Today’s Thrilling Adventure: Tim Drake Goes to Red Robin!
Red Robin: “If Bruce taught me anything, it’s that you have to have a game plan. For everything. Even for death.”
Batman: Battle For the Cowl
A boy examines a crime scene. A man will die tonight. Everyone’s heard the story: how he beat his wife to death with a baseball bat, destroying her body and wrecking the apartment. Textbook crime of passion. But something irks the boy. He recalls the police report while walking through the apartment.
He can trace the path of destruction by the dried blood. Destroyed furniture leads to the chalk outline. Every smart device is smashed. He feeds samples of the blood into a mobile analyzer. Moving furniture, he spots droplets beneath several pieces where it shouldn’t have run. A ding notifies him. Blood type O+. The wife had A-.
The boy puts it together. The wife destroyed the smart devices so there wouldn’t be a record. She wrecked the apartment and scattered the dead woman’s blood. The body was destroyed to fake her death. Had the wife murdered her or found a dead woman? Irrelevant for now. Red Robin runs for his motorcycle. He only has an hour to save an innocent man’s life.
Tim Drake is the forgotten middle child of the Bat-Family. He’s not as popular as the first two Robins or pushed by DC Comics as hard as Damian Wayne, but he’s got a few tricks up his sleeve. So who is he? How did he become Robin? Why does he share his name with a burger joint? Let’s find out.
Scene Select
Third Time’s The Charm: Tim Drake’s Backstory
Tim: “I never wanted this for myself… but I wanted Batman and Robin back together the way they should be. And if Dick won’t become Robin again… someone else has to!“
Batman #442 (1989)
Red Robin debuted in Batman #436 in 1989. He was created by Marv Wolfman and Pat Broderick.
Tim Drake was a lonely rich kid who witnessed The Flying Graysons’ final deadly performance. When Robin debuted, Tim recognized the acrobatic moves he was using from the circus and deduced that he was Dick Grayson. That revelation led to Tim figuring out that Batman was Bruce Wayne. He kept both secrets.
Batman spiraled after Robin left to become Nightwing and second Robin Jason Todd was murdered. Tim understood that Batman needed a Robin to balance him and convinced Bruce to give him a shot. After a year of grueling training, Batman reluctantly allowed him to become the third Robin.
Robin proved himself in the field, acting as a detective more often than a fighter. Batman slowly let him patrol solo, trusting Robin to be his own hero and call for back-up when needed.
Young Justice: Tim Drake’s History
Red Robin: “What did you think I was going to do? Run around trying to disarm all the bombs by myself? I’m not Batman. I have friends.”
Red Robin #12 (2009)
Robin was a mover and shaker among the younger generation of heroes. He formed Young Justice after working with Superboy and Kid Flash, later expanding to include a dozen other heroes. Tim also made time for Robin’s traditional work with the Teen Titans.
Spoiler was practically attached to Robin’s hip. He helped Stephanie Brown learn the ropes when she became a vigilante and fell in love with her. Tim Drake convinced Spoiler to take over as Robin after his father learned his secret identity and forbade him to be a hero. Tim was devastated when she died early.
Robin worked alongside Batgirl as both mourned their friend. Cassandra Cain was the perfect partner for their missions, acting as the brawn while he performed detective work that she struggled with. The duo became an even more effective trio after Spoiler came back to life.
Tim Drake had a close relationship with Nightwing and a tenuous bond with Red Hood after the murderous second Robin cooled down. Fourth Robin Damian Wayne proved a bigger challenge, constantly dismissing him because he wasn’t Bruce’s ‘blood son.’ Tim Drake left Gotham to fly solo, changing his identity to Red Robin as a way of maintaining his bond to the others.
Flight of the Red Robin: Tim Drake’s Powers and Personality
Red Robin: “No one dies on my watch.”
Harley Quinn #42 (2024)
Bat-training counts as a superpower, right? If not, then Red Robin has no superpowers, just like his four contemporaries. He’s a martial artist, acrobat, medic, and sleuth. Tim Drake matches Batman’s investigative skills and earned the title of “Detective” from immortal villain Ra’s al Ghul.
Tim Drake mastered two new tools as Robin: a bo staff and pants. He was the first Robin to wear a full pair of leggings instead of green short-shorts and the others thankfully followed his lead. His utility belt is stocked with Birdarangs, explosives, bolas, and every other Bat-tool Alfred packed.
Tim Drake is the Bat-Family’s quiet observer and peacemaker. He overworks assigned cases until even Batman tells him to sleep. Fortunately, Red Robin is powered by spite and coffee. Tim Drake is also the most invested in Batman and Robin’s legacy, planning to ensure that their story outlives them.
The Actors Who Play Him
Matthew Valencia – The New Batman Adventures
Cameron Bowen – Young Justice
Jay Lycurgo – Titans
Tara Strong – Batman: Gotham By Gaslight
Will Friedle – Batman: Ninja
Jack Giffin – Batman: Knightfall
Didya Get All That?
Red Robin is the World’s Next Greatest Detective
Image: Cameron Bowen, Mae Whitman, and Kelly Stables in Young Justice (2010)
Jared Bounacos has written for Movie Rewind since 2016.
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