Robin (batman)

Robin (German 'Rotkehlchen') is the name of a fictional character owned by the Time Warner group . The character is the title character of her own comic series, which has been appearing since 1993, and a constant supporting character in the Batman comic series . Within the fictional world in which the Batman and Robin stories are set, Robin is the junior partner or sidekick of the masked crime fighter Batman.

The character was introduced to the Batman series in Detective Comics # 38 of 1940 and has remained an important part of the series almost continuously ever since. The main reason for the decision to provide Batman with a child / adolescent assistant was that the authors believed that they had to offer readers, who were mostly young at the time, an identification figure so that they could better empathize with the Batman adventure. In addition, since the first Batman stories in 1939, the problem that the title character had no one to talk to had become more and more pressing, so that he mostly explained his actions in monologues in the form of thought balloons, which therefore seemed very strange. In order to remedy this situation, Robin was given to him as a conversation partner, with whom he could exchange ideas in dialogues that explained the how and why of the hero's actions to the readers. Robin was and is not only Batman's comrade in the stories described, but he also takes on an important function as a dramaturgical plot element.

comics

Comic characters

There have been five different Robins in the Comic Book DC universe over the years. The increase in the initial age of the characters is noticeable. While the first Robin was only eight when he took over the role, the second was twelve, the third thirteen, and the fourth fifteen or sixteen. On the one hand, this can be attributed to the fact that the very young sidekicks in comic stories came under criticism as children in sometimes extremely brutal situations, and on the other hand, because the readership changed. While the first Batman comics were written for adult readers, the teenage readership grew over the years. In order to give them a figure to identify with, young rather than childish Robins were chosen. The current Robin, Batman's son Damian, is younger than his previous predecessors.

Robin I - (Richard John "Dick" Grayson)

The first Robin began his career when Bruce Wayne ( Batman ) picked him up after Robin's parents, like Bruce's parents, were murdered. As an orphan , he fought for years at the side of the "Dark Knight" until he finally began to criticize his methods and, now grown up, created the new alter ego Nightwing , only to become protector of Gotham City's neglected neighboring town of Blüdhaven after a while. After a lengthy argument, Bruce Wayne accepted Dick's decision. Nightwing later appeared sporadically in Gotham City to occasionally bail out his former partner. After Bruce Wayne's death, he became the new Batman after he had represented him several times during his lifetime, with Wayne's son Damian at his side as Robin. Grayson also inherited a large part of Wayne Enterprises.

After the return of Batman, Dick Grayson took on the Nightwing costume again, which has changed slightly: while a blue bird was previously seen, a red bird is now the chest symbol.

In the films Batman Forever and Batman & Robin by Joel Schumacher , Grayson was played by Chris O'Donnell . Robin was played by Burt Ward in the Batman series of the 1960s and in the film Batman Keeps the World in Suspense , in the television series Titans (from 2018) by Brenton Thwaites .

Robin II - (Jason Todd)

In Batman # 357 (1983), Batman accidentally caught the aggressive street kid Jason Todd trying to steal the wheels of the Batmobile, took him under his wing and trained him to be the next Robin. But unlike Dick Grayson, the arrogant Jason Todd saw the task more as a game and was killed in action by the Joker . The death of this character wrote comic history, because the readers were allowed to decide about their survival: After the appearance of Batman # 427, the readers voted by telephone whether Robin should live or die in the follow-up issue. After 10,614 calls, there were 5,271 votes against the death of Jason Todd and 5,343 in favor. It was clear that Batman had to mourn the death of his companion in # 428. In summary, these episodes were published in the trade paperback "A Death in the Family", in Germany the story was published as "Death in the Family" (1990 by Hethke Verlag and a new translation in 2001 by Panini ). In 2005, Todd, who was believed to be dead and now grown up, appeared again as the villain "Red Hood". After the death of Bruce Wayne he fought with Grayson for the claim to the role as Batman, but had to admit defeat to this.

Todd had an important role in the radio play The Pupils of Crime , because when Batman returned to his Batmobile after a patrol, he surprised Todd how he wanted to steal his tires. Angry, Batman took Todd to the newly opened reformatory for criminal youth. But soon Todd broke out of the asylum and told Batman that teenagers were actually being trained to be criminals there. Soon after, Batman promised to take Todd in as a thank you. But in the next episode, the idea that Todd should become Robin was dropped again.

