Batman: How Duke Thomas Is Different

Tom King talks about what separates Duke Thomas from previous Batman sidekicks

Post-Rebirth, Batman has a new potential partner in-crime fighting, Duke Thomas. Duke Thomas has cut his crime-fighting teeth living through events such as Endgame and The Robin War, but now he’s ready for a new challenge. And Batman has offered to take him on. But not as yet another Robin. As something different. And Duke Thomas isn’t like other previous Batman sidekicks. Tom King explains why that is:

"The plan with Duke all along was to give him the same path that Tim got. I love Tim; I grew up with him as Robin. I always liked that he had a year in the cave before he went out next to Batman. It justified his involvement that he had this year of training before he was ready to go out at Batman’s side. In the beginning of our book, Duke is in the cave. He’s not fighting side-by-side as a sort of partner or sidekick.As for who Duke is as a character, I got to write him extensively in Robin War to the point where I love him as a character. He knows who he is, unlike the other Robins who either approached this as “I want to be Batman or I want to be his sidekick.” He doesn’t have any of that. He doesn’t need Batman. He sees this Robin entity as part of who he is and part of his evolution. I think that’s what makes him different from all the other Robins – his lack of dependency and his independence."

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This might lead to a very different dynamic between Batman and his newest sidekick. Will it actually lead to a better partnership or more friction down the road? You can start finding out by reading both Batman: Rebirth & Batman #1 which are available now.

h/t IGN