Tim Drake

Publication history

Tim Drake was named after Tim Burton, director of the then-upcoming 1989 film, and introduced in 1989's Batman: Year Three and his origin detailed in Batman: A Lonely Place of Dying, in which he first introduced himself to Dick Grayson and impressed the former Robin with his skills. This led to Grayson and later Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne's butler, to support Tim's request to be Batman's new partner. Not wanting to make the same mistake as he did with Jason Todd, Batman had Tim endure an intensive period of training that was never given to his predecessors. Eventually, after Tim rescues Batman from Scarecrow, he proves his capability and becomes Robin. Batman editor Dennis O'Neil hoped that Grayson's approval of Drake would ease reader acceptance of him. Evidently, this approach was successful with the character being so accepted by readers that, after three successful miniseries, the character had his own 183-issue series from 1993 through 2009. Mike Mullins on Newsarama has stated:

Throughout [the entire Robin series], the character of Robin has been captured consistently, showing him to step up to greater and greater challenges. Robin is a character who shows initiative and is driven to do what he views as right. He knows he is living up to a legacy left by Dick Grayson and strives to not disappoint Bruce Wayne, Batman. Tim is a more natural detective than previous Robins and is talented with computers, which allows him to stand in his own unique spotlight. Unlike his predecessors, Tim is not the most proficient combatant and has had to really work on his fighting technique, taking up the bo staff to give him an edge that Batman does not need. Tim almost always seeks to analyze a problem and to outthink his opponent but has shown the ability to win a fight when necessary.

As Robin, the character has also been featured prominently in the Young Justice and 2003 Teen Titans series. As of June 2009, he took on the new identity of Red Robin, starring in yet another series by the same name.

Introduction

Tim Drake is the son of Jack Drake and Janet Drake, coming from the same social class as Bruce Wayne. When he was a young child, he visited the circus for the first time with his parents. The Drakes asked the Flying Graysons for a photo together, resulting in a momentary bond between Tim and Dick Grayson as they met for the first time.

By the age of nine, Drake had deduced the identities of Batman and Robin as Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson after witnessing a gymnastic move by Robin that he previously saw Grayson display in the Flying Graysons. Inspired by the heroes, Tim trained himself in martial arts, acrobatics, detective skills, and scholastics to better himself both physically and intellectually. When Tim reached the age of thirteen, he saw that Batman has grown reckless and violent following the second Robin (Jason Todd)'s murder by the Joker. After his mother's death and his father's paralysis, Drake decided to intervene and Batman eventually enlisted him as the third Robin.

Robin (1989–2009)

Before joining Batman as the third Robin, Tim Drake was given a modern redesign of the Robin costume and sent to train abroad with numerous masters to refine his martial arts. When Bruce Wayne retires after Knightfall, Robin goes solo to defend Gotham. Robin would eventually go on to co-star with other teenaged superheroes in Young Justice and Teen Titans. He also made guest appearances in other DC comic books such as Nightwing and Azrael.

Following the deaths of his father in Identity Crisis (2004), his best friend Superboy (Kon-El) in Infinite Crisis (2005–2006), and the presumed death of his girlfriend Stephanie Brown in Batman: War Games (2004–2005), Drake was relocated to Blüdhaven, the city where Nightwing fights crime, for a period of time in order to escape the "ghosts" of Gotham City and to stay close to his stepmother Dana Winters who was admitted into a Blüdhaven clinic after going into psychological shock over Jack Drake's murder at the hands of Captain Boomerang. Drake was then given another redesign of the Robin costume in the colors of Superboy's costume and was formally adopted by Bruce as his son, though this was undone with the arrival of the new 52 Comics where Drake's was changed drastically. Included in this change was the fact that his parents were now alive and well but in a Witness Protection Programme forcing Wayne to take him in as a ward

Once Dick takes over the role of Batman after Bruce's apparent death in Batman R.I.P. and Final Crisis, Dick fires Tim from the Robin mantle and gives it to Damian Wayne. Tim, still believing that his mentor is still alive, assumes the identity of Red Robin and leaves Gotham City to go on a worldwide search for Wayne.