Jason Todd was played by Curran Walters in the television series Titans .

Robin III - (Timothy "Tim" Drake)

After the death of the second Robin, Batman grew darker and more serious, and became even more engrossed in his fight against crime. It was only when the shrewd Tim Drake (for the first time in Looking Back at Batman # 436 (1989)) found out his and Nightwing's secret identities and then wanted to become Robin too, that Batman became more open again. Unlike the first two Robins, Tim Drake was not an orphan when he took on the role as Robin and was - until his mother died - Robin only because he himself believed it was necessary. He was a member and leader of the superhero group Young Justice . Since the miniseries Identity Crisis and the stories that go with it, Tim has been treated as a successor to Wayne as Batman in future versions of the stories. His father was also murdered during the Identity Crisis . Now, as an orphan, he lives with Bruce Wayne in his mansion.

In the TV series Batman: The Animated Series , Drake became the second Robin after Grayson.

Robin IV - (Stephanie Brown)

Stephanie Brown was only Robin for a short time, while Tim Drake gave up the superhero life since his father didn't want him to continue taking risks. Batman released her after a short time because she disobeyed a direct order. She then resumed her original identity as a spoiler and was tortured to death by Black Mask . Dr. Leslie Thompkins, a hitherto loyal Batman helper, let Stephanie die as a warning to any other youth who might want to emulate her.

However, it later emerged that Stephanie's death was only a fake. After a recovery period in Europe, she returns to America and, after a bumpy start, has a relationship with Tim Drake again. Eventually, Stephanie officially returns to the Batman family as Batgirl .

Robin V - (Damian Wayne)

Damian is the son of Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul. However, Batman only found out about this after years. Damian was raised by his mother and trained by terrorists from his grandfather Ra's al Ghul's "Murder League" and the best assassins in the world. Despite initial difficulties, due to his aggressive character, his brutality and his reluctance, Damian finally becomes Batman's (first Dick Grayson, later Bruce Wayne) comrade as the fifth and currently current Robin. Meanwhile, Damian Wayne was killed by a clone of himself. So Batman is without Robin again.

Red Robin - (Tim Drake)

After the "death" of Bruce Wayne (Batman), Tim Drake strayed from the "right" path. As the only member of the Bat family, he doesn't believe in Bruce Wayne's death. Tim Drake believes Batman is trapped somewhere in time and cannot find his way back. In order to substantiate this hypothesis, he needs proof and this he gets from one of Batman's worst adversaries; namely by none other than Ra's al Ghul . In the end, Tim Drake's guess turns out to be correct and Batman makes it back to the present day. Tim Drake is now active as "Red Robin". Timothy Drake is now called Timothy Wayne and is the chairman of Wayne Enterprise. This is one of the reasons why there are conflicts between Damian Wayne and Tim Wayne, some of which are carried out physically. Red Robin has had its own comic series since Batman died. The third edition is currently in the German specialist trade.

Non-comic canon robins

The comic book publisher DC repeatedly publishes stories, mostly in the form of individual volumes, in which well-tried characters are presented in new situations with a different history of origin and development, so-called "Elseworld" stories. There are also several such versions of the character Robin.

In the Elseworld universe ( The Kingdom and Kingdom Come ), which runs parallel to normal comic events, Dick Grayson takes on the name Red Robin instead of the Nightwing identity after he takes off his robin coat . He is married to Starfire and has a daughter named Nightstar.

In the very successful mini-series The Dark Knight Returns (1986) by Frank Miller , Carrie Kelly is introduced as the first female Robin.

In the story Robin 3000 (1992) set in 3000, Bruce Wayne's nephew is Thomas Wayne Robin.

In the One Million Stories that exist about almost every better-known DC comic book character, a robot nicknamed the Toywonder takes over the role of Robin.

In the series in which Stan Lee gave the DC characters a different origin story, Robin grew up in an orphanage. Robin was his real name after a robin flew into its cradle. He was highly intelligent, but was taken advantage of by a certain Reverend Darrk as a henchman and declined to help Batman.

