The latest teenage iteration of Batman’s sidekick, Robin, has been revealed as bisexual in an upcoming comic.
Tim Drake, the name of the character who doubles as Robin in the newest “Batman: Urban Legends” installment, describes the incident when he learned of his feelings toward a fellow named Bernard Dowd as “a lightbulb moment,” according to TMZ.
“The story goes … Robin had a ‘lightbulb moment’ while fighting side-by-side with Bernard. After coming to his rescue as Robin, Tim later hits up Bernard’s pad, and you can see the anticipation’s building ’cause he hypes himself up, saying … ‘It’s OK, Tim. You got this,’” per TMZ.
“When Bernard opens the door he’s on the verge of asking out Tim on a date, but Tim interrupts with … ‘I’m really glad you got home okay. I was relieved. And I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, about that night. And I — I don’t know what it meant to me. Not yet. But I’d like to figure it out,” TMZ continued.
The two eventually agree to a date, which will reportedly be explored in the next issue, due out in December.
It's SO well written, I and a lot of LGBTQ+ people can relate to having the "lightbulb moment" mentioned here pic.twitter.com/BJCMq5BbW2
— Neb | 🏳️🌈 (@NebsGoodTakes) August 10, 2021
“Tim Drake is in the den of the Chaos Monsters with the other kidnapped teenagers of Gotham City,” DC Comics teased regarding the character’s role in the new comic. “In order to free himself and the other teens, Tim will have to embrace help from his friend Bernard and hear something about himself he never knew. A brand-new chapter of Tim Drake’s life starts here, and you won’t want to miss it!”
Comic writer Meghan Fitzmartin told Polygon: “[The issue] happened because this is who Tim is. I love this character very much, and as I went back to reread as much as I could to do Robin justice, it became clear this is the story Tim needed to tell.”
As CNN reported:
Fans have long seen Batman’s loyal sidekick as a potentially queer character since the first Robin, Dick Grayson, made his comics debut in the 1940s. In a 2016 article for Slate, adapted from his book on the World’s Greatest Detective, culture critic Glen Weldon documented a few instances that made readers’ ears perk up. These include depictions of Batman and Robin lying next to each other, naked, in separate beds; Batman and Robin waking up in the same bed; Robin throwing jealous fits when Batman entertained female love interests. Former Batman comic writer Grant Morrison even told Playboy magazine that “gayness is built into Batman.”
As the New York Post further reported:
Comics have been increasingly representative of the LGBTQ community as of late. In March, Marvel unveiled they’re first gay Captain America character — a queer youth advocate named Aaron Fischer — to be included in the upcoming “United States of Captain America” comic book miniseries.
“Aaron is inspired by heroes of the queer community: activists, leaders, and everyday folks pushing for a better life,” creator Aaron Trujillo told Entertainment Weekly at the time of that announcement.
Related: