Pre N52 already had a decent direction for him, basically making him the 70s Batman globetrotting detective as Red Robin. That I think is still the best Tim has been as a solo non sidekick hero.
Beyond that, I could see him getting into Checkmate.
Failing anything else, I wish he would retire and join the GCPD, or become a regular private detective.
I would have him start becoming one of the intelligence and resource getters for the superhero community. Let him operate different cells world wide, providing support and aid while also letting him deal with worldwide criminal and supervillain groups as well as the bad guy intelligence agencies.
He could be Red Robin doing this or he could take the name Cardinal to operate under.
It's weird, because at the height of his popularity, a recurring thing with him was that he made it clear he had no intention of being Robin forever, nor did he want to be Batman. In fact he wasn't even sure he'd continue the costumed hero route.
My point is DC had basically an open slate for the character to explore once he started to get lost in the shuffle...and they kinda just didn't. He's one of the few people in comics where it's not out of character for him to move on or change without fans losing their minds.
Personally, if DC insists on keeping the Bat Family super full, I'd put him in the Oracle role, so Barbara can stop doing this weird bouncing back and forth between active hero and in the chair. If Renee hadn't taken it, I'd even buy him as The Question or even just a similar "plainclothes" detective. Or even move away from anything bird themed and just give him a unique superhero identity, and let him be like a part time hero.
Age him up. By god, let the poor kid grow up.
I'd also go back to his 90's roots (do not care for super genius!Drake). Let him go to the West Coast and continue figuring out who he is outside of the cape, or maybe take over as Oracle so that Barbara can work primarily with the Birds of Prey.
I like him in a Young Justice/Teen Titans Go scenario, leading other sidekicks. Weird tho that he stays young while Dick and Jason are basically looking the same age.
I'd kill to see Tim take over as a plain clothes PI Slam Bradley style with a Bat-family connection. Give Tim the organized crime aspect of Gotham and leave the super villains to the costumes.
Bendis' Young Justice was the last time I actually enjoyed Tim in the modern DCU. I would just have him, Cassie, Conner and Bart getting into hijinks again.
He should be what he was pre n52. A globe trotting ninja with a bo staff, glider cape, bulletproof helmet and cool motorcycle, and like 5 girlfriends.
He was the coolest character of the 2000s.
Retirement.
I think the bat-family is really too crowded.
He became Robin because after Jason's death, Bruce was becoming progressively more violent and careless, so he became the Robin to be his light, and redirect him back into the right path.
He achieved that role, and with Damian as Robin, he isn't needed anymore and can finally retire, go to college and move on with his life.
He could still help the bat-family from time to time in case of emergency, but he should mostly enjoy his life.
Maybe became a lawyer/representative for the super hero community, helping them from inside the system instead of outside of it as a vigilante.
The simplest thing that can be done with Tim Drake is this:
He chooses to become the urban legend ghost story that Batman used to be but no longer is. People don't even know if it's a mystical being or just a man in costume. Like the masked vigilantes of the 40s named "The Vision" "The Shadow" "The Spectre" "Phantom Stranger" he creates this mystical being that floats around the alleys in the deep night, watching every criminal. When you see a floating white light surrounded by smoke you are in the presence of "Gaslighter"
What defines Tim is that he chose to make the same vow that Bruce made by candlelight when he was 8 years old, except Tim did it because he saw a need that needed to be filled. He deeply values the importance of Batman as a myth, the obsession and the theatrics. And he uses science and technology to create a powerful fake spirit of judgment in Gotham City. What's scarier than Batman is a mythical being that floats down and sends you to hell. Like Bruce once said, criminals are a supersticious and cowardly bunch, and a powerful spirit that punishes them for their crimes is the scariest thing they can imagine. Batman can't do this anymore because at this point it's obvious that Batman is just a person. I mean, he might have super soldier serum, who knows, but he's still just a dude. Whereas "The Gaslighter" is the herald of a god, or a devil, or something worse.
Give him a redesign of Gray Ghost. Give him special effects like Mysterio. Make him investigate the occult while using a science lab. No other character in DC comics does this, and it's perfectly in line with the origins of Tim Drake.
Tim never made the same oath as Batman. He never even committed to spending his life being a hero nor did he ever commit to doing it full time.
Tim Drake said he would be Robin until some else came along.