Comic series

Between 1991 and 1993, DC published three miniseries that dealt with the - then newly introduced - third Robin Tim Drake. In 1991 the first five-part series, briefly titled "Robin", was published, which depicts Tim Drake's training as Robin. In 1992 Robin II - the Joker's Wild (four parts) was released and in 1992/1993 the six-part Robin III - Cry of the Huntress .

After the mini-series had achieved satisfactory sales figures, it was decided in 1993 to dedicate a separate monthly series to the Robin character. This series, titled Robin (Volume 2) for short , which reached issue # 183 by 2009, also focuses - with the exception of the 2002 four-part Robin - Year One , which deals with Dick Grayson's first year as Robin - Tim Drake's experiences as a boy wonder.

In the Red Robin series , the adventures of Tim Drake between 2009 and 2011 were told in a total of 26 issues.

Cartoons

Batman and Robin

After Jason Todd had proven unpopular, the makers of the animated series decided to only take Timothy Drake as the direct successor to Dick Grayson. However, they changed Drake's origins and adapted them to Jason's so that the second Robin of the animated series is a mixture of the second and third of the comic series.

Teen titans

Robin plays the leader in the Teen Titans animated series . There are several references that this Robin is Dick Grayson:

In the fifth season episode “Go!”, Which tells the story of the meeting of the Titans, his (now separated) relationship with Batman is addressed by means of passing bats and Robin's comment “I work alone now”.
His later identity as Nightwing in the episode "How Long is Forever?".
His alter ego Larry aka "Nosyarg Kcid" (Dick Grayson spoken backwards) in the episode "Fractured".
An insight into his childhood as a circus performer in "Haunted".

Batman Beyond (Batman of the Future)

In the movie Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker it is shown that Tim Drake aka Robin was kidnapped by the Joker to kill Junior Batman as the Joker. With the final overcoming, Tim kills the Joker. Batman, Batgirl and Robin cover up the whole affair, and Tim Drake ends his days as Robin to seek psychiatric treatment. Decades later, the Joker reappears to take revenge on Batman by blackmailing Gotham City. Terry (the new Batman) asks Tim for help fighting the Joker, as Bruce Wayne refuses to reveal details about the Joker and releases Terry from the role of Batman.

Young Justice

Robin plays an important role again in the American cartoon series Young Justice (2010). Here he belongs to a team of "sidekicks" who are slowly learning to solve their own cases and to stand on their own two feet. Robin is one of the main characters here alongside Superboy, Aqualad, Kid Flash and others. Initially he is even the team leader, but loses this position to Aqualad during Season 1. In this series, special attention is paid to Robin's extraordinary IT skills as a "master hacker".

Actual films

Two of the things that all films have in common are that only the first Robin Richard “Dick” Grayson is portrayed and that Robin is not played by a child or adolescent, as described in the comics, but by a young man.

In the film series from 1943 Robin was by Douglas Croft played in Batman and Robin of 1949 by Johnny Duncan . In the more humorous 1960s television series Batman , Burt Ward played Robin and became famous for constantly saying, "You holy [insert any word], Batman."

In the films Batman Forever (1995) and Batman & Robin (1997), Chris O'Donnell played Robin. The films portrayed the battles between Batman and Robin better than their predecessors.

The film The Dark Knight Rises alludes to the character of Robin. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays an orphaned policeman named John Blake. At the end of the film, his maiden name as Robin is revealed. The name Robin is used only once and Joseph Gordon-Levitt cannot be seen behind a mask in the film. Only at the end of the film does Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character Blake receive the coordinates for the Batcave from the estate of the supposedly deceased Bruce Wayne. It remains open whether he will take the place of Bruce Wayne as Robin , Nightwing or Batman in the future .

