‘Titans’ Season 3: Who Is Tim Drake in DC Comics?
Titans introduced fans to Tim Drake earlier this season. And the focus on his backstory may foreshadow his potential role on the superhero team.
He isn’t as famous as Dick Grayson or Bruce Wayne, but the teen does play an important part in their story. So who is Tim Drake in DC Comics, and what can fans expect from him as Titans Season 3 continues?
Tim Drake is a Gotham City teen in ‘Titans’
Season 3 takes the Titans team from San Francisco to Gotham City, home of Batman fan Tim Drake (Jay Lycurgo). In Episode 1, “Barbara Gordon,” the teen makes his entrance when he encounters a couple of Gotham City cops giving him a hard time.
Drake works for his family’s local restaurant and seems to be a typical teen. But his life changes at the end of Episode 6, “Lady Vic,” when Jason Todd’s (Curran Walters) drugged-up goon terrorizes the restaurant and kills Drake’s father.
Who is Tim Drake in DC Comics?
In the world of DC Comics, Tim Drake is one of many Robins. The character first appeared in the 1989 comic Batman #436.
Unlike the Titans version, in the comics, Drake comes from a wealthy family and belongs to the same social circles as Bruce Wayne. As a sharp and clever kid, Drake followed Batman and Robin’s exploits and eventually uncovered their true identities.
After Grayson becomes Nightwing and Jason Todd is killed by Joker, Bruce recruits Drake and trains him as the new Robin. While he doesn’t have metahuman powers, Drake is still a formidable opponent. His abilities include martial arts, skilled hand-to-hand combat, superior intelligence, and expert use of high-tech weapons and devices.
‘Titans’ is setting the stage for Tim Drake to be the new Robin
Jason Todd fully embraces his villainous persona as the Red Hood in the Sept. 2 episode of Titans. And that is probably the right move because after he killed Hawk, there’s no way fans will let him off the hook so easily.
With Todd turning the series’ new big bad and Dick Grayson (Brenton Thwaites) refusing to return as Batman’s sidekick, Robin’s role is left wide open. And it looks like Titans is setting the stage for Drake to become the new Boy Wonder by the end of the season.
But according to showrunner Greg Walker, Drake will do some digging to learn more about the Dynamic Duo before that happens. “Upon the Titans’ arrival in Gotham, an obsessive young man — Tim Drake – suspects he’s cracked the identities of both Batman and Robin,” he told TVLine. “And in doing so, gets pulled into Gotham’s dark mysteries.”
Knowing he’ll likely be the series’ next Robin, it will be exciting to see more of Drake’s backstory and evolution as the season continues. New episodes of Titans air weekly, on Thursdays, on HBO Max.
