Robin timeline

[numberONE]

A few questions about the four Robins, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown, Damian Wayne...

1) How old was each Robin, when he/she assumed the title?

2) How long did each character's career as Robin last?

3) How much time passed between each Robin?

[Mat001]

A few questions about the four Robins, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown, Damian Wayne...

1) How old was each Robin, when he/she assumed the title?

Dick Grayson was 12, according to Post Crisis continuity. Jason was about the same age. Tim was 14 when he finally became Robin. Stephanie appears to have been about 16. Damian is around 10 or so.

2) How long did each character's career as Robin last?

This is comic time, not real time.

Dick's tenure was about five to six years. Jason for a year. Tim for about four years. Stephanie for a couple of weeks. Damian for a couple of weeks.

3) How much time passed between each Robin?

That varies.

1. Dick in real time was still Robin when Jason took up the mantle, circa 1983. Post Crisis, Dick had been Nightwing for a little while when Jason was given the suit. According to Batman #410, six months.

2. From Jason to Tim was about a year and a half, in real time. In comic time, it was a few months or so.

3. From Tim to Steph, it was a couple of days in comic time. In real time, it was one issue to the next. It was the same with the switch back.

4. From the end of "Battle For The Cowl" to the first issue of Batman & Robin and Red Robin. About a month.

[RonnieThunderbolts]

A few questions about the four Robins, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown, Damian Wayne...

1) How old was each Robin, when he/she assumed the title?

2) How long did each character's career as Robin last?

3) How much time passed between each Robin?

The time line has varied and changed a few times, but there are some hints that help identify the ages and age differences between the various Robins.

Dick Grayson, in post-Crisis on Infinite Earths continuity, was identified as 12 years old on several occasions, when he first became Bruce's ward and donned the identity of Robin. Dick would continue his role as Robin until Bruce fired and replaced him with Jason Todd (not the original version, but in the retelling in Nightwing's solo series, this was the case) at the age of 18 after being Robin for 6 years. Tim was explicitly 13 when he became Robin. He has been confirmed as somewhere between 1 and 2 years younger than Jason Todd, while Tim was 16 (having had his 16th birthday already on panel) Bruce and Cassandra celebrated Jason Todd's birthday, his 18th Birthday, before they knew Jason was back. Chris Yost has placed Tim at 17 currently, making Jason about 19. In the time line in the Batman Secret Files and Origins #1 Jason Todd became Robin 2 years before Tim Drake does, and there was only about a year between Jason's death and Tim's becoming Robin, making Jason and Tim both Robin at about 13 at the start of their Robin career, and Tim spending 4+ years in the role after Jason spent 1 or so. Damian is only just now Robin, and has been said to be 10 years old. Stephanie Brown was Robin for a very short time, no more than a couple months in the comic's time line, and she was 16 or 17, as Tim Drake was 16 at the time, and she has been shown to be slightly older than Tim, but in the same school grade.

1- Dick was 12, Jason and Tim were 13, Stephanie was 16-17 and Damian is 10

2- Dick for 6 years, Jason for 1, Tim for 4 or so, Stephanie for a couple weeks/months and Damian for a couple weeks at this point.

3-Between Dick and Jason, VERY little time, the most recent telling has Jason replacing Dick almost immediately. Between Jason and Tim, a year, the longest time. Stephanie replaced Tim the quarters of he way into his time as Robin, no time in between, and Damian replaced Tim instantly.

From Jason to Tim was about a year and a half, in real time. In comic time, it was a few months or so.

Actually, in was about 2 and a half years (30 issues) between the death of Jason Todd and Tim's taking on the identity of Robin, real time.

[numberONE]

Thanks guys. Any other input is welcome.

Is there any postCOIE stories, about Dick as Robin?

[RonnieThunderbolts]

Thanks guys. Any other input is welcome.

Is there any postCOIE stories, about Dick as Robin?

Quite a few, there is the Robin year one story (a mini), the Nightwing year one story (an arc in the Nightwing title), and the Batman year three story (an arc in Batman), as well as several other flashback tales.

[Buried Alien]

1. Dick in real time was still Robin when Jason took up the mantle, circa 1983.

In all known timelines, Pre-COIE and Post-COIE, Dick and Jason were never Robin (at least with the traditional Robin costume) at the same time. The issue of THE NEW TEEN TITANS wherein Dick officially retired as Robin was cover-dated the same month (February, 1984) as the issue of BATMAN wherein Jason officially took the identity of Robin (with Dick literally and quite gladly turning over the mantle). Pre-COIE, at least, the transition between Dick and Jason was seamless.

In the first Post-COIE retelling of the transition, there was a period of about eighteen months when the position of Robin was vacant. Dick had already become Nightwing, but Jason had not been discovered/trained by Bruce yet. This has been superseded by the NIGHTWING: YEAR ONE telling, however.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[ishydee]

Dick's tenure was about five to six years. Jason for a year. Tim for about four years. Stephanie for a couple of weeks. Damian for a couple of weeks.


Sorry to threadjack, but this brings up a lingering question about Bruce's timeline. If i'm not mistaken, Dick came in around year three. That must mean that between year one and RIP only 12-15 years has passed for Bruce since becoming Batman.

Would I be correct in this assumption?

