Millions of Internet users have seen that viral meme of Robin getting slapped by Batman in DC Comics, and many meme generators have created their own versions of why this event happened. However, some may not know that Robin got his "revenge" on Batman and slapped him back long before the Internet circulated the meme.
The Batman slapping Robin panel surfaced in 1965 from World's Finest Comics #153 by Edmond Hamilton, Curt Swan, and George Klein, where the Dark Knight smacked the first Robin, Dick Grayson, across the face. Robin's slap appeared in the 1988 miniseries, Batman: The Cult #3, where Jason Todd is the one executing the slap. There, however, Bruce Wayne had been kidnapped and brainwashed by the deranged cult leader, Deacon Blackfire. After being held captive for an extensive time, The Cult #3 shows Batman recovering from the effects of his time under Blackfire's control.
The Cult #3 reveals a Batman whose departure from the cult resulted in him experiencing poor health, drug withdrawal, defeat, and a lengthy recovery period. Suffering from the effects of hallucinogenics and Blackfire's takeover of Gotham, Batman falling in and out of reality with an inability to control himself shows how much the mental strain has taken its toll on him. However, a call to the attention of Robin's presence issues a "revengeful" slap to Batman's face. The slap is done in a more effective manner than the meme panel as Robin seeks to help Batman bounce back to his usual self. In contrast, the fan-obsessed Batman slap from World's Finest was more derived from anger towards Dick Grayson's defense of Superman.
The rest of the story follows Batman and Robin's journey to taking down Blackfire and his cult following, with Batman quite literally getting slapped right back into reality. Batman confesses he is still facing his symptoms and a significant level of deflation caused by Blackfire, but Robin takes it upon himself to lead their quest for success. The sidekick's minor slap storyline essentially revives the hero and marks the starting point of Batman's recovery, even if it does not earn meme-worthiness from the Internet.
Although Robin's revengeful slap does not have the same viral impact of the original Batman slap meme, fans can thank The Cult #3 for giving audiences a remarkable comeback from Robin. Interestingly, Robin's "revenge" on Batman surfaced over thirty years before the Internet made Batman's Robin-slapping image canon. However, now it is clear that the slap does, in fact, go both ways.