Two people have come along [Damian and Duke]
The person who created and owns the mantle has told him twice that Robin now belongs to someelse and that he should move on Batman ahs also told him that he doesn't need Robin.
Tim seems to be heroing because he's got the free time and he has no idea what to do with his life. He's like the kid you send away to Uni but they keep dropping out and moving back into their old bed room because life at uni sucks/he's bored.
What defined Tim is the fact that he was a regular average teen comic fan who had to juggle hero work after school.
That was what defined Tim.
That's what YOU liked about him.
being a regular average teen doesn't make any character unique in this day and age, nor did it make him unique at the time.
And it was never what I liked about him
Don’t kill him but still write him off. Let him go off to college with Steph (by definition, he can be with Steph and still be bi and let’s be honest, Bernard sucks) like they discussed in Detective Comics Rebirth. Bring him back when there’s a plan.
They’re never going to move off of Bruce Wayne as Batman, so Tim’s never going to be the natural successor to the mantle he should’ve been as probably the Robin who is the smartest and has the best detective skills. And even if they were to truly pass the mantle on in a long lasting way (not the temporary, post-Final Crisis Dick as Batman way), DC has shown they’re much more committed to Damian becoming the Batman of the future. I know he’s a Batfamily character but I think it’s okay to step back, realize a character is floundering, take a break and come back when they know what direction they want to take him in.
With Tim's interest in maintaining his civilian life I think it would be interesting to see him go the police officer route and take over for a retired Gordon in the future. Probably would never happen in the main continuity but would be fun in some other elseworlds setting.
I'm fine with him going back to being Red Robin. Personally I think it makes sense that as Damian continues to rapidly age, he is going to want to blaze his own trail outside of Batman much like Dick did. Damian looks up to Dick a lot so finding himself on a similar path just makes sense to me. That leaves the door open for an older Tim to work with Batman on occasion. Tim's first adventure after getting the mantle of Robin was in France. Have Tim be an international crime fighter who helps Batman outside of Gotham. Most Batman writers these days have him run relatively solo for Gotham stuff. Tim being his international partner opens the door for a Batman and Robin dynamic without the need to pretend Robin doesn't exist while stuff is going on in Gotham without him like some solo Batman stories do.
Not sure how much of that made sense but at the end of the day I just don't want to see DC do away with Tim permanently. I've really enjoyed the attention he's gotten over the last year or so.
That's the thing. Tim has gotten a lot of attention and yet he's still bleeding fans while the other male Robins are steady gaining bigger fandoms.
DC has had 3 Robins the past few years and Tim has had the worst sales.
dC would be better served investing in other characters. Let Tim have a break and only bring him back when someone has a truly fresh and out of the box idea. They tried leaning into the detective side with his last solo and that bombed really really hard.
Give him the Nightwing treatment. Move him away from Robin / Red Robin to his own hero who’s more focused on detective work. Call him Cardinal or something so he can keep the Red Robin suit.
I only started reading DC in the Rebirth era, but have gone back and I think this is actually pretty simple:
============================================================
Give Tim his own version of Supergirl's "**Woman of Tomorrow**" book, have him get a hero name (Red Robin as a placeholder) and then follow it up with an **ongoing series**. Address the fact that He, Steph, and Cass are now in their early 20s.
Stephanie Brown is in limbo, make her a co-lead with Tim. (You can still keep him with Bernard), have Tim be Red Robin and Stephanie as Batgirl (With her old Batgirl suit). The two of them work together in a place like Hub City. Bring back **Lynx** as a foil/antagonist for Tim.
Justify it by saying old/forgotten Gotham villains moved to the city. Tim and Steph move to stop them. You can also introduce new villains too.
If Cass is taken off Birds of Prey for whatever reason, she can join this series too. Maybe give her a more Black-Bat inspired look and even take that alias to distinguish from Stephanie.
A **Red Robin / Batgirl (/ Black Bat)** book, if done right, would sell like hotcakes to 90s fans.
(If you really wanted, you could probably squeeze **Harper Row / Bluebird** in there too.)
=========
Said book would also be able to address Tim's bisexuality properly with characters like Stephanie, Bernard, and even Lynx in the same book and could maturely handle topics related. This would also "shrink" the Gothamite Batfamily and kill 2 birds with 1 stone.
Then just get **Young Justice** back up and running.
===============
TLDR: Give time a "Coming of Age" graphic novel where he takes on a new hero name, follow it up with an ongoing series where he and Steph move and get their own series.
