warning! spoiler DC Pride: Tim Drake Special #1 Firstly!
Being Robin was hard, and for Tim Drake, accepting his sexuality was even harder. After coming out as bisexual recently, Tim revealed why he didn’t come out as bisexual sooner.
Of all the Robbins, Tim Drake is unique because he’s the only one looking for Bruce Wayne. After Jason Todd’s death at the hands of the Joker, Tim Drake deduced the fact that Bruce Wayne was Batman. He knows Batman will always need a Robin, and begs former Robin Dick Grayson to return to the role. But Dick has become Nightwing and has no intention of returning as Batman. Instead, Tim Drake took the job and became an instant fan favorite.
Most recently, Tim Drake appeared as bisexual in the DC Universe. DC Pride: Tim Drake Special #1 Reprint of the story “Carol of the Bat” by Megan Fitz-Martin and Alberto Jimenez Albuquerque, first appearing in Batman: Urban Legend #10. In the story, Tim actually handles an awkward conversation with Batman about his gender identity. He explains that he doesn’t always know who he is, but being Robin comes with a lot of time-consuming responsibilities. Tim revealed: “Wearing tights every night to fight super villains is puzzling“.
Romantic trouble is a recurring theme in superhero comics for a number of reasons. On the dangerous side, the heroes fear villains will find out who they are and attack their loved ones. Then there’s the actual timing aspect. It’s hard to spend your time with someone when the hero is fighting crime. Tim offers another side of this dilemma. It’s not that he’s afraid of endangering others or that he doesn’t have the time, it’s that he still doesn’t know who he is. Being Robin was an external distraction for him, and he never got a chance to reflect internally.
This trait of Robin goes beyond his open admission that he is bisexual. This shows that it is not so simple for the editors of DC to decide he is bisexual. It shows that Tim Drake himself has struggled with this side of himself for a long time. Being a vigilante and keeping the streets of Gotham safe is a full-time job. But these heroes are still people with inner struggles and conflicts. Tim Drake has failed to reflect personally due to his duties as Robin, and now he’s taking brave steps to try to strengthen the two.