Tim Drake

Timothy "Tim" Jackson Drake Wayne is a fictional comic book superhero from the DC Comics universe. As the third Robin in the Batman comics, he served as Batman's sidekick, and a superhero in his own right. He currently uses the superhero identity of Red Robin.

History
Tim Drake was little more than a toddler when attended the circus with his parents. In order to ease his wife's concerns that the circus might frighten Tim, Jack Drake asked to take a picture with the Flying Graysons, who were the starring act. It was here that Tim first met Dick Grayson, who offered Tim special attention, and even promised to dedicate his performance to the toddler. Soon after, Tim and his family bore witness to the murder of Dick's parents John and Mary, alongside Dick Grayson and Bruce Wayne. As his parents rushed him out of the circus tent, Tim managed to catch sight of the mysterious Batman consoling Dick. Feeling sorry for Dick, Jack and Janet sent him a copy of the photo they had taken prior to the murder.

A few years later at the age of 9, Tim saw footage of Batman and Robin apprehending the Penguin. Robin performed a quadruple somersault, a rare maneuver that only Dick Grayson and a few others could perform. After learning Grayson was the ward of Bruce Wayne, he came to the conclusion that Grayson was Robin and that of course Wayne was Batman. Tim continued to follow the adventures of the Dynamic Duo, as well as Grayson's becoming Nightwing and Jason Todd succeeding him as Robin. After Jason's death, Timothy began to take notice of a drastic and almost psychotic change in Batman's behavior, in which he became convinced that Batman needed a Robin to maintain his sanity.

When Nightwing left the Titans for a short time in order to find himself, Tim followed him and after helping Dick solver a mystery at Haley's Circus, was able to convince Dick that Batman needed help. However, where Dick intended to help Batman as Nightwing, Tim remained convinced that Batman needed Robin more. Dick ignored these pleads and raced off to help him mentor, only for both Dick and Bruce to be captured by Two-Face.

Realizing that his idols were in danger, Tim donned the costume of Robin, at only 13 years old and with the help of Alfred Pennyworth, was able to rescue them. Batman, although extremely reluctant, accepted Tim as the new Robin on a trial basis after being convinced by the boy, as well as Dick and Alfred. He was trained over several months, first by Alfred, then Batman, and finally Nightwing before ever being allowed to wear the costume again or go into the field.

Unfortunately just prior to completing his training, the ruthless Obeah Man later captured Tim's parents during a trip to the Caribbean. The Obeah man intended to sacrific them, but Batman arrived to their rescue. Unfortunately, Janet and Jack both drank from water laced with poison, and Janet died, while Jack was left in a coma and paralysis. Batman began to reconsider Tim for the role of Robin, due to his fear that Tim was now motivated by anger, just as Jason had been. Tim, however, became more driven by his desire to do what was right, rather than petty revenge. After later saving Batman and Vicki Vale and defeating the Scarecrow, Bruce at last bestowed upon Tim the mantle of Robin, as well as a new costume.

Starting on the Path
Despite finally getting his heart's desire, Tim had his doubts about becoming the new Robin, but Bruce told him that he had every confidence in him to be his new partner. He also confided in him that he was looking for someone with smarts, not just guts, and Tim had that and more. All that was necessary was that Tim go through some intensive training before taking to the streets in Gotham. This would involve a tour overseas, helping Tim understand who he was in addition to learning how to be a great fighter.

His first stop would be Paris, where he would learn from Rahul Lama, a Chinese martial arts master. In Paris, Tim crossed paths with some thugs working for King Snake, who was himself being shadowed by Lady Shiva. Shiva actually joined with Robin and a man named Clyde Rawlins (who wanted revenge against Snake for the death of his family) to help take down King Snake's heroin trafficking in the area. Not that Shiva was opposed to it for any moral sake, she simply wished to learn for herself if King Snake was truly as dangerous as rumors made him out to be--a good challenge for her talents.

Together they discovered that King Snake was interested in more than just drugs--he was going into the chemical weapons industry, manufacturing his own bubonic plague. They followed the trail to Hong Kong. While there, Shiva trained with Robin some more, and here he first acquired his collapsible fighting staff. King Snake's plan was actually to unleash his plague into Hong Kong so as to leave it a rotting cesspool before the Chinese reclaimed it from the British. The team split up when they breached his lair. Clyde found him first and was quickly killed by Snake. Robin managed to defeat him, but refused to kill him when Shiva ordered him to. He returned to Gotham, ready to take his place alongside the Batman.

The New Boy Wonder
Tim distinguished himself from Jason Todd by being far more reserved in temperament and from Dick Grayson by being more of a detective and less of a great acrobat. Whereas Dick had been brought up from a very early age to be acrobatic, Tim had to work hard for it. He proved himself more than capable of holding his own in a fight though. However, Batman did have strict orders with Tim--whenever he came across a known killer (such as Joker, Two-Face) he was supposed to withdraw and summon help.

Unfortunately, Tim was not quite able to follow Batman's orders, and during one of his first solo-periods in Gotham without Batman, he found himself confronting Jason Todd's killer, the Joker. Having recently escaped from Gotham, Joker managed to use a hacker to cause the city to digitally self-destruct. Forced to handle the situation alone, Robin made to confront the Joker who became infuriated at the sight of him, thinking that he had actually failed to kill the previous Robin. Upon realizing that this was a new Boy Wonder, Joker swore to kill this one, just as he had done Jason Todd. Unfortunately for Joker, Tim proved more crafty and intelligent than Joker thought, and he was soon defeated and returned to Arkham, where he claimed that Robin was his, and his alone to kill.

Around this time, Jack Drake came out of his coma, and with some manipulation from Tim, purchased a home right next door to Wayne Manor. This allowed Tim to continue his work as Robin, while also staying close to his father. Unfortunately for Tim, following the loss of his wife and his near-death, Jack's priorities had shifted. Where before he was more concerned with business than his son, Jack now wanted to develop a closer relationship with Tim. Unfortunately, Jack became more and more resentful at Tim and Bruce's close relationship and the fact that Tim would constantly disappear and seem to avoid spending time with him.

Sooner after the Russian Mob began cracking down against the King Snake's organization, and once again Robin found himself stuck in the middle. Batman had ordered Tim to stay clear of it, but Tim found himself inadvertently disobeying his orders, upon meeting a young Russian girl named Ariana, who's father had been murdered by the KGBeast. With the aid of Huntress, Robin managed to defeat the King Snake, the Beast, and rescue Ariana who was forced to work in a drug sweatshop after being captured. Ariana would later move in with her aunt and uncle, and then be transfer to Tim's high school where they would soon start dating.

Around the this time the Cluemaster was released from jail supposedly cured of his need to leave clues for people to track his crimes. However, clues still managed to appear all over the city, causing Batman and Robin to become confused by the supposed odd behavior of Arthur Brown. While attempting to stop Cluemaster, Robin noticed a girl in a purple costume leaving the scene. Assuming that she was an accomplice, Tim took chase and not only caught the girl, but unmasked her, revealing a teenage blond girl. The girl escaped by using Tim's surprise and striking him down with a broken brick. After a quick investigation, Tim realized the girl was Cluemaster's daughter Stephanie Brown, who was not working with her father, but trying to stop him. Calling herself Spoiler, Steph teamed up with Batman and Robin and stopped her father.

