Tim Drake

Disambiguation

Tim Drake was the 3rd Robin, currently operating under the alias of Red Robin. For others who’ve taken on the mantle of Robin, visit the following page: Robin.

Current Events

In Rebirth, Tim joins a team lead by Batman & Batwoman, consisting of himself, Spoiler, Orphan, and Clayface to fight a new deadly threat in Gotham that is targeting them.

Origin

Original Origin

Tim Drake is the son of Jack and Janet Drake. When he was a child, he visited the circus with his parents and managed to get a photo with the Graysons before the show. That night, Tim met Dick Grayson before the young acrobat’s parents were assassinated.

Tim Drake had followed Batman and Robin’s career ever since the murder of the Flying Graysons. One day, he saw the original Robin on television performing a move he had seen Dick Grayson perform at the circus; he quickly made the connection that Dick Grayson was Robin, and after learning that Dick Grayson was the ward of Bruce Wayne, he realized that Bruce Wayne was Batman.

After the death of Jason Todd, Batman grew more violent and reckless. Tim noticed that this wasn’t in Batman’s true character, and he sought Dick’s help. At this time, Dick was going by the code-name Nightwing. Tim tried to convince Dick to retake the mantle of Robin, saying it was the only way to keep Batman sane. Dick partially agreed to this, but said that he would only help Batman as Nightwing. Tim did not like Dick’s decision, maintaining that Batman needed a Robin. Eventually, he was able to get Alfred to assist in altering the Robin costume so that he could help Batman himself. Alfred and Dick gave Tim their approval as the new Robin, but only so he could keep Batman sane. However, Batman protested that he did not want a new partner, while noting Tim’s potential. Eventually, Batman accepted Tim as Robin under one condition: Tim had to endure physical and mental training before he could become Robin so that he would not suffer the same fate as Jason Todd.

While Tim was training, his parents were kidnapped. Tim continued to focus on his work and foiled the plans of a hacker thief. Meanwhile, Batman went to rescue Tim’s parents. However, Batman arrived too late. They had been poisoned — his mother killed, and his father in a coma. Batman worried the tragedy might cloud Tim’s mind with thoughts of revenge, but he was reassured when Tim saved Batman and Vicki Vale from the Scarecrow. Afterwards, Batman allowed Tim to take on the mantle of the Boy Wonder, and gave him a modernized version of the costume.

New 52 Origin

In the New 52, Tim uncovered the identity of Batman, but pretended to have failed. Feigning defeat, and eager to get Batman’s attention once more, he stole $100 million from the Penguin, giving the money to those less fortunate. When the Penguin realized this, he sent assassins to kill Tim and his family, but he is saved by Batman. Tim’s parents are put into witness protection, and Tim is put in the care of Batman. Adopting the name Red Robin, Tim becomes Batman’s partner.

Creation

Tim Drake was created by Marv Wolfman and Pat Broderick. He made his debut as Tim Drake in Batman #436, but in a flash back as a child in the audience when Dick Grayson’s parents died. His next appearance was in 1989’s A Death in the Family. He become the third character to take up the Robin mantle in Batman #442.

After the events of Battle For The Cowl, Tim Drake became Red Robin in Red Robin #1.

Character Evolution

After figuring out the identities of Batman and Robin and earning the respect of Dick Grayson and Alfred Pennyworth, and Jason Todd’s death left the Dark Knight reckless and in need of anchoring, Tim Drake convinced him to take him on as the third Robin.

Tim was always more similar to Bruce than Dick and Jason were, and as he grew under Batman’s tutelage, their commonalities became more pronounced. Tim, as Robin, became a masterful detective and crime fighter; he learned to out-think the many criminals that plagued the streets of Gotham.

As Robin, Tim was a member of Young Justice and leader of the Teen Titans. It was during his tenure teamed with other young heroes that he learned valuable lessons that Bruce could never have taught him, such as the importance of friends. He forged many long-lasting relationships, most notably with Superboy.

After the death of his father during Identity Crisis, and his best friend during Infinite Crisis, Robin left Gotham City for stint in Bludhaven. It was during this time that Tim, immersed in grief, sought to re-clone his friend and donned a new costume in homage to Conner.

Upon his return to Gotham City, Tim was formally adopted by Bruce. He continued to operate as Robin in Gotham City right up until Batman’s apparent death in Final Crisis.

After the events of Battle for the Cowl, Tim abandoned the Robin identity — leaving it to Damian Wayne — and set out on a global search for his mentor as Red Robin. The choice to don the Red Robin was deliberate as he knew he’d have to cross lines that Robin couldn’t. The reputation of Red Robin was already tarnished by the now-forsaken Jason Todd, and thus Tim knew that, should he be caught, he wouldn’t be traced back to Dick, Damian or Alfred who were all still fighting Bruce’s fight in Gotham.

As Red Robin, Tim became a reluctant ally of Ra’s al Ghul, who was also interested in discovering what truly happened to Batman. During a trip to Iraq, Tim discovered definitive proof that Bruce was trapped in the time stream. Soon after, he was visited by a recently revived Conner Kent, who proved to be the only person, outside of the League of Assassins, who had faith in Tim’s expedition to find Bruce alive.

Tim, still wearing the cowl of Red Robin, returned to Gotham City to engage Ra’s and to stop the assassination of those dear to the Bat-Family. Tim, in a move that Bruce would never have made, calls upon his closest allies to protect various persons targeted by Ra’s. With his friends stifling the assassinations, Tim engaged Ra’s head-on in battle, who signaled Tim’s growth under Batman’s shadow by referring to him as “Detective” — a nickname he usually reserved for the World’s Greatest.

Tim then moved back to Gotham, set up a base of operations and learned to embrace the identity of Red Robin, realizing that he had brought honor to the name and costume. Upon Bruce’s return, Red Robin was operating as leader of the Outsider’s and a member of Batman, Inc.

As Robin, the Teen Wonder

Tim was an excellent detective, however he was missing an important skill: martial arts. Right after Batman gave Tim the Robin mantle, he sent him to Paris to learn fighting skills from a master martial artist, Rahul Lama. He would learn healing techniques from the old master while learning martial arts from his grandson. Tim noticed an organized crime group lead by King Snake, so he decided to try and stop them. However, Lady Shiva had been pursuing King Snake also, and she discovers the potential that Tim had in martial arts. Lady Shiva takes Tim in and decides to train him herself. She also offered to teach him how to use only one weapon of his choice. Tim chose the bo staff because it was the least deadliest weapon. Nearing the end of his training, Lady Shiva and Tim had a sparring match in which Tim defeats her with the bo staff. Shiva then presents Tim with a gift. It is a retractable bo staff that he could conceal. King Snake planned to release a plague, but he was stopped by Tim and Lady Shiva. While King Snake was hanging onto the building helplessly, Shiva orders Tim to kill him in order to “graduate”. Despite Shiva’s order, Tim refused to kill King Snake.

Tim returns to Gotham City and officially becomes Batman’s partner. Tim also began going on many solo missions which included him fighting the murderer of the previous Robin, the Joker. He also teamed up with Huntress to battle King Snake again. Meanwhile, Tim still could not fully adjust to having an alter-ego. His father also comes out of the coma around the same time, and their relationship has not been the same.

When Tim’s dad came out of the coma, he was paralyzed from the waist down. He realizes his wife had died and that he was in a coma for a long time. Jack wants to reconnect with his son, but Tim’s duties as Robin and his relationship with Bruce caused a little controversy between the father and son. Jack would eventually be able to regain the use of his legs with the help of a therapist Dana Winters. Jack and Dana began a romantic relationship and she begins to fix the Drakes’ problems. She helped rid Jack of his anger towards his son and helped Tim reconnect with his father. Dana and Jack would eventually marry.

Tim began a romantic relationship as Robin with the daughter of a criminal named Cluemaster, Stephanie Brown, Stephanie was secretly ‘Spoiler’. Batman would not allow Robin to reveal his identity to Stephanie. Later she reveals to Tim that she is pregnant from a previous relationship. Tim helps her through childbirth but eventually the child was given up for adoption.

Young Justice and the Teen Titans

Tim began teaming up with other young heroes around his age, but also teamed up with heroes like Superman and the Flash. Robin, Superboy, and Impulse would eventually team up and realize that they worked well together. As a result, the three of them created Young Justice. The teen heroes were soon joined by other teen-aged heroes such as Wonder Girl , Secret, and Arrowette. Robin was the leader of the group for a period of time before he had to take a temporary leave to assist in the Imperiex War. When Tim had to rescue the Young Justice from Apokolips, he discovers that more than half the team has lost trust in Tim due to the actions of Batman. Many of the heroes discovered that Batman had been keeping tabs on everyone and had a plan that would defeat anyone if they crossed the line.

When Tim returns to the Young Justice, the whole team decided to vote for a leader instead of letting Tim retake leadership. Wonder Girl wins the election, but Tim worked closely with Wonder Girl, helping her with leadership, and the team still looked to Tim for tactical advice. Young Justice eventually disbanded after the death of Donna Troy. Robin, Superboy, Impulse, and Wonder Girl would go on to join the new Teen Titans and fight alongside Cyborg, Starfire, and Beast Boy. Even though Robin was one of the younger member and was not the leader of the Titans (Cyborg was the leader), Tim often took leadership amongst the younger members.

With the Teen Titans, Tim Drake helped battle Deathstroke and the new Ravager, Brother Blood, and even traveled to an alternate future where he came face to face with a darker version of himself where he had become a immoral Batman.

Before War Games broke out in Gotham City, Tim’s father Jack discovers his son’s secret identity as Robin and threatens to expose The bat members identities. However, Tim made a deal with his father in which that he would stop being Robin in return for Jack keeping the bat members identities to himself. Tim was replaced by his girlfriend Stephanie Brown as Robin for a short time, until she disobeyed Batman’s orders. When Black Mask escalated the War Games even further, Tim decided to become Robin once more. Jack finds out that Tim disobeyed him, but despite the dangers, he reluctantly allowed Tim to continue as Robin.

Later, during the events of Identity Crisis, his father is murdered at the hands of Captain Boomerang, and he is formally adopted by Bruce Wayne.

Red Robin

Tim’s time as Robin came to a close under tumultuous circumstances with his father’s recent murder; as well as the deaths of both his best friend, Superboy, and his adoptive father, Bruce Wayne in the events of Infinite Crisis and Final Crisis.

With Bruce gone, Dick Grayson took on the mantle of Batman, with Damian Wayne as his Robin. Feeling lost and like an outsider in his own family, he took up the name Red Robin, and struck out on his own.

When Bruce Wayne returned from the dead, he formed Batman, Incorporated; making Tim a member and appointing him as leader of the Outsiders, though little came from this leadership position with the coming of The New 52.

Red Robin in The New 52

In the New 52, much of Tim’s character history was erased; and he would adopt a new costume and come to spend much of his time with the Teen Titans. He later became both friend and mentor to Harper Row during the events of Batman Eternal.

Following the dissolution of the Teen Titans, Tim ditches his flight suit and returns to a costume resembling his original Robin uniform. He is recruited for Batman and Batwoman’s “boot camp” for young vigilantes, which includes Orphan, Spoiler, and Clayface.

Major Story Arcs

Knightfall

In the Knightfall storyline, Tim was in Gotham when Bane broke open Arkham Asylum and unleashed almost all the inmates. Tim was the first person to suggest to Batman that it was Bane who was responsible for these actions. Tim and Batman set out to catch the criminals. They got off to a good start by taking down the Mad Hatter’s tea party and bringing half a dozen thugs with him. Batman decided that the two would separate to take down more criminals in a shorter time. Robin went after Bird, one of Bane’s lackeys and Batman went after Zsasz. Robin was briefly captured by Bane and Killer Croc but escaped soon after. Robin would eventually try and succeed to track down Firefly, but Robin is mentally and physically drained so Batman told him to sit this one out in the Batcave. Tim’s rest would be short lived when the Riddler held a live hostage T.V show [although he had a fake bomb] Robin beat the Riddler and saved the hostages.

