Titans: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Jason Todd
1. His Origin Inspired Batman: The Animated Series' Tim Drake
While two Robins featured in the classic Batman: The Animated Series, Jason was not one of them. His comic book predecessor Dick Grayson was a significant part of the show’s original run from 1992 until 1995, while his successor Tim Drake played a key role in sequel series The New Batman Adventures. However, the show's interpretation of Tim was actually inspired by Jason's origins, rather than Tim's own.
In the comics, Tim Drake was a wealthy Batman and Robin super-fan who managed to discover the caped crusaders’ true identities and, after Jason’s death, eventually convinced Batman that he needed a new Robin. However, in The New Batman Adventures, Tim was a street kid whose father goes missing after an altercation with crime boss Two-Face. Moreover, when he first donned the red and black suit, one of Two-Face's henchmen struck him with a crowbar. Sound familiar?
Despite having some big shoes to fill, this animated version of Tim proved to be a worthy successor to Dick and he would go on to have some great adventures alongside Batman as the new Robin.
As this was long before Jason’s resurrection (that really cemented his status as a fan-favourite), it made sense that the writers went with Tim Drake instead. However, it’s clear that, when crafting this version of Robin, they took inspiration from the wayward Boy Wonder without actually referencing him, and that made for a nice, subtle tribute.