Warning: contains spoilers for Batman: The Dark Age #2!

Robin is a central character to the Batman mythos, and the Dark Knight’s new origin perfectly explains why he uses a partner. DC’s new Batman: The Dark Age is giving the Caped Crusader a bold new origin, one that takes him from the streets of Gotham to the jungles of Vietnam. In issue two, a pre-Batman Bruce Wayne learns an important lesson that will serve him well: have a partner.

Batman: The Dark Age #2 is written by Mark Russell and drawn by Michael Allred. In this new timeline, Bruce Wayne did not witness his parents being gunned down, and thus took a much different path in life. Thrown in jail, so he cannot assume control of Wayne Enterprises, he is then sent off to Vietnam, where he trains as a guerilla soldier under Ras Al Ghul. Ghul imparts a number of important lessons to the young Bruce Wayne.

One of them is to always have a partner fighting alongside you, one that you trust.

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Robin is Absoutely Essential to Batman’s Well-Being

Batman: The Dark Age is a “what-if” type look at the character’s origins, and thus lies outside mainstream DC continuity. However, nearly all the lessons Ras Al Ghul is imparting to Batman in Vietnam will find their way into his crime-fighting career, no matter what universe he is in. Ras Al Ghul is integral to many of Batman’s origin stories, and The Dark Age is no different. Here, Ras Al Ghul is repurposed as a freedom fighter, but the ruthlessness and cold efficiency are still there. Ironically, Ras Al Ghul also planted the seed that would become Robin.

Since Dick Grayson’s debut as Robin, the character has functioned as a balance to Batman, pulling him back from the edge when he gets too close. Regardless of which Robin it is, they remind Batman of what he is fighting for. There have been times in Batman’s career where he has not had a Robin, most famously after the Death in the Family storyline. This infamous story killed off Jason Todd, and it was a year before Tim Drake would don the mantle. In that time, Batman became more dangerous and more psychotic.

Batman Now Has the Perfect Reason to Take a Robin

Ironically, Ras Al Ghul Is the Reason Batman Has a Robin

In the world of Batman: The Dark Age, Bruce lacks the drive and vision that are a hallmark of his Prime Earth counterpart. How this might impact him creating a Robin remains to be seen. There is a possibility that Russell and Allred, in their iconoclastic take on Batman’s mythos, will eschew Robin all together. However, Ras Al Ghul has taught Batman a very important lesson: to never fight alone. Whether the Dark Knight takes this advice is still unknown, but it sets up Robin in a perfect fashion.

Batman: The Dark Age #2 is on sale now from DC Comics!