Batman and Robins

Robin, as a superhero, has always been the brunt of jokes. Maybe it has something to do with the lime green speedo and pixie boots he's wearing, or maybe it has everything to do with that.

Less experienced and not as strong as his Dark Knight counterpart, Robin's often called, "useless," as if he's Green Arrow. Robin mainly makes up for his lack of years and physical dominance with his uncanny agility and "moxie."Also: dying. Three out of five Robins have died.Two have come back to life. Neither of those two were interested in taking up the, "Robin," mantle again and became their own heroes in their own image.
Robin had become inseparable from Batman, but actually it was Dick Grayson who first owned the name and costume. His family, the Flying Graysons, wore the costume during their performances as acrobats, where they were compared to robins in their daring feats of flight. In that sense, everything about Robin makes sense. His family was murdered, and he added the domino mask to the costume to fight crime in retribution, using flips and kicks in his combat arsenal. It's not like Batman's parents were murdered by fruit flies, so he had to become a bat to fight them. Robin was Robin before there was a Robin, or even a Batman, for that matter.
After his parents were murdered, Batman takes in Dick Grayson as his ward, and that's where things get weird. Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson share personal tragedies in common, moreso than a sense of justice. It's like their alliance is based on therapy. Batman, however, can't move on. Batman's always assumed that his years of practice and hard work have made him the ultimate crime fighter, The question has always lingered, "What would Bruce be like if his parents were still alive?" He'd be the spoiled playboy he pretends to be. Robin, on the other hand, has always been Robin. He's the one who's able to cope with losing his parents instead of being consumed by it. Bruce wasn't much younger than Robin when his parents were murdered, but Robin became the hero he needed to be almost instantly, while it took Bruce over a decade of training. Robin just has the natural ability. Bruce's years will always make him better, and Robin will always be play catch-up, but he never had the innate skill, just the determination.
Bruce has always assumed the role of the father figure, without really knowing what that means. He tries to be a guide for Robin, because he knows the feeling of losing someone he loved. Deep down, though, it's Robin who feels sorry for Bruce. Bruce is the one who's trapped in the moment and lets himself be consumed by it. It's his strength, but time and again it's proven to be his greatest weakness. Robin knows he lost his parents. He's not going to let that fuck up his relationships and his life.Bruce is still, essentially, that little boy who lost his parent, and Robin is there to pat him on the back and try to cheer him up.
That goes for all the Robins. They all have their personal tragedies. The ironic thing is, if they had been in Bruce's shoes at the same age his parents were murdered, they probably could have done something to stop the shooter. Dick Grayson is a lighting-quick acrobat who regularly beats up adults three times his size. Jason Todd is a street punk who goes too far too often. Timothy Drake was intelligent enough to deduct Batman's real identity from a single clue. Stephanie Brown saw her own father become a super villain and became a super hero just to stop him.Damion Wayne was a ninja assassin who had to scale it back just to roll with Batman.