The death of Jason Todd sticks in the minds not only of many Batman fans but of comic fans as a whole. This traumatic event has come to define the character, as well as the rest of the Bat-Family to an extent. However, one Batman Family member isn't too convinced, believing that Jason's death and resurrection isn't at all special or unique.
Robin #5 (by Joshua Williamson, Gleb Melnikov, Luis Guerrero and ALW's Troy Peteri) sees Damian Wayne's Boy Wonder chased down by his four predecessors. When confronted by Todd, the second Robin, Damian remarks that everyone thinks he's "so cool" because he's the Robin who died. However, Damian reminds his brother that every Robin has died at some point or another. Though some deaths, like Jason and Damian's, are more memorable, others may not be as well-known.
Batman's Original Robin Died In 2014's Forever Evil
Dick Grayson has endured numerous deaths over the years, but the quick turnaround of his death in this instance changed Nightwing forever. During Forever Evil (by Geoff Johns and David Finch), Nightwing was taken prisoner by Earth-3's Crime Syndicate and placed in a cruel Apokolytian prison called the Murder Machine. This device was set to explode if tampered with and was said to be inescapable, making it the perfect way to stop Batman from saving his first Robin. With the machine about to detonate, Lex Luthor deduced that the only way to save everyone was to kill Nightwing.
Batman obviously objected and began to beat Luthor, who had already stopped Grayson's heart. However, Luthor revealed that he had only made the hero flatline in order to stop the detonation. He then injected Nightwing with adrenaline, swiftly reviving him.
In 1988, Jason Todd's Robin was Infamously Killed by the Joker
The most well-known death of a Robin occurred during the infamous storyline "A Death in the Family" by Jim Starlin and Jim Aparo. In this story, Jason Todd went looking for his birth mother, only to have her give him up to the Joker. The Clown Prince of Crime mercilessly beat the Boy Wonder with a crowbar, and locked both him and his mother in a warehouse with a timed bomb.
Batman failed to save Todd, and he and his mother died in the explosion. Two decades passed before the character returned in "Under the Hood" as the anti-hero known as the Red Hood, having abandoned Batman's no-killing rule. The original reason for Todd's resurrection was Superboy-Prime's reality-shattering punch, but a Lazarus Pit has since been mentioned as an alternative explanation.
Tim Drake's Death in 2016's Detective Comics #940
The shocking death of Tim Drake occurred in Detective Comics #940 (by James Tynion IV and Eddy Barrows). Jacob Kane's Batman-inspired militia, the Colonists, planned to eliminate the League of Shadows with drone strikes, placing numerous innocent lives in jeopardy. Drake hacked the drones to make them all target him instead. Although he defeated the first wave, the second seemingly annihilated him.
However, the end of the issue revealed that he was not dead but kidnapped and imprisoned by Mr. Oz, who was later revealed to be Superman's father Jor-El. Figuring out his cell was made from Kryptonian technology, Drake bypassed the security and broke free. Aided by a sinister future version of himself from the Titans Tomorrow storyline, the resourceful Robin was then able to make his way back to Gotham City.
Stephanie Brown's Faked Death In 2004
Although Stephanie Brown eventually proved herself to be a great Robin, she initially had a rocky relationship with Batman. This eventually led Stephanie to branch out on her own in a disastrous way. She attempted to use a plan of the Dark Knight's that would eliminate Gotham's entire underworld, but things got out of control, leading to an all-out gang war.
One of the major gang leaders, Black Mask, captured and tortured the young vigilante. Although Stephanie escaped, she later died in hospital. However, it was later revealed that Leslie Thompkins faked the hero's death, believing that the fourth Robin had endured enough suffering.
Damian Wayne Was Killed By His Own Clone In 2013
The death of the current Robin happened during the New 52, in 2013's Batman Inc. #8 (by Grant Morrison, Chris Burnham and Jason Masters). With the Dark Knight trapped by Damian's mother, Talia al Ghul, the Boy Wonder took to the battlefield, against his father's wishes. The fight ended with Batman's son being impaled on the sword of his evil clone, Heretic.
Damian's resurrection came about when his body was stolen by Darkseid. Upon retrieving his son's body, the technology of Apokolips gave Batman the power he needed to resurrect his son. This had the unforeseen side effect of giving Damian superpowers. However, the upgrade wasn't permanent, and the Boy Wonder returned to his former self once the life-giving energy dissipated.