Minor characters

Alfred Pennyworth : Batman's butler and Robin's grandfather friend.
Ariana Dzerchenko : Ariana was the friend of Robin's alter ego Tim Drake in the first 50 issues of the Robin series.
Batman : Robin's mentor and partner.
Dana Winters : Dana Winters is the stepmother of Tim Drake (Robin). Winters, who made her debut in Robin # 12 of December 1994 (author: Dixon, illustrator: Grummet), first appeared as the physiotherapist of Drake's father Jack Drake, whom she helped in his recovery from severe poisoning. As the Robin series continued, she gradually got closer to Drake, fell in love with him (despite the considerable age difference) and finally married him ( Robin: 80 Page Giant # 1). Since the murder of her husband by a burglar in a story from 2005, Winters, who was then treated in a mental hospital in Blüdhaven, has rarely appeared in the series.
Hudson : One of Tim Drake's best friends (Debut: Robin's 2nd mini-series # 1).
Jack Drake : Tim Drake's father, Robin.
Karl Ranck : Karl Ranck was a classmate of Tim Drake (Robin). Ranck was an arrogant football star who made his debut in Robin # 1 (author: Dixon, illustrator: Grummett) and occasionally pestered him in his secret identity as Tim Drake. Ranck was eventually killed in a schoolyard shootout by "Young El" another classmate.
Mrs. McIlvaine : Mrs. McIlvaine is the housekeeper of Tim Drake's (Robin) father and his grandmother's friend.
Natalia and Vari Dzerchenko : Vari and "Natty" are the uncle and aunt of Robin's friend Ariana Dzerchenko, who grew up with them. Both made their debut in Robin # 2 from 1993. Especially in the first 50th issues of the series, she was seen in Robin # 65 as the operator of a delicatessen.
Nightwing : Nightwing, aka Dick Grayson, is the former first Robin, and Tim.
Sebastian Ives : Robin's best friend in his secret identity as Tim Drake. Ives made his debut in Robin 2nd Miniseries # 1 from 1993. He's a somewhat shy boy and the best student in Drake's class (2Callie3).
Shotgun Smith : The Gotham County's Sheriff whom Robin occasionally assists in solving cases.
Stephanie Brown : Robin's second friend.

opponent

Robin's opponents include such characters as the British mercenary Sir Edmund Dorrance, known as "King Snake", the street gang "Ghost Dragons", the gun man El Adams, the magical being Arrakhat, the monstrous being Steeljacket and the crooks Arthur Brown (Cluemaster) and Titus Czonka.

Arrakhat

Arrakhat is an ancient genie from the fictional state of Quarci. The one that debuted in Robin # 79 from August 2000 (author: Dixon, illustrator: Pete Woods) comes from a part of hell called O'Salla Ben Duuram ("Oasis of the Damned"). Once called, he must take three lives before he can return to the "source of the flames." Arrakhat was conjured up by the Arghulian, a power-hungry Quraci official, to assassinate the child prince Ali Ben Khan, the "Rhafi of Dhabar", a classmate of Tim Drake (Robin) while he was boarding at Brentwood Academy. Together, Robin and Ben Khan managed to dissuade Arrkhat from his goal with a magical amulet and turn him against his summoner.

Cluemaster

The Cluemaster (English "whistleblower"), aka Arthur Brown, is something like Robin's archenemy. Brown, a greedy petty crook, who was christened Cluemaster because of his skill in sending the police encrypted notices about the crimes he planned, is the father of his long-time friend Stephanie in the Robin stories. Although Brown, who made his debut in Detective Comics # 351 in May 1966 (writer: Gardner Fox, illustrator: Carmine Infantino), gave up the habit of puzzling in later stories , the nickname Cluemaster continues to cling to him.

Brown's modus operandi , relying on his own intellectual superiority to give the authorities clues about crimes he is about to commit, is similar to that of the Riddler : At its core, it is the intention of both characters to engage in a "battle of wits" with others measure, which is about who is mentally superior to the other: does the Cluemaster succeed in carrying out his deed before his puzzles are solved, or are they solved in time to stop him?