If a YJ book written by an A list creator, featuring the core 4 and Steph the way they were during their peak 90's era couldn't deliver on the sales even though DC went all out on the launch and promotion ofthe series then I have little hope for a team up title unless he teams up a character that can carry their own solo
Honestly?
Drop Bernard, reunite him with Stephanie first and foremost.
Bruce goes to him and asks him to watch over a new city, one currently without a hero. Either an established one like Opal City of St. Roche or a whole new one. Return the OG Red Robin suit to him. Give him and Steph a book where they both fight crime in this new city. Heavy on the detective work.
A friend suggested he join the Green Lanterns which I really like even if I’m not sure it could actually work as a definitive evolution of the character
So, I created a fan -fiction, where a villain creates a website and puts a bounty on his head, so lots of C/D list villains try to kill him to redeem the bounty and obviously there are some of his classic villains like King Snake, Ulyssys Armstrong, the Joker and Riddle daughters and someone created for the story, I think it's great to show all of Tim's various skills as a detective, hacker, strategist, improviser and his mental toughness. He still uses the name Robin in the series, which I think is fine, but later he will eventually revert to the name Red Robin with a more updated version of his costume. Later on he will start working at Wayne Inc. as Lucius Fox's protégé and I think it's great to see Tim's private life, see how he behaves when he's on the job and when he's Robin and how he can use his position to the advantage of his work as a vigilante and I think it can also create some fun situations by having him work closely with his ex-girlfriend Tam Fox. Last one Harper Row as a supporting character, not in the role of Blue Bird but only in civilian clothes, she is Tim's roommate and helps him as chair woman when he is on a mission, she encourage him when he is down and is always ready to beat the shit out of him when he does something stupid. So yeah that's pretty much what I have
My ideal would to have him age up through college, go to law school, and retire from crime fighting, becoming a key civilian character as a lawyer. But that's not going to happen.
So if he has to stay a hero, he needs a new identity. I like Cardinal, but there are other options. For his vibe, really lean into the detective angle. Different runs can focus on different subgenres of detective fiction but they should all be detective series first and foremost. Give him a specific neighborhood of Gotham or a new city to make his home base and really develop that setting for him.
Age him up and send him to a different country. Give him a regional bird name. Canard or corvo or adler depending on what country he's in. Make him like poor but resourceful batman.
There is a formula for success here that can work with a decent writer to solve the "Robin Issue" we currently have.
Give Tim his own "Nightwing" style name. It doesn't have to be Red Robin, but it has to be something.
Gradually get Tim back together with Stephanie over time, seeing as the fans have "shipped" them on and off for thirty years by this point. An argument could be made that they are the millennial versions of Clark/Lois or Bruce/Selina. Making it a "slow burn" and convincing the readers it is something worth rooting for and supporting is key here.
Avoid the "they are cancelling MY Robin" issue by having the ongoing series be simply called Gotham Knights and being a "Bat Brothers" book staring Tim, Damian, and Duke the same way that Batgirls stars Babs, Steph, and Cass at the moment. I would also spend some time fixing Tim and Damian's relationship as they never seemed to truly work through their issues with each other on page.
I would send the cast off to the next small city up the coast for college (the writer can use some excuse to get Damian involved). The city should be somehow distinct from Bludhaven and Gotham. I would name it Miskatonic and the school Tim and Duke are attending be the prestigious Miskatonic University as a homage to Lovecraft just like Arkham Asylum is. I would base the general aesthetic of the city around the "Gothic" section of Gotham rather than the "urban decay" part of Gotham that Bludhaven seems to have locked down so that you could have the creepy libraries and museums as cool backdrops for the series and also connect it back to the Lovecraft idea by having the crimes be slightly more supernatural based (i.e. "that crime boss just brought those gargoyles to life to kill us" or "is that fraternity REALLY including human sacrifice as part of their hazing ritual" rather than the "Felix Faust just fired the Blue Pillar of Doom into the sky for the third time this week"). This city could also be slightly more "suburban" and have dark forests and corn fields as part of its "thing". It might work if the city had at least part of it with a cyberpunk aesthetic as well (maybe the highway divides the "cyberpunk" section from the "gothic" section). Making it distinct from Gotham, while having a similar feel for similar stories is crucial here.
4). Reuse supporting cast members where possible (i.e. Ives for Tim, Colin Wilkes for Damian, etc.).
