Carrie Kelley
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Caroline Keene "Carrie" Kelly is a character from Frank Miller's graphic novels Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (1986) and its sequel Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again (2001). She becomes the new Robin in D.K.R. when she saves Batman's life. Later in D.K.S.A., she adopts the identity Catgirl. She was the first female Robin in the history of the Batman franchise.
Contents |
Roles
The Dark Knight Returns
Kelly's first appearance was in the critically-acclaimed graphic novel The Dark Knight Returns. Kelly was a thirteen year old schoolgirl and scout whom Batman saved from muggers on the night of his return from retirement. She then spent her lunch money on a Robin outfit and set out to attack petty con-men and to find Batman. Kelly used a slingshot and firecrackers as weapons. She also wore green-tinted sunglasses.
Batman accepted her as Robin when she saved his life just as he was on the verge of being killed by an enemy. He often threatened to fire her but she showed considerable ability and improvisation which impressed him enough to give her a stay of dismissal even when she disobeyed his orders.
In the series, Jason Todd's death had led to the Dark Knight's retirement, but Batman still accepted Kelly as a sidekick. The police, now led by newly-appointed Commissioner Ellen Yindel, took a very poor attitude to Batman and his methods and issued a warrant for his arrest. When she saw Batman with a young child leaping in mid-air and barely catching a passing hang-glider, Yindel added child endangerment to the growing list of charges against Batman.
As Robin, Carrie played a crucial part in tracking down and confronting the Joker who, at a fairground, had poisoned several children and planted a bomb on a roller coaster. While Batman went after his age-old nemesis, Carrie managed to dispose of the bomb but got into a tangle with Fat Abner, the Joker's accomplice. As they grappled together, Abner suddenly fell and was killed, driving Carrie momentarily into shock.
Unnerved by Batman's activities, the US government sent Superman to bring him down. As the big battle was about to start, Carrie delayed Superman's arrival using the tank-like Batmobile and a slingshot, to which the Man of Steel simply replied "Isn't tonight a school night?"
Using a variety of powerful weapons, including self-made Kryptonite, Batman managed to defeat Superman but died in the process. It later emerged that he had faked his own death and Carrie unearthed him from his grave soon after he revived. They then went literally underground in the Batcave where, with Green Arrow, they set about training various teenage street gangs into an army that was to deal with "worse than thieves and murderers".
Unlike the previous Robins, Kelly is not an orphan, but she appears to have rather neglectful parents who are never actually seen — one of them mutters "Didn't we have a kid?" while their daughter is witnessing the fierce battle between Batman and the Mutants. It is hinted through their dialogue that they were once activists and possibly yippies during the 1960s, but have since become apathetic stoners.
The Dark Knight Strikes Again
In The Dark Knight Strikes Again, Miller's sequel to D.K.R., Kelly was sixteen and called herself Catgirl. She still remained Batman's able second-in-command. She wore a skin-tight cat costume with a leopard pattern, and was now trained extensively in combat. Her equipment included motorised rollerskates and an arm cannon that fired batarangs.
Catgirl's main duty was to oversee an army of "batboys" to help save the world from a police-state dictatorship, led by Lex Luthor and Brainiac. She led them into battle, liberating imprisoned heroes such as the Atom and Flash. But she also caused serious injury to a Batboy who had over-exceeded his orders and maimed and killed a couple of police officers. She beat him up and told the others to treat him but not bother with anesthetic. Once she was alone however she broke down in tears but was offered a comforting hand by Batman — Dick Grayson refers to her as "The daughter (Batman) never had" but also as "jailbait", a term used to describe a potential sexual partner who is underage.
Carrie attempted to kill the new Joker with arrows, thermite, acid and C4. However he still returned to make an attempt on her life, turning out to be a now homicidal Dick Grayson, who resented her because he had been shoddily treated and dumped by Batman. Her lips were badly lacerated in the fight. Thinking that she was about to die, she told Batman that she loved him, with Batman later reflecting that he felt the same. It is unclear whether this was in a sexual or paternal sense.
She was rescued by Ralph Dibny while Grayson was killed by Batman.
Impact
- Kelly was the first female Robin, though the stories in which she appeared were never canonical; the first girl Robin in the canon stories would be Stephanie Brown, aka Spoiler.
- In a scene in Teen Titans Vol. 3, #18, when the Titans were transported 10 years into the future, we are shown a graveyard full of deceased Batman allies and villains. One tombstone reads "Carrie Kelley".
- In the Alex Ross-illustrated Kingdom Come graphic novel, Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman meet for lunch in a superhero-inspired restaurant. They are served by a waitress dressed as Robin who may have been modeled on Carrie Kelley. When she arrives at the trio's table to take their order, she welcomes them to the restaurant and introduces herself by saying "Hi, I'm Robin", to which Batman dryly replies "Of course you are."
- In Catwoman Vol.1 #14, Broken Mirrors, the story ends with Catwoman in a room full of broken mirrors that show alternate lives of Selina Kyle, alternate destinies, and broken reflections and refractions of Catwoman. An adult version of Carrie is seen looking back through the mirror at Selina, evidently just as surprised. However, this story was wiped from continuity by the Zero Hour event.[citation needed]
- The character has also crossed over to a Marvel comic, New Mutants, as a background character. She can be seen in one of the Mojo stories watching the circus with her best friend.
Other Media
- In The New Batman Adventures episode "Legends of the Dark Knight", a girl named Carrie, who closely resembles Carrie Kelley, is one of three children telling their interpretations of Batman . The story she tells is similar to the scene in which Batman battles the mutants in Frank Miller's Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, and includes herself as Carrie/Robin. She is voiced by Anndi McAfee.
