Robin, Batman's Trusty Sidekick, Comes Out as Bisexual in New Comic

Batman's well-known sidekick, Robin, came out as bisexual in the latest issue of Batman: Urban Legends.

Tim Drake—the third rendition of Robin—is featured in the monthly anthology created by DC Comics. Tim had his "lightbulb moment" in the sixth issue of the series.

"Ever have a lightbulb moment?" Tim asked in the panel. "Like something out in the ether has been taunting you, teasing you. Like you know you're supposed to be on the same page as your brain but not everything made sense. People keep asking me what I want. But I couldn't grasp it. Whatever it was. It always felt just out of reach. Until now. Until right now."

Tim fights alongside his friend Bernard Dowd in the comic, leading him to wonder how he feels for his friend. Issue No. 4 of the series reunited the two old friends, and they shared a meal that was interrupted by Chaos Monster. Tim later meets up again with Bernard on his front doorstep in issue No. 6.

"Tim Drake...do you want to go on a date with me?" Bernard asks the iconic superhero sidekick.

"Yeah...yeah," Tim replies. "I think I want that."

Batman: Urban Legends issue No. 6 was written by Meghan Fitzmartin, lettered by Pat Brosseau, and illustrated by Belén Ortega and Alejandro Sánchez. Fitzmarin took to Twitter to express her gratitude for the opportunity to write Tim's story.

"My goal in writing has been and will always be to show just how much God loves you. You are so incredibly loved and important and seen," Fitzmartin Tweeted.

Fitzmarin spoke to Polygon on the subject saying she did not want to label Tim just yet.

"I wanted to pay tribute to the fact that sexuality is a journey," Fitzmartin said. "To be clear, his feelings for Stephanie have been/are 100 percent real, as are his feelings for Bernard. However, Tim is still figuring himself out. I don't think he has the language for it all...yet."

Robin was introduced in 1940 as Dick Grayson's superhero alter ego. The Tim Drake incarnation debuted in 1991.

Fans of the Batman empire have expressed mixed reaction's to Robin's revelation, with supporters praising the writer for the inclusive issue.

"The whole story is honestly a blessing for all the kids that grew up worrying about being cast out for following their heart. Thank you so much," user @cynthacreates tweeted.

Other fans of the comics were angered by the choice to write Tim as bisexual in the new series.

"It's so nice, isn't it? To force your political agenda into a character you did not create neither contributed for anything good or even relevant just to p**s fans off," user @InkedJao wrote under Fitzmartin's post.

Tim Drake joins a growing list of superheroes who are in the LGBTQ community. Other canonically LGBTQ characters include Hulkling, Midnighter, Northstar, Kate Kane's Batwoman, Wiccan, Loki, Aaron Fischer's Captain America, Iceman and Apollo.

Correction 08/10/2021, 4:49 p.m. ET: This article has been corrected to reflect Robin's alter ego as Tim Drake.