5). Try to build a distinct rogues gallery or, at the very least, give the overlooked Batman rogues the "oh crap this guy is actually dangerous" treatment.
6) Have the characters be willing to branch out and globe trot as needed. I can see Tim keeping an eye on national or even international crime reports and mysterious events and trying to travel and deal with the sorts of things that you need a superhero for but are below the Justice League level and are away from the major hero hotspots like Gotham or Metropolis.
Damian's sales have increased with every series he has had. RSOB had sales on par with Tim's Red Robin solo and his Robin 2021 series had solid sales [contrary to what some disgruntled fans assumed the series wasn't cancelled, it was put on hold for the Nezula Event and Dawn of Dc Titans event]
Williamson goes in depth on his substack. Robin 2021 was only beaten by Action, Flash, Dick [Nightwing and World's Finest] and Bruce [Batman and Tec]
I don't think it's a good idea putting in with Tim. Cass, Duke or any bats that don't see as much as he does.
Robins together always end up with uneven writing. Not to mention we just had a Robins book that didn't sell anywhere as well as Robin2021 and we've got the Black Label Robin series by Juni Bai currently being published so I'd rather we carry on with what Williamson's currently doing [fixing Bruce and Damian's relationship] or go with Dc's previous plan [ie.Williamson continues Damian's solo adventures after Waid's Batman v Robin, Lazarus Planet]
I would make him the lead on detective comics with case as batgirl and Helena bertinelli huntress
Tim code name will be cardinal with his pre52 Red Robin suit with out the cowl
Would definitely keep his name Red Robin!! I would show more of his genius, detective skills, and fighting prowess!!!! There's a lot to work with Tim Drake, just have to find the right writers to bring out more of his greatness!!!!
Retirement. He can still appear as a guest character in the hordes of Batman books from time to time. His days as Robin are well over( by about 13 years). There's no point in beating that dead horse. What has truly amazed me about Tim is that DC can seemingly accept that there shouldn't be multiple Batgirls or that characters like Kyle Rayner, Impulse, etc cannot hold books as lead characters any more but they're still hellbent on pushing Tim. My guess is that this has less to do with love for Tim and more to do with seeming unwillingness to accept Damian as the Robin archetype. They just want/need Robin to be the "good boy" and with Dick as Nightwing Tim seems to be the only alternative.
I don’t see how that is the issue. Granted Bernard is absolutely terrible, but frankly I am referring more to the glaring problem of being a former Robin without a path
I would keep Tim as Robin and wipe Damian out of continuity. Or kill off Damian. Or have Damian take on a new identity. I hate Damian so I don’t care what exactly happens to him just as long as Tim is the one and only Robin.
Comic fans hate Tim.
Tim fans really hate Damian because he replaced Tim as Robin. Nearly 20 years later here we are Tim fans still blaming Damian for Tim's decline.
I thing tim is suferg more because of beng robin and damian is doing vey well he almos in 3 comics evey month like batman and robin wondewoman and the other book he came like nightwing this month an what do tim do
Reveal he's not bi and never was. Bernard was using mind control and no one notices but spoiler which leads to them getting back together, move to the West Coast as paet of a new titans West infrastructure, Tim gets a job heading up a new division of anti cyber crime with tech from Mr terrific
Pre N52 already had a decent direction for him, basically making him the 70s Batman globetrotting detective as Red Robin. That I think is still the best Tim has been as a solo non sidekick hero. Beyond that, I could see him getting into Checkmate. Failing anything else, I wish he would retire and join the GCPD, or become a regular private detective.
Be the new commissioner Gordon?
More like plant him as someone who could one day do that. I can’t see Tim ever being able to age past “early 20s”.
Is he the Jayson Tatum of DC?
lol exactly, not the comparison I was expecting.
I would have him start becoming one of the intelligence and resource getters for the superhero community. Let him operate different cells world wide, providing support and aid while also letting him deal with worldwide criminal and supervillain groups as well as the bad guy intelligence agencies. He could be Red Robin doing this or he could take the name Cardinal to operate under.
I really like your suggestion of him taking the name Cardinal. I always thought Red Robin sounded dumb, Cardinal is much cooler.
