#reverse!robins

Damian: “Richard. As you are getting older, there is something we need to discuss.”

Dick, age 15: “Uhhh, if this is The Talk, I already got it.”

Damian: “…It’s not, but that’s good to know.”

Damian: “No, you are rapidly approaching the age where most of us graduated from our childhood mantles and set out to forge our own independent identities. No one will take your current mantle away, of course, but it is likely people will expect you to be brainstorming where you want to go next in your life. If you have any plans, costume ideas, or names in mind. That sort of thing.”

Damian: “Any of us would be happy to help you workshop future identities if you would like to. I just need you to promise me one thing.”

Dick, leaning forwards in his chair: “What is it?”

These are all of the notes I have on the robins so far. It might not make sense but again it's just notes. They are all in order by adoption and I have yet to decide their ages. If you have any suggestions, please put them in the comments.

Damian - Robin name is Nighthawk (colors: black, dark green, and yellow) / JadeWing

Duke - colors: dark blue, dark green, and yellow / nighthawk -> nightingale -> blue veil

Cass - Nighthawk colors same as Duke but heavier on yellow / Cain -> Nightingale

Tim (switched order so Steph wasn’t the exact same) - black, green, and yellow / spoiler -> nighthawk -> batboy (?) -> spoiler (or stray :D)

Steph - batgirl -> villain / head of league of assassins -> black bat -> (death of parents) orphan

Jason - dark blue jacket with yellow “N” and green pants (We Are Nighthawk) / Daybreak

Okay so I have only come across one or two reverse!robin posts and don’t know how original these takes are. But whilst weeding i couldn’t help but think about the Batfam’s dynamics and how that would be altered, so I decided to dump a few hcs below (in order of appearance):

1. Duke Thomas: On paper, not much of his origin story really changes. Still has powers, is still Signal, still led something akin to the We Are Robin movement (except it wouldn’t be called that, because ‘Robin’ doesn’t exist yet), and still is part of The Outsiders. He is the first superhero/vigilante to really work with Batman on a regular basis, which of course is a struggle in of itself. He’s no sidekick by any means, but his help when needed becomes vital to Batman and helps the bat become more lenient to working with people.

2. Damian Al-Ghul Wayne: while Damian would have no older siblings constantly at the manor to be jealous of, I think his snobby attitude of instantaneously deserving the Batman mantle is something he still struggles with. He doesn’t really come up with a hero code-name for himself early on in his career (he thinks it’s beneath him); but goons and innocent civilians alike make comments about how he’s always lurking in the shadows and nickname him The Shadow. The nickname sticks, and many a joke can be made about Batman and his Shadow. (if anyone has a better hero name for Damian pls let me know)

3. Cassandra Cain (Wayne): her backstory and such remains the same, except she’s the one who created the mantle of Batgirl (which, of course, looks different from Barabra Gordon’s original batgirl). She’s the first of Bruce Wayne’s adopted children, and I personally don’t think their bond would differ any more than it would from canon. Because she’s introduced earlier in B’s life and can bring out a softer side of the dark knight, Batman’s relationship with the kids that follow are slightly shifted.

4. Timothy Drake: meets Batman because he kept trespassing on Wayne Manor property. Tim has been stalking Batman, figured out his identity, and wants to fill in the vacant spot left by a recently departed Damian [who either A) went rogue B) went off to partner with Jon or C) formed his version of the teen titans, dealer’s choice]. Batman, while comfortable enough with having Batgirl and Signal as assistance covering patrols or messy cases, is at first hesitant to have another constant “sidekick”, but eventually comes around to the idea. Tim would have his own cool name but I’m not that creative.

I didn’t want to dump Jason’s trauma on Tim now that he becomes the second son, but narratively I do think he would’ve ended up dying as well (if so, it’s because Joker Junior was fatal). Yes he ofc comes back, probably angry, but Tim is NOT Jason and will have different reactions/ ways to cope with that.

5. Stephanie Brown : Steph gets introduced mid-Tim’s sidekick run. I don’t think her lore would change much really, you’re doing great sweetie.

6. Jason Todd: Jason meets Batman the same way he meets him in canon, except this time Batman’s trying to cope with loosing Tim and his failed partnership with Stephanie (she’s killing it as Cass’ partner though), but decides to recruit and later adopt Jason anyways. Jason would take on Tim’s old mantle, but I think he would eventually carve out his own vigilante identity when he got older. He still becomes Red Hood after a very rough falling out with Bruce, but like in canon they’re slowly able to rebuild their relationship.

7. Dick Grayson: our boy wonder gets introduced in the same manor as in canon, he just does it later when Bruce has already gotten a bunch of kids. He still creates the outfit and mantle of Robin, and becomes Batman’s new main partner-in-crime fighting.

8. Barbara Gordon: Her overall dynamic with the other bats would change from canon (it would be her looking up to Cass and Steph rather than the other way around). I think she and Dick would have the same dynamic as in The Batman (2004).

In a Reverse!Robins AU, what would the costume look like?

Aw, is he getting nervous around Dickie and Babs? :O 

That’s a cute headcanon - Jay liking small spaces to hide in.

It reminds me of the hamu!Jay headcanon where hamster Jay would climb into the vents or into wardrobes and fall asleep, leaving Bruce frantic to find him:) 

It’s an extremely delicate & dangerous device, hard to aim & harder to compensate for after jumping, and probably is more swapping place with targets than it is true teleportation (safer than free-aiming, because there’s no chance of ending up half inside a wall), but she’s trained for years with it specifically so that she could fight as naturally with it as any meta. Which means it still only gives her a small edge, because like, Cass can see that Steph is winding up for a swing in a direction that doesn’t make sense and realize Steph is about to be coming up behind her, or Duke can track the location of any target Steph throws in a hurry before she’s even gotten it out of her pocket.

Bruce: “No murder.”

Damian: “No murder.”

Cass: “No murder.”

Tim: “No murder.”

Jason: “No murder for babies.”

Duke: “No murder until you can write me a researched & cited essay on why it is necessary for the greater good. Five page minimum.”

Dick: “I’m gonna murder.”

Steph waking up in her dress in her grave without even a belt buckle to her name, but feeling that hilt digging into her hip. Steph using the dagger to dig her way out.

Talia coming to retrieve Steph off the streets, and Steph still has that dagger. Steph pulling it on Talia on pure instinct.

Talia confirming Steph’s identity by Steph’s stance & grip—exactly the way Damian taught her (exactly the way he learned from his mother.)