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And as for his mentor, Batman?
Fuck Batman, he hisses.
Throw in some F-bombs.
Make it grimandgritty (just one wont do).
And, well, pardon me while I yawn.
to the Movies, the most psychologically complex superhero in either medium at the moment.
Hes at once extraordinary and fragile.
He lets his successes inflate his ego and his failures come close to undoing him.
Hes admirably heroic when hes not being a buffoon.
Hes, in short, a three-dimensional character in a mostly two-dimensional world, andTeen Titans Go!
to the Moviestakes him on a twisty emotional journey.
A bit of history makes it easier to appreciate the accomplishment.
Introduced as the sensational character find of 1940, inDetective ComicsNo.
That relationship evolved over the years.
Justly well-liked, the series put an anime-inspired spin on story lines mostly inspired by the WolfmanPerez era.
(Tagline: You scream.)
That hes an overachiever leading a group largely content to veg out on the couch doesnt help.
Even in victory, Robin finds only defeat.
This seems like no problem to his fellow heroes, who swoon at his sculpted features.
Even the defiantly indifferent Starfire, for once, takes an interest.
As the series has progressed, its revealed more of the tragic backstory thats made Robin who he is.
(George Clooney and Val Kilmerrelated items have been relegated to a Dumpster.)
Their behind-the-scenes turmoil taught me how to deal with conflict!
And their elegant fusion of R&B and New Jack Swing inspired my embrace of mixed martial arts!
Most superheroes are lucky if they get any shading beyond their motivation and their means of acting on it.
A super-serum created the super-patriot Captain America.
Batman lost his parents so now he fights crime.
Robin dreams of pursuing justice, but at what cost?
He may be perfect on the outside, but what does it matter if hes broken on the inside?
Thats a subversion of the character far more radical than having him snarl obscenities could ever be.
