The original Boy Wonder is known for a lot of things: He's been the leader of the Teen Titans/Titans, he's been a member of the Justice League, and he even managed to become Batman himself eventually. But what many fans (even long-time ones) are unaware of is that the character actually spent some time in college.
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In Batman #217, Dick Grayson finally broke away from Batman to set out on his own and start attending Hudson University. The character would star in back-ups in Detective Comics for years before finally returning in Batman #330, though in-universe only a short time had passed. Just what happened to Robin while he was in college?
10 He Initially Struggled With Flying Solo As A Hero
Earlier stories featuring Dick Grayson as a solo hero saw him get knocked out quite frequently. This seemed to happen every issue, and the one time it didn’t happen to him, it happened to Batgirl because they were teamed up.
What was especially strange was Robin would always be awakened by people on the staff or other college students, none of whom seemed particularly interested in learning his identity— even though they definitely should’ve recognized who he was.
9 He Foiled A Plan To Shut Down Hudson University
One of Dick Grayson’s earliest missions when he went solo involved stopping a plan by some fake hippies/peaceniks to protest against and then subsequently shut down Hudson University.
Their plan involved using fake cops to stir up problems and discontent at the school, and even faking the beating of some college students which was meant to push the student body over the edge. Fortunately, Robin arrived and exposed the plan, allowing everyone to return to school.
8 He Saved NASA From Russian Saboteurs
One of the more pro-American stories from early on in his solo career involved a professor from Russia coming to Hudson University to teach at the school.
The professor sabotaged a moon rock discovered by NASA to cover a student in a mysterious green energy that would’ve killed him if they couldn't find the cure in time. Fortunately, Robin managed to foil the scheme, which was meant to make NASA look bad as revenge for them winning the space race against the Soviets.
7 He Quit The Teen Titans
A short-lived change, Robin actually quit the Teen Titans in Teen Titans vol. 1 #25. The characters themselves were working on a mission to protect a man who’d won a Nobel peace prize, but when they failed, the group all blamed themselves and vowed to stay out of the world of superheroes.
That is, until they were invited to work for Mr. Jupiter, who financially backed the Titans. All except Robin, who quit the team to become a full-time college student— only to eventually rejoin the team a short time later in Teen Titans vol. 1 #28.
6 He Tackled An Old Man
During another back-up issue in Detective Comics #445, Robin had to save Hudson alumni Harry Hurley from a jealous former teammate. The alumni returned alongside the football team that won their championship to re-enact the play that caused them to win.
But Hurley’s former teammate, Benson, not only had the school attacked, but replaced the game ball with a literal bomb, frustrated that he never got to reach the next level because of Hurley going for the touchdown himself instead of giving the ball to Benson. Dick realized Benson’s plan and kicked the ball into the air where it could explode harmlessly.
5 He Uncovered Corruption At Hudson University
One of the later issues during Dick’s time in college involved him working to stop a parking lot burglar. The thief would snatch the purse of a woman in the parking lot, then later rob the woman's house with the keys in her purse. But though they managed to catch the robber, they would later learn one of the robberies involved the university treasurer’s office, a crime that the parking lot burglar refused to accept the blame for.
Some quick thinking by Robin and the security chief there would realize that the actual person responsible was the university treasurer, who framed an actual robber to make their own money.
4 He Worked For The School Newspaper
Robin was actually a member of his high school news paper dating back to the earlier days of his solo back-up storylines. Because of that, it wasn’t a surprise to see the character later join up with Hudson University’s school paper as well. This allowed him, much like with Peter Parker and Clark Kent before him working in the journalism field, to sneak off and turn into Robin under the guise of trying to gain a hot scoop.
3 He Got A Bunch Of New Costumes
When Robin made his return in Detective Comics #481, the book was a massive 100 pages and included much of the Bat-Family, one of the first stories featured Robin being offered a handful of new costumes. Each one offered vastly different looks— and all of them had pants— and were actually designed by loyal readers who mailed costume suggestions in.
Over the course of the issue, Robin wears all of the costumes, like Spider-Man did in his Identity Crisis storyline. The middle costumes actually came with a jet pack designed by the school's science department that allowed Robin to fly around.
2 He Gained His Own Rogues' Gallery
Robin had his own rogues gallery that started developing in Batman Family #18. The criminal organization known as The Maze was designed to recruit talent specifically from colleges. One of the characters recruited was David Corby, an athletic student who became The Raven and gave Robin trouble for multiple issues.
But over time, Dick not only figured out his identity, but revealed it in front of the school, leading to Corby getting arrested after Dick defeated him in a fight in school.
1 He Flunked Out
Dick Grayson’s time in college came to an end with Detective Comics #495. Between being a journalist and a superhero, Dick’s time in school was limited. Constantly skipping classes, he wound up being told the only way to make it in school was submitting a ton of work all at once.
Unable to choose his course work over crime-fighting, Dick Grayson not only gave up on his time in school, but the girlfriend he was dating as well, to return to Gotham. There's barely even a story around it— Dick has the option between turning in all of his work and being Robin, and in the middle of handling his coursework he simply decides he'd rather track down some drug dealers instead.