Robin was with Alfred when Bane broke Batman’s back and threw him from a roof top in downtown. They acquired an ambulance and took Bruce back to the Batcave. Robin wanted to take Bruce to hospital but it was too big of a risk to expose all the identities of the Bat Family . All Robin could do is stay by Bruce’s bedside and pray. Thankfully Bruce did not die but when he woke up, he was psychologically scarred, as his defeat to Bane came as a big blow to Bruce mentally [in addition to his broken back]. Tim could barely stand to watch his mentor so shattered but he stayed the course, helping Alfred recruit Dr. Shondra Kingsolving to be Bruce’s personal physician. Once Bruce was in better spirits, Tim talks about the escalating violence and gang war in Gotham. Tim told Bruce about how someone should step in as Batman while Bruce heals. Bruce agrees but turns down Tim’s suggestions that Nightwing should take the mantle of Batman, saying he is his own man now with his own responsibilities (the real reason that Bruce did not want Dick to take the mantle is because he was scared that Dick would run into Bane and get injured like he did), so Bruce picked Azrael (Jean-Paul Valley). Tim gave Azrael the Batman costume, which Azrael modified.

Bruce’s condition was partially heartbreaking for Robin, given that his father, Jack, was still learning how to use his body parts again after coming out of his coma. Robin went out on patrol with the new Batman and was dismayed with the amount of violence Azrael used to capture the criminals and Tim had to keep reminding Azrael that there was more to being Batman than just a costume, but Azrael became more and more lost in his role and actually killed a criminal. Bruce realized that if Bane worked out his identity that meant he knew Tim’s as well. Bruce’s hunch was right and he and Alfred set of to the Drake home to rescue Jack who had been kidnapped.

Tim wanted to go and save his father but Bruce told Tim that Azrael needed him and that Bruce would go and save him. Azrael kept getting more and more violent and started to reject Tim. Tim also found himself spending more time with Nightwing, and the two eventually established an almost perfect partnership stopping many villains together. Tim told Dick that he felt responsible for Azrael’s recklessness. Dick told Tim that it wasn’t his fault and that he was surprised that Bruce did not ask him to take the mantle.

Tim came across Azrael fighting Bane on a railway. Robin manages to save the people on the train as the new Batman beats Bane. And much to the relief of Robin, Azrael does not kill Bane. Although Azrael did not kill Bane he was still acting reckless. The “system” played havoc with Azrael and he finally snapped under the strain of the system and one night in the bat cave he attacked Robin, who barely escaped. After this, Azrael locked himself in the bat cave. Around this time Bruce and Alfred returned with Jack; Bruce’s back was mystically healed by an unknown man. Bruce was happy with Tim’s progress, but was a bit mad at Tim for not stopping Azrael killing someone. All Tim said is that Azrael is out of control and has locked himself in the bat cave. Bruce decided to take the mantle back by force; this meant a trip to Lady Shiva for a crash course to get him back to his peak. Tim was very happy that Bruce and his father were back safely.

Bruce “graduated” from Shiva’s training with the support of Robin and Nightwing but Bruce wanted to face Azrael alone. Bruce beat Azrael, but instead of starting as Batman straight away, Bruce decided that he needed some time off to train more. Bruce gave the mantle to the man who should got it the first time: Dick Grayson. The new Batman and Robin got along very well and again formed a near perfect partnership. After some time, Bruce returned and Dick gave back the mantle of Batman and regained his identity as Nightwing. Tim and Dick have formed a brotherly bond and often team up.

Legacy

Tim alongside Batman and Nightwing travel to a desert and try to prevent Ra’s Al Ghul finding the ancient wheel of plagues, but are stopped by Ra’s minions and his newest follower Bane. Following their loss in the desert, Tim and Nightwing head to Paris to stop the release of Ra’s plague, which would have wiped out most life in Paris. Unable to find them in the unfamiliar city, Tim seeks the aid of manhunter Henri Ducard. Together him and Tim track down several of Ra’s followers in the Louvre, while the injured Nightwing defeats the remaining, while Tim questions Henri’s lethal methods. He then returns to Gotham alongside Nightwing to assist Batman and Huntress in stopping the final plague from being released. Following preventing it Batman begins his rematch with Bane, as Robin, Nightwing, and Huntress. While Nightwing and Huntress distract Ra’s and his men, Tim sneaks into the computer room linking Oracle to the system, purging all traces of the plague before the ship blows up.

No Man’s Land

Following Gotham’s destruction during the earthquake, Tim begins to realize his growing feelings for Stephanie Brown. This causes him to to break up with his girlfriend Ari, and begin a relationship with Stephanie, which is complicated by not being able to reveal his true identity. During this time, he and Spoiler frequently work together on cases, until she reveals her pregnancy which spurs him to forbid her to be spoiler as he assumes the alias Alvin Drapper to take her to Lamaze classes. However soon Jack Drake decides it’s time for his family to leave Gotham, forcing Tim to move to Keystone city, during which he works with the Flash to battle Riddler and Captain Boomerang. While in Keystone, Stephanie goes into labor while Tim is rushed back to Gotham by The Flash in time for the delivery.

Trapped in Gotham he begins working with the rest of the Batfamily, where he specifically defeats Mister Freeze and Ratcatcher on his own. He is later captured by Killer Croc, but Alfred Pennyworth freed him, while Robin allied with Harvey Bullock and Penguin to battle Croc’s gang. Once his father discovered he had sneaked back into Gotham, he began rallying with politicians in order to rescue his son, eventually getting his way with a chopper being sent to the park to rescue Drake, who was covered in his escape by the newest Batgirl, Cassandra Cain. His father’s urging ultimately became one of the catalyst for Gotham to no longer be a No Man’s Land.

Officer Down

After James Gordon is shot, Tim is one of the heroes called in by Oracle to search for Catwoman, the suspect in the shooting. He works alongside Azrael, Batgirl and Nightwing with all of them splitting up to talk to people who Catwoman knows, who let them know her plan to steal a set of rare emeralds about to go off display.The four heroes then go after her, battling her men as Tim chases her down tripping her only to learn it is Harley Quinn, who lets them know Catwoman’s location so they can help her clear her name.

Upon finding Catwoman, she runs being chased by Robin, before being chased by Nightwing, Azrael and Batgirl in order to allow her to tire herself out. They then corner her, which she jumps from a roof landing on a net they had set up, before Tim electrocutes her. When she awakens, she reveals the shooter was a G.C.P.D. officer and she has stashed the weapon he used on Gordon,before Robin makes a joke prompting Catwoman to attack him to be restrained by Batgirl. Nightwing then lets her go, to take the gun for testing from Oracle who discovers the shooter’s identity. However the G.C.P.D. is ultimately unable to gather a confession leading to the shooter walking, and Gordon’s retirement.

Batman: Family

Sylvia tells Tim how she & Roger met. Roger was covering the trial of a mobster for the Boston Herald and Sylvia was dating the mobster. Tim asks Sylvia why Roger was trying to get Bruce’s attention at the charity gala. Sylvia then pulls out a CD from a picture frame and gives it to Tim. All of a sudden, Freeway comes crashing through the window of Sylvia’s apartment and disarms Tim with a few quick blows to his body. Freeway then grabs Sylvia and snaps her neck.

Tim tries to get back on his feet after failing to save Sylvia’s life. Freeway then knocks out Tim with a gas pellet of chloral hydrate designed by Doctor Excess. When Tim awakens in a warehouse, he vaguely remembers that Freeway was the same man who stole the Batmobile for a short time. Freeway stripped Tim of all of his weapons and tools. Freeway decides to have Doctor Excess torture Tim for information on the Batman. Freeway got a hold of Bruce’s fingerprints from the Batmobile but the fingerprints were fake. The prints instead belonged to James Scott Westerberg, a car thief who died in Blackgate five years ago.

Tim scoffs at Doctor Excess by saying he must not be registered with the AMA. The doctor is amused by Tim’s mockery and says the practices of the AMA are outdated. Doctor Excess considers himself a practioner of human potential. He believes in better living through chemistry and surgery. The doctor then recalls how Celia found him in Honduras during Reagan’s war campaign against drugs. The doctor was concocting poisons for the special forces to use against the Sandinistas.

The doctor prepares his nanotech cocktail syringe. Once injected, the nanomites will latch onto Tim’s nervous system and they will be wired to a remote control. The doctor likes to inflict Pavlovian torture in which a person feels pain & pleasure at the same time. Fortunately, Tim has a trick fingernail with a key that can unlocks cuffs. Just as the doctor was about to the nanotech syringe, Tim surprises the doctor with a blow to the head. The doctor cringes from the pain while Freeway & Tim have a rematch.

Freeway is aware of Tim’s training days with Lady Shiva and asks if he has had the pleasure of seeing Shiva’s tattoo which is located near her pelvis. The doctor recovers and charges after Tim with his nanotech syringe. Tim senses the doctor getting closer so he dodges Freeway’s attacks with a back flip. He then kicks the doctor into Freeway’s path. The doctor accidently injects the nanomites into Freeway and Tim grabs a hold of the nanotech remote control.

Tim triggers the remote and immobilizes Freeway. Tim grabs the CD from Freeway’s jacket but the doctor shuts down the fuse box to the warehouse causing everything to go pitch black. Excess and Freeway make their getaway but at least Tim has Sloane’s disc. Freeway reports his failure to Celia. Celia begins to question Freeway’s combat techniques since Suicide King was his prized student but she isn’t entirely disappointed since her plan to siphon off what’s left of Wayne Enterprises.

The disc contains info about the Network’s dealings in Texas, Rio, Milan, Santa Prisca, Taiwan and Stuttgart.

War Games

Shortly before Gotham’s biggest gang war ever, Jack Drake discovered his son’s dual identity and confronts Bruce Wayne threatening to expose everything, Tim however agrees to give up the mantle in order to protect the others identities. After Tim’s retirement Batman offers Tim’s girlfriend Stephanie Brown the mantle of Robin, however he fires her when she can’t measure up to Tim. She then seeks to earn Batman’s approval by stealing a contingency plan from the Batcave, but fails to implement it as Batman had not informed her that he was secretly Matches Malone, causing the heads of every major Gotham crime family to open fire killing each other, plunging Gotham into a gang war.

When the gang war begins to get more deadly, Tim is forced to sit back and watch on the news having to abide by the promise he made to his father to stay out. However he is forced into action, when Scarface and the Ventriloquist and various other gang’s invade his high school in pursuit of Darla Aquista, as her father,Henry Aquista is a major player in organized crime. Tim, with no costume or equipment is forced to improvise and battle all the gang members, while rushing students into the school and barricading the doors,before Darla is shot by a gunmen who made it into the school.

Tim then leads the others to the nurse’s office, where they hold up waiting to be rescued. They eventually are when Nightwing, Batgirl and Batman infiltrate the school defeating the gun men, but not before being captured on video by Gotham’s media.Shortly after incidence at his school, Tim resumes the mantle of Robin feeling it wrong not to do anything to help, having a talk on the a rooftop where his dad accepts the city needs him. Tim, along with Jack and his wife Dana Drake then begin assisting Leslie Thompkins , donating blood as well as helping in the free clinic.

Following Black Mask fooling everyone disguised as Orpheus, all the Gotham’s gangs are united under his control. Tim, alongside Nightwing, Batgirl, and Onyx rush to the park to assist Batman in battle with every criminal in Gotham. After wards he battles the ravens at Port Adams as they smuggle in assault weapons, before taking down The Trickster and Mr. Fun before catching a break on the free clinic roof alongside his father. After Black Mask takes over Oracle’s clock tower, and begins his battle to the death with Batman. Robin alongside Batgirl, Onyx, Tarantula, and Catwoman battle Scarecrow who had mutated into his Scarebeast form following Black Mask’s betrayal. Tim then comes up with a plan so that they can defeat the Scarebeast without the police firing upon them, telling the commanding officer that they will surrender without resistance following it’s defeat Tim reveals he lied before assisting in search efforts.