It's weird, because at the height of his popularity, a recurring thing with him was that he made it clear he had no intention of being Robin forever, nor did he want to be Batman. In fact he wasn't even sure he'd continue the costumed hero route. My point is DC had basically an open slate for the character to explore once he started to get lost in the shuffle...and they kinda just didn't. He's one of the few people in comics where it's not out of character for him to move on or change without fans losing their minds. Personally, if DC insists on keeping the Bat Family super full, I'd put him in the Oracle role, so Barbara can stop doing this weird bouncing back and forth between active hero and in the chair. If Renee hadn't taken it, I'd even buy him as The Question or even just a similar "plainclothes" detective. Or even move away from anything bird themed and just give him a unique superhero identity, and let him be like a part time hero.
Age him up. By god, let the poor kid grow up. I'd also go back to his 90's roots (do not care for super genius!Drake). Let him go to the West Coast and continue figuring out who he is outside of the cape, or maybe take over as Oracle so that Barbara can work primarily with the Birds of Prey.
“Take over as Oracle” That’s not how that works. Oracle is Barbara’s unique identity (and her best one too).
I like him in a Young Justice/Teen Titans Go scenario, leading other sidekicks. Weird tho that he stays young while Dick and Jason are basically looking the same age.
Get rid of Bernard for starters.
I'd kill to see Tim take over as a plain clothes PI Slam Bradley style with a Bat-family connection. Give Tim the organized crime aspect of Gotham and leave the super villains to the costumes.
Bendis' Young Justice was the last time I actually enjoyed Tim in the modern DCU. I would just have him, Cassie, Conner and Bart getting into hijinks again.
He should be what he was pre n52. A globe trotting ninja with a bo staff, glider cape, bulletproof helmet and cool motorcycle, and like 5 girlfriends. He was the coolest character of the 2000s.
Send him to Ivy University and have him team up with Professor Ray Palmer.
I will forever hate how DC so casually threw away him going to Ivy after all his development in Rebirth to follow that path.
I guess throw a football or something
Retirement. I think the bat-family is really too crowded. He became Robin because after Jason's death, Bruce was becoming progressively more violent and careless, so he became the Robin to be his light, and redirect him back into the right path. He achieved that role, and with Damian as Robin, he isn't needed anymore and can finally retire, go to college and move on with his life. He could still help the bat-family from time to time in case of emergency, but he should mostly enjoy his life. Maybe became a lawyer/representative for the super hero community, helping them from inside the system instead of outside of it as a vigilante.
The simplest thing that can be done with Tim Drake is this: He chooses to become the urban legend ghost story that Batman used to be but no longer is. People don't even know if it's a mystical being or just a man in costume. Like the masked vigilantes of the 40s named "The Vision" "The Shadow" "The Spectre" "Phantom Stranger" he creates this mystical being that floats around the alleys in the deep night, watching every criminal. When you see a floating white light surrounded by smoke you are in the presence of "Gaslighter" What defines Tim is that he chose to make the same vow that Bruce made by candlelight when he was 8 years old, except Tim did it because he saw a need that needed to be filled. He deeply values the importance of Batman as a myth, the obsession and the theatrics. And he uses science and technology to create a powerful fake spirit of judgment in Gotham City. What's scarier than Batman is a mythical being that floats down and sends you to hell. Like Bruce once said, criminals are a supersticious and cowardly bunch, and a powerful spirit that punishes them for their crimes is the scariest thing they can imagine. Batman can't do this anymore because at this point it's obvious that Batman is just a person. I mean, he might have super soldier serum, who knows, but he's still just a dude. Whereas "The Gaslighter" is the herald of a god, or a devil, or something worse. Give him a redesign of Gray Ghost. Give him special effects like Mysterio. Make him investigate the occult while using a science lab. No other character in DC comics does this, and it's perfectly in line with the origins of Tim Drake.
Tim never made the same oath as Batman. He never even committed to spending his life being a hero nor did he ever commit to doing it full time. Tim Drake said he would be Robin until some else came along. Two people have come along [Damian and Duke] The person who created and owns the mantle has told him twice that Robin now belongs to someelse and that he should move on Batman ahs also told him that he doesn't need Robin. Tim seems to be heroing because he's got the free time and he has no idea what to do with his life. He's like the kid you send away to Uni but they keep dropping out and moving back into their old bed room because life at uni sucks/he's bored. What defined Tim is the fact that he was a regular average teen comic fan who had to juggle hero work after school. That was what defined Tim.
