Superhero Origins: Red Robin
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VOICE OVER: Dan Paradis
Script written by Steven Papadopoulos.
Not the first Robin, and probably not the last, Tim Drake trained under the Dark Knight to replace Jason Todd as Batman's sidekick. When Bruce Wayne went missing Drake left Gotham City in the hands of Nightwing and set off to find Wayne, using the skills he learned training under Batman. Drake donned the tainted mantle of the Red Robin and began fighting crime and searching for his long time mentor. Today Tim Drake is a staple of the DC Comic's universe and leader of the team of superheroes the Young Justice. Join http://www.watchmojo.com as we explore the comic book origins of Tim Drake's the Red Robin.
Not the first Robin, and probably not the last, Tim Drake trained under the Dark Knight to replace Jason Todd as Batman's sidekick. When Bruce Wayne went missing Drake left Gotham City in the hands of Nightwing and set off to find Wayne, using the skills he learned training under Batman. Drake donned the tainted mantle of the Red Robin and began fighting crime and searching for his long time mentor. Today Tim Drake is a staple of the DC Comic's universe and leader of the team of superheroes the Young Justice. Join http://www.watchmojo.com as we explore the comic book origins of Tim Drake's the Red Robin.
Script written by Steven Papadopo
He’s on a mission and nothing can stop him! Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we will explore the comic book origin of Red Robin as portrayed by Tim Drake.
As with most comic book characters, there are often re-imaginations and different versions to a character’s past. We have chosen to primarily follow the storyline “The Grail”, which unfolded in 2009’s “Red Robin” issue #01.
With Batman dead and Dick Grayson serving as the new caped crusader, Tim Drake’s tenure as Robin had finally ended. Since Grayson saw Drake as an equal, it was the young Damian Wayne who secured a spot as the new Boy Wonder instead. Now left to his own devices, Drake felt wholly dissatisfied with the events surrounding Batman’s demise and was convinced that his mentor, friend and father figure was alive and well. Saying his goodbyes, he hopped onto his motorcycle and sped off on a seemingly fruitless mission to find Bruce Wayne. Taking on the name Red Robin, he soon took Paris by surprise and exploded onto the scene. Although others had used this name and costume for less than heroic deeds before, Drake decided on the Red Robin mantle because it had already been tarnished. That way, he would be separate from the reputations Batman and Robin back in Gotham and would be free to act outside of their moral constraints.
Using all the skills he picked up from his days tutoring under the Dark Knight, including weapon proficiency, martial arts, and, of course, stealth, villains soon found a new face to fear in the night. Through many heroic deeds, Drake quickly proved that the mask doesn’t make up the man. The Red Robin was a hero again, one who had an honorable purpose. Taking a cue from Batman himself, Red Robin would come to the aid of anyone in need, but it never swayed him from his goal of finding Bruce Wayne. And with villains like Ra’s Al Ghul eyeing his every move in the hopes of finding Batman as well, Drake had little choice but to be on his very best behavior.
While the story of Tim Drake as Robin was well established in the 80’s, DC’s New 52 reboot saw a retelling of his origins. The events of his first encounter with Batman are newly recounted in a “Red Robin” prequel comic. He was no longer the scared witness to the tragedy that occurred during a circus performance of the Flying Graysons, where Dick Grayson’s parents died. In this reboot, Tim Drake was now a circus performer himself, and a computer genius. After nearly discovering the identity of Batman, he tries to coax him out of hiding by hacking into the Penguin’s bank account. When goons show up to exact revenge, the caped crusader arrives to save the day. With his parents now in witness protection, they decide to leave their son in the care of Bruce Wayne, who decides to accept Drake as his new apprentice. This new origin story for Tim Drake better exemplifies all of his skills and abilities that he would later refine as Red Robin. Although this new origin makes it seem he never took the Robin persona in the first place, opting instead to immediately become Red Robin, Tim Drake’s legacy as Robin will stand forever as one of the greats. Like Nightwing before him, it was time for him to move on, face his own unique challenges, and blaze his own trail.
Now that Batman has returned to the fold, it’s time to see where else Red Robin will go. He’s already taken up the leadership of the Teen Titans, after Wonder Girl stepped down. He also made his video game mark in the “Lego Batman” series, “Young Justice: Legacy” and of course “Batman: Arkman City”. We hope to see more of this character in the future, but for now there’s always the excellent “Red Robin” comics.
Are you a fan of the relentless Red Robin? For more super top 10s, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.
Superhero Origins: Red Robin
He’s on a mission and nothing can stop him! Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we will explore the comic book origin of Red Robin as portrayed by Tim Drake.
As with most comic book characters, there are often re-imaginations and different versions to a character’s past. We have chosen to primarily follow the storyline “The Grail”, which unfolded in 2009’s “Red Robin” issue #01.
With Batman dead and Dick Grayson serving as the new caped crusader, Tim Drake’s tenure as Robin had finally ended. Since Grayson saw Drake as an equal, it was the young Damian Wayne who secured a spot as the new Boy Wonder instead. Now left to his own devices, Drake felt wholly dissatisfied with the events surrounding Batman’s demise and was convinced that his mentor, friend and father figure was alive and well. Saying his goodbyes, he hopped onto his motorcycle and sped off on a seemingly fruitless mission to find Bruce Wayne. Taking on the name Red Robin, he soon took Paris by surprise and exploded onto the scene. Although others had used this name and costume for less than heroic deeds before, Drake decided on the Red Robin mantle because it had already been tarnished. That way, he would be separate from the reputations Batman and Robin back in Gotham and would be free to act outside of their moral constraints.
Using all the skills he picked up from his days tutoring under the Dark Knight, including weapon proficiency, martial arts, and, of course, stealth, villains soon found a new face to fear in the night. Through many heroic deeds, Drake quickly proved that the mask doesn’t make up the man. The Red Robin was a hero again, one who had an honorable purpose. Taking a cue from Batman himself, Red Robin would come to the aid of anyone in need, but it never swayed him from his goal of finding Bruce Wayne. And with villains like Ra’s Al Ghul eyeing his every move in the hopes of finding Batman as well, Drake had little choice but to be on his very best behavior.
While the story of Tim Drake as Robin was well established in the 80’s, DC’s New 52 reboot saw a retelling of his origins. The events of his first encounter with Batman are newly recounted in a “Red Robin” prequel comic. He was no longer the scared witness to the tragedy that occurred during a circus performance of the Flying Graysons, where Dick Grayson’s parents died. In this reboot, Tim Drake was now a circus performer himself, and a computer genius. After nearly discovering the identity of Batman, he tries to coax him out of hiding by hacking into the Penguin’s bank account. When goons show up to exact revenge, the caped crusader arrives to save the day. With his parents now in witness protection, they decide to leave their son in the care of Bruce Wayne, who decides to accept Drake as his new apprentice. This new origin story for Tim Drake better exemplifies all of his skills and abilities that he would later refine as Red Robin. Although this new origin makes it seem he never took the Robin persona in the first place, opting instead to immediately become Red Robin, Tim Drake’s legacy as Robin will stand forever as one of the greats. Like Nightwing before him, it was time for him to move on, face his own unique challenges, and blaze his own trail.
Now that Batman has returned to the fold, it’s time to see where else Red Robin will go. He’s already taken up the leadership of the Teen Titans, after Wonder Girl stepped down. He also made his video game mark in the “Lego Batman” series, “Young Justice: Legacy” and of course “Batman: Arkman City”. We hope to see more of this character in the future, but for now there’s always the excellent “Red Robin” comics.
Are you a fan of the relentless Red Robin? For more super top 10s, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.