After the end of the Gang War, Tim informs Bruce that he’s leaving as Gotham has become to dangerous, with Batgirl leaving with him. Together the two, leave for Bludhaven, becoming it’s protectors while Dick is away.

Identity Crisis

During the Identity Crisis, Batman and Robin were investigating the crimes related to the problem in the JLA. Oracle sends them a message saying that Tim’s father needs to speak with Tim immediately. Tim arrives and they figure that someone is threatening him. Jack assures Tim that whatever happens is not his fault. Eventually the mystery man turns out to be Captain Boomerang (Digger Harkness). Jack and Captain Boomerang exchange shots and in the end killed each other. Batman and Robin arrived too late to save Jack. Bruce offers to adopt Tim, however Tim did not like the idea. Instead, Tim decided to create fake records about an Uncle living in Blüdhaven. His fake uncle would be his legal guardian and Tim would eventually move to Blüdhaven. The reason his stepmother Dana did not take custody was because she checked in to a mental hospital to help her deal with the death of her husband, Tim’s father. Batman would eventually be able to uncover the lies Tim tried to hide and discovers what he was truly doing. Batman became impressed with Tim rather than angry, and offered to teach him how to fully cover his tracks.

The Return of Jason Todd

Later, a mystery villain began to appear claiming his alias as Red Hood, an alias that had once been taken by the Joker. It would later be discovered that Red Hood was actually Jason Todd. Jason continued to make Batman suffer, but was also intrigued with who had replaced him and why everyone claimed that he was so good. He broke into Titans Tower wearing his Robin costume (with few modifications). Jason delayed the other Titans and would engage in a battle with Tim. Jason had been angered that someone replaced him, and that he used to be a temporary Titan, yet they did not have a statue of him in the Hall of Fallen Titans. He beats Tim but did not kill him. Instead he rips the “R” symbol off his chest and leaves.

Infinite Crisis

Robin aided all the heroes during Infinite Crisis and helped a few teams battle Superboy-Prime. Tim later was able to find a cure for Superboy in one of Luthor’s genetic research base. After Blüdhaven’s destruction, Robin led a team to help rescue those that were caught in the middle. However, the heroes were kicked out of the city by the government.

After the events of infinite crisis in which Nightwing was nearly killed, Bruce takes Tim and Dick on the training trip he went on to become Batman. On the trip the training was brutal, they we’re trained in ancient martial arts and furthered their skills in the ones they have already mastered. Tim also modified his Robin suit, the suit was a tribute to his dead best friend Superboy and took on some of the designs of Batman’s suit.

One Year Later

After the year-long trip with Bruce and Dick, Tim returns to Gotham and moves into the Wayne estate, gesturing a healthy relationship towards Bruce. Tim soon receives an unknown message regarding Batgirl, threats sending him on errands, and failing to do them would result in her death. Tim rushes out to find Cassandra, and comes upon a dead body in a Batgirl outfit. Shocked at first, Tim un-masks the woman and finds that it’s Lynx, a hired assassin. Before Gotham’s police arrive on the scene, Tim takes the mask in hopes of finding out who is trying to frame Batgirl. Whilst running tests on the mask at Wayne Manor, Lady Shiva arrives to inform Tim of the recent death of Nyssa al Ghul, leaving the League of Assassins up for grabs. Tim focuses on his investigation, vowing not to let another person close to him die. He finds a clue in Batgirl’s cowl written in a specific code. After deciphering it Robin’s next objective is with Cassandra’s father, David Cain. Robin abides by what the code asks of him, and breaks David out of Blackgate Prison. David informs Tim that his daughter is head of the League of Assassins. Tim, skeptical at first, finds out the truth after he confronts Cassandra.

Cassandra believes that she is meant to be a killer, and asks Tim to join her. Tim refuses as Cassandra shoots her father, apparently killing him. Tim then becomes hellbent in bringing Cassandra to the police. Tim single handily defeats all of her league League of Assassins ninja’s before an explosion interrupts the battle. When Tim returns to the scene, he finds Cassandra’s league to be dead, and his mini-camera still intact, which recorded everything. Tim notices David Cain managed to get away in the recording, and is able to clear his name from the footage.

Bruce also eventually adopts Tim, which Tim accepts. Robin is captured by the Joker but escapes on his own.

While attending the one year anniversary of Superboy’s death, Robin joins the rest of the superhero community to have a memorial service in which to honor Conner Kent and all those who died during World War III.

Rebuilding the Teen Titans

Tim had been trying to rebuild the Teen Titans, but only he and Ravager, the daughter of Deathstroke, were on the roster. He attempts to convince Wonder Girl to return, but she refuses, feeling abandoned by Robin following Superboy’s death.

Unable to let his best friend go, Tim sets up a secret facility beneath Titans Tower for the specific purpose of recreating Superboy via replicating his DNA (although all his attempts have so far failed). He also keeps Conner’s costume similar to how Batman grieved the death of Jason Todd.

Wonder Girl returns to the team full time, and goes in search of Robin to inform him of her decision. During the search, she discovers his secret lab. Tim confesses how much he misses Conner, and the two share a passionate, unexpected kiss. Wonder Girl has attempted to speak to Tim about the incident several times, but Robin continues to avoid her.

Later, Deathstroke’s Titans East makes a full out assault on the Teen Titans, picking off each member except for Rose and Jericho. Tim has been personally targeted by Deathstroke who ,with Batgirl, is holding him captive in an unknown underground location. In a mocking sort of gesture, Slade has surrounded Tim with trophy cases containing Superboy’s costume, along with that of Stephanie Brown ( Spoiler, his former girlfriend),clothing from his parents, Jack and Janet Drake, and his stepmother, Dana Drake.

Deathstroke ordered Cassandra Cain to inject Tim with the same formula that once granted him control over Rose and current control over Cassandra. Tim managed to escape and inject Cassandra with an antidote he developed in case Slade ever managed to re-inject Rose. With Batgirl now free of Slade’s influence, she joined Robin and the Titans against Slade’s Titans East.

Along with Duela Dent and past Titans, Nightwing, Donna Troy, Beast Boy and Flash (Bart Allen), the Titans defeat the Titans East, although Slade and Inertia manage to escape. Batgirl, who attempted to murder Slade in revenge, is stopped by Nightwing and disappears soon after.

Since then, the Titans have experienced a bit of a rough patch. The introduction of the Terror Titans withdrew Ravenger from their ranks, and soon after, one of the teams tech-twins was murdered in an attack on Wonder Girl. the team did however regain an alliance with Bombshell, and Blue Beetle has become a permanent member. The team decided to hold tryouts to replenish their numbers, and excitement is promised.

The Resurrection of Ra’s al Ghul

In the Resurrection of Ra’s Al Ghul, Ra’s has captured both Tim and Damian and intends to use one of them as his new host. Both Tim and Damian refused, and Ra’s intended to make Batman choose. Robin is still haunted by Ra’s offer to bring back his loved ones. In the midst of a battle with Ra’s ninjas, he breaks off and goes after the White Ghost, feeling it to be selfish of him to deny his parents and friends life. The White Ghost tells Tim that he can restore them, but only if Tim swears his undying loyalty to Ra’s al Ghul and forsakes Batman. Tim agrees, and is sent to a chamber with a Lazarus Pit. There he is confronted by Nightwing, who swears to stop him. The two battle and Nightwing convinces Robin not to join Ra’s. Tim and the others battled Ra’s al Ghul at Nanda Parbat. They escaped when the monks summoned the power of their goddess Rama Kushina and completely cut off Nanda Parbat from the world.

Search for a Hero

During Batman RIP, Tim was also involved in the direct conspiracy against Batman. He was hunted by a handful of lesser known bat-foes, and managed to keep out of their grasps longer than even Nightwing. In the end, he managed to make it to the scene just in time to witness Batman’s apparent demise.

When Batman disappeared with no real explanation or trace, Robin knew it was his time to step into Gotham’s spotlight. With the help of the recently returned Spoiler (who’s death was faked in an earlier Batman Story Arc), Robin took on the gangs and villains of the city in an attempt to fill the void Batman left behind. He forged an alliance with a GCPD Sgt. Harper. With her help, he was able to stay on top of police movement much the same way as Batman did with Gordon. he also made a tentative connection with the Penguin.

However, things became more and more complicated as unexpected gang fights and alliances began to form, rippling chaos throughout the city. On top of the growing crime problem, the assassin known as the Scarab returned with her sights on Robin, and two different people claiming to be Jason Todd’s known alter-egos. Red Hood and Red Robin were both revealed to have a part in the recent crime upheaval. Further shocking news came when Robin discovered that Spoiler was making deals with criminals behind Tim’s back, including hiring Scarab to try and kill him. This revelation further revealed that Spoiler had orders from Batman to make sure Tim didn’t find him, and to help him step up in the ranks of Super heroism.

Tim later found out that Anarky, a villain turned hero, was behind much of the chaos the city had been experiencing, including the gangs and the appearance of Red Robin (Anarky was the person pretending to be Red Robin). However, Robin didn’t realize this until he was almost killed in one of Anarky’s explosions. Tim escaped with serious burns to his body and the back of his head, the latter forcing him to ditch his usual domino mask and debut with the Red Robin cape and cowl that he had apprehended.

Before Tim reentered the chaos, he did some research and discovered that the Anarky he was facing was an impostor.Tim found the impostor Anarky in the middle of the chaos, and in a last ditch attempt to save his city, Robin starts to fight with Anarky while Spoiler tries to stop the chaos and Anarky’s bombs. Anarky tries to distract Tim with pre-recorded speech’s of himself but this didn’t work Anarky was no match for Tim’s fighting skills and Tim beat Anarky badly. Tim had planned for Officer Jamie Harper get Ulysses’s parents to come to try and stop Anarky, but he did not count on them bringing their other younger children (Hillary and Matthew). Anarky sees his parents, but not his brother and sister (neither does Robin). He manages to set off his last bomb which is in a mail box next to the car his younger brother and sister were in.

Robin saves officer Harper but did not know about the children in the car, and was not able to save them. With the chaos stopped, Robin has a brief talk with Commissioner Gordon in which Gordon questions Tim decision to bring Ulysses’s parents into it. Tim meets up with Stephanie and tells her that he knows about her and Batman’s plans to make him better and that he loves her. And because of that he can’t have Spoiler around messing things up any more, he then congratulates her on making him better.

Two weeks later, with his burns healed and looking normal again, Tim pays Jason a visit in prison. Tim tells Jason the JLA teleport code that he and Dick had hacked so that Jason could have one last chance. Jim Gordon decides it is time to move forward and makes Robin Gotham’s new protector, even giving him his own Robin Signal [much like the Bat-signal]. Gotham has a new protector, and his name is Robin.

Some short time after this Tim contacted the GCPD and advised them to change the Robin Signal back to the Bat-Signal to convince the city that Batman was still around. This signal was used to summon Tim to the GCPD by newly promoted Detective Specialist Harper. Harper gives Robin a note indicating that “Robin Dies at Dawn”. Tim deduces that the note, addressed to “Little Bird”, could only be from Lady Shiva, and that she is calling him out perhaps as a test to see if Tim can handle the burden of Gotham alone.

He returns to the Batcave where Jason Todd, whom Tim helped escape from jail, arrives to listen to a message that Bruce left for him as sort of a last will. Tim then spends the evening making a few phone calls, as he expects to die at the hands of Shiva. He calls Zoanne and breaks up with her over the phone, Ives just to be able to laugh. Finally he calls Stephanie to tell her how sorry he is, but she doesn’t answer and he doesn’t leave a message.

He then travels to the Gotham Church of the Holy Spirit, the only place in Gotham that has a statue that is the closest match to a statue of St. Germaine in Paris, where he met Lady Shiva for the first time arriving twenty minutes before the assassin does. When he asks her why she called him out, she replies that it is his presumption, and then she attacks. In the first blow she breaks three of Tim’s ribs, however she falls over and collapses.

