Dick, Jason, Tim or Damian... Which Robin is Batman's Best Partner?

Throughout his close to ninety year run in the comics, Batman has managed to best nearly every adversary he's ever faced. When he has suffered defeat (at the hands of Bane, Lady Shiva and a handful of others) it's often because he went it alone without the help of his faithful companion Robin. With Robin by his side, Batman is a far more formidable and exponentially greater crime fighting force -- but this begs the question, which Robin is the best partner for the Dark Knight? Some might choose the ingenious Tim Drake; others might say Damian Wayne with his superior fighting prowess, or even the ruthless, whatever-it-takes-to-win Jason Todd. Arguments can be made for all but the most well-rounded and suitable sidekick for Batman has proven to be the one and only Boy Wonder, Dick Grayson.

Dick is the epitome of everything Robin is supposed to be and from the very beginning, Bruce Wayne connects with Dick in ways he never did with any other Robin. This began with Bruce taking Dick in and making him his ward after his parents were murdered. Bruce's parents were similarly killed by criminals, resulting in a tragic but unique bond the two share over the course of their lives. More significantly, as Dick's guardian and mentor, what is it that Bruce wants most for his young charge?... The same thing any father (or in this case, surrogate father) would want – for him to grow, thrive, succeed, and eventually stand on his own two feet. Through his long term evolution as Robin, his leadership role in the Teen Titans and his subsequent new identity as Nightwing. Dick accomplishes this quite profoundly, all the while mirroring Batman's greatest virtues – shrewd crime solving, unquestioned bravery, mastery of martial arts, and an unrelenting need to bring criminals to justice. In contrast, during his run as Robin, the rebellious Jason is the proverbial “problem child” who demonstrates Bruce's worst qualities – violence, anger, and a sometimes disturbing brutality when dealing with his foes. Eventually, Jason becomes Red Hood, an antihero who acts with a type of callousness and vigilantism that Bruce struggles his whole career to keep suppressed.

Damian Wayne's Robin has similar character flaws. Cocky, spoiled, entitled, and (like Jason) violent to the point of murder, he was genetically engineered, grown in an artificial womb and trained to be a killing machine by the League of Assassins. Bruce had no influence on him during his crucial formative years and in fact, doesn't even learn of Damian's existence (his birth was kept hidden by his mother) until he's ten years old. By then it's too late, as Damian's self-importance, hostility, and borderline sociopathy preclude him from bonding with Bruce in ways similar to Dick.

Dick is also the one who keeps Bruce connected to his humanity. Apart from Alfred, Dick represents the closest thing to family that Bruce has. Yes, technically Damian is Bruce's biological son, but he was bio-engineered and raised and trained by others. Tim Drake also came to Bruce nearly fully-formed, having rigorously trained himself in physical combat, detective work, scholastics, etc. Dick, on the other hand, came to Bruce as a piece of clay – ready and willing to be molded into the ideal protege and crime-fighting partner. Along the way, he becomes a stabilizing force in Bruce's life, drawing him back from the brooding, darkest sides of himself and preventing him from becoming a heartless, criminal-bashing brute.

Finally, it's worth noting that Tim Drake himself, in Batman: A Lonely Place of Dying, astutely and succinctly declares, “Batman needs a Robin.” What makes this even more profound is that Tim says this to none other than Dick Grayson, as he's beseeching him to rejoin a Bruce who is wrestling with demons after Jason Todd's death. This shows that even Tim himself understands that Dick is fundamentally the truest Robin... and the best partner Batman ever had.