The Darkish Knight Returns Predicted The Dying Of Robin In Batman Comics


“The Darkish Knight Returns” doesn’t specify what occurred to Jason, precisely, however you do not have to learn too deeply inside the traces. In one of many comedian’s first scenes, Bruce is having a drink with Commissioner Gordon (who now is aware of the previous Batman’s secret). When Gordon laments “what occurred to Jason,” Bruce leaves. He later thinks to himself of how he promised Jason “by no means once more.” Throughout one in all Bruce’s sleepwalking episodes (pushed by his urge to be Batman), he involves within the Batcave, wanting on the case holding Jason’s Robin swimsuit; a memorial to a fallen soldier.

Lastly, in difficulty #2 (“The Darkish Knight Triumphant”), when Bruce considers taking within the younger Carrie Kelley as his new Robin, Alfred once more reminds him of Jason’s destiny.

When Miller created “The Darkish Knight Returns, Jason was Robin within the mainstream Batman comics, the sort nonetheless focused at youngsters. Earlier than 1986, Robin dying was one thing that might solely occur on fake-out covers:

The suggestion that Boy Surprise had actually been killed within the line of responsibility was there to indicate how completely different this tackle Batman was from the norm. However little question due to how acclaimed and immediately influential “The Darkish Knight Returns” was, the thought caught in DC Comics’ craw. Take a look at this excerpt from “Detective Comics” #571 (by Mike Barr and Alan Davis), printed through the skinny window between “The Darkish Knight Returns” and “A Dying within the Household.”

Furthermore, Jason Todd was not a preferred character. There was innate resentment from readers who most well-liked Robin I/Dick Grayson, and to differentiate him from Dick, Jason was additionally written as a extra abrasive, punk-ish Robin. (Jason’s revised origin story? Batman caught him stealing the Batmobile’s tires and determined to save lots of him from a nasty path.) This wound up solely making him much more unpopular subsequent to Dick.

Starlin additionally disliked Robin typically, preferring Batman as a solo act since, as he as soon as advised UniversoHQ, “the thought of taking a child alongside to combat crime is ludicrous.” Starlin pushed to kill Robin off and ultimately bought his want. He selected the Joker because the killer explicitly due to “The Darkish Knight Returns” — Frank Miller’s intent (vaguely hinted at within the story) was that the Joker was Robin’s assassin. Then-DC editor Denny O’Neil turned Starlin’s concept right into a publicity stunt: Readers would vote on Robin’s destiny by way of phone ballot. The “sure’s” narrowly gained.

Starlin quickly realized his mistake: “The e book got here out and the executives up at Time Warner realized they’d all these lunch packing containers and sheets with Robin on them and all of a sudden it was fully my fault for killing off Robin. Inside three months I used to be gone.” (Starlin’s final “Batman” difficulty was #430, the primary difficulty printed after “A Dying within the Household” concluded in #429.) 

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