Tim was in Gotham City when Bane broke open Arkham Asylum, unleashing nearly every inmate into the city, and was the first to suggest to Batman that Bane was responsible. He set out with the Batman at first, and initially they had some good progress, busting up the Mad Hatter's tea party and bringing in a half dozen or so thugs along with him. They got separated, however, as Robin decided to pursue Bird, one of Bane's lackeys, while Batman went after Victor Zsasz. Robin was briefly captured by Bane and Killer Croc but managed to escape. He then did some detective work regarding Firefly, but a physically and emotionally drained Batman ordered him to stay put in the Lair while he took on Firefly by himself. He did, however, get some action when The Riddler held a live TV show hostage (although he had a fake bomb) and helped apprehend him.

Tim was with Alfred and Jean-Paul Valley when Bane broke the Batman and threw him from a rooftop in downtown Gotham. They acquired an ambulance and took Bruce back to the Batcave (despite Tim's initial protestations that he should go to a hospital). He contacted Jim Gordon to get some medicine Bruce needed. After that, there was nothing he could do but wait and pray alongside Alfred.

Thankfully, Bruce did not die, though when he awoke he was psychologically scarred, as his defeat from Bane on top of months of exhaustion was a major blow to him 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 Kinsolving to be his personal physician and smashing up the Porche to explain how Bruce Wayne could have sustained such injuries. Once Bruce was feeling in better spirits, Tim went to talk to him about the escalating violence and gang war in Gotham--someone would have to step in for Bruce until he could recover. Bruce turned down Tim's suggestion to get Nightwing, reasoning that he was his own man now with his own responsibilities, which left the task to Azrael, Jean Paul valley. Tim gave him the costume and taught him a few of Batman's tricks.

Bruce's condition was particularly heartbreaking for Tim, given that his own father was still paralyzed (although Jack had been making remarkable progress; while still wheelchair bound, he had much more feeling and could move his arms a lot better). Robin went out with the new Batman (sometimes referred to by fans as Az-Bats") on patrol and was dismayed when Jean Paul kept getting more and more aggressive, pushing the edge when it came to defeating criminals. Robin kept trying to remind Jean Paul that there was more to being Batman than just the costume, but Jean Paul had quickly lost himself in his role. Meanwhile, Bruce surmised that since Bane had guessed his secret identity, he may have guessed Tim's, and went to the Drake's manor--too late, for Jack Drake was kidnapped just before he got there.

Tim found out that his father was missing when he finally went home (after Jean Paul made it clear that he would not take directions from him). Bruce and Alfred had left Gotham to go search for Jack Drake and Shondra Kinsolving (who had also been taken). Tim kept up the pretense that his father had planned his trip.

Tim felt shut out of the team and the Cave by the time Nightwing dropped by. Tim filled him in on the situation, saying that he blamed himself partly for Jean Paul's behavior, as it had been he who had designed his original costume, which was very similar to a villain Bruce had recently defeated. That, combined with "the system," a kind of brainwashing Azrael had undergone, might have been the cause of his recklessness. Nightwing told him not to blame himself. He also admitted he was surprised Bruce hadn't asked him to fill in while he was injured. Robin showed up when Bane and Jean Paul had their second sparring and managed to save the passengers of an elevated train while Az-Bats took down Bane. Much to Tim's relief, Jean Paul did not kill Bane and for a moment considered that perhaps Jean Paul was a worthy successor.

Flying Solo
The conclusion of Knightfall was the beginning of Robin's solo series. Although he would still frequently be a "guest" in the regular Batman titles (and likewise Batman would "guest" in his), he now had his own adventures in his own title. Many storylines and arcs would crossover between the two titles, such as Knightquest, Knightsend, Prodigal, Contagion, and No Man's Land.

Despite the fact that Azrael did not kill Bane, he was still acting reckless, even out of control in some instances. The System kept playing havoc with his psyche, and finally he snapped and actually attacked Robin in the Batcave. Tim might have died if not for his quick thinking which caused Jean Paul to regain control of himself. Robin decided it was time to leave--the team was dead without Bruce. So he took his custom made vehicle, the Redbird, and left the Batcave.

Tim met up with Ariana Dzerchenko, his girlfriend, for their first date in weeks, doing his best to put Jean Paul, Bruce, and even his Dad's disappearance aside for a few hours. The party they went to actually featured some excitement when some masked thugs, the Speedboyz tried to carjack another student's car and Tim had to intervene. Later that night, Robin decided to try and track them down, only to be confronted by a local county cop, Steve "Shotgun" Smith, who thought that he was one of the carjackers. Robin managed to evade arrest and got to work on tracking down the Speedboyz. He managed to bust up their gang and leave a phone call for Shotgun, letting him know who to thank.

Going back home, Tim had to blow off Aria, who was beginning to think that he was seeing someone else. Tim decided to make it up to her by taking her to the movies, but his mind kept wandering because he had just learned the Cluemaster and some other thugs had escaped from prison. One was the Electrocutioner, the other was Czonk, who decided to create a new identity for himself, the Baffler, but the others didn't like it, so he changed it to Headbanger. Robin got to work investigating, stumbling into Spoiler soon enough. That didn't surprise him, as he knew Stephenie was Cluemaster's daughter and figured she'd turn up eventually. Unlike before, Stephanie was not as aggressive towards Robin, and instead began to flirt shamelessly with him, despite him telling her he was seeing someone else.

Going to the last place the gang was seen, Robin and Spoiler discovered a clue that the "Baffler" had left for the police. He follows the clue to the gang's heist: an armored car robbery, but unfortunately he and Cluemaster get sealed inside the car and the other two (not knowing they're in there) put the car in a pit and begin to cover it with cement. Robin could only wait until the others came back, which ended up being earlier than they planned since the cops were onto them. With some help from Spoiler, Robin was saved and Cluemaster and his buddies were sent back to jail by Smith.

Robin bumped into Huntress and helped her out of a jam. She was getting herself involved in a gangwar with Mandy Paul and Robin decided to help. He reaffirmed that while he had discovered her real identity, he had never told Batman. They came to Mandy's lair only to find a man calling himself Deathangel there, trying to "send all sinners to God" via a pair of pistols. After a firefight where Deathangel fled the scene, Robin and Huntress split up, with Robin following Mandy to a church. Huntress found Robin and Deathangel there, after correctly guessing that he was really Danny DePaolo, Mandy's brother, and he was a priest at that very church. He was suffering from a delusion caused by his sister's wickedness. Everything lead to a final confrontation with Mandy and her goons. Deathangel could not pull the trigger--but his sister could, and she gunned him down. Robin kept Huntress from killing him.

Bruce kept his word--he and Alfred found Jack Drake and they returned to Gotham City. Bruce had even been mystically healed of his broken back during the trip. Once back, Bruce confessed to Tim that he was thinking of permanently staying retired. That all changed when he learned that Azrael had let Abattoir die. Bruce was a little angry at Robin for not doing more to stop Azrael, but Tim replied there wasn't much else he could do--Jean Paul had sealed off the cave and had almost killed them in their fight. Breaking into the Lair, Bruce and Tim found Jean Paul, who was beyond reason. He did not even refer to himself by name anymore, but simply was the Batman in his mind. Bruce decided he would have to retake the mantle by force, but he would need a crash course to get up to peak again, and that meant going to Lady Shiva. Tim was just happy to have Bruce and his father back safely.

