Tim Drake

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Tim Drake was created by Marv Wolfman and Pat Broderick to succeed Jason Todd as Robin after DC killed off Todd in their story A Death in the Family. Named after director Tim Burton, he first appeared in Batman: Year Three before his origin was detailed in Batman: A Lonely Place of Dying. In this crossover between Batman and New Titans, written by Wolfman with art by George Pérez and Jim Aparo (inks by Mike DeCarlo), Tim introduced himself to Dick Grayson and impressed him with his skills. Bruce Wayne, unwilling to repeat the mistake made with Jason Todd, subjected Tim to an intensive training period never given to predecessors. For his first year of regular appearances in Batman titles, Tim operated mainly as a non-superhero supporting character from the Batcave. Alan Grant and Norm Breyfogle later authored storylines that emphasized his high intellect and strong sense of justice. The "Rite of Passage" storyline saw him transition from preadolescence to adolescence while matching wits with Anarky, dealing with his mother's murder by vilified cult leaders, and overcoming recurrent nightmares about a ghoulish Batman.

In Their Own Story

In the "Rite of Passage" arc, Tim Drake matched wits with Anarky during a criminal investigation into an apocryphal Haitian Vodou cult, which Batman revealed was a front for extortion. The story depicted the murder of Drake's mother by cult leaders, triggering recurrent nightmares and trauma. Grant and Breyfogle included a perspective from the orphaned child of a Haitian follower unknowingly left behind by Batman at the arc's end. Later, in "Identity Crisis", an adolescent Tim proved himself capable of being a vigilante by deducing fear's role in instigating violent crimes. He defeated his preadolescent fears somewhat distant from Bruce Wayne and "not as an orphan". Following his transition to adolescence, writer Chuck Dixon depicted him engaging in adolescent intimacy while maintaining Robin's established "estrangement from sex". Tim's solo miniseries pitted him against the Joker, fulfilling fan demands for a matchup since A Death in the Family. He later succeeded Dick Grayson as leader of the Teen Titans and led Young Justice. His time as Red Robin saw him followed briefly by Stephanie Brown and later longer-term by Damian Wayne.

Reader's Guide

Tim Drake distinguishes himself through superior detective skills compared to previous Robins, making him more similar to Batman. Created with high intellect, a strong sense of justice, and family outside Batman's circle, he deduced the identities of Batman and Robin on his own. He was appointed third Robin after convincing Dick Grayson that "Batman needs a Robin". Neal Adams redesigned the entire Robin costume for Tim, except for the "R" logo by Norm Breyfogle. In 2011, IGN ranked him 32nd in their Top 100 Comic Book Heroes. His adaptations include television series set in the DCAU, Young Justice (2010–2022), and Titans (2018–2023), as well as appearances in the Batman: Arkham video game series. Tim has been shown to have a close friendship with Superboy and his most high-profile romantic pairing is with Stephanie Brown.

Did You Know?

• Tim Drake was named after Tim Burton, director of the then-upcoming 1989 film Batman.
• The only exception to Neal Adams' redesign of Tim's costume was the "R" logo and staff designed by Norm Breyfogle.
• In 2019, Tim returned to his original Robin persona and briefly used the mononym "Drake".
• Tim was subjected to an intensive training period by Batman that neither Dick Grayson nor Jason Todd ever endured.
• Alan Grant noted in 2007 that after the 1989 Batman movie, sales for Detective Comics jumped from around 75,000 to about 675,000.