#Reverse Robin? kinda

[the-watchers-a-wolfverse-au]

More coming soon...

[goldengirlgalaxy]

Reverse Clone AU

So, I've seen a couple stories where Danny is Damian's clone. How about we reverse it?

Danny was born Damian Al Ghul, being raised to be an assassin since he could walk. However, he had a good heart, and eventually his mother overstepped around him (maybe she killed one of his favorite caretakers? Maybe he saw her killing someone with a loving family?), causing him to decide to leave the League next time they let him outside.

He was discovered by the Fentons, got adopted, and had his name changed from Damian Al Ghul into Daniel 'Danny' Fenton. Over the years, his time in the League slowly faded from memory, only remembering that one moment that drove him from them.

Talia, meanwhile, tried to create another baby, but found she didn't have any more DNA from Bruce. However, she did have plenty of Damian/Danny's DNA, so she decided to simply clone her son, making sure that this one would never get it in his head to run away. She decided to let the memory of her first son go, completely overriding it with the new Damian, as if he had been the first son and not merely some clone, forcing everyone in the League to keep the fact a secret.

So, things continue on, Danny becomes Phantom, Damian becomes Robin, so on and so forth. Eventually, one of the Batclan stumble upon Danny and take an interest in him once they realize he looks like Damian.

They actually don't think that he's a clone, because he's older than Damian and records show him having a history older than Damian, so they believe that Talia had another child, which Damian is already a little salty about, because it means that his status as the heir of the League and potentially his title as the only blood son of batman are completely meaningless.

Unfortunately, their investigations lead to the League figuring out where Danny is, at which point Talia drops by and decides to reveal in front of everyone that Danny is the original Damian and Damian is a clone meant to take his place.

The only one who takes it well is Danny, who tells everyone to get off his porch before he activates the home defense systems because he does not care for this drama.

[rubydubydoo122]

Every time I see a Reverse Robin's Au and see a 'Tim Drake is the Red Hood' or something adjacent to that, a part of me dies, because Tim would not have a reason to be the Red Hood like Jason did-- he has zero connection to crime alley, and his morals and motivations are different from Jason's. Tim would not kill.

"But Red Robin--" blowing multiple people up from a distance is different from pulling the trigger of a sniper or pistol or being up close and personal and stabbing them with a sword or knife and the chopping off their heads.

and yeah there are alternate versions of him who are gun-batmans, but they were meant to show how main contenuity Tim couldn't let himself fall down that path. Tim would rather kill himself that let himself become a Brutal Batman

also, Tim probably has stronger morals that Batman. He became Robin because he could see Bruce inching closer and closer towards that line. He became Robin to stop Bruce from going to a place where he couldn't return.

if Tim died, and then came back to life, only to find out he's been replaced, I think he would just find his own city and become a hero there without telling Bruce he's alive.

God, I'm not even a Tim fan, but making Tim Red Hood is just such a disservice to his character.

[kittykatninja321]

thinking about that post that’s like ‘Steph wouldn’t do utrh because she wouldn’t expect Bruce to avenge her anyways’

[dyslexicandakeyboard]

Each of the batkids has had a moment where they once forgot that they spoke multiple languages(or even their mother tongue) in high stress situations.

--------------------

A woman: *speaking Arabic to Damian*

Damian who forgot his first language: English woman! English!

---------------------

A young girl cries out in french

Duke, who's in ~collage~ and is learning to be a ~productive and successful member of society~ is taking university level Korean and is still in that ~headspace~: swis-swis uljima

----------------------

A young boy: *speaks german*

Stephanie "I'm the best at German, Bruce said so" Brown: Est-ce que....uh....oh shite

-----------------------

An old woman: *speaks Romai*

Dick: * replies in Romanian*

-----------------------

A shocked person: Hel-

Jason: Do you sprechen American!

-----------------------

Person: Ma mere! Óu est elle? Elle n'est pas ici!

Tim: Je m'appelle Red Robin

-----------------------

Someone: *signs to Cass*

Cass: *failing computer noises*

[wow-an-unfunny-joke]

I’m doing a project on Gulper Eels (aka Pelican Eels, Pelican Gulpers, or Umbrella-mouth Gulpers)

And- these fuckers don’t even look REAL-

A lot of deep sea critters, you see them and you understand Lovecraft’s fear of the ocean

But some of these guys-

LOOK AT HIM! HES SO STUPID LOOKING!