Tim then tells her that it is only presumption if he can’t protect Gotham. She along with others trained him to fight smarter, not to his size or his experience, but his intelligence and that he has just proven he can. Tim tells Shiva he knew she was coming before she even left Hong Kong, and that while she is the deadliest assassin in the world, she is human first. It is because of this that she could not resist the chocolate he had delivered to her hotel room the night before. Chocolate that had been laced with a heart rate activated paralytic poison. He tells her that the poison will wear off by the time she wakes up in jail, and that when she breaks out to not come back to Gotham, as next time the poison may not be temporary. He then asks Nightwing who had been watching from the shadows (And Tim knew he was there) to deal with Shiva’s transportation. Nightwing tells Tim “You know we’re going to be okay, right?” to which Tim replies “Yeah Nightwing, I know.”

Tim then vows that until a candidate steps forward worthy of the Batman cowl, the city will have him as it’s defender.

Battle for the Cowl

In Battle for the Cowl, Gotham has gone to hell, and Robin and Nightwing are trying their hardest to set it right. They have developed the Network, made up of their best allies to help. Robin and Squire tracked and was about to take down some robbers, but before they could take them down someone else does. Robin and Squire don’t see the person, but he leaves them a note saying ” I AM BATMAN.” Before anything else can be said, Nightwing call’s Robin for back up with a gang, and they take the gang down. Meanwhile a coach full of Gotham’s most dangerous criminal’s was on their to Arkham, but the coach is stopped by a small army of goons lead by the Black Mask. After the criminals are off the coach, Arkham is blown up by Black Mask. They also have caught on that Batman is no longer around. Back in the Bat-cave Nightwing is looking at all of Batman’s different suits when Tim walks in saying that one of them [Tim or Dick] needs to become the new Batman. Nightwing shrugs this off so Tim tells Dick about a man running around in a custom made Batman suit fighting crime, but this was no beginner. He was experienced and knew what he was doing.

Tim uses his brilliant detective skills to work out where the phony Batman’s hideout is, but Tim decides not to confront the fake Batman as Robin but as Batman. He uses the silver age Batman suit. Tim finds Jason’s Batcave, but he is not alone. Catwoman has followed Tim, thinking he was the one killing people.

Jason then sneaks up on Catwoman and knocks her out. Tim and Jason begin to fight with Tim obliviously the better fighter out of the two, but Jason uses his knowledge of his cave to lure Tim into a pit where he repeatedly slashes him with a Batarang. In the middle of the fight, Jason asks Tim to be his Robin, but Tim refuses and picks up a crowbar lying on the cave floor. He begins to beat Jason with it but, Jason manages to stab Tim in the gut with the Batarang and leaves him to die.

In the tunnels of Jason’s cave, a wounded but a very much alive Tim Drake makes his way out of the tunnels. He reveals that he used a martial art technique called the possum reflex that Bruce taught him, the technique enables Tim to slow his heart rate to eight beats per minute. This reflex lead Jason to believe that he was dead, but Tim says that it was the Bat-suits heavy armor that saved him from the rusted Batarang. He says it was better to have several small cuts than one big one. He then thanks Bruce for teaching him the possum reflex and passes out. Jason sets off bombs he laid in his cave, and the explosions make all the tunnels cave in. Tim is too injured to move quickly, and the ground begins to collapse beneath him. Before he can fall to his death, Damian and Squire save him.

Red Robin Begins – The Council of Spiders

It is revealed that the Cowl went to Dick Grayson, and that he names Damien Wayne his Robin. Some time after this Tim confronts the new Batman in the Batcave. He expresses his anger to Dick at having his entire life burnt down, again. Dick tells Tim that “Robin” is the title of a protege’ to the Batman, and that Tim is an equal and his closest ally. Also Dick says that if left alone Damien would kill someone. Damien enters the conversation wearing his Robin costume taunting Tim about having to upgrade security in the cave. Tim asks Dick how he can let Damien wear the mantle of Robin, how could he choose Damien over him. Damien continues, against Dick’s warning, to taunt Tim calling him Drake, and telling him the Batgirl costume is available. Tim turns around and punches Damien to the ground and declares his name is Wayne. As Tim leaves, Dick says he still needs him. Tim returns to his room in Wayne Manor where he proceeds to trash the room in his fit of anger.

After he calms down Tim comes to the revelation that Bruce Wayne is alive and starts to plan to search for some clue, some evidence to prove this. When Tim vanishes, several people notice his absence, Zoanne, Ives, Jason Bard, and Detective Harper all indicate they have not heard from Tim or Robin in over a week. We learn that Tim is Working out of a warehouse, where he is ignoring calls from everyone, including Oracle and Wonder Girl. He begins work on the Red Robin costume, and as he is dressing he lashes out at a shadowed attacker kicking them in the stomach. He turns to find Spoiler who says she found him because she knows him. She knew that Tim had built a new command center because he thought Batman had gone crazy. Tim tells Stephanie that the fact that she knows about the hideout is even another reason he can not trust her, just like he can’t trust her to wear the Spoiler costume. After Stephanie says she’s worried and scared, Tim confronts her. He tells her that if she cared she’d have come to him, she wouldn’t have lied to him, and she wouldn’t have been spying on him for Dick. He tells her that if she cared she’d listen to him. He tells her not to follow him and leaves the warehouse.

Tim’s next stop is the unmarked grave of Bruce Wayne. He stopped there because he needed someone to talk to. He’s surprised that he is the only one who believes that Bruce is alive. That he’d be so alone. As he’s talking Cassandra Sandsmark, aka Wonder Girl, arrives. Tim talks to her, telling her how it was his fault Anarchy’s siblings died. He tells how he helped Jason Todd escape from prison, only to have him go on a murdering spree dressed as Batman. The deaths caused by Jason are on Tim’s guilt as well. He tells Cassandra he doesn’t know who he is anymore. He tells her that he had heard the Anti Life Equation during the Final Crisis, and that he can remember thinking there wasn’t much he disagreed with in it. Cassie tells him that at one time Tim had told her “Batman needs a Robin” but what happens when Robin needs a Robin. Tim tells Cassie he thinks Bruce is alive. When Cassie shows no sign of believing him, Tim tells her it was a mistake to talk to her, and leaves. As she leaves, Cassie calls Dick Grayson.

Tim, as Red Robin, stops at the edge of town. He had second thoughts filling his mind when Dick Grayson, as Batman, arrives to talk. Dick goes on to tell Tim they have had this talk before, that unlike Superman and Wonder Woman people like him, like Bruce, don’t come back. He reminds Tim that Superman brought Bruce’s body to them and they buried him. Tim turns to leave and Dick grabs his wrist. Tim tells Dick to let him go, and when Dick refuses, Tim judo throws him. they fight, proving to be evenly matched, dodge for dodge, blow for blow, block for block. As they fight Tim tells Dick he refuses to lose any more, he lost his parents, he lost Bruce, he lost being Robin, he lost Steph. He tells Dick he knows he’s right and he’s going to prove it. He throws three discs at Batman and as they are dodged he puts the Point of his Staff to Dick’s throat. Tim tells Dick he’s leaving, that Dick said they were equals, and that if he truly believes that, then he should believe in Tim. With that Tim leaves Gotham.

After finding nothing in Spain Tim travels to Paris, France, where within twenty minutes of arriving Tim stops a bank robbery and then is chased through the streets of Paris by a gang who he quickly takes down. Later that evening Tim is in his hotel room looking at his map but he is being spied on by a group assassins, that are employed by Ra’s Al Gual.

The assassins request if they are aloud to kill Tim, which they get a reply of “you can try.” One of the assassins then shoots a rocket into Tim’s room and it explodes, thinking that the adopted son of Bruce Wayne is dead they begin to celebrate but are interrupted by a very much alive Red Robin.

Tim Drake and the assassins begin to fight and even though he is out numbered by the assassins [3 on 1] Tim is to much for them to handle taking out the shooter first. The only one of the that could match Tim is a tall black man who is good in martial arts. During the fight he learns their name’s, the black man is called Z, the bald untrained woman is called Prudence [shorted to Pru] and the shooter Owens. Back in the fight Pru starts to get trigger happy and starts shooting uncontrollably even coming close to hitting Z. Tim dodges the bullets and then kicks her in the face, breaking her nose. Z suddenly gets a call from Ra’s telling them to flee, they use flash grenades and manage to get away only leaving a communication device.

Meanwhile in Cape Town an assassin, from the league of assassins, has just taken out his target, but the assassin is killed by a mysterious being who leave’s the assassin in a web.

Back in Berlin after the fight with the three assassins, Tim is sitting in a new hotel room and decides that finding Bruce is all that matter’s and uses the communication device to call Ra’s.

Later, Ra’s lets Tim have three of his assassins; the three who attacked him earlier: Owens, Pru, and Z to help him search for clues of Batman. The Group ends up in an ancient cave wall, where inside Tim finds a familiar bat insignia drawn on it. Tim is relieved to know that he was right, but before he could celebrate even further, Z and Owens are killed by an unknown assassin who then slashes Pru’s throat. Tim fights the mysterious assassin, but is then stabbed in the gut leaving him to die. Somehow, Tim manages to gain consciousness and uses his cape to stop most of the bleeding. He takes the wounded Pru back to the hotel. Before he can do anything else, Tim loses consciousness again because of blood loss. Meanwhile, Tam Fox, daughter of Lucius Fox, who was sent by her father to locate Tim, finds him in his hotel room. As she goes for the phone, Tim stops her, and the League of the Assassins come to take her, Pru, and Tim.

Tim then wakes up in Ra’s lair next to a Lazarus Pit. He thinks he was brought back from the dead and fights the assassins near him. He then realizes he wasn’t killed and just tore his stitches. Ra’s informs him that he saved his life and asks Tim to help take down The League of Spiders, the same group that attacked Tim. Later he accepts to hunt down the group who attacked him (Before that happens Tim has his Blackest Night adventure). Eventually, this leads to a battle in which Tim fights against seven of the League of Spiders at one of Ra’s hideouts while protecting Tam. While he manages to defeat them, Tim manages to break down the League of Assassins from the inside out as well. Afterward, Ra’s contacts him and tells him that he will destroy everything the Wayne enterprise has built including his close friends and allies. Tim realize that Ra’s is in Gotham City and rushes back there.

Back in Gotham

When he arrives at Gotham, Tim manages to apprehend Killer Moth while trying to keep a low profile from Dick. After an improptu meeting with Superboy, Ra’s contacts Tim. As he tries to figure out Ra’s plans, Tim realize he needs help and goes to the Batcave. When he arrives, he finds Stephanie who is now the new Batgirl. Tim reluctantly accepts her help and the two work together to protect Ra’s possible targets. After saving Leslie Thompkins from the League, they encounter Prudence, whose assignment is to kill Stephanie, however Stephanie manages to beat her in combat. Prudence tells Tim she is on his side. After narrowly escaping Tim’s safe-house which the League of Assassins set a bomb in, they encounter members of the Council of Spiders once again. After escaping them, Tim decides to take the fight to Ra’s.

As the battle gets on it’s way, Tim tells Ra’s that he has his friends watch over Ra’s targets: Superboy protecting Alfred, Impulse protecting Selina Kyle, Manhunter protecting Commissioner Gordon, Batgirl protecting Viki Vale and Tam Fox, Huntress protecting Lucius Fox, Man-bat protecting Julie Madison, and Wonder Girl protecting Barbara Gordon (it is implied that Barbara managed to defeat the assassins before Wonder Girl arrived), while Dick and Damian can take care of themselves. As Tim fights Ra’s, Tim reveals that he is named as Bruce’s heir and according of his will, Tim Drake is now the current CEO and controlling shareholder of Wayne Enterprises, thwarting Ra’s plans as he attempted to use Hush to gain control of the Wayne family resources.

