Batman’s sidekick Robin comes out as LGBTIQ+ in new comic, fans pen gratitude to creators

Adding to its roster of openly LGBTQ+ characters, DC Comics has revealed that the Tim Drake version of Batman’s sidekick Robin is bisexual.

The character Robin’s sexuality was disclosed in the latest installment of a monthly anthology series called Batman: Urban Legends. According to Entertainment Weekly, the sixth issue of the series that came out on August 10, shows the character Tim Drake, the third character to take up the Robin mantle in DC Comics' history, agreeing to go on a date with a man.

Robin comes out as bisexual

The story of the comic series revolves around Tim who visits the house of Bernard Dowd, an old friend he met for dinner before having to suit up as Robin to take care of a villain. “I’m really glad you got home okay. 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,” Tim says about their dinner. “I was hoping you would. Tim Drake…do you want to go on a date with me?” Bernard asks. “Yeah… Yeah, I think I want that,” Tim replies in the series.

Several fans of the comic book were quick to pour in their takes on the major update about the character in the comic series. They even expressed their excitement about the revelation and expressed gratitude for the creators. One of the users shared a picture of the page showing the conversation between Drake and Robin. “Tim Drake is bi. I'm honestly shocked they done did the thing but they did, and it's kind of fantastic.” Another user also shared a similar picture and wrote, “Tim Drake coming out as bi in this comic is so well done and so beautifully written that I cannot imagine how anyone can rationally explain it as forced.”

A third netizen chipped in and wrote, “Tim Drake finally coming out is so inspiring, DC never wanted a queer Robin but after years and years of campaigning from writers and fans it finally happened.” The latest update makes Tim Drake’s Robin a part of a small group of canonically LGBTQ+ characters in the DC Comics universe, joining Kate Kane’s Catwoman, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Renee Montoya, Alan Scott the Green Lantern, and a few other supporting characters

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