Warning: contains spoilers for WEB of Spider-Man #1 and Batman: Urban Legends #4
As two of the most iconic comic book characters, Spider-Man and Robin have a lot in common. Both are young, wisecracking heroes who do everything they can to help those in need, but despite technically being a sidekick, new comics prove that DC's Boy Wonder is actually more heroic than Marvel’s Wall-Crawler.
WEB of Spider-Man #1 by Kevin Shinick and Alberto Albuquerque is a new series from Marvel that focuses more on Peter Parker than his heroic alter-ego. The issue has Peter working alongside several other young prodigies in the technical field, including Squirrel Girl and Harley Keener, who fans may remember from Iron Man 3 and a brief appearance at Tony Stark's funeral in the MCU. This makes sense since the issue states the team at WEB was organized by Tony Stark himself. However, things get complicated when the holograms of the various villains the team is studying suddenly come to life and attack the lab. Peter wants to help as Spider-Man, but feels the need to preserve his identity, forcing him to wait for an opportunity to change before jumping in. While this is a classic superhero conundrum, it ultimately proves Spidey isn’t as heroic as Robin.
Over in the world of DC, Batman: Urban Legends #4 by Meghan Fitzmartin and Belen Ortega has Tim Drake taking some much-deserved time off to see an old friend. Unfortunately, Gotham rarely lets its heroes take a break. While out at dinner, the restaurant Tim is at with his friend is attacked by an evil being called the Chaos Monster. In contrast to Peter, Tim doesn’t hesitate to engage the Chaos Monster out of costume and try to save the people in the restaurant. Although he winds up getting knocked out, the fact that Tim put his secret identity aside to try and save as many lives as he could is nothing short of heroic, and it's deeds like that that make Tim Drake DC's best Robin.
This isn’t to say Spider-Man is a coward by any means - Peter has proven time and again that he’s one of Marvel’s most upstanding heroes. However, the fact that he typically protects his identity first and people second does raise a problem. The time Peter takes to sneak away and find a secluded spot to change into his outfit might not seem like much, but it’s more than enough time for lives to be lost. Besides, it’s not like Iron Man’s team is untrustworthy, so Peter protecting his identity in front of them makes even less sense. Tim Drake, on the other hand, stands up to the immediate danger of the Chaos Monster despite being unequipped and underprepared. He’s willing to trade his identity and even his life in defense of the innocent.
As heroic as it seemed, one could also argue that Tim taking on the Chaos Monster without his gear was somewhat foolish, and that Peter taking time to get ready enables him to save more people in the long run. However, when lives are on the line, every second counts, and considering Spider-Man has powers with or without his suit, he really should take a page from Robin’s book.