Robin joined with Nightwing to help Bruce out once he had "graduated" from Shiva's training. In the end, however, Bruce had to confront Jean Paul himself. Batman told Robin the job was still his, and the dynamic duo was back in action. Jack decided to buy his son a car--or more precisely, a van (one that was wheelchair accessible). Tim had another fight with Ari when he fell asleep while she was trying to talk to him.

Soon after Bruce's return, Zero Hour came into swing, a crisis in time itself. The effects dropped a young Dick Grayson (in his first or second year as Robin) into the present and he and Tim worked together before Zero Hour began to erase everything. During the team-up, Tim was reluctant to reveal any details of Dick's future or of Jason Todd, causing Tim to become sloppy and reckless. After realizing he was acting just like Jason, Tim began to think things through, allowing for the younger Dick Grayson to appreciate him. Afterwards, Bruce decided he needed some time off, and this time he handed the mantle over to the right person--Dick Grayson.

Robin and the new Batman got along great, working against the likes of Two-Face. In his home life, Tim kept trying to make it up to Ari while his dad kept insisting on some bonding time because of his absence. Jack also hired Dana Winters to be his personal physical therapist. On a date with Ari, some teens picked a fight, and unfortunately he had to take some hits. He vented his frustration later that night when he went out with Dick. On another night, when he run into the teens alone, he got his revenge, but it was spoiled when he visited Ari and found out her uncle had been attacked at his shop by gangsters.

Dick's tenure as Batman quickly came to an end when Bruce decided to return to the job. That event also brought some long needed healing between Bruce and Dick, who were very much like father and son. Bruce redesigned his costume, making it darker than ever.

Robin then had a run in with the KGBeast, but unlike their last encounter, he did not have backup. KGBeast was perfectly willing to kill him and destroy most of Gotham City. Beast had already put down Harvey Bullock, who only survived because Robin performed CPR on him. The battle against the Beast was tough--Robin was tempted to use Bullock's sidearm, but refused. He managed to defeat him just in time for Batman to show up. Bullock was comatose for a while but recovered.

Robberies were up recently, and Batman discovered that someone was sending very lame clues to the police department from inside Blackgate Prison. Figuring it was the Cluemaster and he would talk to Robin, Batman took Tim to the prison. Cluemaster told them that he was being blackmailed to plan some crimes by some thugs on the outside--and that they had kidnapped Stephanie. Batman tracked down their lair and Robin got there. Robin saved her life and rescued there, and after changing into her costume she insisted on coming along. Batman was not amused, but Steph told him that Cluemaster had conned them and was in on the whole thing. While Batman went for another chat with Cluemaster, Robin and Spoiler stayed put until he tipped them in the right direction, where they rounded up the rest of the gang. Spoiler acted like the whole thing was a date, despite Tim's protestations that it was serious business (and that he had a girlfriend already). Afterward, Steph paid a "visit" to her dad in jail beating savagely for what he did to her.

King Snake turned up in Gotham again, extending his empire there, but after a brief encounter with his enforcers alongside Huntress, Robin was told to back off by Batman. Robin next saved the life of Mayor Kroll from a disgruntled city employee, but the credit went to another man, this one who had recently been fired for trying to blow the whistle on safety violations around the city.

Following a couple of bizarre heists, like a missing lion, Robin stumbled across Ulysses Armstrong, recently released from juvenile hall. Ulysses had recruited a vagrant who was under the impression he was Julius Caesar (having apparently been influenced by an equally vagrant Maxie Zeus) and together they plotted a crime spree. With some help from Shotgun Smith, Robin foiled the plot. Returning home, he discovered Ari was in his bedroom. She told him she had run away because her uncle was planning on moving away from the city because of the attack on his shop.

Tim might have been in some trouble with his father and the family maid Mrs. Mac for Ari spending the night (she took his room, he slept in the guest room)--if only Jack's physical trainer hadn't come out of his own bedroom. Dana had worked wonders on Jack in more ways than one, apparently. Jack was up and walking about with a cane, and apparently despite her being considerably younger than Jack, Dana and he had begun a romantic relationship.

Robin got to take his mind of things a little by helping Batman investigate a string of local robberies that were perpetrated by a gang of amateur ninjas--one of whom died when he fell off a rooftop. The deceased turned out to be a classmate of Tim's and he learned that the kid had gone to a Ninja Camp. Robin followed another classmate and easily took down some of the ninjas, though they managed to escape. Tim decided to go undercover and enrolled at the camp as his alias, Alvin Draper. He impressed the camp leaders enough that they let him in on their outfit, provided he could pass one last test. Robin passed it with flying colors--and the ninjas were arrested. Tim got home and learned that Ari's uncle had sold his store and they would be moving at the end of the week.

Fortunately, things weren't so bad, thanks to a little help from Bruce Wayne. Bruce arranged for Lucius Fox and Wayne Enterprises to buy the store at a very generous price--enough for the family to open another store in a better neighborhood and remain in the city. Ari would even be now going to the same school as Tim.

That night on patrol, Robin heard that Killer Moth had broken out. Figuring Moth for a third tier super lightweight, Robin went after him. Unfortunately, Moth had just sold his soul to Neron during Underworld Unleashed and been transformed into Charaxes. The monstrous being shredded its way through some cops and evaded a shootout with Sheriff Smith while capturing Robin--hoping to use him for dinner. Robin was saved by an unknown party before Batman could turn up and Killer Moth was gone.

Robin met the new Green Arrow (Connor Hawke) about that time. Green Arrow and Spoiler joined Robin to take down some gun runners who were selling guns around Tim's high school. One of Tim's classmates, Karl Ranck, had even been given a gun by his dad to protect himself, prompting Tim to tell his father. Jack had a talk with Karl's dad, who took the gun away. Karl then took one of his dad's and was killed in a shootout at the school. Tim was so angry that he he attacked the gunrunners and may have even killed him, had Steph and Connor not been there. Tim spotted Stephanie at Karl's funeral and tried to avoid her, prompting Ari to misread the situation. Then he and Spoiler went after the guy who shot Karl, who was part of a larger street gang. They had to be saved by Batman, who was not happy Robin decided to go at the gang without more backup than Spoiler. He also reminded Tim that Karl had made the choice to pick up the gun and become a target.

When the Contagion virus struck Gotham City, Robin was scrambling with everyone else to find a cure, which put him up against the Catwoman briefly. Tim was also a victim of the virus, but thankfully Azrael and his allies managed to find a cure and Tim was healed. (see the Contagion entry for more information).

Returning home after being cured, Tim found Ari had dyed her hair blond in an attempt to better keep his attention (thinking that at the funeral, Tim's attention towards Stephanie had been because of her hair color). Wanting to have 'more fun" Ari agreed to go on a date with another boy, who then attempted to rape her. She managed to escape before anything could happen.  Later Tim admitted he hated the hair color on her, and was pleased to see she had gone back to black hair, although he did not realize the cause of the change back.

On a rainy night, he ran across Maxie Zeus, the last of the Arkham escapees still free. Maxie was quite deranged at this point, and he and his hired goon (whom he called Heracles) captured Robin and dragged him along on their heist, which was Maxie's version of the Trojan horse (only involving an armored car). Robin tricked Zeus into letting him call the Oracle, but he managed to free himself and defeat Zeus and his gang without any help (although Oracle sending the police did help). Tim was delighted to find that Ari had changed her hair back to black... although he did not know the real reason why.

