Teen Titans first aired on Cartoon Network on July 19th, 2003 during the program's golden age. Like many cartoon shows, the initial episodes were stiff, but Teen Titans still had an intriguing premise and charming characters. Kids finally had the chance to see young heroes who shot lasers and star bolts while gobbling down pizza and worrying about zits. Each character displayed a perfect combination of heroic strength and teenage vulnerability, and as the show went on, the episodes showcased amazing character arcs and explored mature themes such as racism, democracy and abusive childhoods.
Teen Titans was never intended to be part of the larger animated DC universe and Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, Raven and Beast Boy were loosely based on their comic counterparts. While the plots were based on the original Teen Titans stories from the 1980s, producers Glen Murakami and Sam Register refreshed the themes and gave the show a unique anime style. However, it seems that the producers could not help themselves and snuck in quite a few Batman references in relation to Robin, the intrepid Boy Wonder. We'll break down each Easter egg and detail how they tell us more about Robin's character.
What Batman Easter Eggs Are In "The Apprentice Part 2" (Season 1, Episode 13)?
Robin is the leader of the Teen Titans, and he is most definitely the first Robin, Dick Grayson. We can surmise this from him appearing as Nightwing in "How Long is Forever?" which is the world's most depressing Back to the Future callback. Cartoon Network's Robin is much more serious than Dick from the comics, yet both Robin iterations share a troubled yet deep bond with Batman.
There are actually two Easter eggs in this episode, and it starts with Robin being forced to join Slade (excellently voiced by Ron Perlman). There's a moment where Slade congratulates Robin for a well-executed robbery and tells Robin to think of him as a father. Robin looks up with a pained expression and says, "I already have a father." Cue a flock of bats and a very Batman Beyond music theme to hammer the reference home. This line is brilliant because it encompasses the difficult relationship mentor and student share. In his younger years, Dick resented Bruce for his cold personality and ruthless tactics, but at the same time, the two are closer than family and love each other deeply. Confronted with Slade as a possible father figure, Robin realizes how much he loves Batman and finally admits the caped crusader's paternal role in his life.
The second reference is that Robin has to steal something from a building that looks awfully familiar. The Boy Wonder engages in a fight with the Teen Titans, and by the time he's finished, we are treated to a wide shot of the Wayne Enterprises building. The "A" and the "Y" are broken, but it's clear that Robin has a lot of guts stealing from his old mentor. We have to acknowledge how smart Slade is to use Robin's skills and inside information to break into the Wayne building, as well as how ruthless the villain is in sending a statement to Robin and Batman about his absolute control.
What Batman Easter Eggs Are In "Haunted" (Season 3, Episode 5)?
This episode had to be one of the darkest and most mature ones to date with themes of obsession and mental illness. The story focuses on Robin feeling haunted by Slade's presence (no pun intended), and as he studies the villain's mask, he unknowingly triggers a hallucinatory drug that makes him see Slade. Robin goes on a rampage through the T tower, hurting himself as he goes, and Raven enters his mind to try to calm him down.
We see Robin's parents falling off the trapeze, and then we see our third Batman reference, Robin's iconic oath by candlelight where he swears to fight for justice. This famous scene can be traced back to the Golden Age of comics, and it's amazing to see the creators of Teen Titans pay homage to it. This re-establishes Batman's presence in this universe and confirms Robin's backstory. We can understand how Robin's agile fighting style stems from his time as a trapeze artist and how his serious personality comes from his oath to fight evil.
What Batman Easter Eggs Are In "The Quest" (Season 4, Episode 2)?
Robin is able to keep up with his super-powered teammates with his top-notch martial arts skills and genius intellect. But, it makes sense that he's paranoid about keeping himself at the top of his game with friends that turn into hippos or stop time. A villain named Kataro taps into this paranoia by defeating Robin in hand-to-hand combat, and the Boy Wonder is determined to search for the Master, a martial arts expert, to touch up on his skills.
Cyborg offers to train him with programs, but Robin waves him away, saying that he's already trained with the best and needs something more. We all know who "the best" is, and it once again explains how Robin is as skilled as he is. We can also see how Robin still respects Batman as his mentor and how he has adopted the Bat's relentless drive to win.
What Batman Easter Eggs Are In "Go!" (Season 5, Episode 10)?
Some viewers may have been confused with this episode's chronology, but it became clear this was a story on how Teen Titans was formed. Each of the Titans had a bit of backstory crammed into this episode, and the creators managed to smuggle in even more Batman Easter eggs with Robin's introduction.
There's a thug who bears a remarkable resemblance to Joe Chill, and if one tragic reminder isn't enough, he is also carrying a crowbar, the weapon Joker uses to kill Jason Todd. Robin seems well-aware of the weapon's dangerous past, and he swoops around the alley in a Batman-like manner before striking the crowbar out of the thug's hand with a projectile. We then get our second colony of bats flying out of the darkness to introduce Robin (Grayson was always good at dramatic entrances).
The thug sees Robin's colorful costume and exclaims "Hey! This isn't your town. Aren't you supposed to be with--?" This is the closest Teen Titans has gotten to mentioning Batman and made us thirstier than ever for a cameo. Robin cuts the criminal off and makes it clear that he's left Gotham and split from Batman to work alone. Countless comics have detailed Batman and Robin's separation, and this Robin is just as keen as the other iterations to escape the cowl.
Fans everywhere were devastated when Season 5 ended on a cliffhanger and Season 6 was canceled. While some may argue Teen Titans Go! was a good continuation, others felt the chibified cartoon rubbed more salt into the hole left by the original Teen Titans by trampling on its predecessor's legacy. It's not confirmed if Batman would have ever appeared on Teen Titans, but it may be for the best he didn't. After all, Batman's legacy is one of mystery and darkness, and his invisible presence in Teen Titans makes him all the more ominous.