Robbie Robertson

Personality
Cool, calm and level-headed, Joseph "Robbie" Robertson is a reliable and steadfast figure, especially when it comes to intervening with his hot-headed best friend. Much of Robbie's steadfast nature comes from overcoming the adversity in his past as a young Afro-American in his early years. He has a great deal of respect toward truth and responsability and tried to adhere to those beliefs without letting himself be blinded by anger and rage, namely as he had indirectly been a victim of the rage and anger of people who have been slighted. He tries to impart this cool-headed approach to things with the people close to him, such as his best friend, J. Jonah Jameson, his son Randy Robertson and even the new kid over in his employ, Peter Parker. He has a great deal of respect for honest work and for the working class, traits his more brash son inherited and took further than his father.

At the same time, Robbie is not without his faults. He is quite secretative about his past outside of hints of bullying along with rumors of a criminal background. Additionally, he can be a bit overprotective of his son and his younger colleagues though this was likely the result of his loss of his first child. And while he usually serves as the calm foil to JJJ, he can be just as harsh and short-tempered if extensively stressed enough though not many know what could stress him enough to lash out. Ultimately though, Robbie Robertson is a dependable and reliable man who helps keep the Daily Bugle running smoothly and hopes to leave a postive impact on the world.

Growing Up
Joseph "Robbie" Robertson was born on August 1, 1950 to Samuel and Alice Robertson in the neighborhood of Harlem in Manhatten, New York. Robbie grew up in a rough part of the neighborhood and sought to improve his lot in life through study and determination. At the same time, the prejudice he faced as a young black boy was a daily struggle to those endeavors. However, no other encounter in his childhood was more defining than his meeting with Lonnie. Mocked for his albinism, Lonnie became a ruthless punk who was able to intimidate even the teenagers of the neighborhood yet Robbie was the only one who never mocked him for his condition, inheriting his parents' kindness. He was repaid for his kindness by becoming Lonnie's "best friend." However, this friendship was an unhealthy one, consisting of Lonnie coercing Robbie into assisting him with schemes or assisting with classwork. At the same time, Lonnie genuinely considered himself Robbie's friend and maintained a twisted sense of loyalty to his only friend, even if the friendship was one based on fear and extortion. Despite this, Robbie was not above Lonnie's influence, seen as Robbie would get into street cases and escaped the police, earning him the nickname of "Rocket Robbie" from Lonnie, a reference to his speed. Ultimately though, the two went their seperate ways as Lonnie's crimes would be outed on the local paper and anonymously submitted by Robbie. The two parted ways over after graduation, with Robbie hoping never to see Lonnie again.

Despite Robbie having succeeded well in school, the prejudice of the time along with his record meant there were not many options and so instead he went and enlisted in the military and would end up fighting in the Vietnam War for a few years. His experiences there had changed him. Witnessing first hand the horror, he would also develop his instincts in reporting and following in the footsteps of catching the truth, reported many of his fellow privates for troublesome behavior and breaking the code of conduct. While he had some successes, the overall nature of Vietnam had shaken him up. However, his big success was in meeting a war correspondent who assisted him, J Jonah Jameson. The latter found a kindred spirit and hoped to meet him once more after the war. Returning from the war, Robbie managed to use the GI Bill to go over and study in Philedelphia at the university to earn his bachelor's degree in journalism. He hoped to recover from his truama though he would meet an old face. Lonnie. He witnessed the Afro-albino, all grown up and more menacing than ever proceed to murder an aquiantance of his. Truama prevented Robbie from reporting the incident and he was afraid Lonnie would come after him and kill him and his loved ones. For during his time, Robbie had met a new woman named Martha and the two would end up married after college. However, the young Patrick would end up dying only at six months old, leaving the new parents depressed and in a state of turmoil. Around this time though, Robbie would get some more troubling news, regarding the illness of his parents. As such, he moved he and his wife back home and to take care of his sick parents.

The Daily Bugle
Returning to New York, he became the first person to apply to the Daily Bugle following its purchase by Jameson Publications, back when the company's prospects were in doubt. J Jonah Jameson was impessed by him and offered him a promising job with good pay to help assist in his parents' last days. The two built a powerful friendship as they supported the other with the rebirth of the Daily Bugle and Robbie would manage to have a second son in the birth of Randolph Robertson. Alongside Jameson, he spearheaded the comeback of the Daily Bugle into prominence and helped covered many important events throughout history and served as a moderating influence on J. Jonah. Unlike his boss and best friend though, he was not hostile with the arrival of the mysterious new Spider-Man in New York City.

Trivia

 * Robbie has not informed anyone but his wife and J Jonah about his past with Lonnie. The former was compassionate and understanding while JJJ was grateful his friend trusted him to tell him such a thing. However, he has not yet told anyone about his witness to the murders committed by his former friend, the "Horror of Harlem."


 * Whenever J Jonah Jameson needs to take a leave of absence, either to spend time with his son or grieving of his wife, Robbie often took charge of the place. He is considered to be preferable in terms of personality and day-to-day affairs, but they note that JJJ was a more intimidating figure in certain aspects of his job.


 * Robbie considered Martin Luther King Jr an inspiration and thus influenced his more nonconfrontational path. He would pay tribute to his grave before returning over to Manhatten.


 * Robbie smokes like his best friend does, but rather than a cigae, it's a billiard pipe. According to Robbie, it was inherited from his father, who was willed it by a former employer of his when he was a boy. Robbie usually only smokes to accompany JJJ.


 * He also shows a strong case of civil rights and protection for all peoples, something also his son inherited though his son once joked his dad would freak out if he ever married a white woman.


 * Unlie JJJ, he has a nuanced and respectful view of Spider-Man, seeing him as someone trying to do the right thing, especially since the law is not perfect and can often be corrupt. Many note he is likely speaking from experience regarding this.
 * Robbie tends to be the one to keep JJJ from flipping his lid when things go awry, such as with Peter Parker and his pictures or whenever something else within the Bugle goes awry. Peter himself has noted that Robbie tends to know more than he lets on.