At a car show, Tim spotted Ted Grant, aka Wildcat, and was thrilled to be looking at part of the legend--when Bruce was in training, he anonymously hired Wildcat to teach him to box. Tim also saw that several members of the Speedboyz were back and up to their old tricks. Working with Wildcat, Robin stopped the thieves from stealing a new Waynetech prototype car. Going to the Batcave, Robin learned some bad news--former Mayor Kroll, a victim the Apocalypse virus who was thought to have been cured, had a relapse and died. Tim along with Nightwing traveled overseas to chase Ra's al Ghul and ensure that the plague will not come back full force.

Soon after Robin met Impulse for the first time, while on a case in Virginia. While Tim (along with Alfred) was tracking down a group called White Heat and Mystral, Bart Allen's school was at the same mountain lodge on a school ski trip. Tim met Bart early in the trip, and once he saw him in uniform he was able to instantly guess who he was (due to Bart's large feet and wild brown hair) much to Bart's surprise. This would mark the beginning of a long and close friendship.

Tim hated that he kept having to mislead Ari--trouble seemed to come up everywhere, even at a student outing to "Macbeth on the Beach" where Tim had to avoid Helena Bernatelli from recognizing him. What's more, Tim also had to deal with the continued attention of Spoiler who kept making passes at him while as Robin. During the Final Night, the two of them were trapped in a snowdrift along with a thug who tried to kill them with a chainsaw. Spoiler could not understand why Robin tried to save the thug trapped in the snow. While they were digging him out, however, they found a woman and her child trapped in the snow and rescued her. Steph realized that if they hadn't searched for the crook, they would have never found the mother and child.

"General" Ulysses Armstrong got out on parole and Robin decided to drop him a visit at home, reminding him that he should stay in line. He knew that Armstrong would not do so, however, and sure enough the kid soon joined up with the Toyman (Winslow Schott) to try and steal the toy collection of a local eccentric, Phillip Crouch. Robin tracked them to Crouch's manor, where a fight broke out with some hi-tech, deadly toys. Toyman betrayed Armstrong, however, and Robin had to rescue him and stop them both. Both were arrested.

As a young child, Bruce Wayne enjoyed watching Roy Raymond, a TV criminologist. His son, Roy Raymond Jr., had a TV show where he called himself Manstalker, a show of dramatizations of real crimes. Tim thought the show was a joke, but it couldn't take his mind off things--Ari had been a little distant lately, and his friend Ives was keeping secrets two. On patrol, Robin found Slyfox and his crew trying to rob an insurance company, and of course Manstalker and his TV crew arrived on scene during a special episode. Robin had to destroy the tape in the camera before heading after the hoods, which he apprehended.

While Spoiler was out, getting into some trouble with Lynx and her goons, Tim was over at Ari's to spend some time with her. He got the shock of a lifetime while they were alone at her house and she walked out of her room in a sexy nightgown, wanting to sleep with him. Tim finally learned about the guy who had tried to rape her. Although it never got very far, but it left her feeling very scared and vulnerable. Tim told her that he loved her and said it would be best if they waited, since they were so young. Unfortunately, while Tim and Ari were sharing a tender moment, Ari's uncle and aunt walked in and was them! Ari's uncle was not in the mood to listen for an explanation. Tim had to book it before Vari strangled him. He decided to go on patrol, where he ran into Spoiler and she explained about Lynx's Ghost Dragons. Robin agreed to work with her, but the Dragons proved too much for them to handle and they had to back off. Robin knew he should tell her to give up being Spoiler, but he just couldn't do it.

Soon Tim learned that the only secret Ives was keeping was that he had a job dressing as a giant mouse at a family restaurant. Ari, however, was transferred to an all girl's school. Tim kept thinking about Spoiler, and when he went to meet her, he found out she had been kidnapped by Czonk, who was back to calling himself the Baffler. Despite being one of the dumbest goons in Gotham, the Baffler managed to tie up Robin and Spoiler and planned on leaving them to die in an old project building that was being demolished. He knocked himself out, however, and so they ended up having to save him as well as themselves. Afterward, Robin told Stephanie she might have to stop being Spoiler. When he got home (early the next day) he found his dad back from his recent lecture tour--and Jack had spoken to Ari's uncle. Tim was grounded, but even when forbidden from leaving his room he still managed to solve a crime via watching the news.

Second Sabbatical
During the Genesis crisis, Robin was unable to save a hood who tried to kill him from drowning. Feeling depressed, Robin nevertheless had to head for the front-lines--this time literally. Armstrong was back, this time as the advisor to Ali Ben Khadir, a claimant to the throne of the Karoccan Emirate. His rival was being backed by Qurac. With Nightwing's help and a Waynetech jet, Robin went over to the war-torn country (the conflict was escalating with the appearance of more mercenaries on either side, such as Deadline (whom Robin managed to easily take down). Nightwing managed to stop two armies from clashing outside the capital while Robin penetrated Armstrong's lair. He found that Armstrong and his employer had had a falling out, so the boy was arrested and Robin withdrew. Robin had Nightwing drop him off in France, saying that lately he'd been feeling lost and decided he needed to step back for a while. He thought Paris was the right place to start, since his training had never really ended there.

Knowing that Rahul Llama was dead, Tim decided to train in the course of the Iron Master, although he remained in his identity as Robin. He stopped a former student from stealing from the master and also met a girl named Dava Sborscs. The girl was there to learn a single move to add to her arsenal of lethal moves. She wanted to be able to fight in the war that was destroying her native country of Transbelvia. After she left, Lady Shiva arrived looking for her. Robin had to withdraw, leaving the Iron Master to fight her alone, and she of course killed him. King Snake was also involved again, this time selling weapons to Transbelvia. Robin went after Dava to warn her about Shiva. Back in Gotham, Jack Drake, Ari, and Spoiler were all wondering what had happened to Tim. Robin found Dava, a rebel fighting against the oppressive regime, and she has a secret--a special chemical called Aramilla that allows her to move at super-speed. Together they easily took down some military thugs--but then Shiva turned up. Not willing to step aside and let her murder Dava, Robin attacks. Not even Shiva could stand up to Robin moving at super-speed. Losing control, Robin beat her to death--just in time for King Snake to saunter in. While Dava fought King Snake and his minions, Robin performed CPR and managed to revive Shiva--unfortunately, she had absorbed some of the Aramilla, and at super-speed she took down all of King Snake's men and went after him herself. Robin left them to fight each other and brought an injured Dava to safety. But the war continued, and Robin decided it was finally time to return home.

Unfortunately, on the flight home, Gotham City was struck by the Cataclysm, a massive earthquake that leveled most of the city.

No Man's Land
Robin joined with Batman and the rest of the "family," overwhelmed at the near total destruction of the entire city. There was little that Robin could do in such chaos, and Batman had him stay out of most of the city. Luckily, the Drake home, in one of the outer neighboring communities, suffered only minor damages and they were able to repair it. During the Aftershock, Ari and Stephanie were both staying in a shelter with their families. Steph asked Robin to retrieve her costume, worried someone would steal it and learn her secret. Cluemaster was waiting there, but Robin took him down and turned him in to the National Guard.