Red Robin (2009–2011)

Red Robin, which was launched in late 2009, depicted Tim Drake's search to find evidence that Bruce Wayne was still alive after cutting himself off from the rest of the Bat Family. He was approached by Ra's al Ghul's assassins who were also interested in finding out what happened to Batman. At the same time, Tamara "Tam" Fox, Lucius Fox's daughter, has been sent to find Tim Drake to bring him back to Gotham. Tim goes to Iraq and manages to discover definitive proof that Bruce was alive and lost in time, but was ambushed by an assassin from the Council of Spiders. He manages to drive himself and Pru to Tam's hotel room, and they are promptly abducted by the League of Assassins. Although initially reluctant, he entered into an alliance with Ra's before nearly bleeding to death due to their encounter with the Council of Spiders. He was put in charge of the League of Assassins by Ra's and used the time to simultaneously plan how to stop the Council of Spiders and destroy the League of Assassins. After failing to foil all but one of the Council's assassination attempts, Tim realizes that the Council will be attacking the League's base, and realizes that he left Tam in danger at the base. Rushing back to base, he simultaneously manages to delay the Council of Spiders, blow up the League's base, and escape with Tam.

After crippling Ra's' League of Assassins, Drake returns to Gotham City to overthrow Ra's plans to use Hush (surgically altered to resemble Bruce Wayne) to gain control of the Wayne family resources and destroy all that Batman held dear by directing his assassins to target all of the Batman's associates. Realizing that these attacks are a smokescreen and that the real target is coercing Hush to sign away Wayne Enterprises, Red Robin decides to confront Ra's head on. He calls upon all of his friends to protect the various targets. Drake has since moved back to Gotham City and reestablished ties with his family and friends. After Bruce Wayne's return, Tim begins to aid his plans for expanding their mission globally with Batman, Inc. Tim is eventually appointed as the head of the newest incarnation of the Outsiders that now serve as Batman Inc.'s black-ops wing. Red Robin eventually rejoins the Teen Titans and takes over leadership from Wonder Girl. He remains as the team's leader during their climactic battle against Superboy-Prime and the new Legion of Doom.

Following an adventure with Blackbat where he faces Ra's al Ghul's sister, Tim stalks and attempts to kill a revived Captain Boomerang during the Brightest Day. Though Tim ultimately stops himself from killing Boomerang, he is chastised by Batman for his actions.

The New 52 (2011–2016)

As part of the New 52, Tim Drake (now a pseudonym) is seen in Teen Titans #1 (September 2011) as Red Robin, now sporting a new costume designed by Brett Booth. According to writer Scott Lobdell, many elements of Drake's history will remain canon. At the start of the series, Tim has been in a state of semi-retirement after his falling out with Batman, and uses his computer skills to fight crime over the internet in a manner similar to Oracle. He is also shown monitoring various teenaged superheroes, such as Static, Miss Martian, Solstice and Kid Flash. After being attacked by agents from the shadowy organization N.O.W.H.E.R.E., Tim dons a new Red Robin suit and returns to the world of crime fighting.

As Red Robin, Tim teams up with the mysterious and belligerent powerhouse thief known as Wonder Girl and the hyperactive speedster calling himself Kid Flash to stand a chance against his many enemies. This Teen Titans roster seems to have no ties to the previous Titans.

Teen Titans #0 revealed Tim Drake's new origin, showing a large departure from his original origin, removing his connections to Dick Grayson's origin story. In the New 52, Tim is a talented athlete and computer genius who comes close to discovering the Batman's identity but never totally figures it out. When Tim finds the Batman and gets rejected for the role of sidekick, he decides to bring the Batman to him, by hacking the Penguin's bank account and donating millions of dollars thus putting his family in danger. The Penguin's goons come after Tim and his family, but the Batman saves them. Tim's parents are forced to go into witness protection, but they believe Tim deserves better and ask Bruce to take care of him for them. The Witness Protection Program renames him "Tim Drake," and he takes on the identity of "Red Robin", rather than the identity of "Robin", out of respect to Jason Todd.

In recent issues he is shown to be a founding member of the Teen Titans as well as their leader. He shows feelings for Wonder Girl.

