The greatest version of Robin’s iconic partnership didn’t involve Bruce Wayne at all. While he was the original Dark Knight, donning the cape and cowl and personally recruiting most of his Robins, there’s one version of the Dynamic Duo where he plays no part. Surprisingly, this iteration might just be the best yet—proving that sometimes, even the OG Bat needs to step back for the true magic to happen.

Following the events of the 2008 crossover event Final Crisis, which saw Bruce Wayne be presumed dead at the hands of Darkseid, Dick Grayson took on the mantle of Batman in his absence. This change in mantle also came with Dick Grayson taking on Damian Wayne as his Robin.

As a result, the pair worked together as Gotham’s newest Batman and Robin, resulting in one of the finest iterations of the Dynamic Duo. Notably, both parts of this partnership are aware of this fact, and continue to take pride in their tenure as Batman and Robin.

The Evolution of Damian Wayne and Dick Grayson as Batman and Robin

How Dick Grayson Helped Shape Damian’s Journey from Assassin to Hero

When Damian first ed the Bat-Family, he had a darker streak than his predecessors. Due to his childhood in the League of Assassins, he had more difficulty adjusting to Batman’s rules than the other Robins had. These difficulties also made their way into Dick and Damian’s early days as Batman and Robin, as Damian initially had trouble seeing anyone but his father as Batman, while Dick was struggling with seeing himself in the cape and cowl, before realizing he couldn’t simply impersonate Bruce, and instead had to make the role his own.

Once the pair overcame their initial difficulties, they quickly became an efficient team. Under Dick's tutelage as Batman, Damian took the first steps in his character development, including choosing to leave the League of Assassins and continue his work as Robin. Even after Bruce returned to Gotham and reclaimed the mantle of Batman, Dick remained in the role in Gotham, with Damian continuing to serve as Grayson’s Robin rather than working with his father as Bruce's Robin.

Even when Dick resumed his role as Nightwing and Damian became his father’s Robin, their bond remained strong. 2013’s Batman Incorporated #8, written by Grant Morrison and illustrated by Chris Burnham, reaffirmed the impact of their time as the Dynamic Duo, with Damian confessing to Dick that he was his favorite partner and that they made the best Batman and Robin. Though Damian eventually learns to work alongside his father during the New 52, it’s clear that he holds his partnership with Dick Grayson in the highest regard.

The New 52 rebooted DC's publishing line, including returning Dick Grayson to the role of Nightwing. Damian remained the current Robin, and Dick's time as Batman was still treated as canon.

The Unique Success of Dick and Damian's Dynamic Duo Partnership

Avoiding Tragedy: Why Dick and Damian's Partnership Stands Out

Bruce’s time with the other Robins is always fraught with some degree of interpersonal conflict or tragic ending. Dick Grayson’s time as Bruce’s partner came to an end when Bruce fired him. Famously, Bruce Wayne and Jason Todd’s partnership came to an end when the Joker murdered Jason. While Tim Drake enjoyed a somewhat more stable tenure as Batman’s sidekick, Jason’s death still loomed over his time as Robin. Stephanie Brown’s brief tenure as Robin came to an end when she too was fired, and had her death faked during the events of War Games.

What makes Dick and Damian’s time as Batman and Robin so successful is that beyond their first case working together, they didn’t have any of the same interpersonal conflicts or tragic endings. Their dynamic wasn’t fraught with the same difficulties which ended other tenures as Robin, partially due to Dick’s own experience as the first Robin and his ability to navigate the differences in personality between himself and Damian. Their roles as the Dynamic Duo also swapped the typical roles of Batman and Robin, with Dick acting as a more laid-back and personable Batman while Damian was a more serious Robin.

The Enduring Bond Between Dick Grayson and Damian Wayne

Why Dick and Damian's Partnership Remains the Best Version of Batman and Robin

Though Dick and Damian’s time as the Dynamic Duo has come to an end, Nightwing and the fifth Robin have remained close. When Dick revealed the truth of his so-called death from Forever Evil to the rest of the Bat-Family in 2015’s Grayson #12 by Tim Seely and Tom King, with art by Mikel Janin, Damian was the only one who wasn’t angry with him. Additionally, Dick and Damian had a heart-to-heart in 2021’s Robin #5 by Joshua Williamson with art by Gleb Melnikov, where Dick expressed pride that Damian was his Robin first, before being Bruce’s.

While Bruce and Damian have come to an understanding in the years they’ve spent working together, it’s clear that Dick’s partnership with Damian is one which the pair look back on fondly. It’s one which Damian seems to especially hold in high regard, due to him seeing his time fighting crime with Dick as the best iteration of the Dynamic Duo. And Dick’s pride both in the fact that Damian was his Robin, and his pride in who Damian has grown to become, suggest that he feels the same way about his time working with Damian.

Bruce Wayne may be the main Batman, but the best version of the Dynamic Duo had nothing to do with him. Dick Grayson and Damian Wayne’s turn as Batman and Robin remains the best partnership of the two heroes, and it’s a point of view which they both share. With Damian’s cinematic debut approaching in the DCU’s The Brave and the Bold, hopefully the best version of Batman and Robin won’t be far behind.