Unable to be with Ari for a long period of, Robin began spending more and more time with Spoiler, causing Robin to realize that he did care for her. However before taking their new relationship too far, Tim decided that he to break things off with Ari rather than keep jerking her around (the pair had been allowed to date again shortly before). Fortunately, Ari felt exactly the same way about a breakup, although stating it was because they were too young to be so serious. Tim would later run into Ariana during an awkward meeting upon Tim's later return from Keystone City.

At this same time, Robin also became one of the charter members of Young Justice alongside Superboy and Impulse. Despite Superboy's protests, Robin immediately became the team's unofficial leader, due primarily because of his training from Batman. See that entry for more information about his details with that team.

Robin and Spoiler got along wonderfully--she didn't pry any about his real identity, and he could share being Robin with her. However, after their first real date, Steph told him that she was pregnant. Robin was not the guilty party (he was not even a suspect)--she was actually about two months along--but he stood by her. Disguised as Alvin Draper, he went to Lamaze classes and told her that she had to give up being Spoiler until after the baby was born. Later, Robin had to save his friends Ives and Hudson from Steeljacket. At school, a friend of Tim's was found dead in the woods and two bullies were suspected of killing him. While Tim initially believed they were innocent, he soon found evidence of their guilt, which lead to their arrest.

With all of Gotham in ruins, Jack Drake decided the family should relocate from Gotham Heights for a while. He decided to move to Keystone City along with Dana, who was transferred there. When they arrived, Robin teamed up with the Flash (Wally West) to take on the Riddler and Captain Boomerang. They also got some help from Superman (Clark Kent) to stop a bomb threat. While they were in Keystone, Stephanie went into labor (earlier than expected) and needed a C-section. Flash got Robin back to Gotham in time for him to come to the hospital and see her before the baby was born just as he promised her. The baby (later revealed to be a girl) was born and Steph gave the child up for adoption as planned. Jack was furious with his son for apparently running home to Gotham--but admitted that he had hated Keystone and that he wanted to come back. Robin even managed help Shotgun Smith take down three monstrous thugs who held hostage an emergency room.

Now that he had returned, it was time for Robin to help with No Man's Land.

Recalled to Gotham City by Batman, Robin and Nightwing had to crawl through an extensive system of tunnels and underground chambers, as the bridges were all down and patrols kept them from going over the river. They had a tussle with Tommy Mangles and Gearhead, but Nightwing easily defeated them and got into the city. Robin was depressed by what he saw--despair and desperation, people fighting to just survive. Batman put Robin to work immediately, ordering him to track down a cache of food from an old shelter. Robin found it--and discovered the Ratcatcher there. Robin had to flee the Ratcatcher and his legions of rats--though a combination of rat bites and exposure to sewage gave him a fever. He managed to stay it off with some antibiotics he brought, and was found by a group of children known as the Wolflings, including a kid Robin knew from his school who was calling himself Aragoth. The Wolflings decided to find the stores, and Robin was too sick to follow them at first. The kids found it, but unfortunately so did the Ratcatcher--and so did Mister Freeze. Robin managed to defeat both Freeze and Ratcatcher, arranging for them to be arrested. Batman was impressed with Robin's actions. Robin did not have much time to recover, however, as he knew Batman and the others were fighting for their lives. Robin was captured by Killer Croc, who was planning an all out battle with Penguin and his police allies. Alfred helped free Robin and he rallied with Bullock and Penguin to defeat Croc. He then had to make the hard decision to call his father and tell him that he was in Gotham--and there was no way out. Jack made a lot of noise, and Washington took notice. Federal agents were ordered to stage a rescue. Tim was told to come to Grant Park to be pulled out. The rescue site turned into a firefight, but Tim was successfully lifted out with some help from the new Batgirl.

Brentwood Academy
Jack decided to enlist his son in Brentwood Academy, a private high school not too far from home. Because of all his absences, Jack also insisted that Tim board at the school. His first roommate was Ali Ben Khadir, the religious leader of a small country called Dhabar. Ali had a bodyguard, Zugir. Thankfully, Bruce assigned Alfred to be his personal valet for the rest of the semester. Tim decided life at the school wasn't so bad--he still got to see Spoiler and created a new hi-tech skateboard. There were some people who had been transformed into Man-Bat like creatures that warranted investigating. With help from Nightwing, he learned that the bats were Kirk and Francine Langstrom and their child. He had to ask Jason Bard for help. Bard had been entrusted with a serum by Man-Bat years ago. The serum worked on the parents, but the child was born in his condition.

Young Justice and the Teen Titans
Much like Dick Grayson, Tim Drake has allied himself with the other superheroes in his age demographic. He mostly works with only the Gotham City heroes, but on occasion joins forces with heroes such as Superman, the Flash, Superboy (who became Tim's best friend) and Impulse. During one adventure where a pre-teen boy was given god-like powers, Robin, Superboy and Impulse joined forces to defeat him. The boys work so well together that they create their own team of heroes called Young Justice. Robin acts as the leader of the team (with Red Tornado acting as team mentor) until the Imperiex War. Due to the team's age, the then President Lex Luthor refused to let teen heroes on the frontline of the war. As such, Young Justice was forced to play the role of a space mobile medical team, collecting injured heroes. During one of their missions, the group crashed onto Apokolips, where they would later be captured and tortured. Robin discovered during those events that over half the team, Superboy, Wonder Girl, Impulse and Cissie King-Jones (formerly Arrowette), no longer trust him. The cause of the new mistrust came after the Justice League discovered that Batman kept contingency plans on them in case they ever went rogue. As a result the younger heroes begin to wonder if Robin, who had still not revealed his true identity and kept most of himself hidden, might also have plans to defeat or even kill them. Secret, who has deep feelings for Robin, along with new members Empress and Lil' Lobo however remained trusting of Robin and side with him. Still, feeling hurt and unable to be a proper leader when only half the team trusted him, as well as strained by assorted other problems in his personal life, Robin quit the team temporarily.

Tim rejoined the team after having to go up against Bedlam a second time, during which his secret identity is revealed to his teammates. However upon his return the team refused to give him back the mantle of leader, and decided instead to elect their leader this time around. Tim lost to Wonder Girl, however the team continued to look at Tim as its tactical expert, aiding Wonder Girl, in leadership, similar to Batman's own position in the JLA. Unwilling to quit Young Justice a second time, Tim takes on the identity of "Mister Sarcastic" at a point where Young Justice agree to be become reality TV stars. Soon after Secret is turned evil by Darksied and it is Tim (not Robin) who manages to save the world by reminding Greta of her humanity.

Soon after Young Justice and the Titans were approached by a company offering to support their super-heroic teams. Before anything could happen however, the team was attacked by a cyborg from the future, who then turned on a robotic Superman in an effort to save itself. The Superman Robot was out of control and while trying to shut it down, Donna Troy and Omen were murdered. Young Justice disbanded soon after, as did the Titans, both of who felt broken following the losses of Donna and Lilith. Cyborg, Starfire and Beast Boy brings Robin, Superboy, Wonder Girl and Impulse (later known as Kid Flash) together to form the new Teen Titans. While Cyborg takes the lead, Robin is often seen as the leader of the younger members, even going against the direct orders of the elder Titans.

