Robin Week continues now with a look at some of the coolest alternate reality Robins in comics. Alternate realities and parallel dimensions are a staple of comic books. Not only can they provide a new and exciting adventure for our heroes, but they’re an opportunity for imaginations to run wild. Want to write a story about Steampunk Batman fighting Jack the Ripper? No problem! Or how about a version of Superman raised in Soviet Russia? You bet! And did someone say Batman the Pirate? These types of stories are so prolific that DC Comics has coined the word ‘Elseworlds’ to categorize them.

And Robin has had some pretty cool alternate Elseworlds versions out there.

Give me ALL the Robins!

There are a lot more than six, so I’ve focused on simply the six coolest alternate reality versions of Robin. But just for kicks, I think I’ll add even more in the Honorable Mentions section! Join me after the jump for some weird but awesome Robin fun!

6. Robin the Toy Wonder

Santa never brings me one for Christmas

Welcome to the 853rd century and meet Robin the Toy Wonder, helpful and happy sidekick of a future Batman. Written by Grant Morrison, DC One Million was a crossover event in 1998 in which the Justice Legion Alpha from the 853rd century teams up with the Justice League of America from the 20th century to defeat Vandal Savage and Solaris the Living Sun. And, like most stories of the future, all of the heroes of the modern day have descendants and analogues carrying on their identities several centuries into the future. Robin the Toy Wonder is a robot programmed with the personality of Batman as a child, providing a cheerful foil to keep future Batman from becoming too dark and sinister. Also, robot sidekicks will always be cool.

5. Stan Lee’s Robin

From the creator of Stripperella

Here’s a neat idea for you. Everybody knows that Stan Lee almost single-handedly created all of the popular Marvel superheroes, like Spider-Man, Iron Man, the X-Men, the Hulk and so on. Well in 2001, chief rival DC Comics decided to let Stan Lee come over and play in their toybox for a bit. Stan Lee set about writing a bunch of comics where he re-imagined all of DC’s most popular heroes into versions that he would have created back in the day. Stan Lee’s version of Robin is a street punk who works for Reverend Darrk, the chief villain of the series. Darrk orders Robin to assassinate Batman, but instead, the winged hero is able to convince Robin to join the good guys. Sadly, the story did not involve any radioactive robin bites.

4. Talon of Earth-3

Seems like a happy guy for someone so evil

One of the most popular alternate reality gimmicks is a world where all of the superheroes are super-villains instead, and sure enough, DC has one of those. The world is called Earth-3, and it’s the home of the Crime Syndicate of America. Superman’s evil counterpart is Ultraman, Green Lantern’s is called Power Ring and the alternate, evil version of Batman is called Owlman. These characters were introduced in 1964, but it wasn’t until 2006 before we met Owlman’s sidekick, known as Talon! In an odd bit of storytelling, Talon had somehow crossed over into the normal DC Universe and had become a member of the normal Teen Titans, even fighting alongside his good guy counterpart Robin. But mostly he was just a background character, a bit of fun to be had in a few issues of Teen Titans.

3. Red Robin

Because robins have red breasts, duh

Kingdom Come is considered by many to be one of the greatest superheroes stories ever told. Written by Mark Waid and drawn in a beautiful painted style by Alex Ross, Kingdom Come is set a few decades in the future, after all of the familiar superheroes have retired and have been replaced by younger, tougher and more dangerous heroes. When these young whippersnappers go too far, Superman comes out of retirement to teach them a lesson, bringing most of the Justice League with him. Superman is able to convince Dick Grayson to come out of retirement as well and take on a new identity as Red Robin. This slightly upsets Batman, who decided not to join Superman, and instead leads the charge to stop Superman’s League when they go too far. In the end, Batman and Red Robin reconcile and almost everybody lives happier ever after.

2. Robin of the Dead Earth

Dead and loving it

Robin of the Dead Earth is my favorite alternate reality character of all time. I can still remember buying the random issue off the rack at my local Wegman’s grocery store when I was a wee kid. The Death Earth comics were published in 1998, telling various stories about future legacy heroes on other planets after life on Earth had long since ended. The story of Robin is the story of Tris Plover, an ordinary girl working in the fields on a giant Generation Ship, ruled over by the upper class in a veritable police state. When Tris sees the legendary Batman fighting off some Proctor officers one day, she decides to escape the fields and seek him out, eventually joining him as a high-flying, high tech Robin! With Batman’s help, Tris learns that their Generation Ship has been adrift in space for centuries. She’s able to right the course and find a new planet to live on, but it will take further centuries to reach their destination, so she knows she won’t live to see the brighter future. I don’t know why the regular Batman and Robin don’t have rocket boots.

1. Carrie Kelley

Good soldier, good soldier

Carrie Kelley is the spunky young sidekick of the aging Bruce Wayne in the legendary story The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller. This comic, released in the 80s, paved the way for all of the darker, more serious Batman stories we’ve been enjoying over the past 30 years. And fortunately for us, when Frank Miller was writing his tale of an older Batman returning to save his city, he knew that Batman needed a Robin. Carrie was your typical teenage girl who had an epiphany when she heard on the news that Batman had come out of retirement. She put together her own Robin costume and decided to lend a hand, saving Batman from a savage smackdown at the hands of a mutant gang leader. From there, Batman welcomed the new Robin into his war on crime, and Carrie was a big help as Batman took down the Joker and went up against Superman. Though the less said about her time as Catgirl the better.

Honorable Mentions:

Robin of Earth-2

Thrillkiller Robin

Rodney

Boyd the Robin Wonder

Robin 3000

And many more!