Richard "Dick" Grayson was born to circus aerlists John and Mary Grayson. Dick Grayson joined his parents in their trapeze act, the Flying Graysons, which was part of the small traveling Haly Circus. Under pressure to pay protection money to a local mobster, "Boss" Zucco, the circus owners refused. Enraged, Zucco decided to intimidate the circus owners by killing their most successful act, the Flying Graysons. Zucco had the trapeze and safety nets cut which killed John and Mary Grayson.

Millionare playboy Bruce Wayne was in the audience and watched the Grayson's death happen. Some later versions state Wayne was investigating Zucco activities at the circus but was unaware of the extent Zucco was already involved.

Dick blamed the deaths on Zucco from conversations he overheard. Bruce recognized a similar tragedy in his own earlier life and decided to take Dick in. Deciding to channel Dicks rage and grief into action, and partially protect Dick from Zucco, Wayne began training Dick in further more extensive acrobats and fighting techniques. When Bruce felt Dick was ready to use his skills, he gave him the costumed identity of Robin, the Boy Wonder.

As Robin, the junior partner of Batman, Dick would fight against many powerful villians including the Joker, Penguin, Two-Face, Basil Karlo the first Clayface.

As Dick became older, he face his own villians including No-Face and several others including several of the earlier Batman rogues. Dick would continue as Batman's partner until Bruce retired from the role despite gaps such as when Dick left for college.

As Dick Grayson, he became a full partner in the law firm of Cranston and Grayson (later Cranston, Grayson and Wayne upon Bruce's daughter Helena joining). It was as the prominent lawyer that Dick became elected to serve as Ambassador for the United States to South Africa. Dick would continue to be active as Robin for most of the intervening years. After the death of Bruce Wayne, Dick reconsiders his earlier decision and thinks to re-adopt the Batman role but Helena convinces him not to do so. "There was only one man who could be the Batman, Dick, and my father is dead. We can carry on his work-you as Robin, me as the Huntress…but the Batman is dead. Only legends live forever…not the men who make them."

Dick would assume the identity of Batman in one known occasion against the Joker, who resumed his rampage upon hearing of the death of Batman (Bruce Wayne). Dick assumed the role of Batman without indicating that he was not the original.

After that Joker case, Dick completely retired from the Batman role, preferring to remain Robin. Dick's original feelings against successors to the Batman role would resurface when the Batman of Earth-One came to Earth-Two and Dick would express his feelings of failing in the role of successor and against anyone else being Batman for the first time. But Dick later came to accept the Earth-One Batman as his own person rather than as imitation of his long-dead friend.

On many occasions Dick performed as the senior partner of the new "Dynamic Duo" which consisted of himself and Wayne's daughter Helena in her role as the Huntress, as well as alone.

Robin in his role as attorney Dick Grayson prosecuted a case against the Justice Society of America, based on a diary written by Batman prior to his demise, indicating that the team were collaborators with the Nazi regime. During the legal proceedings, his opponent in the court room was Helena, who defended the team. Dick later learned that the diary pointed towards a plot by the time traveling villain Per Degaton, and thwarted him prior to Degaton's suicide.

Robin and Huntress both took part in several battles of the Crisis on Infinite Earths and joined the battle at the "Dawn of Time" against the Anti-Monitor and were thus saved from annihilation when history of the multiverse was destroyed, leaving only the singular New Earth and their own history and Earth-Two was wiped out of existence.

During one of the last battles of the Crisis confronting the Anti-Monitor's shadow demons, whose mere touch could destroy positive matter, attacked trapping the Huntress under rubble from a collapsed building. Robin went to her rescue while Kole of the Teen Titans erected a crystal dome to protect them. The effort failed and all three were reduced to ash. The Batman of Earth-One, Mary Marvel, and Jason Todd found the remains.