In the "Titans Tomorrow" storyline, Tim encounters his future self in the identity of Batman after his mentor dies in a crisis. This future happens despite his repeated statement that he did not want to be the next Batman, and is rather content being Robin. In this timeline, Tim is now the leader of the future Titans with himself as Batman. After Bruce Wayne's death, Tim has the Titans take control of the entire West Coast. He orders any rebellions to be put down by Dark Raven absorbing the people's free will and hope. He even hunts down most of Batman's Rogue's gallery and kills them with the handgun that was used to kill Thomas and Martha Wayne. As he explains to his younger self, 'It took me years to do it'. He even begins a relationship with Bettie Kane, who becomes his partner, Batwoman. He later kills her during an argument; wracked with guilt, he makes a deal with Ra's al Ghul to restore her using the Lazarus Pit. Once revived, however, she joins the Titans East (led by an older version of Cyborg) and opposes him and his team. His latest victim before the younger Teen Titans show up is Duela Dent, the Joker's daughter, whom he apparently murders out of revenge for the death of assorted people including Cassandra Cain and Alfred Pennyworth.

War Games
Just before The War Games story arc, Tim's father, Jack Drake, discovers Tim's secret identity. Jack is enraged and threatens to expose the secret identities of all those involved with Batman. Tim offers Jack a deal, in which he would give up his role as Robin to respect his father's wishes; in exchange, Jack would keep their secret identities safe.

After this, Stephanie Brown takes over the role of Robin for a short period, until Batman fires her for disobeying orders. Soon afterward, a massive gang war (which Stephanie Brown starts unintentionally) consumes Gotham City, and finds its way into Tim's school. After assisting the Bat-Team to the best of his abilities, with no equipment or costume, Tim protects his classmates, but not without casualties. Tim then realizes that he cannot disregard his responsibilities and takes up the Robin mantle again, against his father's wishes. When Jack finds out that Tim is again Robin, he grudgingly realizes how truly important his son is to Gotham, despite the immense danger.

Black Mask then captures and tortures Stephanie. She then seemingly dies from both her injuries and the willful negligence of Batman's confidante Leslie Thompkins at the end of the story arc.

Identity Crisis and Blüdhaven
In Identity Crisis, Tim, along with the rest of the superhero community, tries to keep all of their loved ones safe after some tragic attacks come down upon the family members of the Justice League.

One night, while Batman and Robin are investigating these crimes, they receive an incoming transmission from Oracle saying that Tim's father needs to speak to him immediately. It turns out that there is an intruder in the Drake home and a mysterious note with a gun is left for Jack suggesting that he protect himself. Jack tells Tim that he is proud of him, and that he is not responsible if something bad happens. The intruder turns out to be the hired killer Captain Boomerang. Jack fires as Captain Boomerang unleashes a razor boomerang and the two kill each other before Batman and Robin can make it back to the scene. Like Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson, Tim Drake has now lost both of his parents to crime.

Dana Drake meanwhile suffers from a complete mental breakdown upon discovering her husband's death, and Tim places her in a mental hospital in Blüdhaven, where he takes up residence as the city's protector along with Batgirl. Soon after however, the city is destroyed during an attack by a group of super-villains, after which Dana disappears. Whether she was killed or removed from continuity following the Infinite Crisis has not been explained.

At around this time, Bruce Wayne offers to adopt Tim. Unwilling to take Bruce up on the offer, Tim hires an actor to arrive, claiming to be Tim's Uncle Eddie. Unfortunately, Batman quickly discovers the ruse and confronts Tim about. However, Bruce reveals that he is neither disappointed nor angered by Tim's actions, but in truth greatly impressed and instead offers to help teach Tim how to completely cover all his tracks.

Soon afterward, a military super-hero legend called The Veteran (similar to Marvel Comics' Captain America) attempts to recruit Robin. Tim, now concerned with his own mission rather than Batman's, takes the Veteran's offer under consideration and goes on a mission with his team to get a feel for the job. Tim eventually turns down the offer.

Robin vs. Robin
Some time prior the events of Identity Crisis, Jason Todd returns, seemingly from the dead, as the new Red Hood. Angered that someone has replaced him as Robin, Jason breaks into Titans Tower wearing a version of his own Robin costume (only previously seen in the back-pages of volume one-era Teen Titans). Quickly immobilizing the other Titans, Jason confronts Tim to see if the new Boy Wonder is really as good as everyone claims. The two Robins fight, until at last Jason strikes Tim down in the Hall of Fallen Titans, where he also rages at how he was forgotten by everyone. Although Drake is defeated, Jason demands to know if he still believes himself to be as good as people say, to which Tim replies with a defiant 'Yes' before Todd renders him unconscious.

Jason spares Tim's life, simply tearing off the 'R' shaped emblem from his chest. In the epilogue of the story, Jason has developed a grudging sort of respect for Tim, wondering if he would have been a better Robin and a better person, had he lived to have a life like Tim's and real friends like the Titans.

Infinite Crisis &amp; 52
As of the events surrounding the Infinite Crisis storyline, Robin, along with the Veteran's forces, must defend the city of Blüdhaven against an army of OMACs who captured dozens of metahumans for immediate extermination. After a virus deactivated the cyborgs (see also: The OMAC Project), Tim, the Shadowpact and the Veteran's team accomplished the capture of the metahumans. With Blüdhaven safe, Wonder Girl arrives on the scene asking Robin for help. Along with the Teen Titans, the Doom Patrol and the Justice Society of America, he battles against Superboy-Prime, who had gone on a violent assault of their world's Superboy. The fight overwhelms Conner's body to the point where it begins eating away at itself for energy.

After Robin's departure from Blüdhaven, the city is destroyed by the Society. Although he worries about his stepmother, his "uncle", and Nightwing, Tim continues to Titans Tower. He then leads a successful assault into one of Lex Luthor's genetic research bases to find a cure for Superboy. With Blüdhaven still in chaos, Superman leaves Robin in command of all the superhero rescue efforts. However, when the government puts the city on complete lock down, the Titans are kicked out.

Following the discovery of Superboy's death in the North Pole, Robin joins the rest of the world's heroes in a final battle against the Secret Society of Super Villains in Metropolis. Although the heroes win the battle, many on both sides are injured and killed. After the Infinite Crisis, Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, and Tim Drake retrace Bruce Wayne's original journey around the world in his quest to become Batman (see also: 52).

At a ceremony honoring Superboy one year after his death, Robin attends in a new costume primarily red and black. When asked why he explains that they were Conner's colors.

One Year Later
After spending nearly a year away from home after the events of the Infinite Crisis, Tim is the first to return to Gotham following his trip with Batman and Nightwing. He receives a message from an unknown source telling him that if he does not return to the states, Batgirl will be killed. Tim returns to Gotham City, now wearing a new costume, using colors of Superboy's last costume as a sign of mourning and respect of the late Teen of Steel. He moves into the Wayne Estate, living in the Carriage House, which has been converted into a loft and Robin's new "nest".