After a long battle, Tim, badly wounded is congratulated by Ra’s who says, “Well done, Detective.” He kicks Tim out the window who is then saved by Dick. Waking up in the Batcave, he surrounded by his friends welcoming him home. He then finds out that he is engaged to Tam Fox after she lied to Vicki Vale to cover for Tim. It is later revealed that Tim is chosen to produce Ra’s next heir.

Blackest Night

In Blackest Night, Dick calls Tim, who is in Paris dangling a beaten man from the Eiffel Tower and after Dick tells him what’s happened Tim starts to make his way back to Gotham.

Tim then arrives and uses the Batplane to cut the Black Lanterns in half then makes a second pass and rescues Dick and Damien. They then meet up with Commissioner Gordon, Oracle, and Deadman (in possession of Barbara’s body at the time) and fly away. The group then find themselves attacked by Black Lanterns Janet and Jack Drake and The Black Lantern Flying Graysons. They then make an emergency crash landing in a graveyard.

Dick opens the emergency hatch, only to find that suddenly a giant circus tent has appeared over half the graveyard. He informs Damien to take Commissioner Gordon and Barbara (now no longer in Deadman’s possession) to the Batbunker using a secret empty grave under a false name, Dick also informs Deadman to go get more fire power. Tim and Dick enter the circus tent, only to be swept up by the joy and happiness of seeing their parents again. They then see that both Black Lantern Captain Boomerang and Black Lantern Tony Zucco have arrived and both Dick’s parents and Tim’s dad are reenacting their deaths. Both Tim and Dick are then filled with rage over seeing their parents murderers, both men then fly into a blind rage and began savagely beating their parents murderers.

While Tim and Dick are filled with rage, both Black Lantern Zucco and Black Lantern Boomerang try to rip out their hearts. Only to be stopped by Deadman (now in control of Etrigan the Demon), who is bombarding them with hellfire. Tim and Dick then start to use their flamethrowers,which are beginning to run low. He then orders Damien to send him Mr. Freeze’s freeze gun using Dick’s glider. Dick asks Tim if he trusts him, while pointing the ice gun at him. Tim answers “Do it”, Dick freeze’s Tim and then freezes himself in order to throw off the Black Lanterns,who can no longer sense emotion from the two. After the all the Black Lanterns leave Deadman leaves Etrigan’s body and enters Tim to bust him out of the ice. He then does the same with Dick. Dick, Deadman, and Tim look at the sky and think about their next move.

The Hit List

After the plot against the Bat-family, Tim Drake begins to feel that everything was just right, even Damian as Robin. He re-introduces himself to the Gotham crime scene by publicly taking out Lynx (who was possibly an undercover Hong Kong cop) and begins to set into motion his Hit List, composed of both villains and heroes who pose any danger.

Damian Wayne manages to hack Tim’s account and sees himself among other heroes on the Hit List.

Robin joins Red Robin in one of his patrols and throws a ‘R’ shaped shuriken at Tim’s grapple line intending to cause harm. A fight ensues ending in Crime Alley, the place where Batman was born. Dick returns from a Justice League mission and breaks the fight. The boys return to the Batbunker and Damian reveals the ‘truth’ behind Tim’s Hit List. Dick noticed that he wasn’t among the heroes on the Hit List and Tim replies that he would never be. After Tim took down Lynx he went after two corrupt cops, Wise and Cavallo forcing them to hire Scarab which was what Tim was expecting.

Tim manages to lure Vicki Vale away from her apartment allowing him to sneak in and find out how much she knows, he sees her wall of photos and newspaper clippings of the Batfamily and linking their identities, he almost had to admire how well she had pieced everything.

He returns to the Batbunker and tells Alfred and Dick about Vicki’s findings. Tim realizes that to lure Vicki away from the truth he would need a ruse that had long term effects, fitting in with his plan with Scarab.

Tim along with Tam Fox and her sister Tiffany visit Commissioner Gordon and states that he wants to hold a press conference for the reopening of a new community gym and also exposing Wise and Cavallo as corrupt cops.

Miss Martian, disguised as Tim Drake speaks at the press conference as Red Robin watches Scarab waiting for the right moment to shoot who she thinks is Tim Drake, preventing him from exposing the corrupt cops. Just as Miss Martian/Tim Drake was about to expose Wise and Cavallo, Scarab shoots but her gun was hit by Red Robin’s birdarang, ruining her shot.

Red Robin tackles Scarab as shocked reporters watched, including Vicki Vale. Paramedics arrive to take Tim Drake to Doctor Leslie Thompkins who know that Miss Martian was disguised as Tim. Doctor Thompkins releases false x-rays revealing that the bullet exited his body but his spine was damaged. Tim Drake will have to use crutches for a few months just to throw off Vicki Vale, showing his dedication to keep her from discovering the truth. Tim Drake holds another press conference and finally exposes the corrupt cops, the conference is broadcast on TV.

Elsewhere Ulysses Armstrong has Lonnie Machin in a machine trying to find out who Robin is and claiming that once he finds out who he is, he will “die in a blood-soaked night of total Anarky”.

Anarky made a list of potential Robins, all around the same age and body type as Tim, sense then Anarky has been murdering them all one by one, crossing the candidates/victims off his list, including Tim Drake/Wayne whom was checked off earlier do to the public shooting that “injured” him, making it seem impossible for Tim and Robin to have once been one in the same. With the help of Lonni, a.k.a. MoneySpider, Tim is able to figure out Anarky’s last target on the list. And just as Ulysses is ready to eliminate his target from behind, Red Robin makes a smashing entrance just in time to stop his foe. Thus leading to a fight that takes them out onto the streets. Tim tells Armstrong that “This ends now,” and that if he wants to blame him for the death of his brother and sister, he has to “get in line”. After taking a short beating, Anarky tells Red Robin that he activated the explosives in the warehouse where Lonnie was being kept in coma and now only has sixty secants left. Tim ponders that thought of what mattered more, his hit list–someone who had killed so many and would kill again … or a single life. But then Tim hits Anarky with a jolt to his vagus nerve which paralyzed Ulysses, though Tim knows he’ll be gone before he can back. Red Robin soars off in attempt to save Lonnie before it is too late. He breaks through the warehouse window and finds Lonnie wired to machinery, with less then twenty-eight secants left, Tim has no time properly unhook Lonnie without knowing if it would kill him or not. The warehouse then goes up in flames after Tim gets himself and Lonnie out. Tim takes Lonnie to Leslie Thompkin where he is stabilized. While high above the city streets, over looking the apartment at which his father was murdered by Captain Boomerang, Tim sees a new family living there, a young couple and their kid…everything renewed. He swings off, thinking of how one by one he’d cut the cords to all the dark shadows that had been dragging him down, his own personal “hit list” he needed to check off, if only to realize that it would never end. Though, he could accept that, because “even the best laid out plans don’t always work out.”

But before Tim could take any steps further he decided he had to take one ugly step back. As Tim Drake/Wayne, he goes to Iron Heights Prison, meeting with his father’s killer. With only a wall of glass between them, Tim tells Harkness that the Flash, Amanda Waller, and the government’s Suicide Squad should be the least of his concerns. Saying: “None of them can hurt you like i will if you ever get out (prison)” Boomerang remains silent with an evil grin that is quickly fades as Tim walks away telling him, “You took my father from me. Think about what someone who now has the last name ‘Wayne” can take from you…” The reason for the visit and “tough guy” display, all revolving around a plan that will soon make Captain Boomerang just another check off Tim’s list.

In the final issue of Red Robin (#26), Tim was seen fighting Captain Boomerang, after setting the villain up to make all the wrong choices so Mr. Freeze could kill him for Tim. But when Harkness and Mr. Freeze were going to fight, Tim activated his failsafe plan in case of anything unexpected happening and saved Harkness from Fries. He tells Harkness to run, then swinging after him after he took care of Fries, thinking “I couldn’t go through with it. I couldn’t let someone else kill him…and I couldn’t let him kill himself.” He came to a conclusion that he needed to kill Captain Boomerang himself, and proceeded to attack him. But when Harkness tripped off the building they were on, Tim caught him with a grapple line and turns him in instead of letting him fall to the ground to his death.

Dick (as Batman) accompanied by Robin confronted Tim about his actions, praising him that he didn’t let the temptation of letting the man kill his father get to him. Right after the new Dynamic Duo left, Bruce came out of the shadows, telling Tim that he knew what Tim did. Tim said bitterly that he saved Harkness, so he made the right choice. And Bruce replied by saying “Only after making all the wrong ones”.

Tim then said that he was who he was now, who his father and Bruce shaped him to be. Bruce the told him, “You saved him tonight, Tim…But what about tomorrow…?” and left Tim standing alone. The issue and series ended with Tim wondering what he has to become in order to claim Gotham as his own city.

The Road Home: Red Robin

During the events of Bruce Wayne Road Home Bruce has returned to test different friends and family, to see who is best to help him in his continuation as Batman. Tim becomes one of many people that are tested in Bruce’s plan. When the Mayor has a reward on his head, the Society of Spiders return to collect that reward. Tim Drake has to protect the Mayor by defeating the Society, however since Tim doesn’t know where their leader is he can’t stop their plans from the root. Bruce helps by disguising himself as a villain in their team so that he can find out who the next target is. It turns out the mayor was never the target, he was just bait to lead out Red Robin to stop him. Red Robin is the target. With this information Bruce quickly tells Tim the plan on how they are going to stop the Society. During this Vicki Vale is at Wayne Manor about Bruce Wayne being Batman. When Alfred doesn’t lie about Bruce being dead and then coming back from the dead, it gives Alfred time enough to get the Bat-tracer that was used when Dick Grayson placed it on her back pack in Batman #703. As Bruce (as the Insider) sets Tim up, together they work and defeat the Society of Spiders. Prudence is watching this all happen and eventually leaves after Insider starts asking questions that she doesn’t want asked. In a subway station, she talks to Ra’s Al Ghul about the new “mystery” man (Bruce Wayne whom is Insider). Ra’s Al Ghul thanks her for her dedication to the Society of Assassins and knows that Bruce Wayne has returned! Tim Drake passes Bruce’s test and is approved to be able to help Bruce in Batman Inc.

New 52 – Teen Titans

In DC’s New 52, Tim Drake continues to act as Red Robin. From his penthouse apartment at Lex Towers in New York City, Tim monitors a news report on “Kid Flash“, a metahuman who was trying to help at a fire but only made things worse. Tim is watching several other similar simultaneous broadcasts when Agent Templar and several soldiers from N.O.W.H.E.R.E. enter his apartment. Templar offers him a chance to work for them in tracking down other young metahumans but Tim declines as he jumps off the balcony while detonating explosions in his apartment.

Red Robin takes off to find Cassie Sandsmark a.k.a. Wonder Girl who is also being targeted by N.O.W.H.E.R.E. They are attacked by a helicopter but manage to destroy it and escape. Tim further explains to Cassie about N.O.W.H.E.R.E. and their mission and spends the night at her house. In the morning Tim reads an article about a girl in L.A. who may be a meta-human. He asks the girls sister Claudine who tells him her sister has turned into a spider-like creature and that she already explained this to the government agent who stopped b earlier. Red Robin rushes to the sewers to intercept the N.O.W.H.E.R.E. agents that are after Skitter. He encounters a pair of brothers who can teleport through each other. While gaining the upper hand in battle a third brother calls for help as he is attacked by Skitter. Red Robin finds her in time to stop her from killing the brothers but Skitter turns on him. Wonder Girl arrives and is able to aid Red Robin in subduing Skitter.

Tim goes undercover on a train as a bum when Miguel Barragan jumps on. He sits with him for a while getting to know him before taking him down and revealing Miguel is a meta. Once he does so, Tim reveals he is Red Robin and Bunker embraces him admitting to being a huge fan. The train makes an unscheduled stop as Tim discovers the entire town is under mind control. He leaves Bunker to maintain the crowd and protect Skitter’s cocoon while he investigates the source of the mind control. Tim comes across Detritus, a mass of cybernetic scrap that has gained sentience. Detritus controls Tim and forces him to return to Bunker and forget their encounter. They leave immediately.