Tim was unwilling to meet with rest of the Bat-Family at the Batcave after he was infected with the Joker's new compound "HA". He was present when Damian was killed by The Heretic and admitted to Bruce that even though he had a dysfunctional relationship with Damian that he did grieve for him. He was also at the final battle between Batman and The Heretic when Talia killed her son's clone and blew up Wayne Tower.

Tim was also part of the Bat-Family's assembled team which went to Apokolips to retrieve Damian's body. As their mission focused on retrieving Robin, Tim, Jason, and Barbara wore costumes which resembled Damian's colors and each wore a Robin symbol. Following the completion of their mission and the revival of Damian he handed him the Robin symbol on his suit to welcome Damian back to life and to the role of Robin.

In the pre-Convergence timeline of Futures End, Refuges from Earth-2 are given a signal from Brother Eye, which allow them into the Earth-0 Universe, but start a war when Darkseid follows them, leading to the deaths of the Teen Titans, except for Drake. Tim abandons his Red Robin mantle and becomes a bartender until an attack by Braniac, where changes to the timeline are made. Brainiac is captured, and Terry McGinnis dies at the hands of Brother Eye's Batman-Joker hybrid. Tim dons the Batman Beyond suit and goes back in time and prevents Brother Eye from sending the signal to Earth-2, creating a new future where there is less destruction, and the events of Convergence and everything afterwords take place. Tim is launched into the new future, 35 years later, where he becomes the new Batman and destroys a weakened Brother Eye.

DC Rebirth (2016–present)

In Rebirth, Tim Drake, still going with the Red Robin alias, is now a part of Batman and Batwoman's team in Detective Comics with Orphan, Spoiler, and Clayface. He gains a new and third overall Red Robin suit which is very similar to his first Robin suit except with two "R"s as his logo instead of one. Tim, Orphan, Spoiler, and Clayface are being trained as a group by Batman and Batwoman, who are preparing them for the upcoming enemies known as the Colonists. The Colonists are revealed to be a military group under the command of Batwoman's father, Jake Kane, who have modeled themselves after Batman in a more violent matter. After the team rescues Batman and Tim hacks their database to discover their plans, Jake sends two waves of Bat-Drones to take down the "League of Shadows," which will kill hundreds of innocents in the process. As his other teammates evacuate the locations the drones were sent to, Tim hacks the drone's mission directive to make himself the sole target, knowing that the drones will stop once the target is eliminated.

While Tim manages to take down the first wave of drones, he is apparently killed by the second wave, devastating the Bat family and his former Teen Titans teammates. Prior to the mission, Tim was accepted to receive a genius grant from Ivy University, and planned to study there after defeating the Colonists. However, just before Tim was blasted by the second wave, he is teleported to an unknown place by Mister Oz and kept prisoner. Tim swore that his friends will find him.

Combat skills

The most intellectually gifted of the Robins. Prior to becoming Robin, Tim Drake had trained himself in martial arts including judo and karate in addition gymnastics; he later furthered his trainings after becoming Robin, being taught by numerous teachers including Batman, Dick Grayson, and Lady Shiva. Though he has been bested and beaten by other members of the Batfamily; notably Jason and Damian [the former left him for dead], he is shown to be a calculating and cunning combatant. His weapon of choice is the bo staff. Tim was able to fend off several notorious assassins from the Council of Spiders at once while protecting Tam Fox and also in the end game of his plan to destroy several League of Assassins bases; earning commendation from Ra's al Ghul himself who was watching the fight from afar. He managed to survive a potentially fatal encounter with Jason Todd [Red Hood] in Battle for the Cowl by pretending to be dead [playing possum]. He was then ultimately rescued by Robin Damian Wayne. He is also inoculated against several toxins the Batman Family has encountered, including Joker Venom, Scarecrow's Fear Toxin, and some of Poison Ivy's pheromones.

Other skills

Drake's intellect has allowed him to deduce a majority of other heroes' identities including Flash and Superman. In addition, after foiling Ra's al Ghul's master plan to assassinate everyone Bruce Wayne cared about and ruining the Wayne Family fortune, Ra's has addressed Tim as "Detective", a title the villain once only reserved for Bruce Wayne. His intellect has enabled him to excel in computer science and a grasp of assorted scientific techniques, including biology, engineering, and genetics, which he has been shown to use in his attempts at re-cloning Superboy. Tim also speaks several languages beyond his native English, including Cantonese, Russian, Spanish and German.