Upon his return to Gotham, Robin goes in search of Batgirl, only to be attacked in an alley. Using his "R" shaped throwing stars, he supposedly kills his opponent, which he realizes is Lynx (who already had died while battling Batgirl) dressed in a Batgirl costume. After doing an indept investigation, Tim discovers that the kidnapper is in truth Cassandra Cain, who has become the leader of a splinter cell of the League of Assassins. Cassandra orchestrated her 'kidnapping' and the release of her father David Cain, as a plan to convince Robin to join her. Robin refused, and after a lengthy battle, she escapes.

Soon after, Batman approaches Tim and once again make him the offer of being adopted. After the events of the past years, Tim this time accepts the offer, and become Bruce Wayne's legal son.

At the same time Tim has retaken control of the Teen Titans, which during his absence suffered many upheavals and changes in the roster. At first the team is comprised solely of himself, Kid Devil and Ravanger. Soon after he manages to assemble Cyborg, Wonder Girl, Raven, Miss Martian and a resurrected Jericho into the team's ranks. Unfortunately soon after the team gets reassembled, they are attacked by Deathstroke the Terminator and his own squadron of Titans, he dubbed "The Titans East". During their battle with Salde's group, Robin discovers that Batgirl is under the same mind control serum that Deathstroke used on Ravanger. Using a cure he developed, he free's Cassandra from Slade's control. Unfortunately, still driven by a thirst for vengeance, Cassandra does not immediately return to the Gotham with him. She would later rejoin the Batman Family, and in fact be adopted by Batman shortly before his death.

During his time with the new Titans, Tim develops an uneasy romantic relationship with Wonder Girl, both of whom are still having difficultly letting go of the loss of Superboy. Despite several kisses, and attempts at a romantic relationship, they continue to back out at the last minute from making anything serious. Soon after, the Titans are shocked to learn that their old friend and teammate Bart Allen has been murdered by the Flash Rogues. The loss of Kid Flash, and his upset personal life, leads Robin to become a colder and more detached leader with the Titans.

Batman R.I.P.
In the months that follow, Robin begins to catch glimpes of a familar purple costume around Gotham City, and begins to question whether or not someone has taken up the Spoiler Mantel, once worn by his deceased girlfriend Stephanie Brown. He voices these concerns to Batman who seems both unsurprised and uninterested, which infuriates Tim. Finally Robin confronts the new Spoiler, and discovers that it is in fact the original Spoilder, Stephanie. Steph reveals to him that Doctor Thompkins faked her death, so as to allow her to escape from the dangerous life of being a vigilante, and that the pair of them left for Africa following the gang war. Batman reveals that he had suspected that truth for a long time that Stephanie was not dead, and this was why he never put her Spoiler or Robin costumes in a trophy case.

Soon after, Batman becomes targeted by a group calling themselves the Black Glove. Their attacks become so intense, that they apparently drive Batman insane, and he disappears, leaving Robin alone to defend the city. He enlists the aid of Spoiler, who unfortunately was ordered by Batman to interfere with his work, in order to help make him a better hero. As such, Spoiler hires assorted villains and assassins in order to force Robin to up his game.

Spoiler goes so far as to enlist the help of Robin's old foe, Ulysses Armstrong AKA the General. Unfortunately, Ulyesses is quick to betray Spoiler, due to his vendetta against Robin. Upon discovering that Spoiler had been orchestrating everything, Robin breaks off all ties with her, and orders her never to again don her costume.

Meanwhile, Robin is forced to battle against his adopted older brother Jason Todd, who started a gang war in an attempt to gain control over the gangs. Jason attempts to coax Robin to join him, but Tim of course refuses, due to his disagreeing with Jason's methods. During the fight that follows Jason is defeated due to the combined efforts of Robin, a gang member shooting Jason in the knee, and the arrival of someone claiming to be a new Red Robin, an identity previously used by Jason Todd.

Robin begins to investigate the new Red Robin and discovers it to be Ulysses. Although Robin manages to temporarily defeat him, he had later led into a trap supposedly set by Ulysses' partner, Anarky. Robin is nearly killed in a warehouse explosion, but managed to somehow survive, though he suffers from extreme burns to the back of his head.

It is later revealed that the real Anarky had been left in a paralitic state thanks to Ulysses, who has usurped the Anarky identity. Upon discovering this Robin dons the hood and cape of the Red Robin, and goes out to confront Ulysses. Although he manages to defeat him, it comes at the loss of several civilian casualties. However, in the end, Robin manages to bring an end to the gang war, and infact create a temporary amount of piece throughout the city. As a result of his actions and the continued absence of Batman, Commissioner Gordon opts to have made a new Robin Signal, thus making Robin the city's primary protector. While appreciating the gesture, Robin requests they go back to the Bat-signal so as to make the city believe that Batman was still around.

Due to the events that are occurring in Gotham needing his full attention, Robin decides that it is time to step down as Leader of the Teen Titans and gives leadership over to Wonder Girl.

Around this time, it is revealed that Batman's slip into madness and supposed disappearance was in fact an elaborate plan created by Batman to draw out the Black Glove. Although through the combined efforts of Batman and his allies, the Black Glove was defeated, Batman was supposedly killed in a helicopter crash battling the group's leader. It was Robin who informed Commissioner Gordon of the true events. In truth however, Batman survived the crash, and later joined the Justice League during the events of the Final Crisis. Unfortunately Batman was seemingly killed during his final confrontation with the new God, Darksied, thus leaving Dick Grayson, Cassandra Cain, Jason Todd and Tim Drake once again orphaned.

Following the loss of Batman, Tim was forced to face a ghost from his past, the Obeah Man, who had managed to bribe his way out of prision. Refusing to let the man who killed his mother escape true justice, Tim follows him to Haiti, where the Obeah Man attempts to drive Tim insane with gases and special effects. Tim however makes short work of the Obeah Man and sends him back to jail, using Wayne Enterprises Lawyers, thus giving Tim final closure on his mother's death.

Battle for the Cowl


In the months that follow Bat-Family is trying desperately to bring order to Gotham. Dick Grayson leads the effort but refuses to become Batman despite Tim Drake's urging. Meanwhile a man impersonating Batman begins his war on crime using lethal tactics and leaving slips of paper saying "I AM BATMAN". Drake begins a search to stop the imposter and dresses as Batman in order to demonstrate how the real Batman would have acted.

Tim finds Jason Todd's batcave in a subway station, and is saved from a booby trap by Catwoman, who knows Tim is behind the mask. Jason ambushes them, disposing of Catwoman then getting into a fight with Tim before implaing him in the chest with a batarang, exclaiming "One more to go". Thankfully, the kevlar re-enforcement of the Bat-suit that Tim used, protected him from being killed, although it did leave him extensively injured. Still, Tim manages to have enough strength to attempt an escape, but due to a combination of injury and blood-loss found himself too weak to get far. When Jason Todd causes his base to explode by dueling Nightwing, and the base begins to cave in on itself. Luckily, Damian along with the Squire, managed to rescue Tim before he falls to his death.

Red Robin


Soon after, Dick Grayson at last agrees to take on the mantel of the Batman. Unfortunately, much to Tim's shock, Dick does not continue to take him on as Robin. Stating that Tim is more his equal and ally than protege, Dick instead offers the mantel of Robin to Damian Wayne. Feeling betrayed and infuriated, Tim leaves. Whether due to his refusal to let go of another father, or something else, Tim comes to the belief that Bruce is still alive somewhere in the world. As such, he leaves Gotham behind in order to begin his search. But rather than continue wearing the costume of Robin the Boy Wonder, he instead takes on the mantle previously worn by Jason Todd: Red Robin. Tim is currently traveling around the world looking for Bruce Wayne, whom he believes is still alive.