Tim, Miguel and the hatched Celine make it to Tim’s second apartment in New York City when Solstice arrives with a hypothermic Kid Flash. After Kid Flash heals, he and Tim discuss teaming up against N.O.W.H.E.R.E and whether or not Flash is wearing one of Tim’s sweatshirts…

Celine comes in to stop their fighting and tells the Titans to watch a live broadcast of Wonder Girl and Superboy fighting in Time Square. Tim asks each of the new recruits to pick their stand, either to stand against N.O.W.H.E.R.E by fighting together as a group, or just to sit back at the sidelines and let N.O.W.H.E.R.E capture more metahuman teenagers. Celine, still struggling to accept her powers, decided to retreat back to her room, while the rest of the Titans suits up and go with Tim to Time Square.

Despite team work, the Teen Titans ultimately lose their confrontation with Superboy. As they head back to the penthouse, they are stopped by Jocelyn Lure who tries to arrest them but Skitter intervenes. Due to Bart’s power destabilizing, Tim decides to take his team to S.T.A.R. Labs in NYC, where he asks Virgil Hawkins for assistance. While Red Robin, Static and Solstice see to Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, Skitter and Bunker confront a metahuman known as Grymm. Bart is given a suit which according to Virgil will keep his powers stable and after defeating Grymm, the team heads back to the penthouse to plan their next move.

The Titans decide to rescue Superboy from N.O.W.H.E.R.E. and so Danny the Alley takes them to their base. While the rest of his team fight off N.O.W.H.E.R.E. operatives, Red Robin heads off on his own to look for evidence only to be confronted by Solstice. He reveals to Solstice that he suspected metahumans we being kidnapped but couldn’t do anything without proof. Tim tells Solstice that he did what he had to do and he leaves Solstice to regroup with the team, who have rescued Superboy. As the team regroups, they are attacked by the mastermind behind N.O.W.H.E.R.E. known as Harvest.

The Culling

The Titans wake up in the Colony, N.O.W.H.E.R.E.’s underground complex where human and metahuman teens are pitted against each other. Tim meets Artemis and the siblings, Thunder and Lightning. After reuniting with the Teen Titans, the Ravager known as Leash appears and takes them to another part of the Colony known as the Crucible, an arena where they meet the Legionaries. Elsewhere as the Teen Titans and the Legion battle each other, Leash uses his powers to send Artemis, Beast Boy, Terra, Thunder and Lightning into a blind fury then throws them in with the Titans and Legion causing both confusion and chaos.

Despite Tim’s attempts for peace, another captive known as Fist Point kills Artemis. Red Robin vows to make Harvest pay, and rallies the remaining teens against the common enemy. After subduing the remaining indoctrinated metas, the young heroes get a moment of peace before Harvest sends in the Ravagers.

Red Robin offers the Ravagers the chance to surrender but is met with an attack. Red Robin meets Rose Wilson, who offers Tim the opportunity to join N.O.W.H.E.R.E. but he declines, as he did with Templar who made the same offer. Just as Rose performs the coup de grace by plunging her sword into Tim’s face, Kid Flash manages to save him.

The Titans, Legionaries and other metahumans fighting for freedom manage to turn the tide and defeat the Ravagers just as Harvest appears for the final showdown. The Legionaries leave to free the remaining captives of N.O.W.H.E.R.E. while the Titans unleash an attack on Harvest, but to no avail.

As the Crucible begins to crumble due to the actions of the Legionaires, Harvest manages to grab Tim by the throat where he reveals to the young man that it is “a tragedy that two humans are fighting for the fate of the metahuman population of tomorrow.” before flying away. The Teen Titans barely survived the Crucible; they managed to get away only to find themselves on Mystery Island, an island inhabited by dinosaurs.

Due to feeling like he has failed Celine, who disappeared during the Culling and Artemis, who was a victim of the Culling as well as Danny, Tim tells Bunker that the Teen Titans is over. Bunker protests and tries to convince Tim that there are probably other organizations out there trying to harm people their age and that the world needed the Teen Titans more than ever.

Their conversation is interrupted by Superboy who thanks Tim for helping him. After Kon-El tells him that he doesn’t understand “why” he saved him, Tim tells Kon that if he couldn’t figure it out in six months’ time, he would explain it.

Meanwhile, Bunker a real brick (unlike his own which are psionic) and realizes it was Danny. After collecting what they could find, the Teen Titans receive a message in a bottle from Danny. Tim reads the note which said, “It has been an honor to fight the good fight beside you. If I may, allow me one final act as a member of your team, to bring you safely back to where you belong.” Despite refusing the offer, which would ‘kill’ Danny, Wonder Girl convinces Red Robin that Danny knew the risks and that if Danny wanted to teleport them home, it wasn’t his place to decide for Danny.

Red Robin thanks Danny for everything and they are teleported back to New York.

Red Hood and the Outlaws

Tim and Jason have a meeting on the roof of Lex Towers in New York City. Jason comments on how Tim is hiding in plain sight and how their “dad” would be proud of him. Tim goes into the technicalities of Bruce not being Jason’s dad since Jason had been declared legally dead. They exchange information on Cassandra Sandsmark whom Jason calls a grifter who is in over her head and Tim tells Jason of smugglers coming in off the coast of Miami but no one knows what their cargo is. As Jason goes to leave, Tim stops him asking him to join him for breakfast. Jason gives in and they have fun talking about the past while joking about Alfred’s cooking.

Batman and Robin

While all gathered to have a portrait commissioned of the Bat-Family, Tim and Damian once again clash. Damian decides that he will prove once and for all that his his the best robin. He will attack each of them and take something of theirs as a souvenir. Tim confronts Damian in the Bat-Cave. Damian throws in Tim’s face how he was unable to save Artemis and how he almost went to far with his overreaction.

Death of the Family

Tim returns to Gotham City and reunites with the rest of “the family” in time to help them neutralize the toxin the Joker released into the water. At the Batcave, he, along with Batgirl, Nightwing, Red Hood and Robin listen to Bruce as he recalls one of his early encounters with the Joker. He is later kidnapped by the Joker and forced to fight Jason in order to save their “fathers”, however he is able to deduce they are not their real fathers. Unfortunately the Joker was one step ahead and the boys were defeated, falling unconscious into a cave. Tim went back to the Teen Titans and where in New York on a boat cruise with the gang and after the events that happened with the Joker and the Batman Family. Tim Drake was poisoned somthing inside his body at the last pages of the series he was seen laughing when he took control of the boat and his friends did not see this happen they where a sleeping on the boat. The Joker did something to him and Jason Todd and to the others that we will find out in series to come. The Joker made it appear that he had cut off their faces, as well as those of Dick, Barbara and Damian, and had Batman tied up as well. In reality he had not, and the Joker tried to prove to the Bat family that Batman loved him more than he loved them. After Batman defeated the Joker, the relationships between Bruce and the rest of the Bat Family were still strong, but strained from what Joker had said.

Batman Eternal

Red Robin is investigating a nanobot plague affecting children in the Narrows part of Gotham. One of the children affected is Cullen Row, which draws Harper Row into action. Red Robin does not welcome her help and wants her to stay safe, but she impresses him with her computer skills, even hacking into his personal, hi-tech computer. After Harper sneaks onto his plane and follows him to Asia, Red Robin and Harper continue to look for information on the nanobots, now reluctantly working together. After tracing the nanobots back to Jervis Tetch, the Mad Hatter, he forces Harper to stay behind. As he teams with Batgirl and Red Hood to bring Tetch down, the three of them fall victim to the nanobots and become mind controlled. Luckily, Harper steps in to save the day.

Later, he stands with the Bat-family against Lincoln March in the battle for Gotham. After this battle, he checks in on his new friend Harper, and is introduced to his one-time love, Stephanie Brown.

Skills and Abilities

Tim has undergone advanced training in many martial arts. He has mastered many unarmed styles of fighting, including Leopard kung fu, Savate, Judo, capoeria, karate, dragon Kung Fu and Biangan .Tim was taught these arts by Batman, Nightwing and Lady Shiva. Tim’s fighting style is less acrobatic than Dick’s, but more unpredictable and fluid than Bruce’s. He is one of the three people in the world to have mastered the deadly martial art technique of Leopard Blow; the other two being Batman and Lady Shiva.

While he is a very competent unarmed fighter, Tim uses a bo as his primary weapon and usually engages his opponents using the art of Bojutsu — or staff technique. He is so skilled with the bo that he once defeated Lady Shiva in a sparring match, and has been known to be able to take on multiple enemies at once.

Tim is in prime physical condition for a young man his age. He trains constantly with Bruce and Dick and continually seeks to hone his skills. Tim is accomplished in the acrobatic arts, though not as skilled as Dick, and has mastered the arts of escapology and stealth.Tim is also very fluent in several languages such as , Japanese, Mandarin, German, English, Russian and French.

Tim possesses a genius-level intellect. He is an exceptional detective, having deduced the identities of both Bruce and Dick when he was just a young boy after watching Dick as Robin perform a move he saw him doing in the circus. Batman himself said that Tim may be a better detective than him. His high level of intelligence makes Tim a natural student and self-taught practitioner of many disciplines. He has studied computer science and is a highly skilled programmer and hacker. He has an in-depth knowledge of the natural sciences, which he puts to use in the crime lab; the extent of his expertise was illustrated when he made an attempt to re-clone his best friend, Conner Kent, after his death. He has studied the behavioral sciences, specifically criminology, and is very well-read and literate.

Personality

Throughout his life, Tim Drake has gone through a number of events that have altered his personality. Though Tim has always been a serious child, a number of events he had experienced has only intensified his already serious nature. A once balanced child was turned into a dark man. Before becoming Robin, he had built up a good life for himself and good friends with people he could trust, even his father has accepted what he was doing with his life. he was friendly and likeable that he had been able to enjoy life. He cares about innocent people, and would never stand by and watch someone be hurt or killed. He has a strong moral compass.

Weaponry and Gadgets

Tim carries a gear load out similar to that of Batman and Nightwing.

Weaponry

• Bo: a custom-made, retractable bo staff that serves as Tim’s primary weapon. The bo has small holes drilled in either end to create a whistling effect when wielded, which disorients opponents and keeps them off guard. It can deploy a basic shield at the touch of a button, and contains a retractable blade at the top, effectively making it a spear when needed.
• Batarang, throwing discs and ‘R’-shurikens: offensive weapons that can be thrown as projectiles or boomerangs.
• Bolas: cords with weighted ends designed to ensnare opponents when throwing in a gyrating motion. These bolas can emit an electric shock if needed.

Gadgets

• Grappling gun: a sidearm that fires a projectile with a metal-laced paracord attached to it. The projectile is meant to latch on to a surface so that the user can either swing, climb the rope or retract the rope very rapidly, pulling the user toward the hooked surface. But can be used to pull someone to you.
• Cuffs: handcuffs and zip-cuffs used to contain criminals.
• Tracking devices: miniature devices that connect to WayneTech satellites planted on people or objects to track their location.
• Communications device: a small device designed to sit in the outer ear canal that maintains an open line of communication between Tim and other heroes in the field, Alfred, Oracle and Lonnie Machin.
• First aid kits: used to administer to the wounded or to temporary heal injuries to his own body.
• Gas mask and re-breather: devices used to aid breathing in hostile environments or underwater.
• Plasma torch: a cutting torch used to ‘slice’ through metal.
• Lock picking tools: a set of tools used to gain entry into otherwise inaccessible areas.
• Micro-camera: a small camera primarily used to collect photographic evidence.
• Micro-computer: a small fully-functional computer.
• Cryptographic sequencer: a peripheral device used to aid in hacking and decoding cyphers.
• Explosive pellets: miniature explosives that can be used offensively, but are primarily used to aid in escapes.
• Smoke pellets: miniature explosives that create a smoke screen for the user and disorientate targets.
• Flashbangs: small explosive devices that create a blinding flash and an ear-piercing bang; used to seriously disorientate and/or incapacitate opponents.
• Plastic explosive: sticky explosives that are used to destroy structures. As shown in recent Batman Arkham games.
• Taser: a device used to deliver an intense electric shock to an opponent in emergency situations.

