While fans were excited, some remained unsure of whether Tim was coming out or simply exploring his sexuality without having come to any conclusions. But even as those themes were stifled, speculation on Robin’s sexuality has never stopped.
“And despite a multitude of new Robins, each with a parade of their own heteronormative partners, queer readers have continued to see a piece of themselves within the Boy Wonder.
From his creation in 1989 until the late ’00s, Tim’s place was easy to explain.
I love this character very much, and as I went back to reread as much as I could to do Robin justice, it became clear this is the story Tim needed to tell.”
And for those itching to update various fan-wikis and lists, Fitzmartin says that Tim hasn’t put a label on himself yet — nor does this story delegitimize his decades-long off-again-on-again relationship with fellow teen superhero Stephanie Brown/Spoiler.
“I wanted to pay tribute to the fact that sexuality is a journey,” Fitzmartin told Polygon.
There are four different ‘Robin’ characters.
It’s also the right message for anyone listening, whether they identify as LGBTQ+ or not. yet.”
That alone could be enough to make him a point of identification for queer fans. I don’t think he has the language for it all… yet.”
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He feels as though he doesn’t know what he wants, until Bernard — not knowing that Robin and Tim are the same person — wistfully refers to their interrupted dinner as a “date,” and Tim has “a lightbulb moment.”
Image: Meghan Fitzmartin, Belén Ortega/DC Comics
At the end of this episode of the story, Bernard asks Tim out on a real date, and Tim happily accepts.
“When Dave [Wielgosz] (my editor for Batman: Urban Legends) reached out about doing another Tim story, I was thrilled,” Fitzmartin told Polygon via email.
There’s the original Robin, who’s named Dick Grayson, and eventually became Nightwing. The subtext of Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy was finally allowed to be text in the early 2010s. There’s Jason Todd, who went on to become The Red Hood. However, the relationship that changed Tim Drake forever was his coming out as bisexual in ‘Batman: Urban Legends’ comic book from 2021.
No longer “the youngest Robin” or even Batman’s main partner, DC has seemed to struggle to find Tim’s new niche. This is probably more common knowledge in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it’s important for everyone to know which character this is. Of course, the idyllic life in Wayne Manor and Batman’s sidekick was cut short, with Joker killing the young boy and scaring Batman for life.
Jason Todd was resurrected in Lazarus Pit by Talia al Ghul, with whom he briefly had a relationship.
Most recently, in the pages of Young Justice, Tim said he was gonna start going by the codename “Drake” instead of Red Robin ... However, the abrupt breakup of the couple led to Tim Drake meeting Bernard and Steph supporting her ex-boyfriend as a friend.
Damian Wayne is still too young for relationships
Damian Wayne is the fifth and current Robin in DC Comics.
However, the recent developments, mostly the ‘Nightwing’ run by Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo, showcase the budding romance between Barbara Gordon and Dick Grayson, who finally realize their love for each other, settling the decades-long debate.
Jason Todd was always a tragic character who dated much less than Dick Grayson
Of course, the second Robin mantle was taken over by Jason Todd after Dick Grayson decided to become Nightwing.
Dick Grayson was the first ever Robin, who was taken care of and adopted by Bruce Wayne, a billionaire who protected Gotham as Batman at night. But Tim has a long history of being read as not-completely-straight thanks to a fandom affection for pairing him up with fellow Teen Titan (and easily queered character) Connor Kent, the Superboy of the 1990s.
“The greatest thing about working with an established IP,” Fitzmartin told Polygon, “is that there are so many story decisions for characters that have already been made for you (often by people much smarter than you).
“I fully sat on the floor of my apartment for a solid two minutes in happiness as it sunk in. In each issue, multiple creative teams share an episode of various ongoing stories starring characters under the Gotham City umbrella. What was next for Boy Wonder?”
She says she spent days thinking it over before emailing back to say “Look, I don’t know if this is something that can happen, but this is the story, because it’s the only story it can be.”
Even after she got the go-ahead, Fitzmartin says it took some time to absorb the idea that she was going to create a coming out story for a Robin — and a very established version of Robin at that.
Nightwing is currently happily in a relationship with Barbara Gordon, who was at one point the focus of romantic feelings of Jason Todd.