Richard Grayson (Earth-Two)

From DC Database

Robin

Gallery

Real Name

Richard Grayson

Current Alias

Robin

Aliases

Dick Grayson; "Dicky" Grayson as child; many other aliases as part of his detective work

Identity

Secret

Alignment

Good

Affiliation

Justice Society of America of Earth-Two; All-Star Squadron; Partner of Helena Wayne as Huntress; Former Partner of Batman

Relatives

John and Mary Grayson (parents, deceased); George Grayson (uncle, presumed dead due to old age); Charles Grayson (Robotman of Earth-Two, cousin, presumed dead due to the destruction of Earth-Two in the Crisis); Bruce Wayne (Legal Guardian when Grayson was minor, deceased)

Universe

Earth-Two

Base Of Operations

Gotham City

Characteristics

Gender

Male

Height

6' 0"

Weight

187 lbs (85 kg)

Eyes

Blue

Hair

Black

Unusual Features

Graying hair at temples at time of death

Status

Citizenship

American

Marital Status

Single

Occupation

Former Lawyer; Former U.S. Ambassador to South Africa Earth-Two; Former childhood aeralist and circus performer

Origin

Origin

Orphaned as a child, Dick Grayson was taken in and trained by Batman to become his teenage sidekick, Robin.

Place of Birth

Unknown

Place of Death

Gotham City

Creators

Bill Finger, Bob Kane

First appearance

Last appearance

(Historic) Detective Comics #38; (Earth-Two specific) Justice League of America #55

Crisis on Infinite Earths #12

History

Richard "Dick" Grayson was born to circus aerlists John and Mary Grayson. Dick Grayson joined his parents in their trapeze act, the Flying Graysons, which was part of the small traveling Haly Circus. Under pressure to pay protection money to a local mobster, "Boss" Zucco, the circus owners refused. Enraged, Zucco decided to intimidate the circus owners by killing their most successful act, the Flying Graysons. Zucco had the trapeze and safety nets cut which killed John and Mary Grayson

First appearance of Earth-Two Robin in the Silver Age in Batman like costume (JLA Vol 1 #55)

Millionare playboy Bruce Wayne was in the audience and watched the Grayson's death happen. Some later versions state Wayne was investigating Zucco activities at the circus but was unaware of the extent Zucco was already involved.

Grayson blamed the deaths on Zucco from conversations he overheard. Wayne recognized a similar tragedy in his own earlier life and decided to take Grayson in. Deciding to channel Grayson rage and grief into action, and partially protect Grayson from Zucco, Wayne began training Grayson in further more extensive acrobats and fighting techniques. When Wayne felt Grayson was ready to use his skills, Wayne gave him the costumed identity of Robin, the Boy Wonder. ^[1]

Early Career

As Robin, the junior partner of Batman, Grayson would fight against many powerful villians including the Joker, Penguin, Two-Face, Basil Karlo the first Clayface ^[2].

As Grayson became older, he face his own villians including No-Face ^[3] and several others including several of the earlier Batman rogues. Grayson would continue as Batman's partner until Wayne retired from the role despite gaps such as when Grayson left for college.

Later Life

As Dick Grayson, he became a full partner in the law firm of Cranston and Grayson (later Cranston, Grayson and Wayne upon Bruce's daughter Helena joining). It was as the prominent lawyer that Grayson became elected to serve as Ambassador for the United States to South Africa in the late 1970s. Grayson would continue to be active as Robin for most of the intervening years. After the death of Bruce Wayne, Grayson reconsiders his earlier decision and thinks to re-adopt the Batman II role but Helena convinces him not to do so. "There was only one man who could be the Batman, Dick, and my father is dead. We can carry on his work-you as Robin, me as the Huntress…but the Batman is dead. Only legends live forever…not the men who make them." ^[4]

Grayson would resume the identity of Batman II in one known occasion against the Joker who resumed his rampage upon hearing of the death of Batman I (Wayne). Grayson assumed the role of Batman without indicating that he was not the original. ^[5].

Robin recounts his intervening years to the Earth-One Batman (Brave and the Bold Vol 1 #182)

After that Joker case, Grayson completely retired from the Batman role, preferring to remain only in the role of Robin. Grayson's original feelings against successors to the Batman role would resurface when the Batman of Earth-One came to Earth-Two and Grayson would express his feelings of failing in the role of successor and against anyone else being Batman for the first time. ^[6] But Grayson later came to accept the Earth-One Batman as his own person rather than as imitation of his long-dead friend.

On many occasions Grayson performed as the senior partner of the new "Dynamic Duo" which consisted of himself and Wayne's daughter Helena in her role as the Huntress, as well as alone. He would continue on as Robin until the Crisis on Infinite Earths came to Earth-Two.

