Actors Who Have Portrayed Robin In Live-Action

The live-action Batman adaptations have frequently featured Robin, the iconic sidekick, alongside Batman himself. Robin is an integral character in the Batman mythos, with various individuals such as Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, and Tim Drake assuming the role. Unlike many other DC and Marvel superheroes, Batman and Robin are incredibly adaptable, allowing filmmakers to reimagine them while staying true to their comic book origins.

Tim Burton’s Batman and the Near-Inclusion of Robin

In Tim Burton’s Batman movies, there were plans to include Robin in some form. Batman Returns was originally intended to introduce Marlon Wayans as a new iteration of Robin, but these plans never materialized. However, the character Drake Winston, based on Wayans’s likeness, was later introduced in the Batman ’89 comics, effectively canonizing him. Similarly, the DC Extended Universe had plans to introduce Carrie Kelley as the successor to the late Dick Grayson, but these plans also remained unrealized.

1. Douglas Croft (Dick Grayson)

Douglas Croft portrayed Robin in the first live-action appearance of the character in the 1943 Batman serials. In this adaptation, Batman and Robin are reimagined as government agents fighting against Axis forces during World War II. At the age of 16, Croft became the youngest actor to play Robin, providing a fitting portrayal of the teenage superhero.

2. Johnny Duncan (Dick Grayson)

Johnny Duncan replaced Douglas Croft in the 1949 Batman and Robin serials, set in the same continuity as their 1943 predecessors. While the 1943 serials had problematic elements, the 1949 serials suffered from cost-cutting measures that resulted in a subpar production, criticized for its cheap appearance and feel.

3. Burt Ward (Dick Grayson)

Burt Ward played Robin in William Dozier’s 1966 TV series Batman. This intentionally campy series captured the spirit of the Silver Age Batman comics, featuring colorful and outlandish adventures. Despite the show’s silliness, Burt Ward’s portrayal showcased Robin as a competent crime fighter and detective, assisting Batman in defeating their numerous costumed adversaries. Ward was the first actor to bring Robin to life on television and in a feature film, which premiered between the show’s first two seasons.

4. Chris O’Donnell (Dick Grayson)

Chris O’Donnell portrayed Dick Grayson in Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever and Batman & Robin, which followed Tim Burton’s Batman films. O’Donnell’s Robin, although capturing elements of Silver Age Batman comics, was depicted as a young adult, making his adoption by Bruce Wayne in Batman Forever one of the films’ more peculiar aspects.

5. Joseph Gordon-Levitt (John Blake)

Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy took a different approach to Robin, choosing not to introduce a new version directly. However, in The Dark Knight Rises, an original character named John Blake, portrayed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, loosely embodied Robin’s qualities. Blake, whose legal name is Robin, drew inspiration from Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, and Tim Drake, and was poised to take over as Gotham’s next masked vigilante protector.

6. Brenton Thwaites (Dick Grayson)

In the live-action Teen Titans TV adaptation Titans, Dick Grayson (played by Brenton Thwaites) takes on a prominent role. Titans explores aspects of Grayson’s comics history that had not been depicted in previous live-action adaptations. Grayson’s transition from Robin to Nightwing, the superhero persona he adopts, makes him the first live-action incarnation of this beloved character.

7. Curran Walters (Jason Todd)

Titans also introduces Jason Todd, the second character to assume the Robin mantle in the comics. Curran Walters portrays Jason Todd, who undergoes a tragic death and resurrection, transforming into the more antagonistic Red Hood. Initially an enemy of the Teen Titans, Red Hood eventually becomes an ally after breaking free from the influence of Scarecrow.

8. Jay Lycurgo (Tim Drake)

Jay Lycurgo brings Tim Drake, the third individual to take on the Robin persona in the comics, to life in Titans. Both the live-action and comic book versions of Tim Drake showcase their prodigious intelligence, as they deduce Batman’s true identity as Bruce Wayne. By becoming the third Robin, Tim Drake continues the legacy of his predecessors. Although Titans was canceled, the series hinted at Stephanie Brown, Carrie Kelley, Daxton Chill, and Duke Thomas as potential successors to Robin.

9. Morgan Kohan (Stephanie Brown)

Stephanie Brown, who succeeded Tim Drake as the fourth Robin in the comics, appears in one episode of the 2019 Arrowverse TV series Batwoman. Morgan Kohan portrays Brown in her live-action debut, even though the character does not assume the Robin mantle in the series. Had the show continued, Stephanie Brown might have become Robin.

10. Navia Robinson (Carrie Kelley)

In the short-lived 2023 TV series Gotham Knights, Navia Robinson portrays Carrie Kelley, the only iteration of Robin in the show. As the DCEU did not have an opportunity to introduce its own version of Kelley, Robinson’s portrayal becomes the first live-action depiction of the character. With Bruce Wayne deceased, Carrie Kelley and other vigilantes protect Gotham City as the Gotham Knights.

11. Anna Lore (Stephanie Brown)

Anna Lore takes on the role of Stephanie Brown in Gotham Knights. Similar to the Batwoman iteration, Lore’s Stephanie Brown does not become Robin or her other superhero alter ego, Spoiler. However, had Gotham Knights continued, Stephanie Brown might have succeeded Carrie Kelley as Robin or embraced her Spoiler identity, marking the live-action debuts of two Robin characters from the comics.

The various actors who have played Robin in live-action adaptations have brought their unique interpretations to this beloved character, contributing to the enduring legacy of Batman’s iconic sidekick.