Titans began with one Robin and quickly added another, and the second season ended with none. Titans Season 3 is set to remedy that as a third Robin, Tim Drake, joins the cast.
Actor Jay Lycurgo will recur during third season of Titans as Tim Drake, a third Robin who followed in the footsteps of Dick Grayson and Jason Todd. According to Variety, HBO describes Drake as a “streetwise kid who’s managed to grow up on the toughest streets without losing his indelible belief in heroism.” He has an easy-going demeanor and a near-genius mind that allows him to excel as a detective.
This is interesting as it both seems to diverge from the comic book version of Drake while feeling pretty similar to Jason Todd as portrayed in Titans Season 2 by Curran Walters. While Dick Grayson (Brenton Thwaites) was the first Robin and has been working through the trauma that came with that, Todd stepped into the role with a chip on his shoulder. As he hid out with Deathstroke’s daughter Rose, Todd tells her of his history of being abused and having to fend for himself while committing petty crimes before Bruce Wayne, adopter of child soldiers, took him in.
The Tim Drake of the comics, meanwhile, grew up wealthy, with often absent archaeologist parents, priming him to be both self-reliant and detail-oriented. How the show will resolve the conflict between the similarities and differences remains to be seen.
Also up in the air is exactly where Tim Drake fits into Batman’s chronology. In Titans, Bruce Wayne is played by 59-year-old Iain Glen, who gives the character a fatherly feel but puts him in his later years as a vigilante. He sent Jason Todd to hang out with the Titans to cool off his rebellious attitude, though Dick Grayson’s habitual lying ended up having the opposite effect, with Todd set to become the vengeful, gun-toting Red Hood in the third season. It doesn’t seem like Drake would have had time to even settle in as Robin #3 before appearing on the show.
Back to the actor, Jay Lycurgo. Interestingly, his time as Tim Drake won’t be his first time witnessing Batman in action. The actor also appears in the trailer for the upcoming Batman movie directed by Matt Reeves and starring Robert Pattinson. We’re willing to bet he’s not playing Tim Drake in that movie, but the DC multiverse makes just about anything possible. The actor also appeared in HBO’s I May Destroy You, making this his third project with WarnerMedia.
Titans Season 3 does not yet have a release date, but it does have a much bigger cast. In addition to Curran’s heel turn toward the Red Hood, the series will include Barbara Gordon as former Batgirl and current Gotham City Police Commissioner and Dr. Jonathan Crane, also known as Scarecrow.