Drake, like Dick Grayson, has served as leader to the Teen Titans, as well as Young Justice, and was even placed in charge of the rescue efforts of Blüdhaven by Superman, following the attack made by Deathstroke and his fellow villains.

Costumes

Tim Drake's original Robin costume had a red torso, yellow stitching and belt, black boots, green short sleeves, gloves, and pants,. He wore a cape that was black on the outside and yellow on the inside. This costume was different from that of his predecessors in that it provided increased protection with an armored tunic and gorget, long boots, an emergency "R" shuriken on his chest in addition to the traditional batarangs, and a collapsible bo staff as the character's primary weapon.

Following Infinite Crisis and 52, Tim Drake modified his costume to favor a mostly red and black color scheme in tribute to his best friend, Superboy (Kon-El), who died fighting Earth-Prime Superboy. This Robin costume had a red torso, long sleeves, and pants with a cape that was black on the outside and yellow on the inside. It also had yellow stitching and belt, and black domino mask, gloves, and boots.

Tim Drake resumed the motif of a red and black costume when he took on the identity of Red Robin. The Red Robin costume consisted of a long-sleeved red tunic, along with black boots, tights, gloves, cape and cowl. It also included a black-and-gold utility belt that carries Drake's weaponry such as his bo staff and throwing discs. After Drake's confrontation with Ra's al Ghul in Red Robin #12, the costume was slightly altered with spiked gauntlets, a cropped tunic, and a new utility belt.

The theme of a red and black costume continued in 2011 with Tim Drake's New 52 Red Robin outfit. The costume was altered considerably, as it was a single piece red and black costume, with assorted belts on his waist and legs. The full cowl was replaced with a black domino mask, similar to his previous two Robin costume designs. His chest harness was attached to a set of rocket powered wings, designed by Virgil Hawkins a.k.a. Static, that allow Red Robin the ability of flight. He continued to use his bo staff and other assorted equipment.

In the 2016 DC Rebirth relaunch, Tim Drake maintains the role of Red Robin. This Red Robin costume serves as a homage to his first Robin costume. His costume is returned to a similar look as his original Robin costume consisting of a red torso, yellow utility belt, black pants, and green short sleeves, gloves, and boots. He also has new cape that is black on the outside and yellow on the inside similar to the Robin cape. While his Red Robin suit is similar to his first Robin suit, it has two "R"s as his logo instead of one, to show that he is no longer Robin and now Red Robin. The mask is similar to his New 52 domino mask except green. His bo-staff remains his primary weapon.

Batman Beyond

Set after the events of Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, Tim Drake serves as a supporting character in the ongoing Batman Beyond comic book series. It is suggested that, after a series of examinations, he is freed from the Joker's control, although the experience has left him with doubts and remain struggling to keep his sanity intact. His wife is revealed to have been aware of her husband's heroic and tortured past, and implied to have met Tim and his former mentor at some point before he retires as Robin.

Bruce has offered Tim a job in his company, which he accepted, after he merged it with Lucius Fox Jr.'s company Foxteca and renamed the company Wayne Incorporated, on the condition that Tim will not get himself involved with the superheroic activities Bruce, Terry or the JLU and Bruce would pay for his children's college tuition.

Titans Tomorrow

In the "Titans Tomorrow" story arc during writer Geoff Johns' run on Teen Titans, Robin and the rest of the team encounter future versions of themselves from a time after all of their mentors have been killed. As a brutal new Batman, Tim Drake personally hunted down every member of his mentor's Rogues Gallery, turning Arkham Asylum into a cemetery filled with the graves of the original Batman's enemies, whom Tim killed using the same pistol that Joe Chill used to murder Thomas and Martha Wayne when Bruce was a child. Tim had difficulty accepting that he could ever adopt such brutal methods as the direct successor to Batman, who always maintained a strict policy against murder. In a final battle culminating in both present and future Titans colliding, the battle ends in a stalemate. Using a Cosmic Treadmill in the adult Tim's Batcave, Robin and his team return home to contemplate the future they've seen.