Robin in his role as attorney Dick Grayson prosecuted a case against the Justice Society of America, based on a diary written by Batman prior to his demise, indicating that the team were collaborators with the Nazi regime. During the legal proceedings, his opponent in the court room was Helena, who defended the team. Grayson later learned that the diary pointed towards a plot by the time traveling villain Per Degaton, and thwarted him prior to Degaton's suicide. ^[7]

Crisis

Main article: Crisis on Infinite Earths

The Robin and the Huntress both took part in several battles of the Crisis on Infinite Earths and joined the battle at the "Dawn of Time" against the Anti-Monitor and were thus saved from annihilation when history of the multiverse was destroyed, leaving only the singular New Earth and their own history and Earth-Two was wiped out of existence.

During one of the last battles of the Crisis confronting the Anti-Monitor's shadow demons, whose mere touch could destroy positive matter, attacked trapping the Huntress under rubble from a collapsed building. Robin went to her rescue while Kole of the Teen Titans erected a crystal dome to protect them. The effort failed and all three were reduced to ash. The Batman of Earth-One, Mary Marvel, and Jason Todd found the remains.

Powers and Abilities

Powers

None known.

Abilities

Brillant athlete and acrobat; master of many forms of hand-to-hand physical combat as well as weaponry; superb reasoning and deductive ability; mastery of many advanced forms of disguises and acting.

Strength level

Above Average: Advanced human strength beyond most atheletes though not superhuman.

Weaknesses

None known.

Paraphernalia

Equipment: Various small hand held devices usually carried in his utility belts and assembled into his costume directly, such as a cape that allowed him to glide vast distances.
Transportation: Various vehicles, most notably the Batmobile and Batcycles as well as other "bat" named vehicles; swinging under own power via grappling hooks in locale areas .
Weapons: Various. His most notable offensive were batarangs, though he did use various explosive devices

Notes

• This version of Richard Grayson (Earth-Two), including all history and corresponding appearances, was erased from existence following the collapse of the Multiverse in the 1985-86 Crisis on Infinite Earths limited series and is now considered apocryphal. * The history of the Earth-Two Robin is similar to his counterpart on Earth-One in many respects. Both were orphaned when gangsters killed their parents. Both were taken in by their respective Bruce Wayne after the intentional murder of their parents. Both learned Wayne's secret identity and were trained to become Batman's junior partner in the crimefighting team of the Dynamic Duo on their respective Earths.

• The most notable differences between the Earth-Two Robin and his later counterparts was that the Robin of Earth-Two was active in the 1930s and 40s and started as Robin at only eight years old rather than his early teens as the Earth-One incarnation did. The Earth-Two Grayson and Batman were part of the formation of the Earth-Two Justice Society, as indicated in All Star Comics issue #3 (Winter 1940/41) where the first meeting of the Justice Society is held and place cards are set for Superman (Kal-L) Batman and Robin who would all decline full membership though would occasionally participate in the World War II reformation of the group known as the All-Star Squadron. The Earth-One Robin was never asked to be part of the Justice League, but he later established the Teen Titans on Earth-One. Like the Earth-One Batman, the Earth-Two Wayne never adopted Grayson possibly due to the fact that he later married his one time enemy Catwoman with whom he would have his own child, daughter Helena. Helena Wayne would later adopt the identity of Huntress. The Post-Crisis Batman did adopt both Grayson and later Tim Drake as his sons.

• Robin of Earth-Two was not comfortable in the role of successor to Wayne as Batman II, feeling ultimately that only Wayne should be Batman. This was different from the Robin who was partner to Batman Sr. father of Batman Jr (the "Super-Sons") who openly fought with Bruce Wayne Jr. to see who would become the next Batman. The modern Nightwing also accepted the role of successor to Batman when Wayne's back was broken by Bane. Grayson was initially reluctant to give the role back to the recovered Wayne (Prodical Son saga).
  

Trivia

• Robin appears on the cover of and in a flashback scene in Infinite Crisis #3.

See Also

• Discuss Richard Grayson (Earth-Two) on the forums
• Appearances of Richard Grayson (Earth-Two) (Chronological)
• Appearances of Richard Grayson (Earth-Two) (Alphabetical)
• Character Gallery: Richard Grayson (Earth-Two)
• Fan-Art Gallery: Richard Grayson (Earth-Two)
• Quotations by Richard Grayson (Earth-Two)
  
• Images featureing Richard Grayson (Earth-Two)

Recommended Reading

• None.

Links and References

• at Wikipedia.org
  
• None.
  

Footnotes