THIS IS MY IDIOT SON WHO I HATE HIS NAME IS BONGWATER AND HE HAS EVERY DISEASE!!!!!!!

[cluescorner]

I gave myself a writing challenge and I am fascinated by it

So basically I put the robins in a randomizer to give them a new order/role (because I just...kinda wanted to see what would happen + I like role-reversal AUs) and got results that are giving me a fucking brain blast.

Stephanie, the first sidekick who defines the role

Tim, the sidekick who dies and comes back wrong

Dick, the sidekick who saves Batman from himself

Damian, the sidekick who was never supposed to be a sidekick but would go on to prove everyone wrong

Jason, the youngest sidekick who is still the Kid Wonder

...So this is fucking wild. I've got some ideas and several of these fit perfectly (Dick's role is pretty similar to his one in canon), but some of these are fucking INCREDIBLE to explore (Steph being the first Robin is something I never even considered but tbh I kinda love it).

I probably won't write a fic or anything because tbh I don't like publishing my writing that much, but I might expand this into a full AU and post about it. I might randomize other stuff too (ie, stuff that I cannot change vs stuff that I cannot keep the same) but this fucking rules as a starting point.

[manicmouse]

You know what I think about from time to time?

Stephanie Brown and Talia Al Gul

Like that entire plot point was completely dropped in Dceased. Wasn't even a footnote in 'War of the undead gods' (if I'm remembering the mini series correctly.) I think a lot more could've been done. Talk about wasted potential 😕

Adding this part for context but also because this was really sweet. I sobbed through most of it 🥲 like this was so heartbreaking.

But back to the point, this. I also wonder what she originally thought of Steph lol. I really liked their interactions with each other little as there was of it. Their personalities work quite well with each other but-

Then she died :(

Had to add these because wow and I like when they acknowledge each other as family 🥲

And we were left with this:

And it never came back up 😔💔 I would've loved to see their new dynamic when the new JL came back for 'Dead planet'. Can you imagine what they would have been like? Like I don't know if it was begrudging respect that made Talia decide to use a one time only Lazarus pit for Stephanie or if it was because she didn't want her son to lose any more family. Either way they would've played nicely against each other had it not been forgotten about 💀

Rip what could've been

[ferrouswheel11]

shocked to hear that people have been using ‘gray ghost’ as a possible future vigilante name for tim bc that’s the name i’ve been using for him in my reverse robins au where he chooses the name in order to inflict maximum psychic damage on bruce

[nicomoon69]

watching a video abt queer comic characters 😁😁 they start talking abt how tim and kon should’ve ended up together 😞😞

[horsechestnut]

Reverse Robins!

But specifically Stephanie and Tim (with a little Jason added when it's relevant).

Note: I'm of the opinion that in Reverse Robin AUs they wouldn't actually use Robin as their code name, but for convince and clarity's sake I will be using it here.

Damian is gone. He left in a blaze of anger. They'd fought before, but this time came with a finality Bruce doesn't known how to handle.

Batman is spiraling. Without Damian around there's no need to be Bruce Wayne, no reason not to follow one more lead before turning in. No young eyes looking to him to be an example. Nothing to keep him from beating the bad guys into a comma.

Tim Drake has been watching Bruce Wayne for awhile. He's been watching Batman for longer. He saw the turn, the way the Wayne Foundation is slowly being corrupted without Bruce's over site, and the more extreme injuries criminals are coming in with. He looks at Bruce Wayne and Batman, and the man behind them both and thinks "Yeah, I can fix that." Maybe it's teenage nativity, maybe it's a drive to do something good, maybe it's the need to be in control of something in his life. Whatever it is, he acts on it.

Bruce doesn't want to let Tim be Robin. Damian was his son, and a trained assassin, Tim is a random kid with no formal training. But Tim is a random kid who figured out his identity and is actively blackmailing him with it, so he doesn't have many options.

Batman and Robin are back together. Bruce Wayne is back in board meetings. The criminals are getting a lot less bruises. Robin is far more impressive than Batman ever would have guessed he could be. Tim is falling asleep in math class, but he already knows it all anyway so it's barely worth mentioning.

There's a new vigilante in Gotham. One who sets a dangerous precedent. It's one thing for Batman to have allies, it's another for outside agents to start taking matters into their own hands. Especially when they're untrained teenagers who are looking for personal vengeance.

He does everything he can to get Spoiler to quit. He tells himself it's not just about his personal dislike of her, it's for the sake of every other misguided kid who might try to follow her lead.

