough to want to see what he does with the situation.

 

[Manic]

I think Dick should stay Batman. Let there be two Batmen. Imagine how freaked out those superstitious and cowardly criminals will be when word gets out that Batman is everywhere! Because I love Dick's dynamic with Damian so much, he can keep Damian on as his Robin. Bruce can run solo. Tim can stay as Red Robin and do his solo thing.

 

[Harlekin]

Now, I believe that Tim Drake should never have vacated the role. Nonetheless, Damian should be Robin for the foreseeable future. If they somehow got rid of him... Eh, it's a toughie. Robin's a pretty integral part of the mythos by now. It'd be odd to have Bats running around for any length of time without a kid sidekick. Guess that's different for everybody though.

Honestly though, if it really comes down to there being a fifth Robin (you're forgetting Girl Wonder Spoiler), then Bruce definitely needs to retire.

 

[Manic]

Before RIP, I had hopes that Tim would be the one to carry the Robin title into adulthood, and keep using it even when he stops being Bruce's sidekick. Oh well.

 

[fifthfiend]

I think Dick should stay Batman. Let there be two Batmen. Imagine how freaked out those superstitious and cowardly criminals will be when word gets out that Batman is everywhere!

This actually makes a ****load of sense.

 

[Drz]

Batman corps, **** yeah!