DC Officially Replaces Robin As Batman’s Main Sidekick

Published Oct 29, 2026, 3:24 PM EDT Jared is a writer, editor, and Communications Studies graduate who loves popular nerd culture (almost anything to do with Marvel, DC, Star Wars, or The Lord of the Rings) and the interactive storytelling medium. Jared's first console was the PS1, wherein he fell for Spider-Man, Spyro the Dragon, and Crash Bandicoot. Batman and Robin are iconic as a dynamic duo for a reason. Not only has there been a Robin for almost all of Batman’s history in DC Comics, but it also helps that there’s been a blush of Robins across the last eight decades. Unless a story takes place during Bruce Wayne’s formative years as Batman, or in an alternate DC universe or Elseworlds where stories don’t have an obligation to adhere to the same interpretations of stories or characters in Batman’s mythology, you’re sure to see a Robin hanging around in the Batcave or perching near Batman on a neighboring gargoyle. Batgirl wouldn’t arrive until the 1960s. And, while there certainly have been and are many Batgirls, too, it seems fair to say that the one who was left paralyzed by Joker endures as the most popular or iconic of them all—in the mainline DC Comics universe, at least. Rather, while she has struggled to maintain much of a presence in Absolute Batman thus far due to the book’s overwhelmingly blistering pace, the Absolute universe’s Barbara Gordon is hopefully ready to be Batman’s permanent new sidekick. Not as a Robin, and not even as a Batgirl, but as “the Bat.” Batman Doesn’t Need A Robin When He Has A Bat In Absolute Batman #25, the Bat swoops in during Batman and Joker’s climactic Batcave battle to hurl a “Why did the chicken cross the road?” joke at Joker and save Batman from the seemingly immortal demon’s Pennywise-esque jaws. She gets a shot in on Joker with the modified shotgun that now apparently belongs to her and may be her primary weapon, but otherwise flees with Batman by tossing herself and him off a cliff and into the water below. Sadly, it isn’t clear what Barbara will bring to the Bat-Family that it doesn’t already possess, and she doesn’t fill the niche that Batman’s best sidekicks typically do. For example, whereas Batman can be grumpy, Robin and Batgirl are commonly either the comedic relief or provide sorely needed levity, much less a prepubescent angst that Bruce can quell. The Bat brings no levity to Batman in Absolute Batman, a series that relies wholly on its graphic, dark tone as a backbone, and she’s unlikely to be that for Bruce until she’s able to gain some semblance of closure. She’s hardly a sidekick yet, and she’s chiefly engrossed by her personal vengeance regarding the murder of Jim Gordon. “The Bat” is a means to an end, and there’s no telling if she’d continue to wear the coat and cowl if Scarecrow and Joker were successfully defeated. In fact, Bruce and Barbara haven’t interacted all that much since Jim was murdered, maybe because Bruce was guilt-stricken and unwilling to confront her. Even at the end of this issue, Barbara and Bruce don’t mince words, and the Bat rides off rather than sticking around to devise strategies or behave like a stalwart companion. If you didn’t know any better, you might think that Barbara simply became the Bat so that she wouldn’t need to invent her own mantle or stockpile her own armory and equipment. Batman’s Bat-Family Is In Shambles Absolute Batman’s Bat-Family is a pale shade of the mainline universe’s, and the series’ infancy can’t even be blamed for how pitiful it is when it’s basically speedran a handful of iconic milestones and beats from traditional Batman and Bat-Family lore, such as “A Death in the Family” and, quite soon, potentially “Batman and Son.” Members of the Bat-Family come and go as they please, and none feel particularly ingrained in the overall story as a result. For instance, Alfred Pennyworth hasn’t played nearly as big a role as he did in Absolute Batman’s debut “Zoo” arc featuring Black Mask, and he’s now announced that he’s ditching the Bat-Family in issue #25, explaining that he “won’t be back to Gotham for a time. Maybe a long time.” Funny enough, Harley could still be considered Batman’s main sidekick in Absolute Batman, not the Bat, as Bruce and Harley have experienced a lot more by each other’s side. The Bat wouldn’t have even been able to find Batman if it wasn’t for Harley accessing the tracker in Bruce’s Batsuit, and the rapport that Harley and Bruce share has provided some of the greatest comedic relief in the whole series (Absolute Batman #25 included). The Bat Is A Sidekick With Main Character Energy Way’s Killer Croc was an excellent addition to the Bat-Family, and it would’ve been phenomenal if he, Eddie’s Riddler, Harv’s Two-Face, and Ozzie’s Penguin, against all odds, became heroes or antiheroes. Instead, they’ve all decided to trust Joseph “Jack” Grimm over their childhood best friend. It’s surprising that Grimm never went to intervene with Barbara, considering that it might’ve been easy to turn her against Bruce by fabricating ‘evidence’ of Batman being her father’s killer when she was initially questioning this herself. Because Absolute Batman is a topsy-turvy, shattered-mirror reflection of the mainline universe’s Batman lore, it wouldn’t be surprising in the slightest if this series manifested its own iteration of the events of Batman: The Killing Joke. Moreover, it’ll be neat to see if Barbara eventually evolves to become an incarnation of Nightwing, or if that privilege will be reserved for mild-mannered EMT and Robin Dick Grayson, assuming he can ever be convinced that Joker is an evil entity. Following the reveal that Catwoman is pregnant, Barbara will presumably assume full duties as Gotham City’s sole Bat when Bruce is excused on paternity leave. If Barbara isn’t going to be receiving her own ongoing or limited series, issues #26–#28 will be the book’s opportunity to give the Bat the development she deserves as a key sidekick in this story. The solicitation for Absolute Batman #26 reads as follows: ENTER THE BAT! Barbara Gordon’s obsession with solving her father’s murder brings her deeper and deeper into the horrors lying beneath Gotham City and the evil forces who put them here. The more she uncovers, the more she connects the dots to motives and to her and her father’s past, digging up the dirt on his murder...and their future. A future revealed at the end of the issue that leaves your jaw on the floor. Absolute Batman #25 is out now.