'Harley Quinn' brings up an important question: How weird Batman's obsession with Robins is?
The criminals of Gotham city are some of the most deranged minds in the DC Universe. Serial killers, fear-mongers, and the psychologically twisted all roam the streets of Gotham, and for some reason, Batman’s greatest ally against this scourge of villainy defaults to acrobatic children dressed in bright colours that do not camouflage well. Batman’s crimes as a vigilante operating outside the law are many, but perhaps none so egregious as reckless and persistent child endangerment.
‘Harley Quinn’ recognizes this, and makes sure no one forgets it. Robin, as voiced by Jacob Tremblay, might sound absurdly childish, but that’s what a child who’s 10 years old sounds like. Being raised by a League of Assassins doesn’t really do much to change the fact that sending a child to fight deranged criminals is even more absurd than the idea of a man who dresses up as a giant bat. A child who, it should be noted, has no superpowers. Kid Flash can at least outrun most harm thrown his way, and Superboy has heat vision. What Robin has are a surprising number of explosives and sharp implements, as teaching children to not run with scissors is definitely not part of Bruce Wayne’s parenting repertoire.
Of course, every time someone starts talking about Robin, it’s important to ask which one, because crime isn’t the only thing Batman relentlessly pursues — his obsession with turning children into brightly coloured decoys has churned out not one, but five separate Robins in regular comics continuity. Not a single one of them old enough to drive, much less jump around cold-blooded murderers in the dead of night. If that wasn’t quite bad enough, it should be noted that four out of five of those Robins have died under Batman’s care. They got better, sure, but you’d think the World’s Greatest Detective would realize that 80% failure rate on keeping Robins alive would give Batman a moment’s pause.
As funny as it is, there’s something a little uncomfortable about watching Tremblay’s Robin going up against Harley Quinn, especially in a show as violent and adult as the series can be. It’s not a world you’d let a child watch on TV, much less allow to risk their life in. Robin should be at home, in the Batcave, catching up on his Bat-homework for Batschool. Batman may have had a terrible childhood, but the lengths to which he goes to ruin the childhoods of the rest of Gotham’s children may make him Gotham’s greatest villain after all.