The DC universe has had a long-running focus on legacy that began with the various sidekicks that were introduced alongside heroes like Batman and Green Arrow, though as the years moved on, the characters continued to grow as crimefighters until they were old enough to take on their own identity, or in some cases, take over for their mentor.

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Of course, those weren't the only reasons that some of DC's sidekicks outgrew their heroic mentors, as some were pushed too far and became villains or others were forced to find a new path after losing the trust of their partner. Today we'll be exploring a few DC sidekicks to see why they outgrew their role or their mentors.

10 Dick Grayson Grew From Robin To Nightwing But He Also Grew Apart From Batman

Batman and Nightwing

Robin was DC's first youthful sidekick who appeared in the 40s alongside Batman, where he stayed for years as one-half of the Dynamic Duo. However, Grayson grew from Boy Wonder to Teen Wonder and he began to drift away from Batman to spend more time with his friends in the Teen Titans.

This led to Batman firing him from the position of Robin, which pushed Grayson into taking on his own heroic identity of Nightwing while other young heroes took his old role as Robin. The relationship between Batman and Nightwing took a few years to recover, though they soon became part of a close-knit Bat-family.

9 Stripesy Became A Second-Generation Adult Sidekick And Mentor To Stargirl As S.T.R.I.P.E.

Stargirl and STRIPE

One of DC's most interesting sidekick pairings was between the youthful Star-Spangled Kid and his adult sidekick Stripesy, who fought Nazis together during World War II as part of the All-Star Squadron. Star-Spangled Kid grew up to become Skyman and lead Infinity, Inc. before his death, while Stripesy eventually retired and settled down.

However, his new stepdaughter Courtney Whitmore discovered Star-Spangled Kid's gear and chose to become the new Stargirl, forcing Dugan back into action with a new robotic suit as S.T.R.I.P.E. So while Dugan had retired after the death of his original partner, he soon found himself fulfilling a similar role for a new generation.

8 Donna Troy Began Her Career As Wonder Girl Before She Grew Up To Become A Titan

Diana and Donna Troy as Wonder Women

While Wonder Woman doesn't always work closely with her sidekicks, she has inspired a number of characters to become Wonder Girl over the years. Donna Troy was the first Wonder Girl, and she quickly found a home with other sidekicks on the Teen Titans.

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However, Donna Troy soon found herself forced to find her own path as she got older and learned more about her origins. Donna Troy and Wonder Woman remained close, though Troy started using her own name as a member of the Titans while young Cassie Sandsmark took over as the new Wonder Girl.

7 Sandy The Golden Boy Was Transformed Into The Powerful JSA Hero Known As Sand

The Sand JSA

Wesley Dodds was the Golden Age hero known as The Sandman who fought alongside the Justice Society of America, where he worked closely with his own sidekick Sanderson Hawkins/Sandy the Golden Boy. However, Hawkins was accidentally transformed by one of Dodds experiments, who then put him in suspended animation for years hoping to find a cure.

Eventually, Hawkins was awakened and cured, though he found he was now able to transform into a silica-based creature with limited seismic abilities, so he took on the name Sand and became one of the modern Justice Society's leaders and most powerful members.

6 Judomaster's Sidekick Tiger Grew Up To Become A Villain And Deadly Agent Of Spyral

Judomaster and Tiger with The Avatar split image

When Judomaster first appeared during World War II, he was occasionally joined by a young costumed sidekick named Tiger who also worked with the All-Star Squadron. While the original Judomaster retired to Nanda Parbat, his superhero legacy lived on. His young partner Tiger, on the other hand, walked down a darker path.

He joined the Yakuza and became the leader of a deadly group of assassins known as the Blood Soldiers before he took on the new villainous identity of Avatar when he faced off against L.A.W. However, a new version of Tiger was introduced in the New 52 who was known as Agent 1 or the Patron of the Spyral spy organization who worked closely with Dick Grayson/Agent 37.

5 Guardian's Allies The Newsboy Legion Grew Up To Become Cadmus' Head Scientists

Guardian, Superman and the Newsboy Legion meeting thier younger clones

Another group of youthful WWII-era sidekicks was the kids who made up the Newsboy Legion that worked alongside Jim Harper/The Guardian, who took the young kids under his care in order to help keep them off a bad path. As the Newboy Legion grew up, they joined with Project Cadmus and eventually became the directors of the secret lab.

The former sidekicks then had themselves and their former mentor cloned, creating a new youthful Newsboy Legion that once again teamed up with Guardian in the modern age, though the original Legion was killed by Codename: Assassin.

4 Garth Matured Past His Role As Aqualad And Focused On His Mystic Arts As Tempest

Aquaman and Tempest working together

The hero known as Tempest first began his career as Aquaman's teen sidekick Aqualad, though Garth spent a lot of time with his friends in the Teen Titans after his ad early adventures with Aquaman. After the death of his love Tula/Aquagirl, he spent some time recovering from her loss before he was taken to another dimension by Atlan and trained in ancient mystical arts.

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When Garth returned he continued to work alongside Aquaman, though his romantic relationship with Dolphin caused a short-lived wedge between the former partners. Tempest continued working with the Titans while Aquaman welcomed a new Aqualad named Jackson Hyde.

3 Roy Harper Overcame Addiction To Find A New Path As Arsenal

Green Arrow and Arsenal posing on a cover

Green Arrow took the young Roy Harper under his wing as his ward after he witnessed his skill with a bow, and he began working alongside the hero as Speedy. However, Green Arrow lost his fortune and abandoned his young ward, which partially led to Harper's heroin addiction. When Green Arrow found out about Harper's addiction, he kicked him out instead of offering support.

This caused serious tension in their relationship that took years to heal. Harper cleaned up and became a government agent which further trained him with all kinds of weaponry. When he decided to rejoin the Titans he created his new identity of Arsenal that he used for years. He briefly followed in his mentor's footsteps as Red Arrow before he returned to his Arsenal identity.

2 The Modern Squire Took On The Role Of Knight And Found Her Own Squire After The Death Of Her Mentor

Knight and Squire in the Batmobile

The British heroes known as Knight and Squire are a pair of legacy heroes who have succeeded one another for years. Beryl Hutchinson was the modern era's Squire who worked alongside her Knight Cyril Sheldrake, who had served as Squire to his father before him.

When Cyril was killed while working for Batman, Inc., Beryl took over as the new Knight in place of her fallen mentor. Her evolution into the new Knight was completed when she took on her own young sidekick Amina Eluko as the new Squire.

1 Wally West Took Over For His Fallen Mentor

Wally West and Barry Allen running as the Flash

When young Wally West first put on a costume, it was an exact replica of his mentor Barry Allen's Flash costume that he wore proudly as Kid Flash. However, he soon appeared in his own costume and began working with other sidekicks in the Teen Titans.

When Barry Allen sacrificed himself to save Earth during the Crisis on Infinite Earths, Wally was forced to grow up fast in order to take over his mentor's role and become the new Flash. He matured quickly and soon made his own legend as the Flash while others followed in his footsteps as Kid Flash over the years.

NEXT: 10 Sidekicks DC Wants You To Forget