If you read the article title, don't worry — I won't keep you guessing. The answer is yes, Tim Drake is the best Robin. Despite this highly subjective but supportable fact, when it comes to comic books, cartoons, and video games, he's often treated like an afterthought. While I wouldn't say Tim has had it the worst as far as Robin's go — they did Stephanie Brown dirty during her time wearing the "R" — he's definitely a close second.
So what is it that makes Tim Drake the ultimate Robin? Well for starters...
His Robin Has the Best Fashion Sense
Some comic fans reading this are probably ready to have me committed. Tim Drake with the discount Doctor Midnite Red Robin costume? That's the guy with the great taste in clothes? Well, yes actually, and I can explain. It's true that some of Tim Drake's later outfits were questionable at best, but that's only because every other Robin stole his original look. DC had no choice but to try and give Tim a unique costume to help him stand out.
The original Robin outfit was a product of it's time. Short sleeves, bright yellow cape, green speedo and worst of all, a pair of little green elf booties. Not the worst superhero costume by a long shot but compared to Batman it leaves a lot to desire.
Enter Tim Drake. When Drake took over the mantle of Robin in the early '90s he did so with the help of a brand new Robin costume designed by Comic's legend Neal Adams. Adams had wanted to give Robin a new costume for years, and the creation of Tim Drake gave him the perfect chance to do so.
So, what did Adams' new costume bring to the table? Pants for starters. In addition to covering Robin's legs, Adams also introduced a more armored look to the Robin costume, complete with a longer cape —now black on the outside with a yellow lining. Perhaps best of all, Neal did away with the little green booties in exchange for some more traditional superhero footwear.
Tim Drake's Robin look was so iconic that in 1992, Batman The Animated Series borrowed it for their version of Robin...Dick Grayson. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Paul Dini and Bruce Timm must have loved Tim Drake because their Robin was Dick Grayson in name only. Sure, he had the same origin as comic Grayson, but everything else — his exceptional computer skills, his cool-but-messy hair — was Tim Drake.
This would happen again with the 2003 Teen Titans series and it's follow up 2013's Teen Titans: Go! These two series would take things one step further by giving Dick Grayson a staff as a weapon something that originated with — you guessed it — Tim Drake.
Ok, so Tim Drake was certainly influential but is he really the best Robin? Yes, because...
Of All The Robins Tim Drake Is The Robinest
I know that sounds vague, but hear me out. Dick Grayson and Jason Todd were fine Robins, but neither realized their true potential as a hero until they go out on their own as Nightwing and Red Hood, respectively. Damian Wayne is a nepo baby who would never have gotten the job if he wasn't Batman's son, and as I mentioned above, the less said about Stephanie Brown's tenure as Robin, the better.
Tim Drake on the other hand is Robin. He understands that the role acts as anchor for Batman to keep him from fully succumbing to the darkness within him. When Batman started acting extra vicious after Jason Todd's death, Tim used his already impressive detective skills to figure out his secret identity and then track him down and beg for a chance to be the new Robin.
As Robin, Tim's skills are the most like his mentor's with many fans considering Tim as good if not a better detective than Batman. Tim is so much the quintessential Robin that DC has a hard time separating him from the title. Even when Tim was given a solo hero identity, Red Robin, it still had "Robin" in the name. Eventually they stopped trying altogether and gave into the idea of Tim just being Robin in perpetuity.
When you get right down to it, Dick might be a better acrobat, Jason a better marksman, and Damien a more lethal combatant, but when it comes to being Robin, nobody beats Tim Drake.
Who do you think is the best Robin? Is it Tim Drake? Let us know on the Bam Smack Pow Bluesky, Instagram, and Twitter.