Costumes

First Robin Costume

Tim’s early costume was designed with functionality in mind; more so than Dick’s and Jason’s. Instead of a tunic, Tim wore a red bulletproof singlet with green short-sleeves, yellow straps and the ‘R’ symbol, which could double as an emergency shuriken, emblazoned on his chest. He wore green leggings, presumably made of Nomex, and green gloves. The pixie boots that Dick and Jason once wore were replaced by much more practical footwear: Jika-Tabi style boots, which allow Tim a greater degree of stealth and agility. The outfit was made complete by a black and yellow cape, noticeably longer than the other Robin’s, which Tim often shrouded himself in just like his mentor and a green mask that covered his eye area and provided lensing. He carried his gear in a light, golden-yellow utility belt; most devices were stored in small container-like devices that adorned the belt. He carried his retractable bo as his primary weapon, which attached to the back of the belt.

Second Robin Costume

After the death of Conner Kent in Infinite Crisis, Tim, deeply affected by the loss of his best friend, redesigned his costume to more closely resemble the red and black color scheme of the late Superboy. This was done by eliminating the green elements from the costume entirely; Tim wore an all red Nomex bodysuit with three yellow straps across the chest, and black trunks, gloves and lightweight boots. The ‘R’ symbol remained on the upper left of the chest. The black and yellow cape, the top of which acted as a collar surrounding and protecting his neck, remained. He replaced the green mask with a black one of similar shape and began wearing a yellow, heavily-pouched, military style utility belt to carry his paraphernalia and bo.

First Red Robin Costume

When Tim gave up the Robin mantle to engage in a world-wide search for Bruce he began wearing the Red Robin costume. The Red Robin costume allowed Tim to operate in a more vicious manner if needed, and did not endanger the Robin legacy if he was caught. The costume consisted of a bulletproof, long-sleeved, red tunic with two bandolier style straps crossing over his chest, and the Red Robin symbol encircled at the center. He wore black Nomex leg stockings and black boots and leather gloves. He still carried most of his gear in a pouched utility belt and kept using the bo staff as his primary weapon. Tim replaced the mask with a cowl, which attached to an all black cape, similar to Batman’s.

Second Red Robin Costume

Upon Tim’s return to Gotham, Alfred took the liberty of making some significant alterations to the Red Robin costume. He eliminated the heavy tunic, replacing it with a red Nomex upper body stocking to accompany the black leg stockings. The leather gloves were replaced by lightweight black gloves underneath two black, armored wrist gauntlets. The bandoliers were left intact along with the Red Robin symbol in the center of the chest. The cowl was made lighter and more streamlined, while the traditional cloth cape was replaced by a para-cape. Tim continues to wear a golden, pouched utility belt to bear his load-out and bo staff. But later changes this to a black utlity belt.

Unternet Costume

Whilst inside the Unternet, Tim wore a new Red Robin costume which bore a striking resemblance to Nightwing’s costume in Batman: The Animated Series.

DC Relaunch

In the 2011 Teen Titans, Tim now wears a red and black kevlar suit, black armored gloves and short boots, and has returned to a black domino mask. He wears an “X” style strap crossing over his chest, along with a black utility belt. He now has a pack on his back that can extend or retract specialized red and black wings that can be held ridgidly and used for flight or left loose to double as a cape. The material the wings are made of is light and flexible yet strong and sharp, making it able to slice through objects and provide protection from high calibur gunfire. The pack is also able to produce a short burst of prepulsion to assist in long distance flight. The Red Robin symbol is now perched on Tim’s left shoulder.

DC Rebirth

As part of the DC Rebirth event’s focus on returning characters to their roots, Tim returned to a costume similar to his original 90’s Robin outfit. The suit is functionally similar to the original, but with more detailing and a Red Robin double “R” logo replacing the traditional Robin logo.

Relationships with His Adopted Brothers

Tim and Dick

Dick and Tim have a close brotherly bond. Dick was the only person who supported Tim when he wanted to become Robin. Dick helped Tim ease into the role and helped him with Bruce’s distant manner. Dick treats Tim as a little brother, They make a brilliant crime fighting team, their tight bond started when Bruce broke his back. Although Azreal was originally chosen to take the mantle, after difficulties with him Bruce gave the mantle to the man who should have gotten it in the first place Dick Grayson, the brotherly bond flourishes.

Dick is very protective over him. After the Joker pretended to kill Tim, Nightwing went out on a personal vendetta to catch the Joker. When he took down the Joker’s criminal army in a fit of rage he beat the Joker to death with his bare hands and didn’t stop until he saw that Tim was still very much alive, the joker is resuscitated [brought back to life] by huntress [the joker is still alive]. In the Resurrection of Ra’s Al Ghul story arc, Tim wanted to use the Lazarus pit to bring back his father, Spoiler and Superboy. Tim and Nightwing spar; Nightwing was holding back, because he was only trying to calm Tim down from making a misguided decision, while Tim was emotional and angry at the loss of his loved ones. I-Ching steps in and spars with both, and is clearly a better martial artist than either, as he is apparently holding back as well.

Dick gave Tim the option of taking samples from the pit, but at the last second he decides against it and collapses to the floor. Dick catches him and cradles him. The two are still extremely close and whenever Tim is in trouble or has problems with Bruce he always seems to go to Dick. The two are now officially brothers. Bruce adopted Tim after his father died. From Batman: Battle for the Cowl to the Red Robin story arc Collision Dick and Tim’s bond was somewhat shaken by the apparent “death” of Bruce and Dick becoming Batman while also making Damian the fifth Robin. Tim resents the fact that he has been ‘replaced’ by a homicidal child, but Dick explains that he views Tim as a partner and an equal, not a sidekick and that he chose Damian as the new Robin to keep an eye on him and keep him from killing again. Dick also shows concern over Tim’s obsession with the possibility of Bruce’s survival and is very reluctant to let Tim leave Gotham but they later reconcile when Tim returns home with both proof that Bruce has survived and Ra’s Al Ghul preparing to launch an attack on the Batman family.

Tim and Jason

Tim and Jason have a hatred for each other. When Jason returned during the Hush storyline he managed to get behind Tim and questioned Bruce’s decision of replacing him with a ‘pretender’.

Jason would later break into the Titan’s Tower and sees that there wasn’t a statue of him in memorial even though he was a Teen Titan although for a brief time. Angered that he didn’t get a statue, Jason and Tim fight. Jason manages to beat Tim and leaves the message “Jason Todd was here” written in Tim’s blood. Afterward, Jason does admit that Tim is good and begins a begrudging respect for the new boy wonder.

During the absence of Batman, Tim encounters Jason, now as Red Hood while dealing with a gang and a person donning the Red Robin costume During the fight, Jason was shot in the leg and was arrested by the police. Sometime later, Tim Drake helped Jason get out of jail because he knew that it was what Bruce would have wanted. Jason is let back into the cave to listen to a final message left by Bruce. Helping Jason out of jail seemed to improve their relationship.

However it would not last, as Jason would shortly after begin attacking and murdering criminals while dressed as Batman. Tim would be the first to discover the identity of this new murderous “Batman” and attack him in his lair. During which Tim beats Jason with a crowbar, while Jason stabs him with a batarang and leaves Tim to die in an explosion.

In DC’s New 52, Tim and Jason’s relationship has greatly improved. After leaving Gotham, Tim and Jason provide information for each other and Tim convinces Jason to have breakfast with him, beginning to see each other more like brothers as seen when they were trapped by the Joker and when they worked together during Batman Eternal. The two boys enjoy teasing each other as Tim has become the brother who Jason is most comfortable with.

Tim and Damian

Tim and Damian share an antagonistic relationship and an intense loathing of each other, fighting on a number of occasions. On their very first meeting, Tim attempted to make friends with the angry and violent Damian but Damian threatened him, thinking that Tim had usurped his position as Batman’s son and later fights him in an attempt to replace him as Batman’s partner, nearly killing Tim in the process. Later when Damian’s life has come under threat from his grandfather Ra’s Al Ghul, Tim attacks him under the belief that Damian has come to kill him and Alfred, and during the events of Battle for the Cowl, Damian reluctantly saves Tim’s life after being critically wounded in a fight with Jason Todd.

When Dick assumes the mantle of Batman, he selects Damian to be his Robin instead of Tim and Damian gloats and flaunts his new position and costume in front of Tim at every opportunity. It is with Damian’s mocking suggestion that Tim start using the Batgirl costume that causes Tim to snap and punch him in the face, later leaving Gotham with the Red Robin costume on a quest to prove Bruce’s survival. Before he left town, Tim requested to Dick that Dick not let Damian destroy the legacy of Robin that he and Tim had built. And even after Tim’s return to Gotham some months later, Damian still continues to insult and threaten Tim’s life at every chance, even though Tim stated he has always held back, and then he engages in battle again,easily defeating Damian.

Character Profile

• Height: 5’6″
• Weight: 131 lbs
• Eye Color: Blue
• Hair Color: Black
• Citizenship: American
• Place of Birth: Gotham City
• Marital Status: Single
• Occupation: Vigilante
• Known Relatives: Jack Drake (father), Janet Drake (mother), Bruce Wayne (adoptive father), Damian Wayne (adoptive brother), Dick Grayson (adoptive brother), Jason Todd (adoptive brother)

Alternate Versions

Batman: Tim Drake

Captured in Teen Titans: #17-19, 51-53. A alternate story created by Geoff Johns, Mike McKone and Marlo Alquiza. This story is called Titans Tomorrow.

When Tim Drake and the Teen Titans were helping out the Legion of Superheroes defeat the Fatal Five; they accidentally went to a future with a older and darker team of Titans. The Teen Titans of the past met their older more violent selves and they found out about a great crisis that killed many heroes including the original Batman – Bruce Wayne. Older Tim Drake told his younger self that Dick refused to be the next Batman and retired after the crisis had passed. The crisis was caused by the Teen Titans leaving one another, and them not ever trusting each other.

As Tim Drake and his past Teen Titans are in this dark future, the older Tim Drake is the leader of Titans East; which was a team of “so-called” good heroes. And the other side is Titan’s West which are really the noble team, however at odds with Titan’s East tyranny. At this time Tim Drake told his Titans that they would have a zero tolerance against criminals – all and any criminals that didn’t obey the law were put to death. Years later, the Joker’s daughter Duela Dent tried to meet her real father, the Joker. When Duela tried to prove that she was the daughter of the Joker, Joker wanted nothing to do with her.

Angered, Duela went out and tried to prove herself once more by killing certain retired heroes. Succeeding in killing the retired (Batwoman) Bette Kane, active Titan’s member Cassandra Cain, and Alfred, Tim Drake was extremely angry to hear this. Tim Drake had kept the gun that killed Martha and Thomas Wayne and eventually locked himself in Arkham Asylum. First killing the Joker, he eventually killed many of the inmates like, Riddler, Hush, Killer Croc and others. When younger Tim Drake heard about what his older self had done, they had a massive battle under Drake Manor (which had previously been Wayne manor) during which younger Tim managed to beat his older self. After all their alternate future selves had been defeated, Tim confronted his Titans and told them that they should disband. However,when they return the team stays together, spending more time together to build trust, altering that future.

Futures End

In the potential future of Futures End, which takes place five years into the future of the current DC universe, the Teen Titans was killed in the war between Earth 1 and Earth 2. Tim however faked his death to live a normal live once the war had ended. He moved to New York City to open a bar under the alias of Cal Corcoran and start a relationship with Madison Payne. Tim was drawn back into action when he was recruited by Terry McGinnis to save the future.

