Robins’ Relationships with Winged Wonders

On twin Earths, two lads named Dick Grayson became sidekicks to their worlds’ Batmen, as Robin the Boy Wonder. Interestingly, relationships later formed between the Robins and two young men who the Batmen's next partners, Jason Todd and Jan Haasan.  

On Earth-One, Jason accidentally discovered the Bat Cave underneath Wayne Manor, and pieced together a uniform from fragments of Robin's older costume. Aiding the Dynamic Duo who were rounding up several criminals recruited by Joker to use against new Gotham City crime boss Killer Croc, Jason soon discovered that Croc had slain his parents whom Dick tasked them with spying on. The vengeful masked man-child Jason pummeled Croc until restrained by the heroes. 

On Earth-Two, Jan Haasan was an orphan of Holland, displaced after his parents were slain in the early days of World War II. Encountering the American masked man the Atom of the Justice Society, who was visiting his country to render aid to the Dutch people, Jan was motivated by the young hero's example to make a difference in the world. Soon after, Jan was recruited by Rick Carter into joining the Boy Commandos, combating evil in Europe and around the world.

Shortly after Bruce adopted Jason, Dick retired his costumes career as Robin and created a new alter ego as Nightwing, the alter originally created by Superman and his Kryptonian cousin in the Bottled City of Kandor. Following this, Dick passed along the mantle and alias of Robin to Jason, becoming a secondary mentor and role model to the new Boy Wonder. At least on Earth-One future timeline, Jason continued the legacy of Robin for years to come.

Decades earlier on a parallel planet, a now older Jan Haasen returned to America after reuniting with his family and having left the Boy Commandos. Now adopting the alter ego of Wingman, Jan sought training from Batman so that Haasen could become Holland’s first superhero. Initially, this caused a rivalry between Wingman and Robin, as Dick was a few years younger than Jan (whereas the other Dick was a few years older than Jason). This subsided after the men initially training together, when Dick discovered that Batman and Wingman had exchanged identities, with the “European” hero becoming more proficient than before. Robin came to the realization that  in the end, he was irreplaceable.

Interestingly, this experience seemed to solidify the Earth-Two Dick’s Robin as an alter ego he would keep as an adult, as there was another “wing” hero in Wingman. While the Earth-Two Dick felt liberated from his Robin also as now that another adopted that identity, motivating him into becoming a “wing” hero in Nightwing. Likewise, Grayson-One founded his own team of superheroes in the New Teen Titans to step outside Batman’s shadow, while Grayson-Two filled the vacancy in the Justice Society of America left vacant when Batman retired from crimefighting. And while Nightwing left behind his home town to become a protector of New York City, the adult Grayson-Robin assumed the role of guardian of Gotham City. Although the Grayson’s lady partners Batgirl and Huntress also helped.