Given the 1940s noir era of Batman: Caped Crusader, many fans wondered if we’d see a version of Robin in this series. The tone of the show doesn’t seem to call for a kid hero in bright colors. And no, we don’t actually get any junior crime fighter in Caped Crusader, in bright red, yellow, and green spandex. But we do get four Robins in their civilian identities. Or at least four kids with the same first names as famous Robins. All of which could lead to something more in the future. In the episode “Nocturne,” we meet to four orphans—Dickie, Jace, Carrie, and Steph. These names should be very familiar to longtime Batman fans.
In “Nocturne,” a mysterious carnival comes to Gotham City. A pair of orphans from Dr. Leslie Thompkins’ orphanage decide to sneak into the carnival grounds at night. In the comics, Thompkins was the social worker who helped a young Bruce Wayne after his parents’ murder. The two kids then encounter a young girl named Natalia Knight. This mysterious child is actually an energy vampire who drains the older boy of his life energy. (He’s drained, but alive). The names of the two young orphans are Dickie and Jace, with viewers meant to infer that these characters are Dick Grayson and Jason Todd, the first two Robins in DC Comics. Dickie actually has an identical design to the young Dick Grayson we see in flashbacks in the classic Batman: The Animated Series. Jason also seems a few years younger than Dick, which fits with established Batman lore.
Later in the episode, Natalia Knight kidnaps not only Dickie to drain of energy, but also Jace and a blonde girl named Stephie. Clearly, Stephie is a reference to Stephanie Brown, the heroine known as Spoiler. But for a brief time, she was also a Robin. Before the episode is over, they introduce us to one more feisty orphan from Leslie Thompkins’ orphanage. This one is a young bespectacled girl named Carrie. Based on her look (and trusty slingshot) this is Carrie Kelley, the Robin from The Dark Knight Returns. We must note that noticeably absent is any kids named Tim or Damian. Given Tim’s ties to Dick Grayson, and Damian’s status as Bruce Wayne’s son, we understand why they skipped over them for now. In the end, Batman saves all the kids and returns them to Thompkins’ care.
Naming these kids with the same first names as famous Robins might just be a massive Easter egg. After all, they never give the kids’ last names, maybe allowing them to introduce “proper” versions of the Robins in later seasons if they want to. But what if these are indeed Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Stephanie Brown, and Carrie Kelley? We have a feeling they are. Caped Crusader might have a chance to reinvent the concept of Robin for future seasons. Instead of one Robin succeeded by another, we could see a group of street kids inspired by their brush with Batman to take up crime fighting. Bruce Wayne might not like it at first, but eventually, he could take them all under his wing. At the end of the episode, he seems impressed with the kids, and tells Dr. Thompkins “They’re something.” Maybe that something is Gotham’s newest heroes.