Originally, the Cluemaster tried to reveal the secret identity of Batman and Robin in order to make a name for himself in the underworld. He sent the two of them on a scavenger hunt from crime scene to crime scene with his "clues" in the hope of finding out more about them through careful observation. His plan ultimately went wrong and Batman and Robin were able to convict and arrest him. Apparently purged after a parole release, Brown later resumed his criminal career, but refrained from sending the police any information about his actions. After Robin Brown's "relapse" could prove with the help of his daughter Stephanie (Detective Comics # 647-649) he was imprisoned again in Blackgate Prison. As the “boss” of the inmates of Blackgate, Brown planned and organized numerous escape attempts (Robin # 2, Robin # 15, Blackgate # 1, Isle of Men # 1), which were only occasionally successful. In the course of the Robin series, Brown finally became the most popular and most frequently recurring villain: He tried, among other things, together with Czonka and the Electrocutioner to steal a money transporter (Robin # 3–5), steered the thieving tours of the "Gully Carson" - Gang (Robin # 15-16), opened a "Crime Academy" for the training of "elite criminals" (Robin # 54-57) and temporarily occupied his wife's house with "friends" (Robin # 92-94). On another occasion, Robin Cluemaster had to protect Cluemaster from the insane Riddler when the latter tried to murder Brown - whom he accused of copying his "scam" - (Detective # 704-706). In addition, the Cluemaster experienced his own adventures as a member of the Suicide Squad, a task force of the US government in which offenders perform delicate assignments in exchange for custody ( Suicide Squad # 1-3), where he was seriously injured and spent a year in hospital had to and as a member of the hero team "Justice League Antarctica" based at the South Pole. Batman made the Cluemaster troubled as a juror in an underworld trial aimed at finding Batman's alleged murderer and - after the death of his daughter when she was killed in action with Batman - and under the cover name Aaron Bals initiated a media campaign ( "Campaign for Culpability"), which is to outlaw vigilante went.

Cluemaster resigned as obese former game show - moderator , who murdered his former employee of a delusion out in the animated series The Batman on (US dubbing voice: Glenn Shadix ).

Czonk

Czonk , alias Titus Samuel Czonka, is a notoriously unsuccessful petty crook, who first appears in Robin # 1 from 1993 (author: C. Dixon; draftsman: T. Grummett).

Czonka is referred to in this issue as a stocky and somewhat stupid criminal who escapes from Blackgate prison with the Cluemaster, Arthur Brown, and the Electrocutioner. With these two he commits a few criminal coups before the trio is finally arrested by Robin and Spoiler - behind whom Brown's daughter Stephanie hides, who wants to redeem her father's crimes ( Robin # 1–5). In later Robin adventures, Czonk - not intelligent enough to work independently and therefore only suitable as an accomplice - appears several times as the right-hand man of the Cluemaster in various criminal activities, which are thwarted each time by Batman and Robin or spoilers ( Robin # 14 and 15; Batman. Blackgate # 1, 1997; Huntress / Spoiler. Blunt Trauma # 1). A running gag is that Czonka, who constantly thinks up new super villain identities, in order to have to feel less inferior to his costumed accomplices. These "monikers" and the associated costumes are always designed as tongue-in-cheek exaggerations that parody the superhero genre “from within”. For example, Czonka once acts as a “baffler” (“baffling”) who, like the Riddler or the Cluemaster, sends encrypted information about the crimes he has planned to the police, which are so amateurish that they lead to his and Brown's capture. His costume as a Baffler consists of a yellow sweater with an embroidered question mark, a cape and a fighter hat with aviator goggles. Another time he then assumes the identity of the "headbanger", as he uses his skull as a weapon with which he hits his opponents.

Deathangel

Deathangel (English " Angel of Death"), alias Daniel "Danny" DePaulo, was a mentally ill priest (Church: St. Anscom's), who hunted down his "sinful" sister, the leader of a gang of protection rackets, and her people with murderous methods made. He made his debut in Showcase'94 # 5 (author: Dixon, illustrator: Phil Jimenez) and - after Robin had prevented him from carrying out his intentions several times - was finally shot by his sister ( Robin # 6).

Dragoncat

Dragoncat , alias Phil Parson, is a notorious unsuccessful member of the Gotham City underworld. Parson, who made his debut in Robin # 21 (author: Dixon, draftsman: Wierengo), is a reasonably good martial artist who ran a karate school for young people in Gotham's East End, of which Barbara Gordon (later Batgirl) was one of the early visitors. When Parson began to send his students on theft tour, he was stopped by Robin. In Blackgate Prison, where he was imprisoned, Parson has since been a member of Arthur Brown's circle, whose amateurish attempts to escape usually fail ( Blackgate # 1).