He fails.

The Joker attacks Robin. He doesn't kill him, he has a worse fate in mind. He takes Batman's prodigy and makes him his own. Tries to prove that even the Bat's closest ally can be corrupted if he has a bad enough day. He succeeds, and for one terrifying night The Batman faces off against Joker Jr.

Tim survives, but he's not the same. It takes months for his injuries to heal, and even then he's haunted by what Joker turned him into. Terrified that he could snap again at the wrong moment. He tells Bruce he can't be in the field anymore, it's to big of a risk. He promises Batman he'll find another way to help.

Cluemaster is dead. He died on a suicide mission. No matter how Steph feels about it personally, logically she knows Gotham is safer without him around. Part of her can't help being relieved, and she doesn't hate that part of herself as much as she knows she should. There's no longer any need for The Spoiler.

There's an opening for Robin and Steph wants the job. Wants to prove she can do it. That she's just as good as Tim. That she's not her father. That she can make a father proud.

Batman doesn't want Stephanie. He wants Tim. But maybe Stephanie is a way to get there. To make Tim jealous enough to come back.

Bruce tells himself it's for Tim's own good. Stephanie's too. Tim needs the push, needs to be Robin again so he can overcome his fear about being the field. And Stephanie needs the training, and the focus now that Cluemaster is gone.

Robin tries, she really does. She does everything Batman asks of her, always. Except once. And once is all it takes. Robin is fired, but as she leaves the cave Stephanie grabs on to one last desperate chance to prove herself. Batman never intended for the file to be used, but Stephanie doesn't know that. Batman didn't tell her. He never told her anything.

The war that erupts is unlike anything Gotham has ever seen.

Damian comes home. It's not for Bruce. It's for Gotham, for the city that took him in despite everything.

Batman isn't listening to Oracle. He's cutting him off, overriding his systems, and treating him like nothing more than a glorified phone operator. Tim can't just do nothing. Not when his city is burning.

Black Mask captures Spoiler, and nobody notices.

Robin is back on the scene. He's reluctant at first, but once he starts it's like a switch flips. The moves are second nature, the danger is exhilarating. It isn't a game, but part of him can't help relishing it all the same. He can't remember why he stopped.

Spoiler manages to get free. She manages to ambush Black Mask. She manages to pin him to the ground, gun pointed at his head. But Steph can't pull the trigger. Two months ago she would have, but now Batman's voice is in her head. She can't let him down. Not again.

Stephanie hesitates, and in that moment Black Mask breaks her hold. He gets his gun back. There's no moral code running though the back of his head. He doesn't hesitate.

Gotham is safe. Batman did his job. Damian is back. Robin is in the field again. But Bruce is haunted by what happened. Damian is injured, Tim has nightmares, and Stephanie...

Jason Todd isn't new to being poor. He knows how to be hungry, how to fend for himself. But he is new to being homeless. The gang war left lots of kids in the Narrows orphaned, of course some of them were going to fall through the cracks, and Jason happens to be one of them. Maybe it's for the best. He's heard how the Gotham Foster System treats kids. Maybe he's better off on his own. He just needs to find a way to make some money.

Batman descends with all the furry he's been holding in. But instead of an overconfident car thief, he finds a twelve year old boy desperately clutching a tire iron, trying to seem angry instead of scared.

Bruce recognizes something in him that he can't fully explain. He takes Jason back to the manor. Gives him a home. Does everything he can to keep him away from the cave.

That lasts about two weeks.

Jason wants to give back to his community, to make sure kids don't have to deal with the shit he had to deal with. He wants to thank Bruce for helping him. He wants to be nothing like his dad. He wants to make his new father proud.

Damian is against it. Tim is against it. Bruce is against it. Jason is insistent. He decides to take matters into his own hands, to steal an old Robin suit and sneak out after the others have left. It doesn't go well. He thinks he's blown his chance, but to his surprise Batman relents. If he doesn't Jason will find a way to do it on his own, and he won't let another kid go out untrained.

Tim goes back to Oracle. The way he felt the night of the gang war still scares him sometimes, reminds him to much of Batman back when they first met. Guilt washes over him whenever ever he thinks about it. How happy he'd been, all well Steph...

He should have been in the Clock Tower that night. Should have been keeping better tabs on all of them. He should have known she was missing in action, should have been monitoring her suit's location or trying to reach out instead of just listening when Batman said not to involve her. So if there's a new kid running around in the suit, their suit, he's going to make sure this one is safe.

