Why is that in DC the fisrt Robin grew up n became Nightwing but Billy Batson is still around 12 years old?

Question

When is DC going to let Billy grew just a lillte bit. Him and Robin been around the same time yet Richard Grayson grew and Billy Batson didnt.

Answer 1

Somethng nobody else has mentioned so far-- when DC obtained the rights to Captain Marvel and the rest of the Fawcett characters, they had to account for the thirty year (or so) gap since his last appearance. So they introduced him with a story that had the entire Marvel Family placed into suspended animation by his all-time main bad guy Sivana. (Sivana put himself in sus-an, too, by mistake, the dope!) So that is one reason why Billy had not aged.

In the DC book after Crisis, Sivana was revealed to be Billy's uncle, and he sort of had a hand in Billy getting the powers. I thought Billy looked younger there than he had ever been shown before, like maybe nine. He sure didn't act like a twelve year old.

So, it's been around twenty years since then, Bily seems to have aged maybe seven years; a ratio of about one year for every three in real is about right for the comics. (except for the big gys like Superman and Batman.) But look at how long it took Dick Grayson to finish high school-- thirty years! and Jimmy Olsen took forever to get to 21. And don't get me started on the Legion of Super Heroes with their rule that they had to be teenaged. Try to tell me that they crammed all their adventures into seven years...?

10 JUNE 07, 2348 hrs, GMT.

Answer 2

Well, Billy started out in a completely different comic book company from DC.

Billy has been allowed to grow up a bit. He's closer to 16 now, and even had a brief relationship with Stargirl from the JSA. Sadly, Jay Garrick started to notice Captain Marvel having what seemed to be an unwholesome interest in Courtney. Rather than tell the JSA that he turns into a kid, Billy chose to break up with Stargirl.

Answer 3

The poster vpistov has it right.

If you read JSA, you will learn Billy Batson HAS aged, and he is now 16, and not 12.

Answer 4

Also, in the series Kingdom Come, which is supposed to be years and years into the future, Billy is portrayed as basically an adult, looking just like Captain Marvel.

Answer 5

I think it's important for BB to remain the eternal adolescent. Otherwise, the basic premise and contrast of a young powerless kid turning into a grown-up is diluted.

DC has tried to fix the continuity, but with different writers on different books, it will always be "loose".