Characters always get new costumes if they've been around long enough, and few characters have been in comics that long Robin. From Dick Grayson to Damian Wayne, each Robin brought a new look to the role, and some creators decided to go even further into the multiverse and get really creative with the iconic costume.
For a character that has been around Robin and with the entire DC multiverse to choose from, there have been tons of looks for the Boy Wonder over the years. While everyone knows the classic red, green and yellow that Robin typically wears, some creators have gone a different route in the past. Whether it's evil versions of Robin or just completely new ideas for the iconic look, Robin has some of the most surprising costume variants in all of DC history.
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Robin's most grounded depiction made him a mini-Batman
Batman: Dark Age #5 by Mark Russell, Michael Allred, Laura Allred, and Dave Sharpe
Batman: Dark Age is an interesting look at a more grounded, historical version of Batman. Instead of traveling the world and learning from the best of the best to become the Caped Crusader, Bruce instead learns the skills of service in Vietnam. Robin's backstory has also been updated; Instead of Dick Grayson being a circus acrobat, he is a street kid who was pushed to sell drugs by the powerful criminals of Gotham City, eventually leading to Dick being taken by Batman, and he has shown two Robin outfits since then.
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One outfit is used specifically to save civilians from fires, where he basically looks like a mini-Batman, with the only difference being the R on his chest instead of a B. Robin outfit, which is still pretty visually different from what fans are used to.
9
The New 52's Earth 2 has a brand new look for Robin
Earth 2: The End of the World #1 by Marguerite Bennett, Mike Johnson, Daniel H. Wilson, Eddy Barrows, Jorge Jiménez, Paulo Siqueira, Ardian Syaf, Eber Ferreira, Sandra Hope, Danny Miki, Cam Smith, John Kalisz, Allen Passalaqua, Jason Wright, and Dezi Sienty .
Earth 2 was very different from the Earth Prime that most fans know. During Darkseid's first attack on the planet, Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman sacrificed themselves to defeat Darkseid. While peace returned to the earth, it did not last forever. Darkseid returned, and then a new wave of heroes began.
The Earth version of Robin is John Grayson, the son of Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon. After a very long journey, John eventually discovers that his father was the second Batman, and he then becomes his Robin. Due to Ultra-Humanite's genetic experiments, John has the power of flight, super-strength and thermal energy manipulation. His costume is unlike anything fans have seen before, with a neat design for the cape that is held in place by a robin pin.
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Jeyvone is pretty much DC's darkest Robin
Batman: City of Madness #3 by Christian Ward and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Many stories have introduced one-off Robins that readers never get to see again, allowing the creators to get as creative as they want with the Robin suits. One of the Robins was Jeyvone, a boy who lost his father to violent crime in the world of the Black Label miniseries City of Madness. Wanting to get revenge, he traveled to Gotham City and ran into the Batman below, who just took the young boy as his own twisted version of Robin, including giving him his own suit.
The Robin suit is a fantastic iteration of the classic one that everyone knows, and it's a much more armored look than Robin usually gets, which reflects Jeyvone's character. Instead of being taken in by Batman and taught to be a hero, Batman actually got him to a therapist and helped him work through his trauma differently. Jeyvone doesn't need revenge, he needs protection, which is perfectly reflected in his armor.
7
Tim Drake's Glowing Multiverse Costume is the perfect one-off costume
Batman #134: "The Toy Box: Part 4" by Chip Zdarsky Miguel Mendonça, Roman Stevens and Clayton Coles
During the time that Batman was trapped in the multiverse after being sent there by failsafe, it seemed that no one was willing to save him. Nobody, that is, except Tim Drake. With the help of Mr. Terrific, Tim created a multi-purpose travel suit that he would use to track down his lost mentor. This suit has a giant R on its chest that also lights up.
As far as Robin looks go, it's one of the more over-the-top ones. But when Batman is lost in the multiverse, there's really no other option than a Robin with his own signal light to pull him out of the darkness. As wild as the suit was, it worked for the character, and Tim was eventually able to track down and save Batman when no one else could.
6
The pre-future Robin's cybernetic hand is just like today's Batman
Robin 3000 By Byron Preiss and P. Craig Russell
One of the strangest futures for the DC Universe was when aliens invaded Earth and took over Gotham City, including slaughtering the Batman of the era. The invasion leads a young Thomas Wayne, named after his distant ancestor, to be the last stand against the alien threat.
