Batman's sidekick, Robin, comes out as bisexual
It's not Pride Month anymore but the celebration for the members of the LGBTQIA+ community continues, as one of the iconic characters of DC Comics' Batman, Tim Drake a.k.a. Robin, finally comes out as bisexual in Batman: Urban Legends #6.
Tim Drake is the third character to assume the role of Robin, after the second Robin, Jason Todd, was murdered by The Joker. The first-ever Robin was the character Dick Grayson.
For decades, many have speculated about Batman's famous sidekick's sexuality. In the case of the third Robin (Tim Drake), even though he had a long-time girlfriend named Stephanie Brown a.k.a. Spoiler, avid DC Comics readers suspected that his friendship with Conner Kent was more than just a platonic bond.
And this August, DC Comics finally revealed that Tim Drake is actually bisexual. The historical comic book moment happened at the end of Batman: Urban Legends #6, where Tim accepts an invitation to go on a date with his old friend and classmate, Bernard Dowd.
Tim Drake can be whoever he wants to be 💯
-- Batman (@DCBatman) August 11, 2021
Here's why his coming out in BATMAN: URBAN LEGENDS #6 is so historic: https://t.co/HwLUefJVzX pic.twitter.com/S7VrdCFPKl
Prior to that exciting culmination, Tim had to transform into Robin in order to save Bernard from abduction.
While they were in the middle of fighting off the bad guys, Tim had a “lightbulb moment” when Bernard confessed his true feelings for him.
“Please,” Bernard tells Robin. “Tell Tim Drake… he helped me realize my true self. Who I am. Tell him… well, he probably already knows. He's the smartest guy I've ever met. But tell him… I wish we could have finished our date.”
Bernard Dowd confesses his feelings for Tim Drake a.k.a. Robin / Source: DC Comics
After saving Bernard and having that “lightbulb moment,” Tim shows up on Bernard's doorstep with a big revelation of his own.
“I'm really glad you got home okay. I was relieved,” Tim tells Bernard. “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.”
“I was hoping you would,” Bernard says. Then he asks, “Tim Drake, do you want to go on a date with me?”
To which Tim replied, “Yeah…yeah, I think I want that.”
Tim Drake a.k.a. Robin comes out as bisexual by accepting a date with Bernard Dowd. / Source: DC Comics
The big coming out moment of Robin is part of the three-part story created by writer Meghan Fitzmartin, artist Belen Ortega, colorist Alejandro Sánchez, and letterer Pat Brosseau.
And aside from sending LGBTQIA+ members and DC Comics fans on a frenzy, it also gained the approval of Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, granddaughter of DC's original creator, Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson.
Dana told TMZ that Robin's coming out as bisexual will foster “tolerance and inclusion in the real world.”
She also said that “comic book figures are cultural icons, so when homosexuality is included in the storytelling ... it helps normalize that culture and hopefully encourages audiences to be loving toward those characters, if they weren't already.”
At the end of Batman: Urban Legends #6, it said, “To be continued in Batman: Urban Legends #10.”
So, expect to see more of Tim Drake's self-discovery journey in the upcoming Batman: Urban Legends issues.
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