Robin is good. Really good. He's to angry, he's rash, he's impulsive. But he learns fast, and he seems to almost fly over Gotham. He fits the role in a way Tim never truly did.

Black Mask is dead, and someone else is using his name. Someone who's dismantling the Gotham underworld piece by piece.

Steph has a duty to the people she hurt, a duty Batman will never understand, and one she has to handle her way. Batman stopped the war, but he didn't stop the gangsters. He didn't stop Black Mask, or Scareface, or any of the others. It's not about what they did to her. She deserved it. It was her own fault. But so many others suffered because of them, because of her, and Batman did nothing to stop it. So she will.

Black Mask isn't planning to confront Batman. She doesn't care about him. She's done seeking his approval and following his rules. Doing that got her killed. It got other people killed. But there's another Robin running around, and someone needs to explain that. Steph knows by now that she was never really Robin, it was all just a trick to get Tim back. A trick that worked. So who the hell is this kid? Is he like Tim, someone Batman will keep safe, or is he just another pawn he'll sacrifice the second it's covenant? And when she finally gets around to asking, she lets more slip than she should have.

Batman knows the truth, but that's okay. It was only a matter of time before he did, and it doesn't change anything. Bruce tries to appeal to her, but what can he possibly say that could make a difference? That he's sorry?

He is, but it's to late for that. Stephanie knows the truth. She knows he never took her seriously. She knows he never trusted her. She knows it was all a game, and that in the end Batman got what he wanted even if not in the way he intended. And Bruce can't argue, because she's right. He created her, and he knows it.

Stephanie Brown is dead. She died in Leslie's clinic. She died because her doctor decided teaching Batman a lesson was worth more than her life. A lesson he didn't even bother to learn. She died because she listened to Batman even though he never bothered to listen to her. And she died because Batman used her as a chess piece. Because he wrote her off before she'd even properly begun.

Black Mask is not Cluemaster. She refuse to ever be her father. But she's not Batman either. He never gave her the chance to be. She's something else. Something between those two extremes. Something that's fully hers. She's going to protect the people Batman's to busy to care about, and if she has to kill a few people along the way, so be it. She's not playing by his rules anymore. She never will again.

Black Mask is Batman's greatest failure. Not because she died, but because he never took the time to teach her how to live.

Stephanie is Bruce's biggest regret. Not because she died, but because he didn't care about her until she did.

[oifaaa]

tbh, the anti robin suit looks like a mix mustard and ketchup with a splash of pickles on top, and not the delicious kind, lmao. How did Tim mess up color coordination so bad

It's literally just the inverse of his robin outfit the yellow and black are swapped and the green and red are swapped which like there probably is a way to get it to look nice but I'm lazy and couldn't be bothered so instead I'm just gonna come up with a whole new outfit for him rn I'm kinda digging this look but idk

[rubydubydoo122]

thank you for your very correct opinions on red hood!tim 🙏 like why would he even care specifically abt crime alley???

but what are your thoughts on red hood!damian or duke? i honestly believe talia would kill the joker and that would be it - good luck on making talia let her kid back into gotham

red hood!duke though... we could maximize angst potential if he finds his (jokerized) parents *after* he comes back to gotham from the dead

Here's the thing, I see Duke Becoming the Red Hood more than Damian, but I still can't see either of them becoming the Red Hood.

Damian would be able to be ruthless, yes, but he doesn't have a reason to have an iron fist over Gotham's drug problem, and--

see here's the thing that Reverse Robins au is that most writer don't really think about how the character would react if they were in another character's shoes

So, If Damian died, and came back only to find nothing had changed, how would he react? He would probably think he was never enough for his Father, and I think he would stay with the league and become Ra's heir.

now Duke....Duke Dying trying to save his parents from the Joker, only to find his parents jokerized???? Idk why, but I don't think Duke could ever become an Anti-hero like Jason is. I feel like Duke after coming back from the Dead would probably be more apathetic, and especially since he was trying to save his parents, he would have a more "We can't save everyone" mindset. He would make sure none of his younger siblings took extensive risks, He would see himself as more expendable (Which probably drives Damian and Bruce up a wall) Im sorry, I just can't see Duke becoming an Antihero

but also, I don't think anyone in the 80 saw Jason becoming an anti hero, until Garzonas. So idk. Take my opinions with a grain of salt

[thestobingirlie]

when people try to defy gender roles with stobin so hard they circle right back around to gender roles.

always writing a queer man as ‘the woman’ and a lesbian as ‘the man’ isn’t as progressive as you think

[dracoconcordia]

Okay, so I have a bad idea

So I think everyone who reads Batfam fanfiction has heard of the reverse Robin au and my idea stems from this. Of course I can't fully that credit for the idea since someone else came up with it first. What they had done it put Damian as the oldest then have the other Robins in the same order. Guys, the potential of this!