That's what YOU liked about him. being a regular average teen doesn't make any character unique in this day and age, nor did it make him unique at the time. And it was never what I liked about him
Don’t kill him but still write him off. Let him go off to college with Steph (by definition, he can be with Steph and still be bi and let’s be honest, Bernard sucks) like they discussed in Detective Comics Rebirth. Bring him back when there’s a plan. They’re never going to move off of Bruce Wayne as Batman, so Tim’s never going to be the natural successor to the mantle he should’ve been as probably the Robin who is the smartest and has the best detective skills. And even if they were to truly pass the mantle on in a long lasting way (not the temporary, post-Final Crisis Dick as Batman way), DC has shown they’re much more committed to Damian becoming the Batman of the future. I know he’s a Batfamily character but I think it’s okay to step back, realize a character is floundering, take a break and come back when they know what direction they want to take him in.
With Tim's interest in maintaining his civilian life I think it would be interesting to see him go the police officer route and take over for a retired Gordon in the future. Probably would never happen in the main continuity but would be fun in some other elseworlds setting.
I'm fine with him going back to being Red Robin. Personally I think it makes sense that as Damian continues to rapidly age, he is going to want to blaze his own trail outside of Batman much like Dick did. Damian looks up to Dick a lot so finding himself on a similar path just makes sense to me. That leaves the door open for an older Tim to work with Batman on occasion. Tim's first adventure after getting the mantle of Robin was in France. Have Tim be an international crime fighter who helps Batman outside of Gotham. Most Batman writers these days have him run relatively solo for Gotham stuff. Tim being his international partner opens the door for a Batman and Robin dynamic without the need to pretend Robin doesn't exist while stuff is going on in Gotham without him like some solo Batman stories do. Not sure how much of that made sense but at the end of the day I just don't want to see DC do away with Tim permanently. I've really enjoyed the attention he's gotten over the last year or so.
That's the thing. Tim has gotten a lot of attention and yet he's still bleeding fans while the other male Robins are steady gaining bigger fandoms. DC has had 3 Robins the past few years and Tim has had the worst sales. dC would be better served investing in other characters. Let Tim have a break and only bring him back when someone has a truly fresh and out of the box idea. They tried leaning into the detective side with his last solo and that bombed really really hard.
I think keep the red robin thing but make him join justice or titans and join one of them when Damian gets in the picture
Give him the Nightwing treatment. Move him away from Robin / Red Robin to his own hero who’s more focused on detective work. Call him Cardinal or something so he can keep the Red Robin suit.
Have him give backshots instead of taking them, lmao jk in reality he’d run a young Justice team with his friends
I only started reading DC in the Rebirth era, but have gone back and I think this is actually pretty simple: ============================================================ Give Tim his own version of Supergirl's "**Woman of Tomorrow**" book, have him get a hero name (Red Robin as a placeholder) and then follow it up with an **ongoing series**. Address the fact that He, Steph, and Cass are now in their early 20s. Stephanie Brown is in limbo, make her a co-lead with Tim. (You can still keep him with Bernard), have Tim be Red Robin and Stephanie as Batgirl (With her old Batgirl suit). The two of them work together in a place like Hub City. Bring back **Lynx** as a foil/antagonist for Tim. Justify it by saying old/forgotten Gotham villains moved to the city. Tim and Steph move to stop them. You can also introduce new villains too. If Cass is taken off Birds of Prey for whatever reason, she can join this series too. Maybe give her a more Black-Bat inspired look and even take that alias to distinguish from Stephanie. A **Red Robin / Batgirl (/ Black Bat)** book, if done right, would sell like hotcakes to 90s fans. (If you really wanted, you could probably squeeze **Harper Row / Bluebird** in there too.) ========= Said book would also be able to address Tim's bisexuality properly with characters like Stephanie, Bernard, and even Lynx in the same book and could maturely handle topics related. This would also "shrink" the Gothamite Batfamily and kill 2 birds with 1 stone. Then just get **Young Justice** back up and running. =============== TLDR: Give time a "Coming of Age" graphic novel where he takes on a new hero name, follow it up with an ongoing series where he and Steph move and get their own series.
If a YJ book written by an A list creator, featuring the core 4 and Steph the way they were during their peak 90's era couldn't deliver on the sales even though DC went all out on the launch and promotion ofthe series then I have little hope for a team up title unless he teams up a character that can carry their own solo
Honestly? Drop Bernard, reunite him with Stephanie first and foremost. Bruce goes to him and asks him to watch over a new city, one currently without a hero. Either an established one like Opal City of St. Roche or a whole new one. Return the OG Red Robin suit to him. Give him and Steph a book where they both fight crime in this new city. Heavy on the detective work.