Tim cuts himself off from the rest of the Bat-Family, who all believe he is having problems due to the shock of letting go of his mentor. Tim, however, manages to get proof of Bruce Wayne's continued existence, and also manages to cripple Ra's al Ghul's organization. In response, Ra's promises an attack to destroy everything the Wayne Family has built in Gotham.

Tim is able to hold his own as Red Robin, and after saving Tammy Fox, the two rush back to Gotham. One of the first actions Tim takes upon arriving in Gotham is defeating Killer Moth. After capturing Moth, Tim begins to contimplate ways in which to find and save Batman from the past, but not before turning his attention back towards Ra's plans against Wayne's family. Tim heads to the Batcave hoping to find Dick, but instead finds Stephanie Brown, now wearing a Batgirl costume. Reluctantly at first, the two join forces and manage to rescue Leslie Thompkins from assassins, and are later joined by Tim's ally from the League of Assassins, Pru.

Powers and Abilities
Martial Arts Master: Tim has been trained by Batman, Nightwing, Batgirl, Lady Shiva and assorted others in a wide assortment of martial arts disciplines which include but are not limited to Aikido, Jeet Kune Do, Escrima, Tae Kwon Do, Judo, Wing Chun, Hapkido, Jiu-jitsu, Karate, Savate, Kendo, Ninjitsu, and Tai Chi. Although he has not mastered near as many fighting styles as his mentors, he has managed to use the training given to be considered a highly skilled combatant.

Escapologist: Batman and Nightwing have trained Red Robin to be skilled in escaping from any trap, lock or captivity, ranging from the most simplistic of handcuffs to the most elaborate of cages. Gifted Intellect: His naturally high intellect allows him to excel in computer science and more importantly as a skilled detective. Further more, Tim apparently has a firm grasp of assorted scientific techniques including biology, engineering and genetics, which he has been shown to use in his attempts at re-cloning Superboy. Batman states that Tim could potentially be smarter and better than himself. The Batman has trained him in many disciplines, such as forensic, criminology, acrobatics, stealth, disguise, and escapology.

Master Detective: His ability to deduce the secret identities of superheroes on his own has been used to underscore his skill. Among the identities used in this way are the Batman, both of his predecessors as Robin, the Huntress, Impulse, the Flash, and Captain Marvel.

Master Tactician and Strategist: Tim, much like Dick Grayson is also a brilliant and experienced strategist with impressive leadership skills, having served as leader to the Teen Titans, Young Justice, and even being placed in charge of the the rescue efforts of Blüdhaven by Superman, following the the attack made by Deathstroke and his fellow villains. In recent times, he has managed to orchestrate the unified control of the Gotham Street Gangs, thus reducing the threats they pose to the city.

Paraphernalia
Robin Costume 1: Drake's original costume was slightly different from that of his predecessors as supplied by Batman to give him a measure of increased protection. It includes an armored tunic, a cape that is black on the outside though still yellow on the inside, and green leggings. Other details include an armored gorget, jika-tabi style boots, an emergency "R" shuriken on his chest in addition to the traditional batarangs, and a collapsible bo staff as primary weapon. There is also a general change of the theme of the equipment from "Bat" to "Robin"

Robin Costume 2: Tim updated his costume to match Superboy's black and red color scheme as homage to his late friend. These updates include long sleeves, the elimination of the green from the suit, the addition of scallops to his gloves and cape, and inclusion of a utility belt with pockets. The scallops on the cape give an illusion of feathers rather than bat-wings, as seen on the cape of the Batman. The stylized "R" on Robin's chest has been replaced with a more traditional one, though its appearance varies from artist to artist. Robin retains his "R" shurikens, but he now carries them in his belt as opposed to his tunic. During a brief period where he suffered damaging burns, Tim temporarily wore the Red Robin hood and cape, which covered his head and offered him glider capabilities.

Batman Costume: With Batman supposedly dead and Dick Grayson refusing to become Batman, Tim temporarily assumes the mantel, by wearing Bruce's old blue and grey costume, with the yellow background emblem surrounding the Bat on his chest. He continues to carry his bo-staff.

Red Robin Costume: With Damien now taking on the role as the fifth Robin, Tim has adopted the full uniform of Red Robin. This costume seems to contain a mixture of both Tim's old Robin uniforms, as well as Batman's. The uniform is comprised black leggings and booths, a red tunic similar to that of Dick Grayson's old Robin tunic, thought lacking the 'R' emblem. He wears a utility belt, again similar to the one wore by Dick Grayson while as Robin, only of a slightly larger size. He then has a chest harness, that is connected by the Red Robin symbol. Finally, he wears a black cowl and cape. Rather than use throwing stars or batarangs like before, Tim now uses Red Robin throwing disks. He does, however, continue to use his collapsible bow staff as his primary weapon.

Transportation: Tim first vehicle was the Redbird car. It is capable of morphing between a highly armored combat vehicle and a normal looking car. With the disappearance of Batman, Robin has also begun using the Batmobile.

Robin Weapons: "R" shurikens, Batarangs, extendible staff given to him by Lady Shiva. He also often uses a sling.

Red Robin Weapons: Red Robin emblem throwing disks, collapsable bo-staff, grappling hooks.

Trivia

 * Tim lost both his parents to violence just like Batman, Nightwing, and Jason Todd.
 * Tim's best friend was Superboy, followed closely by Bart Allen and Wonder Girl (Cassandra Sandsmark).
 * Nightwing is like a brother to him emotionally. Both Dick and Tim, along with Cassandra Cain and Jason Todd were all adopted by Bruce Wayne.
 * Blue Beetle (Ted Kord) was his favorite superhero a good friend of his.
 * Tim's girlfriends have been surrounded by dangerous circumstances: Ariana Dzerchenko, daughter of a deli owner targeted and murdered by the Russian mob; gang leader Lynx who's brother was murdered and who she herself has been killed, resurrected and killed again; Darla Aquista, daughter of a mafia boss who later is killed and resurrected as a witch-demon; fellow vigilante Spoiler, daughter of the Cluemaster and who faked her own death, with whom he has his longest relationship; and even Marvel Universe's Jubilee who's parents were murdered by the mob.
 * Both Superboy &amp; Impulse (in an issue of Young Justice) once comented on how "their" comics had been cancelled yet some heroes, who were no less worthy just seem to go on, at this point Robin walks in and both of his friends give him the "evil" eye when he asks "what?"
 * Tim was once propositioned on panel for sex twice, first by his now ex-girlfriend Ariana and later by his former-teammate Ravager. On both occassions he refused (although with the later he was forced to handcuff Rose in order to stop her).
 * Tim has assumed the Batman mantle twice. Once when he and Batman switched ages during the Sins of the Youth Young Justice storyline and again when Bruce Wayne was seemingly killed and Nightwing refused to take up the mantel. Tim is supposedly destined to become Batman in an alternate future.
 * In the course of two years (continuity-wise), Tim has had his father, Superboy, Spoiler, Kid Flash, Blue Beetle, and possibly even his stepmother Dana, die on him. Superboy, Kid Flash, and Spoiler did not, however, "stay dead".