Wayne is aided in this quest by a cybernetic hand that allows him to do a number of useful vigilante tasks, such as picking locks, shooting out laser beams, using it as a microphone, hacking computers, and even welding. In his Robin outfit, he has the normal cape but much more focus on green and yellow in his suit. Overall, it's a fun look at a potential future version of Robin.
5
Tim Drake and Warren Worthington fuse in an amazing new hero
Unlimited access By Karl Kesel, Patrick Olliffe, Al Williamson, Gregory Wright and Jim Novak
The Amalgam universe was the perfect fusion of DC and Marvel and the crossover that fans have long been asking for. This universe took characters that fans knew and loved and merged them together with others, creating new interesting variants. Superman and Captain America became super soldiers, and Batman and Wolverine became Dark Claw. The Fusion of Universes brought together two unexpected people by merging Tim Drake with Warren Worthington III, creating Warren Drake.
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Considering Tim has his iconic red-breasted '90s Robin suit, and Warren is known for his wings, the character simply got the name Redwing. Trained by the legendary Bat-X, Redwing is an incredibly powerful version of Robin and has some of the highest mobility of any Robin, mixing his acrobatic skills with his ability to fly.
4
Damian Wayne's Vampire Apocalypse Robin is the darkest Robin costume
DC vs Vampires: Hunters #1 by Matthew Rosenberg, Neil Googe, Antonio Fabela and Troy Petrie
The heroes can't always save the day, and DC has explored the outcome in several different universes - one is The stopped And the other being DC vs Vampires. In the latter, Damian Wayne is infected and turned into a vampire. But interestingly, he manages to keep his humanity, and become a vampire who hunts other vampires. In honor of his dead father, Damian continues to wear his iconic Robin outfit, which is now torn and tattered.
It's a great look for Damian and perfectly suited to the corrupt and gothic universe he now resides in. Usually, in a post-apocalypse universe, characters die off too quickly to upgrade their appearance, or they simply stay in their iconic costumes. Not only did Damian avoid both of those fates, but he was able to wear something that was both iconic and perfectly fitting.
3
Zur-en-Arah created his own twisted Robin
Batman #147 by Chip Zdarsky, Jorge Jiménez, Tomeu Morey and Clayton Cowles
Every Batman needs a Robin. After Zur-en-Arrah escaped from Bruce's body by taking over the Android failsafe, he needed a sidekick he could truly trust. Zur cloned a younger version of himself, creating his very own Robin. Just like Tsur wears a tangled orange and purple outfit, Tsur Robin also got his own. It's a surprisingly sinister look, considering how bright it is.
Unfortunately, this twisted Robin didn't last long; Due to the cloning process, he aged quickly and died within a few weeks. Still, this costume has stuck in fans' minds as an interesting look at what would happen if Robin had his very own zur-n-arrah personality that could take over now and again.
2
The Robin King is the most terrifying robin variant
Dark Nights: Death Metal #2 by Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion, FCO Plascencia and Tom Napolitano
The Dark Multiverse is home to the most nightmarish versions of DC's greatest heroes. These variants are born from the deepest fears of the iconic characters, and one of Batman's fears is that he has always been a broken, violent man deep inside. The fear manifested in Robin King, a brutal serial killer who first killed his own parents before moving onto Alfred Pennyworth and then the world itself.
His costume consisted of black robin feathers on his shoulders, a broken hood, and a crown of thorns that is really a robin's nest. In some versions, he is even adorned with robin skulls around him. He also comes equipped with a utility belt that has a particularly terrifying number to bring down any hero he comes across. As far as angry robins go, this is by far the best look one has ever had.
1
Earth-2 Robin is a strange mix of Batman and Robin
Justice League of America #55 by Gardner Fox, Mike Sekowsky, Sid Greene, Gaspar Saladino
The original Batman and Robin of the Golden Age lived and died on Earth-Two. This version of Robin had a very different future than the Dick Grayson fans are familiar with today. Instead of growing up and becoming Nightwing and moving out of Batman's shadow, this version of Dick Grayson just simply never stopped being Robin.
Even after Batman retired, and Dick Grayson was a fully grown man, he continued to be Robin. It's a very funny look at what a grown up Robin costume might look like. Sometimes it was a full grown Robin suit, sometimes it was mixed with a more iconic Batman look, a fusion of the two iconic costumes. In any case, this is by far the most unique Robin looked at everything.