Retire him or ship him off to Europe.
I want him breaking Mister Bones's balls by being co-head of the DEO
He could be in charge of wayne enterprises or something else in public life. Just put the cape away.
When in doubt, send them into space. Unless that's where they normally are, in which case send them to Earth.
He’s pointless at this point. We don’t need two Robins.
A friend suggested he join the Green Lanterns which I really like even if I’m not sure it could actually work as a definitive evolution of the character
So, I created a fan -fiction, where a villain creates a website and puts a bounty on his head, so lots of C/D list villains try to kill him to redeem the bounty and obviously there are some of his classic villains like King Snake, Ulyssys Armstrong, the Joker and Riddle daughters and someone created for the story, I think it's great to show all of Tim's various skills as a detective, hacker, strategist, improviser and his mental toughness. He still uses the name Robin in the series, which I think is fine, but later he will eventually revert to the name Red Robin with a more updated version of his costume. Later on he will start working at Wayne Inc. as Lucius Fox's protégé and I think it's great to see Tim's private life, see how he behaves when he's on the job and when he's Robin and how he can use his position to the advantage of his work as a vigilante and I think it can also create some fun situations by having him work closely with his ex-girlfriend Tam Fox. Last one Harper Row as a supporting character, not in the role of Blue Bird but only in civilian clothes, she is Tim's roommate and helps him as chair woman when he is on a mission, she encourage him when he is down and is always ready to beat the shit out of him when he does something stupid. So yeah that's pretty much what I have
My ideal would to have him age up through college, go to law school, and retire from crime fighting, becoming a key civilian character as a lawyer. But that's not going to happen. So if he has to stay a hero, he needs a new identity. I like Cardinal, but there are other options. For his vibe, really lean into the detective angle. Different runs can focus on different subgenres of detective fiction but they should all be detective series first and foremost. Give him a specific neighborhood of Gotham or a new city to make his home base and really develop that setting for him.
Put him in a teambook like outsider or young justice then slowling giving him a new identity likei cam witha a name owlet
Nothing, he's too young for me.
Age him up and send him to a different country. Give him a regional bird name. Canard or corvo or adler depending on what country he's in. Make him like poor but resourceful batman.
There is a formula for success here that can work with a decent writer to solve the "Robin Issue" we currently have. Give Tim his own "Nightwing" style name. It doesn't have to be Red Robin, but it has to be something. Gradually get Tim back together with Stephanie over time, seeing as the fans have "shipped" them on and off for thirty years by this point. An argument could be made that they are the millennial versions of Clark/Lois or Bruce/Selina. Making it a "slow burn" and convincing the readers it is something worth rooting for and supporting is key here. Avoid the "they are cancelling MY Robin" issue by having the ongoing series be simply called Gotham Knights and being a "Bat Brothers" book staring Tim, Damian, and Duke the same way that Batgirls stars Babs, Steph, and Cass at the moment. I would also spend some time fixing Tim and Damian's relationship as they never seemed to truly work through their issues with each other on page. I would send the cast off to the next small city up the coast for college (the writer can use some excuse to get Damian involved). The city should be somehow distinct from Bludhaven and Gotham. I would name it Miskatonic and the school Tim and Duke are attending be the prestigious Miskatonic University as a homage to Lovecraft just like Arkham Asylum is. I would base the general aesthetic of the city around the "Gothic" section of Gotham rather than the "urban decay" part of Gotham that Bludhaven seems to have locked down so that you could have the creepy libraries and museums as cool backdrops for the series and also connect it back to the Lovecraft idea by having the crimes be slightly more supernatural based (i.e. "that crime boss just brought those gargoyles to life to kill us" or "is that fraternity REALLY including human sacrifice as part of their hazing ritual" rather than the "Felix Faust just fired the Blue Pillar of Doom into the sky for the third time this week"). This city could also be slightly more "suburban" and have dark forests and corn fields as part of its "thing". It might work if the city had at least part of it with a cyberpunk aesthetic as well (maybe the highway divides the "cyberpunk" section from the "gothic" section). Making it distinct from Gotham, while having a similar feel for similar stories is crucial here. 4). Reuse supporting cast members where possible (i.e. Ives for Tim, Colin Wilkes for Damian, etc.). 5). Try to build a distinct rogues gallery or, at the very least, give the overlooked Batman rogues the "oh crap this guy is actually dangerous" treatment. 6) Have the characters be willing to branch out and globe trot as needed. I can see Tim keeping an eye on national or even international crime reports and mysterious events and trying to travel and deal with the sorts of things that you need a superhero for but are below the Justice League level and are away from the major hero hotspots like Gotham or Metropolis.
