Richard Grayson (Earth-Two)



Real Name: Richard "Dick" Grayson Nicknames: "Dicky" Grayson as child Former Aliases: many disguises and aliases as part of his detective work Other Current Aliases: None

Status
Occupation: None Former Lawyer; Former U.S. Ambassador to South Africa Earth-Two; Former childhood aeralist and circus performer Legal Status: Deceased (Pre-Crisis) citizen of the United States of Earth-Two with no known criminal record in the United States Identity: Secret Marital Status: single Group Affiliation: Justice Society of America of Earth-Two; All-Star Squadron; Partner of Helena Wayne as Huntress; Former Partner of Batman I Base of Operations: mostly Gotham City on Earth-Two

Origin
Richard "Dick" Grayson was born to circus aerlists John and Mary Grayson. Dick Grayson joined his parents in their trapeze act, the Flying Graysons, which was part of the small traveling Haly Circus. Under pressure to pay protection money to a local mobster, "Boss" Zucco, the circus owners refused. Enraged, Zucco decided to intimidate the circus owners by killing their most successful act, the Flying Graysons. Zucco had the trapeze and safety nets cut which killed John and Mary Grayson

Millionare playboy Bruce Wayne was in the audience and watched the Grayson's death happen. Some later versions state Wayne was investigating Zucco activities at the circus but was unaware of the extent Zucco was already involved.

Grayson blamed the deaths on Zucco from conversations he overheard. Wayne recognized a similar tragedy in his own earlier life and decided to take Grayson in. Deciding to channel Grayson rage and grief into action, and partially protect Grayson from Zucco, Wayne began training Grayson in further more extensive acrobats and fighting techniques. When Wayne felt Grayson was ready to use his skills, Wayne gave him the costumed identity of Robin, the Boy Wonder.

Place of Birth: Exact locale on Earth-Two not specified Place of Death: Gotham City on New Earth Known Relatives: John and Mary Grayson (parents, deceased); George Grayson (uncle, presumed dead due to old age); Charles Grayson (Robotman of Earth-Two, cousin, presumed dead due to the destruction of Earth-Two in the Crisis); Bruce Wayne (Legal Guardian when Grayson was minor, deceased) First Appearance: Historic: Detective Comics #38 (1940) in canon as Earth-Two Robin: Justice League of America (Volume 1) #55 Final Appearance: Death shown in Crisis on Infinite Earths #12

History
As Robin, the junior partner of Batman, Grayson would fight against many powerful villians including the Joker, Penguin, Two-Face (Harvey KENT where the Earth-One incarnation was named DENT) Basil Karlo the first Clayface and various others.

As Grayson became older, he face his own villians including No-Face and several others including several of the earlier Batman rogues. Grayson would continue as Batman's partner until Wayne retired from the role despite gaps such as when Grayson left for college.

Later Life


As Dick Grayson, he became a full partner in the law firm of Cranston and Grayson (later Cranston, Grayson and Wayne upon Bruce's daughter Helena joining). It was as the prominent lawyer that Grayson became elected to serve as Ambassador for the United States to South Africa in the late 1970s. Grayson would continue to be active as Robin for most of the intervening years. After the death of Bruce Wayne, Grayson reconsiders his earlier decision and thinks to re-adopt the Batman II role but Helena convinces him not to do so. "There was only one man who could be the Batman, Dick, and my father is dead. We can carry on his work-you as Robin, me as the Huntress…but the Batman is dead. Only legends live forever…not the men who make them."

Grayson would resume the identity of Batman II in one known against the Earth-Two Joker who resumed his rampage upon hearing of the death of Batman I (Wayne). Grayson assumed the role of Batman without indicating that he was not the original. .



After that Earth-Two Joker case, Grayson completely retired from the Batman role, preferring to remain only in the role of Robin. Grayson's original feelings against successors to the Batman role would resurface when the Batman of Earth-One came to Earth-Two and Grayson would express his feelings of failing in the role of successor and against anyone else being Batman for the first time (Brave & the Bold 182). But Grayson later came to accept the Earth-One Batman as his own person rather than as immitation of his long-dead friend.

On many occasions Grayson performed as the senior partner of the new "Dynamic Duo" which consisted of himself and Wayne's daughter Helena in her role as the Huntress, as well as alone. He would continue on as Robin until the Crisis on Infinite Earths came to Earth-Two.

Robin in his role as attorney Dick Grayson prosecuted a case against the Justice Society of America, based on a diary written by Batman prior to his demise, indicating that the team were corroborators with the Nazi regime. During the legal proceedings, his opponent in the court room was Helena, who defended the team. Grayson later learned that the diary pointed towards a plot by the time travelling villain Per Degaton, and thwarted him prior to Degaton's suicide.

The Earth-Two Robin and Huntress both took part in several battles of the Crisis on Infinite Earths and joined the battle at the "Dawn of Time" against the Anti-Monitor and were thus saved from annihilation when history of the multiverse was destroyed leaving only the singular new Primary Earth and their own history and Earth-Two was wiped out of existence.

During one of the last battles of the Crisis confronting the Anti-Monitor's shadow demons whose mere touch could destroy positive matter attacked, trapping the Huntress under rubble from a collapsed building. The Earth-Two Robin went to her rescue while Kole of the Teen Titans erected a crystal dome to protect them. The effort failed and all three were reduced to ash. The Batman of Earth-One, Mary Marvel, and Jason Todd found the remains.

Characteristics
Height: 5' 10" Weight: 187 lbs (xxx kg) Eyes: blue Hair: black Unusual Features: graying hair at temples at time of death

Powers
Known Powers: No known superhuman powers. Known Abilities: brillant athlete and acrobat; master of many forms of hand-to-hand physical combat as well as weapontry; superb reasoning and deductive ability; mastery of many advanced forms of disguises and acting. Strength Level: advanced human strength beyond most atheletes though technically not superhuman

Miscellaneous
Equipment: various small hand to hand devices usually carried in his utility belts and assembled into his costume directly such as a cape that allowed him to glide vast distances Transportation: various devices most notably the Batmobile and Batcycles as well as other "bat" named vehicles; swinging under own power via grappling hooks in locale areas Weapons: Various. His most notable offensive were batarangs, though he did use various explosive devices

Trivia

 * Earth-Two Robin appears on the cover of and in a flashback in Infinite Crisis #3

Recommended Readings

 * Detective Comics and Batman in the 1930s and 40s
 * Crisis on Infinite Earths

Related Articles

 * Robin (Earth-Two) appearance list