Editing Batman (section)

===Sidekicks===
{{Main|Robin (character)}}
[[File:Batman & Robin (Batman vol. 1 -9 Feb. 1942).jpg|thumb|Batman and [[Robin (character)|Robin]], art by [[Jack Burnley]]]]
Robin, Batman's vigilante partner, has been a widely recognized supporting character for many years; each iteration of the Robin character, of which there have been five in the mainstream continuity, function as members of the Batman family, but additionally, as Batman's "central" sidekick in various media.{{sfnp|Boichel|1991|p=7}} Bill Finger stated that he wanted to include Robin because "Batman didn't have anyone to talk to, and it got a little tiresome always having him thinking."<ref>{{cite book|last=Langley |first=Travis|title=Batman and Psychology: A Dark and Stormy Knight|year=2012|publisher=John Wiley & Sons |page=179}}</ref> The first Robin, [[Dick Grayson]], was introduced in 1940. In the 1970s he finally grew up, went off to college and became the hero [[Nightwing]]. A second Robin, [[Jason Todd]] was introduced in the 1980s, following Dick Grayson's departure from the role. Initially impulsive and rebellious, Jason's tenure as Robin was controversial among fans. In 1988, DC held a fan vote to determine his fate in the iconic ''[[A Death in the Family (comics)|A Death in the Family]]'' storyline, where the [[Joker (character)|Joker]] brutally beat Jason with a [[crowbar]] and left him to die in an explosion. The fans voted for his death. However, Jason was later resurrected and returned as the antihero [[Red Hood]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mills |first=Taylor |date=2024-07-16 |title=After 36 Years, DC Squeezes the Last Drop of Trauma from Jason Todd's Iconic Death |url=https://screenrant.com/jason-todd-death-in-the-family-robin-lives-sheila-haywood/ |access-date=2024-10-21 |website=ScreenRant |language=en}}</ref>

The third Robin in the mainstream comics is [[Tim Drake]], who first appeared in 1989. He went on to star in his own comic series, and goes by the name [[Red Robin (comics)|Red Robin]], a variation on the traditional Robin persona. In the first decade of the new millennium, [[Stephanie Brown (character)|Stephanie Brown]] served as the fourth in-universe Robin between stints as her self-made vigilante identity the Spoiler, and later as [[Batgirl]].<ref>Langley, 180–210</ref> After Brown's apparent death, Drake resumed the role of Robin for a time. The role eventually passed to [[Damian Wayne]], the 10-year-old son of Bruce Wayne and [[Talia al Ghul]], in the late 2000s.<ref>{{cite web | last = Esposito | first = Joey | title = Why Damian Wayne is the Best Robin | website = IGN | date = March 5, 2013 | url = https://www.ign.com/articles/2013/03/06/why-damian-wayne-is-the-best-robin/ | access-date = February 17, 2014| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140301042547/http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/03/06/why-damian-wayne-is-the-best-robin| archive-date = March 1, 2014}}</ref> Damian's tenure as ''du jour'' Robin ended when the character was killed off in the pages of ''[[Batman Incorporated]]'' in 2013.<ref>{{cite news | last = Saul | first = Josh | title = DC killing off Batman's 'Boy Wonder' Damian Wayne in new comic book | newspaper = The New York Post| date = February 25, 2013 | url = https://nypost.com/2013/02/25/dc-killing-off-batmans-boy-wonder-damian-wayne-in-new-comic-book/ | access-date = February 17, 2014| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140429184730/http://nypost.com/2013/02/25/dc-killing-off-batmans-boy-wonder-damian-wayne-in-new-comic-book/| archive-date = April 29, 2014}}</ref> Batman's next young sidekick is [[Harper Row]], a streetwise young woman who avoids the name Robin but followed the [[Ornithology|ornithological]] theme nonetheless; she debuted the codename and identity of the [[Bluebird (DC Comics)|Bluebird]] in 2014. Unlike the Robins, the Bluebird is willing and permitted to use a gun, albeit [[Non-lethal weapon|non-lethal]]; her weapon of choice is a modified rifle that fires taser rounds.<ref>{{cite web | last = Franich | first = Darren | title = Batman has a new female sidekick: Meet Bluebird | publisher = Entertainment Weekly Popwatch | date = February 12, 2014 | url = http://popwatch.ew.com/2014/02/12/batman-bluebird-female-robin/ | access-date = February 17, 2014| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140222134700/http://popwatch.ew.com/2014/02/12/batman-bluebird-female-robin/| archive-date = February 22, 2014}}</ref> In 2015, a new series began titled ''[[We Are Robin (comic book)|We Are...Robin]],'' focused on a group of teenagers using the Robin persona to fight crime in Gotham City. The most prominent of these, Duke Thomas, later becomes Batman's crimefighting partner as [[Duke Thomas (comics)|The Signal]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Truitt |first=Brian |title='We Are Robin' stars a movement of kid heroes |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2015/03/09/we-are-robin-comic-book-exclusive/24635301/ |access-date=2024-10-21 |website=USA TODAY |language=en-US}}</ref>