Injustice: Gods Among Us

In this reality based off the video game of the same name, Tim Drake was a new member of the Teen Titans as Red Robin at the time the Joker's nuclear explosion went off in Metropolis. The Titans tracked down Superboy to the Fortress of Solitude where he attempted to stop Superman. Tim tries lifting the Phantom Zone projector, but cannot because Superman placed a safety cap that weighs a hundred tons. When Superboy is mortally wounded, Tim and the other Titans are sent by Superman to the Phantom Zone.

DC Bombshells

Tim Drake appears in the DC Bombshells continuity as a former prisoner of Katherine-Webb Kane's orphanage, where he and the others were forced to build robots for Axis supporters. He is eventually rescued by the Batgirls, whom he joins afterwards, wearing a baseball costume similar to his Robin costume on the main earth. He appears close to Alysia Yeoh.

The New 52: Futures End and Batman Beyond

In the Futures End series, an older Tim Drake takes the role of Batman after Terry McGinnis dies. In 2015 Drake stars in the new Batman Beyond series. In the series, Tim Drake faked his death during the war between Earth Prime and Earth-2 and became a bar owner by the name of Cal Corcoran. He assisted Terry McGinnis who had come back through time to prevent the creation of Brother Eye. After Terry was killed in action defending Drake from Brother Eye's Batman/Joker Hybrid (a Brother Eye-controlled fusion of Batman and Joker from Terry's timeline) he passed on his futuristic Batsuit to Tim and in his dying wish asked him to become the new Batman and go back through time to prevent the war between Prime Earth and Earth 2, which he believed will prevent the creation of Brother Eye.

He successfully travels back through time 5 years using a time band and convinces Brother Eye to not send a beacon to attract the surviving hero's of Earth-2 thus preventing the war with Earth 2. Following the completion of his mission Brother Eye sends Tim back to Terry's timeline hoping to find Terry alive so he can return the Batsuit to him. However what he finds is still same future Terry came from realizing that Terrifitech is a constant and Brother Eye cannot be defeated in the past Tim declares that Brother Eye has not won yet.

A few days later Tim stops a break in at a Wayne-Powers facility by Jokers who attempt to steal a critical component that keeps Brother Eye from detecting Gotham City. He later meets up with Terry's brother Matt who is angry at Tim for wearing his brother's costume and in private declares that he should have been the one who succeed Terry as Batman.

Following the meeting Tim heads outside Gotham City to an interment camp that holding all people captured by Brother Eye. Before he can break into the facility he is attacked by a Brother Eye converted Superman who attempts to kill him. Knowing he cannot kill Superman A.L.F.R.E.D overloads the Batsuits power reserves, temporally injuring Superman. As a result, the Batsuit deactivates itself leaving Tim in his civilian attire and defenceless against Brother Eye's army. He is then captured and placed in a detention center where he meets Terry's friend Max Gibson and to his surprise Barbara Gordon.

However following DC's Rebirth Terry McGinnis is back to life and has once again taken the mantle of Batman Beyond.

Television

DC Animated Universe

Tim Drake makes his animated debut as the second incarnation of Robin in the DCAU, with Robin initially voiced by Mathew Valencia (in The New Batman Adventures and Superman: The Animated Series) and later by Eli Marienthal (in Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman) and Shane Sweet (in Static Shock), whereas Tim Drake's adult form is voiced by Dean Stockwell (in Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker).

Film

Video games

Lego series

Arkham series

The Tim Drake incarnation of Robin appears in the Batman: Arkham series, where he is voiced by Troy Baker (in Arkham City), Matthew Mercer (in Arkham Knight), and Tom Austen (in Arkham VR).

Collected editions

In 1993, a few years after his debut as Robin, DC launched a monthly solo series featuring Tim Drake's adventures as Robin, with Batman appearing as a supporting character. The series ended in February 2009 with issue #183 following the events of Batman: RIP and Final Crisis. Starting in August 2009, Drake starred in a new series, Red Robin. He has also starred in some miniseries and one-shots. This material has been collected as follows:

Other collected editions