[Batman Fan 31593]

Sorry to threadjack, but this brings up a lingering question about Bruce's timeline. If i'm not mistaken, Dick came in around year three. That must mean that between year one and RIP only 12-15 years has passed for Bruce since becoming Batman.

Would I be correct in this assumption?

12-15 years is as good an estimate as any. Grant Morrison has stated he imagines Bruce has been Batman for 15 years by the time of RIP.

Here's a thread from a couple months ago where we discussed characters' ages and the timeline:

http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?t=270847

[RonnieThunderbolts]

Sorry to threadjack, but this brings up a lingering question about Bruce's timeline. If i'm not mistaken, Dick came in around year three. That must mean that between year one and RIP only 12-15 years has passed for Bruce since becoming Batman.

Would I be correct in this assumption?

Morrison has said in his current Batman set up Bruce became Batman at 19, and has been for 15 years, so 12 years since year 3 sounds pretty much right on.

[Jorriss]

Morrison has said in his current Batman set up Bruce became Batman at 19, and has been for 15 years, so 12 years since year 3 sounds pretty much right on.
19 huh? I'm just going to stick with 25. Otherwise the age gap between Dick and Bruce is too small and it's hard to believe the father-son relationship.

[Mat001]

In all known timelines, Pre-COIE and Post-COIE, Dick and Jason were never Robin (at least with the traditional Robin costume) at the same time. The issue of THE NEW TEEN TITANS wherein Dick officially retired as Robin was cover-dated the same month (February, 1984) as the issue of BATMAN wherein Jason officially took the identity of Robin (with Dick literally and quite gladly turning over the mantle). Pre-COIE, at least, the transition between Dick and Jason was seamless.

In the first Post-COIE retelling of the transition, there was a period of about eighteen months when the position of Robin was vacant. Dick had already become Nightwing, but Jason had not been discovered/trained by Bruce yet. This has been superseded by the NIGHTWING: YEAR ONE telling, however.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

Ah, my mistake.

19 huh? I'm just going to stick with 25. Otherwise the age gap between Dick and Bruce is too small and it's hard to believe the father-son relationship.

A 21 year old can be a father figure to a 12 year old.

[Jorriss]

A 21 year old can be a father figure to a 12 year old.
Yeah, they could be, but this isn't real life, I prefer the gap to be larger.

[satchmo the dragon]

So Batman is 34? Crazy. Chilling with Superman at 34.

[numberONE]

I was just looking at The Unauthorized Chronology of the DC Universe, here's what where he put the Robins' current ages:

Dick Grayson: 30 years
Jason Todd: 22 years
Tim Drake: 21 years
Damian Wayne: 9 years

This my be older than most fans think, and, as the name of the site suggestions, it's not "official" DC cannon, but this guy didn't just make-up these ages. Here's what the guys says ([Miller his name, I think):

DC seems to want to “freeze” many characters around the age they were several years ago, in stories c. the late ’90s… but events have moved on so much that it’s just not plausible. Although the exact extent of time passage since then is undeniably arguable, I’m fairly confident of my framework. Some of these characters may appear to be older than some readers think they “should” be (although many are actually somewhat younger than in the previous version of this Chronology). I can only reiterate that my reckoning is derived from the published comics: take up any inconcistencies with DC!

About Tim being in high school for much of his career as Robin - a lot more time than you'd think, if he is indeed 21, Miller says Tim would have missed a ton of school, due his career as Robin, No Man's Land being a prime example.

Also, he puts Bruce's age at 46 years old. A lot more than I would have thought, but he points out that Bruce was regenerated by a Lazarus Pit, so his physical condition is that of a younger man.

[Captain Jim]

A few questions about the four Robins, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown, Damian Wayne...

Um, one, two, three, four ... five?

[numberONE]

Um, one, two, three, four ... five?

I added Stephanie Brown after. I don't usually think of her when I think of the Robins.

[360wavesandxbox]

Dick was around 26 or 27 when he became NightWing, and 15 when he became Robin according to Nightwing year One, and the timeline at the begining..im sure this has been retconned many times however..

[Batman Fan 31593]

Dick was around 26 or 27 when he became NightWing, and 15 when he became Robin according to Nightwing year One, and the timeline at the begining..im sure this has been retconned many times however..

I own the single issues, not the trade paperback, of Nightwing: Year One. However I've flipped thru the trade at Borders, so I'm familiar with the timeline that you are referring to. I believe this timeline implies that Dick is 26-27 during the present day, NOT during the time when NW: Y1 is set. Dick was actually about 19-20 when he became NW.

[DonC]

19 huh? I'm just going to stick with 25. Otherwise the age gap between Dick and Bruce is too small and it's hard to believe the father-son relationship.


Dick's age was one of the reasons Dan DiDio wanted to kill him. He felt that DC couldn't keep aging -- albeit slowly -- Dick Grayson but still keep Bruce young enough to realistically be Batman.

[360wavesandxbox]

I own the single issues, not the trade paperback, of Nightwing: Year One. However I've flipped thru the trade at Borders, so I'm familiar with the timeline that you are referring to. I believe this timeline implies that Dick is 26-27 during the present day, NOT during the time when NW: Y1 is set. Dick was actually about 19-20 when he became NW.

Right you are..i just went back and checked..the timeline places robin at 20 when he became Nightwing..Good Memory...