Electrocutioner III

The Electrocutioner , aka Lester Buchinsky, is a professional criminal who has the gift of generating electricity in his body that he can use as a weapon against others. The electrocutioner, who made his debut in Detective # 644 from 1992 (author: Dixon, draftsman: Lyle), began his career as a vigilante , but eventually switched sides out of greed for profit to work as a professional criminal from then on. When he first met Batman and Robin, he was able to kill Batman with an electric shock: however, since Robin managed to bring his mentor back to life with a defibrillator , this death was only "temporary". After his first arrest ( Detective # 646) he was imprisoned in Blackgate Prison, from where he occasionally breaks out to work as "hired muscles" for other criminals: The plan to steal a money truck with the tricky fraudster Arthur Brown ( Robin # 3–5), was prevented by Robin, later engagements as a “man for the rough” in the gang of the “businessman” Roland Desmond in Gotham City's neighboring town of Blüdhaven mostly failed due to the intervention of Nightwing.

general

The general , alias Ulysses Hadrian Armstrong, is a brilliant boy of about twelve with an abnormal talent for everything military who first appeared in Detective Comics # 654 from December 1992 (author: C. Dixon, illustrator: M. Netzer). In this story, Armstrong escapes from a military school, gathers a street gang of young people - who are subordinate to him due to his intellectual superiority - and starts with them, a gang war planned by him against other gangs and the police. After his first defeat by Batman and Robin, the character of the self-proclaimed minor general reappeared in later stories, mostly in historical costumes as a general in Napoleon's style. In some stories he also teamed up with other villains such as the Toyman , the "Bandidos" or a madman who thinks he is Julius Caesar. In later stories, he became more of an opponent of Robin than Batman.

Lynx

Lynx (English "lynx"), alias Ling, is the leader of a street gang called "The Ghost Dragons", with whom Robin clashes in several adventures. Robin meets the Asian-born Lynx for the first time in issue # 1 of the first Robin mini-series from 1991 (author: C. Dixon, illustrator: T. Lyle).

There, Lynx, who is still called Ling here, appears as a handsome, youthful member of the Ghost Dragons, the gang of the criminal King Snake, whose arms dealer ring Robin smashes in the course of the miniseries. It gets its name - in allusion to the one-eyed lynx according to popular belief - after King Snake stabs her left eye as punishment for her failure to carry out one of his orders. In the "Shadow Box" storyline, which follows on from the Robin miniseries, Lynx disempowered Snake in revenge for her lost eye and took over the leadership of the Dragons himself ( Batman # 463-466). As an outstanding martial artist and sniper, she repeatedly made life difficult for Robin as one of his most stubborn enemies (Detective 684, Robin 1 # 7-18 and # 49-52). Lynx appears sometimes as a contract killer, sometimes as the leader of the triad cartel of the "Lucky Hand Triads" in Gotham City's Chinatown and then again in her old role as head of the Ghost Dragons. Most recently she was seen dying twice in a short period of time in the course of the War Games or the 52 storylines in successive stories.

Steeljacket

Steeljacket is a monstrous creature that Robin first encountered in Detective Comics # 681 from January 1995 (author: C. Dixon, illustrator: G. Nolan). It is the product of a genetic experiment in which a man whose name remains unknown was treated with a mutagen to create a new breed of human-bird hybrid.

Steeljacket's appearance is terrifying: its jawbones are externally visible, as it lacks the bone-covering flesh in the lower part of the face, so that its face resembles a predator. His songless yellow eyes are also completely bare. His skin is clay brown. Since it has the light and sensitive hollow bones typical of "birds", Steeljacket wore a heavy, metal protective suit when it first appeared, from which it owes its name. Most noticeable about this armor was the domed headboard.

Who Steeljacket was before it became Steeljacket is unknown. In the 1996 Man-Bat miniseries, however, it is learned that the mutagen that turned him into Steeljacket was a variation of the serum developed by scientist Kirk Langstrom that Langstrom used to turn himself into the batman Man-Bat transform.