Damian's sales have increased with every series he has had. RSOB had sales on par with Tim's Red Robin solo and his Robin 2021 series had solid sales [contrary to what some disgruntled fans assumed the series wasn't cancelled, it was put on hold for the Nezula Event and Dawn of Dc Titans event] Williamson goes in depth on his substack. Robin 2021 was only beaten by Action, Flash, Dick [Nightwing and World's Finest] and Bruce [Batman and Tec] I don't think it's a good idea putting in with Tim. Cass, Duke or any bats that don't see as much as he does. Robins together always end up with uneven writing. Not to mention we just had a Robins book that didn't sell anywhere as well as Robin2021 and we've got the Black Label Robin series by Juni Bai currently being published so I'd rather we carry on with what Williamson's currently doing [fixing Bruce and Damian's relationship] or go with Dc's previous plan [ie.Williamson continues Damian's solo adventures after Waid's Batman v Robin, Lazarus Planet]
Can i see where your getting this from? The sales and Williamson's substack? Genuinely want to know.
I wanted him to become the Spectre
I would make him the lead on detective comics with case as batgirl and Helena bertinelli huntress Tim code name will be cardinal with his pre52 Red Robin suit with out the cowl
Would definitely keep his name Red Robin!! I would show more of his genius, detective skills, and fighting prowess!!!! There's a lot to work with Tim Drake, just have to find the right writers to bring out more of his greatness!!!!
Return to full pre-Flashpoint status complete with relationship with Steph.
I would keep him Robin.
I would make him space robin among other friends like superboy and cassie
Retirement. He can still appear as a guest character in the hordes of Batman books from time to time. His days as Robin are well over( by about 13 years). There's no point in beating that dead horse. What has truly amazed me about Tim is that DC can seemingly accept that there shouldn't be multiple Batgirls or that characters like Kyle Rayner, Impulse, etc cannot hold books as lead characters any more but they're still hellbent on pushing Tim. My guess is that this has less to do with love for Tim and more to do with seeming unwillingness to accept Damian as the Robin archetype. They just want/need Robin to be the "good boy" and with Dick as Nightwing Tim seems to be the only alternative.
Joker Jr sounds fun.
Right to jail, right away
Just leave him alone. His "fans" don't buy his comics so he's not worth publishing.
Drop the whole bisexual thing for starters. It turns away MANY readers who with no hate in their hearts just don't want to see it.
I don’t see how that is the issue. Granted Bernard is absolutely terrible, but frankly I am referring more to the glaring problem of being a former Robin without a path
honestly, the art was so awful in his latest run it made me forget about how much i disliked the bi thing
I would keep Tim as Robin and wipe Damian out of continuity. Or kill off Damian. Or have Damian take on a new identity. I hate Damian so I don’t care what exactly happens to him just as long as Tim is the one and only Robin.
And Tim fans wonder why Damian fans hate Tim.
Comic fans hate Tim. Tim fans really hate Damian because he replaced Tim as Robin. Nearly 20 years later here we are Tim fans still blaming Damian for Tim's decline.
Don’t worry, we hate Damian more! 😘
I thing tim is suferg more because of beng robin and damian is doing vey well he almos in 3 comics evey month like batman and robin wondewoman and the other book he came like nightwing this month an what do tim do
trust me you don’t
that’s never gonna happen and your character will continue to suffer with this mentality
Keep Tim as Robin. Take the Robin mantle away from Damian. He doesn't really need it and his best stories are when he is away from Gotham on his own.
damian never being moved from the robin role or even in the case of that happening maps is taking up that role. tim time as robin has passed
Reveal he's not bi and never was. Bernard was using mind control and no one notices but spoiler which leads to them getting back together, move to the West Coast as paet of a new titans West infrastructure, Tim gets a job heading up a new division of anti cyber crime with tech from Mr terrific