Warning: contains spoilers for Robin #5!
In the latest issue of Robin, DC Comics finally gives the female Robin, Stephanie Brown, the respect that she deserves as a former sidekick of Batman. While Spoiler continues to operate as a member of the Bat-Family, Stephanie's brief time as Robin was complicated and has often been overlooked in retrospect, robbing her of the iconic status granted to others who operated under the alias. DC's Infinite Frontier era appears to be honoring its promise of all past continuity being relevant, with Stephanie seen among the collection of former Robins trying to convince Damian Wayne to return to Gotham in this issue.
Created by Chuck Dixon and the late Tom Lyle, Stephanie Brown first appeared in Detective Comics #647 as the daughter of the villain Cluemaster, becoming the Spoiler to help the police and Batman stop her father. She has often been depicted in an on-again, off-again relationship with Tim Drake constantly complicated by the duality of their costumed lifestyle. But when Tim retired, Stephanie appeared in the Batcave, demanding Batman train her as his next Robin. Despite his reservations, Bruce agreed and put her through months of training before she was allowed to operate in the field. Although she put in a valiant effort, it was implied Batman had only taken her on to tempt Tim to reconsider, and she was eventually fired for insubordination. Wanting to prove herself worthy, Stephanie accidentally initiated a Gotham-wide gang war that saw her captured and tortured by Black Mask, later dying from her injuries. This death was eventually retconned, and Stephanie operated as Batgirl before returning to the Spoiler identity during the New 52 era.
In Robin #5 by Joshua Williamson and Gleb Melnikov, Damian's participation in the League of Lazarus tournament is further interrupted by the appearance of Nightwing, Red Hood, Robin, and Spoiler. Annoyed that the former Robins don't trust him to do what's best, Damian challenges them to catch him before he'll explain himself. Stephanie tries to sympathize with him, stating she understands what it's like to be an outsider, but Damian just mocks her complicated relationship with Tim. But once Nightwing gets Damian talking, he casually refers to Stephanie as a Robin - something the comics had been reluctant to acknowledge prior to Infinite Frontier.
Contained to a single run and ignored in a long span of the comics since, Stephanie's time as Robin has been so overlooked that fans have even debated whether her tenure truly counts - despite her suiting up with Batman and foiling multiple villains. While Stephanie hasn't been the only female Robin in DC Comics, she's the only woman to canonically hold the role on Earth-0, DC's main reality. Unlike Jason Todd, Stephanie never received a memorial in the Batcave even when she was considered dead, but Robin #5 uses Dick Grayson, the original Robin, to set the record straight. Not only did Stephanie join the others to find Damian but even Damian, likely to be Batman's final Robin, acknowledged this, listing the unique qualities of the Robins and noting, "Spoiler is the bravest."
Having been denied that part of her backstory for so long, it's good to see DC Comics rescind a confusing, controversial, and often undeclared retcon that denies Stephanie the status she's earned. Although it was short-lived, Stephanie Brown proved herself worthy to be a Robin, and it's important that Infinite Frontier recognizes her as such without missing a beat.