On his first appearance, Steeljacket systematically hunts down the scientists who turned him into Steeljacket in order to get revenge for his condition. The result is a bloody series of murders with which he covers Gotham City. Robin (Tim Drake) and Dick Grayson, who is active as a replacement Batman for Bruce Wayne at the time, initially believe that the killer is the former assassin Jean Paul Valley, who shortly before temporarily took Bruce Wayne's place as Batman had taken. While Grayson Valley confronts and declares his innocence, Robin manages to track down the real killer - Steeljacket. In a brutal duel on the rooftops of Gotham City, Robin defeats Steeljacket, who escapes badly injured. However, the injuries sustained in the argument with Robin mean that Steeljacket's wings have to be amputated so that he can no longer fly.

After Steeljacket recovers, he resumes his series of murders and kills more scientists. Man-Bat - who is initially suspected of being responsible for the murders and therefore tries to prove his innocence - can eventually defeat the creature ( Man-Bat # 1–3, 1996). After this defeat, Steeljacket is taken to Blackgate, Gotham City's prison. There he acts as a thug for other inmates such as the Cluemaster. He also meets Batman, who has smuggled himself into Blackgate on a mission: He uses the lack of Steeljacket's armor to break his delicate bones with ease and defeat him without difficulty ( Batman. Blackgate # 1, 1997).

During the 1998 Cataclysm storyline, Steeljacket manages to escape Blackgate after a severe earthquake. He then goes into hiding in a suburb of Gotham. When rumors of a monster soon spread there, Robin investigates the case: After a rematch, Robin can defeat Steeljacket again and send it back to Blackgate.

During the 1999 "No Man's Land" storyline, when Gotham City exits the United States and is declared no man's land, Steeljacket and numerous other villains are played in by the insane Lyle Bolton who has now brought Blackgate under his control held and tormented the dungeon-like basements of the prison. Nightwing, together with Steeljacket and the other prisoners, finally succeeds in breaking Bolton's rule over the prison: Blackgate and the prisoners are then handed over to the newly established Gotham City Police Department together with Bolton. Steeljacket, who remained in the institution after Gotham City was reintegrated, has not yet reappeared.

Titus Czonka

Titus Samuel Czonka is a notoriously unsuccessful petty crook active in Robin's hometown of Gotham City. Czonka, who is usually called Czonk for short , is a rather simple-minded and optically rather ridiculous crook (overweight, flabby, bald-headed) who made his debut in Robin # 1 from 1993 (author: Dixon, draftsman: Grummett). As a rule, he acts as an accomplice of more capable criminals, such as the Cluemaster ( Robin # 1–5, 14–15; Blackgate # 1, Huntress / Spoiler: Blunt Trauma # 1), to whom he is more of a clumsy, stupid and clumsy assistant doing bad as right service. In addition, he was also active as a single perpetrator ( Robin # 43-44). Occasionally, Czonka tries to develop into a “themed villain” following the example of other villains: So he acted after the model of the Riddler as a puzzling “Baffler” (with? Emblem on his sweater, boots, cape and fighter goggles) and later as "Headbanger" ("head impact"). After the usually unfortunate outcome of his criminal ventures, Czonka is usually imprisoned in Blackgate Prison.

Young El

Eldon "Young El" Adams is a teenage arms dealer with whom Robin has dealt several times. Adams, who made his debut in Robin # 25 from February 1996 (author: Dixon, illustrator: Mike Wieringo) is a socially critical character who was introduced to the Robin series on the occasion of the school massacre in Littleton in order to point out the weaknesses of the liberal American gun law. The figure received special mention in the left-wing American press as a critical examination of the subject of weapons, but provoked - especially among "right-wing" readers - heavy criticism as "anti-freedom propaganda".

In Robin # 25, Adams, a classmate of Robin's alter ego Tim Drake, shoots another student at his school, Karl Ranck, in an argument, causing the hero to critically examine the gun cult that ruled parts of the US population finally moved to the insight that private individuals should not own firearms (# 26). In later issues (Detective # 698, Robin # 46) Adams returns and teaches Robin in further socially critical stories - since he gets away with his deeds with impunity - the lesson that "not all bad guys have to atone for their deeds".

Parodies

In the music video of "Without me" by the rapper Eminem , he acts in a disguise that is very similar to Robin's.

Web links