Reverse Robins has never appealed to me or even occured to me because it just doesn’t make sense anyway? There’s no Robin without Dick! Anyway. If we did humour this idea, I personally think it’s quite clear that Dick would be the beloved youngest child & baby of the family that everyone dotes on!
Like yes, Damian would be hard on him but 100% also Papa Bear Big Bro who absolutely does not allow anyone to mess with his youngest brother. He would be a stern Batman to Dick’s Robin, but also capable of observing, acknowledging, and respecting Dick’s natural talents.
He would probably initially criticise Dick’s exuberance out on the streets before realising that… this is exactly what Robin needs to be, specifically to his version of Batman that is even more ruthless than the original. This is a Robin who leads by example in softening his Batman, and balancing him out. This is a Robin who can help him take on Bruce Wayne's mantle in a way that Damian thinks would make Father proud of him.
Tim would also be a very sweet big brother because — literally nothing about his personality indicates he’d be otherwise, lbr. 🧐 He would take Dick out for ice cream and movies and bring him fun new age-appropriate books and show him the Robin ropes, the stuff that Damian would leave Dick to figure out himself — and which Dick could definitely do, but there’s nothing wrong with teaching and taking someone under your wing, which Tim does. They would have playful fisticuffs, mostly because Tim realises that Dick's early start as an acrobat has made him faster and more agile than him in a way that he is never going to be able to catch up on, so he is not even going to try fighting this kid for real.
Bonus: Having Dick as an intercedent actually improves Tim’s tense dynamic with Damian, because secretly, neither of them want to disappoint Dick. That being said, they do definitely both get snippy about who gets to spend more time with their baby brother.
Jason would be interesting in this scenario as the one closest in age to Dick. I could absolutely see him being a bit of a typical older brother in being rough/aggressive and maybe a touch mean but only because he is allowed to (as a big brother).
Anyone trying to upset lil Dickie will quickly get either a metaphorical or literal fist in their face. I think Jason would also be the actually fun brother, though, when he isn’t busy trying to get Dick in a headlock. By “fun” I mean crazy cape stuff like parkour off of Gotham’s tallest skyscrapers, which Dick absolutely finds thrilling.
Alfred would find his stiff British upper lip and typical British awkwardness dissolving in the face of this extremely effusive child. He has always been quietly affectionate in his own “acts of service” way to the other Robins, but Dick’s charm and optimism are just something else altogether.
And Bruce would 100% spoil Dick rotten and be pretty obvious about considering Dick his favourite (sorry I don’t make the rules).
He would smile a lot more, and realise that he enjoys hugs, actually.
He would allow himself be dragged out trick or treating with Dick and agree to stay home with him during a severe thunderstorm to build a fort in the Wayne Manor sitting room.
Bruce, as Batman, would even allow himself to get roped into Dick’s notion of having a Batfamily game of capture the flag out in Gotham during a quieter night in the city.
He would have a Robin who actually understands that when Bruce’s mood turns dark in the fall, it is because the anniversary of Martha & Thomas Wayne’s death is approaching. Robin quietly slips his hand into Batman’s when they’re up on a building, looking down on a city, and Bruce knows that he has somehow found a kindred spirit, after all these years, one who reminds him that he’s just a human man stuck in a moment of being a helpless 8 year old.
Just as Dick, as Robin, softened Damian, he also softens Bruce. And just as Dick helps Tim and Damian reach an understanding, he also helps Bruce and Damian find the connection as father-and-son that they always yearned for but could never quite get a handle on.
In turn, Dick wouldn’t just have Bruce to lean on after his parents die, someone to look up to and admire and have a lot of fun with as Robin… but a whole new found family of brothers with their individual quirks and flaws.
What he doesn’t realise is that he’s the glue that actually made them into a family… and not just a revolving door of people coming through the Batcave.