Damian becomes Batman's partner at an early age, physically 9, after being grown in a tube and trained. In honor of the League of Shadows he goes by Shadow. About a year later the Flying Graysons are murdered and Dick becomes Robin much to Damian's dismay. Of course he's the superior partner, right? But yet somehow the circus kid out performs him every turn, it's vexing.

Fast forward 6 to 8 years and the brothers have founded the Teen Titans. At first everything goes well until the team votes Dick as leader, not Damian causing he jealousy to deepen. It continues to grow and Dick is kidnapped and blackmailed into becoming Renegade. Convinced he's evil Damian kills him with Dick's last words being along the line of "Nano-bots.... Bloods-stream...." Then the truth comes out. Everyone is hurt and confused while Bruce disowns Damian who is drowning in regret.

A few months later and Jason becomes the new Robin. Despite not being on speaking terms with Bruce Damian still tried to be there for Jason, it just doesn't work. Couple of years after that and a new face appears in Gotham, Nightwing. (It's just Dick in the discowing outfit with a leather jacket.)

[kadencrafter78]

I'm thinking about a reverse Robin's AU focusing on Tim Drake. Because there's one thing I've seen a lot with these AUs and it kind of grinds my gears because it defeats the point of an AU: Red Hood Tim Drake.

One of my favorite things about AUs is the ability to see a completely different timeline because of the initial changes. But people who write these AUs keep making sure the second Robin dies. And it annoys me, so I want to get rid of that plot point.

So from there we have two options:

1. No Batfam Black Sheep

2. Tim leaves without dying

And I like that second idea, so that's what I'll expand upon. So here's a little snippet of writing about it.

Tim was never a Wayne. He wasn't Bruce's son, and he sure wasn't Damian's brother. Damian made sure of that. Tim was Robin because someone needed to be. He was Batman's partner, not a sidekick and not family. He followed Batman's rules because Batman laid them out. They weren't *his* rules.

Tim didn't put in the effort to wonder why he didn't care when the light drained from the Joker's eyes. He put it aside in the moment. It was the Joker, barely anyone would still call him human.

Batman did. He must have, considering the way he yelled while Tim stared at him with unblinking eyes. "He killed my father," Tim said to justify it. "He took the last family member I had." Tim's eyes furrowed as he stared up at his partner.

"Killing is wrong," Bruce told him. Bruce talked to him like a child. Tim always hated that.

Tim walked away, with Bruce screaming for him to come back. Tim didn't listen to him.

Years passed with no sight of Tim Drake. H head just disappeared. Batman found a new partner, Jason Todd. Batman's family grew. More sons and more daughters came into the fold and soon after joined the family business.

Tim looked down at Gotham with a scowl in his assassin's attire. Nothing had been done, not truly. It was marginally better, and people were less likely to be murdered in an alleyway. But aside from the Joker, none of the criminals ever stayed put away. It was still an onslaught of costumed and empowered criminals only dealt with by other slightly less insane people in costumes.

Tim leapt down as he saw the Penguin leaving the Iceberg lounge. He sprout out a blade from his bo staff and felt it cut through the criminal's flesh with ease. Tim dodged the gunfire of Penguin's antiquated umbrella and laid a few more marks into the older man. One more stab and the Penguin would be dead.

Tim heard Robin from rooftops away. It didn't take much effort on Tim's part to hear him as he fell to the ground with a clumsy landing. Tim looked back at him with vague recognition, having seen Batman's new apprentice in the newspaper.

Tim paused as he looked on at Robin. "You're here to stop me, aren't you?" Tim asked, feeling as if he already knew the answer.

"Please just put it down. I don't know what he did to you, but he doesn't deserve to die," Robin told him. This kid really was new.

Tim took that moment to make the final stab into the Penguin. He fully turned around. He pointed the staff threateningly at Robin. "Don't try to interfere again."

-------------------------------------

That was just what I imagined for a reverse Robins AU. Obviously Jason's name is up to change, because neither Tim nor Damian were Robin in this AU. What Tim was is still up for decision in my mind.