Terry convinces Tim to take his Batman suit and time band in order to complete the mission. In Terry’s final moments he reveals to Tim that in the future where he is from Tim didn’t survive and asks him to be part of it now. Tim took Terry’s Batsuit and went back in time and successfully averted the war with Earth 2. However, much of his world’s history remained unchanged, and as Batman he must now set to work trying to save his planet from Brother Eye.

Other Media

Television

The New Batman Adventures

Tim Drake as Robin first appears in the premier episode of The New Batman Adventures. Otherwise known as Gotham Knights, “Holiday Knights”. The following episode, “Sins of the Father”, reveals that Tim was a street kid whose father was a criminal who betrayed Two-Face and was ultimately killed. Feeling he needed to help, Tim stole the Robin suit and helped Batman take down Two-Face. Tim’s background was almost identical to Jason Todd’s, who was the second Robin in comic books, but was not used in the series. In the episode “Growing Pains”, Tim’s impulsive behavior and anger leads him to disobeying Batman and becomes inches away from destroying Clayface. He was voiced by Mathew Valencia in the series. Robin’s costume in this series is very similar to Tim’s second costume in the comics. It was discussed by Bruce Timm that he had mixed Tim Drakes origin with Jason Todd.

Static Shock

Tim appeared in several episodes of Static Shock, voiced by Eli Marienthal and Shane Sweet. In his guest appearances, he formed a friendship with Static, the show’s protagonist. He did not appear in the show’s final Batman crossover, as it was mentioned that he had left to join the Teen Titans.

Batman Beyond the Return of the Joker

Tim also plays a large role in the Batman Beyond movie The Return of the Joker. During the course of the film Robin is knocked unconscious by Harley Quinn and taken to the ruins of Arkham Asylum where he is brutally tortured by the Joker driving him insane as a miniature version of the Joker. Batman and Batgirl then arrive to rescue him with during the course of events Tim ends up killing the Joker, following which he spends time with Leslie Thompkins who assists him in regaining his sanity before Batman forces him from the mantle of Robin. Tim then spends his life as a civilian until the Joker resurfaces through Tim in implanted Microchip which is ultimately destroyed by Terry McGinnis in battle freeing Tim from the Joker once and for all, with Bruce Wayne visting a recovering Tim Drake beginning to repair their broken relationship.

Young Justice: Invasion

Tim is first introduced in the “Young Justice: Invasion” episode, “Happy New Year!” He first appears when Delta Squad (Superboy, Miss Marantian, Beast Boy, Blue Beetle, Bumblebee and himself) take on Clayface. He has joined “The Team” sometime between 2011 and 2016, with Invasion taking place five years after the previous season.

On the first mission to hunt Zeta-Tubes, Nightwing assigns Tim along with Blue Beetle and Lagoon Boy to go down to New Orleans and investigate. Nightwing puts Tim as leader of the group, while Tim is hesitant and unsure of himself as this is his first time leading. Tim and gamma squad find that the location they are sent to contains a small army of Kroloteans. They are spotted and must defend themselves. Tim learns from Blue Beetle that the captured humans that the Kroloteans have impersonated are within the headquarters. Tim orders the team to fight their way to the holding cells. They manage to free the prisoners and are able to escapade before the base is destroyed during by self destruction. Nightwing and the rest of the league arrive, and Nightwing tells Tim that he did a good job.

During a reconnaissance mission to a Reach base, Tim leads a team to find out what the Reach is doing with the crops it’s making on a farm located in Smallville. When the team is able to get access to a sample, Arsenal blows up the lab, triggering an alarm, just because he wants “to make Lex Luthor suffer”. The team fights Black Beetle and barely manages to get away, but Tim didn’t like how Roy handled the situation, alerting the enemy to their presence for a petty reason.

Tim is one of the heroes who is sent to the War World to disarm it before it can destroyed the Earth. He, along the other members of the team, are able to stop the War World, but Tim is captured by Blue Beetle, who is under the control of the Reach. Tim and the other heroes, are freed by the runaway kids. He was voiced by Cameron Bowen.

Teen Titans Go!

Tim appears in the Teen Titans Go! episode “The Best Robin”, voiced by Scott Menville. He is depicted as a stereotypical emo teen who takes his role way too seriously.

Batman Unlimited: Animal Instincts

Tim appears as Red Robin in Batman Unlimited: Animal Instincts, voiced by Yuri Lowenthal. This marks the character’s animated debut as Red Robin.

Video Games

Batman Rise of Sin Tzu

Robin is playable in Batman: Rise of SinTzu.

Batman: Arkham City

Tim Drake (voiced by Troy Baker) is featured in Batman: Arkham City but is only playable through the challenge maps. Tim has his own set of combat moves as well as gadgets. He is playable on every map and comes with two additional maps, Black Mask Hideout and Freight Train Escape. Dick Grayson’s BTAS Robin costume and Jason Todd’s Red Robin costume are available as alternate skins for Robin. His gadgets include a Bo Staff/Bullet Shield, Shurikens, Explosive Gel, Zip Kick (grapnel gun that fires him toward the enemy) and Smoke Pellets.

Robin makes a small cameo in the story. He is sent into Arkham City by Alfred to deliver the Line Launcher to Batman who then gives him a sample of his blood for testing. He is later heard talking to Oracle.

Robin appears in the final DLC titled “Harley Quinn’s Revenge” as a playable character, along with Batman.

He goes into Arkham City after Batman goes missing while investigating the disappearance of a few police officers. He follows the tracking device in Batman’s belt which leads him to the Dry Docks. He finds Batman trapped inside a booby-trapped cage held by a giant memorial statue of the Joker. After he retrieves the keycard from Harley Quinn, he frees Batman, who orders him to get the cops out while he defuses the bombs.

Harley Quinn manages to detonate a bomb and Batman and Harley barely manage to escape. Batman watches the burning warehouse, thinking Robin had perished in the explosion giving Harley the chance to stab Batman. Unfortunately for Harley, Robin survived and managed to get the officers out.

As Batman leaves, Commissioner Gordon asks Robin if Batman is fine. Robin assures him that he is, but Robin still appears to be worried.

Young Justice: Legacy

Tim Drake appears as Robin.

Lego Batman

Tim is a playable character in all three Lego Batman games.

Batman: Arkham Knight

Tim returns as Robin in Arkham Knight, voiced by Matthew Mercer. In this game, he and Commissioner Gordon are kidnapped by Scarecrow, who forces Batman to reveal his identity to the world. In the epilogue, he is shown to have married Barbara Gordon.

Merchandise

Tim Drake has had a large number of toys, statues and Lego figures, produced by various companies.

What People Think of Tim

An interview with then Batman editor Denny O’Neil from an article from Comics Scene Magazine #17 [1991]

As Tim Drake has discovered, enthusiasm and a flimsy, garish outfit aren’t enough to transform an energetic child into a suitable squire for the Dark Knight. But given the ever-increasing viciousness of Gotham’s criminals, to say nothing of the still-fresh memory of Jason Todd’s death, it isn’t surprising that Batman plans not to repeat past mistakes. Instead, he prefers that others provide the newest Robin with a more effective costume and more thorough training.

Designed by Neal Adams, who had earlier created the outfit the Dick Grayson of Earth-2 ultimately wore, Tim Drake’s uniform features a camouflage-oriented cloak, a Kevlar vest and an assortment of compartments filled with weapons, food and electronic hardware. But while it’s certainly now geared towards keeping its wearer alive, there was a more basic reason for deviating from the brightly-hued suit worn by Robins past, according to Denny O’Neil, editor of the Batman titles.

“It was a very dated costume” he explains. “We thought we could make it a little more modern, a little classier maybe, a little more appropriate to a teenager than to a little kid. Also, we did want an excuse to put the hi-tech stuff in. This is the age of computers, after all.

“One of the problems with the old costume was that it wasn’t really very practical for a dark, night character. One of Neal’s inspirations was the reversible cape so you preserve the bright Robin motif, and yet, there’s a certain logic to being able to cover up. And hell, school kids wear bulletproof vests these days. It seems to me that if I were in any kind of crime-fighting business, I would certainly want to do that. As for computer links, I really don’t know what they are, but Elliot Brown, who did the technology part of this, assures us that they would work. I’m perfectly willing to take his word for it.

“The new Robin costume will soon be seen on action figures, lunch boxes and other products in stores across the country as well as, DC hopes, on movie screens in Batman II. After all, with all its protective gear and built-in equipment, this battle-ready Robin appears to have taken his cue from the film’s heavily armored Batman.

“I don’t know if it [the costume] was influenced [by the movie’s],” says O’Neil, “but that probably played some part in the designer’s thinking. We got about 15 different designs, and we, I swear, Scout’s honor, liked this one the best. We sent them out to [Batman director] Tim Burton, and this was the one he liked best. So, it was a real consensus that this is the one we ought to go with. Some of the others were interesting, but we wanted to preserve the traditional Robin look and yet update it.”

However, a reputation built up by others over a half-century was not something Tim Drake needed to inherit and so, given the task of furthering the latest Robin’s training, writer Chuck Dixon, along with penciler Tom Lyle and inker Bob Smith, devised a five-issue “Trial” to make a man out of the Boy Wonder.

“No matter who Robin is, he’s generally considered just a sidekick,” Dixon reasons, “and I thought it would be challenging to deal with a sidekick as a primary character in a mini-series. And everybody seemed to have disliked Robin II so much that it was also a challenge to make a Robin people would like. Alan Grant had laid some great groundwork in Detective for Tim Drake to be a really neat character, and as I talked to Denny O’Neil and Dan Raspier, I got even more interested in the direction they wanted the mini-series to take, a coming-of-age story with lots of fistfights.

“Tim Drake has a lot, of self-doubt whether or not he can fill Robin’s shoes, whether he could be a competent sidekick for Batman.

“He’s not overconfident, which was obviously the problem with the previous Robin. He’s not full of the wisecracks, although a transformation comes over him when he puts the costume on. He’s pretty much a loner, which makes him match up with Batman. I always said Dick Grayson was much more sociable than Tim Drake. I mean, Dick Grayson, as they put him in college, was kind of hip. I don’t think Tim Drake will ever be kind of hip. He’s brainy, into computers, into books. He’s like a really super-athletic nerd in many ways.

And just as his mentor once set off around the globe to complete his crime-fighting education, so too does the young hero take his leave of the United States to add to his own. “It was John Lennon who said, ‘Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans,’ ” Dixon recalls. “Robin plans to go to Paris to hone his martial arts skill and gain some confidence. And he never gets there. He begins to learn with the old master, that doesn’t work out, and he immediately finds himself involved in a world-spanning conspiracy run by a knighted English nobleman who’s also King Snake, dreaded Asian underworld figure. He becomes involved with a renegade Drug Enforcement Agency agent and Lady Shiva, and the three of them travel from France to Hong Kong, battling the King Snake and his hench-person Lynx, who I hope will be Robin’s female nemesis, his Catwoman, along the way.”

In the end, though, it matters little whether Tim Drake will be able to capture King Snake. It is the wandering attentions of readers he will have to arrest, and to Batman fans who’ve long taken his role for granted, he will need to prove that he is capable of supporting both his own title for a brief time and their interest over what DC would like to be many long years.

“I really think he can,” says Chuck Dixon. “Robin had a run in Star-Spangled Comics back in the early ’50s, and they were some really good stories, better than the Batman stories at the time. Robin as a character, and this Robin in particular, I think he’s strong enough. Readers will get a kick out of him. He’s no Hardy Boy.”

“We tried to build Tim Drake carefully from the ground up to make him likable and, within the confines of our art form, believable. We have a gut feeling that you get when you’ve been doing it for 25 years that he will be popular and that we’ll probably do other mini-series,” remarks Denny O’Neil. “I think he’ll certainly be more popular than Jason.

IGN also ranked Tim as the 32nd greatest comic book hero of all time.