Things are quickly coming together for season 3 of Titans, which will launch on HBO Max later this summer. After a trailer indicating a Gotham-set storyline, and discussion of Jason Todd’s transformation in upcoming episodes, we’ve just received an initial look at Titans‘ Tim Drake. The third Robin in the Batman continuity is played by Jay Lycurgo, and marks the live-action debut of the character.
In the image, available below, Lycurgo’s Drake is sat at the Excellent Gotham Golden Noodle House owned by his parents, and wears a hoodie with the restaurant’s logo. Showrunner Greg Walker had this to say about how Titans will be handling Drake:
“Upon the Titans’ arrival in Gotham, an obsessive young man — Tim Drake – suspects he’s cracked the identities of both Batman and Robin, and in doing so, gets pulled into Gotham’s dark mysteries.”
For those not aware, Tim Drake was introduced in 1989 as a young man who figured out Batman and Nightwing’s secret identities, and eventually became Robin after a long training period brought on by Bruce Wayne’s grief and guilt regarding the death of Jason Todd. In the comics, Tim is from a wealthy background, something that doesn’t appear to have been carried into Titans. Over the years, he’s taken on a range of superhero titles, as well as joining several teams.
As previously mentioned, Lycurgo will be the first person to play Tim Drake on-screen, following the producers’ aim to cast a black actor in the part. Taking this approach makes sense when considering the many DC figures to assume the Robin identity, including Stephanie Brown, and Titans‘ embrace of diversity in its lineup of heroes and antiheroes since its premiere. The British Lycurgo also has a small role in The Batman as an unnamed thug, and has popped up in various parts on television.
In terms of how Titans will depict Tim Drake, it’s likely that his introduction will tie into Jason Todd’s shift to his Red Hood persona, opening up a space for a new Robin. At the very least, it seems that the production will be adapting his investigation of Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson, which will possibly also include Curran Walters’ Todd.