It may seem bizarre that at one point in time, Batman’s sidekick Robin would date a character who would later become Robin herself. I am talking about Tim Drake and Stephanie Brown’s relationship, a seemingly unlikely union. One character is portrayed as a hero and the other is seen somewhat as a villain who goes by the name Spoiler. This is why seeing these two together is not only an interesting glance at teenage love, but a sweet and entertaining story arc as well. Since first meeting in Detective Comics 648, we can examine the journey that these two have taken.
The bulk of Tim Drake and Stephanie Brown’s Relationship takes place in the comic series Robin from 1993. A good starting point is issue 54, where Tim is trying to visit his girlfriend Ariana Dzerchenko. A massive quake in Gotham City had forced both Ariana and Stephanie Brown to take refuge in a high school gym. Seeing the two of them together reminds Tim that while Ariana had been absent from his life while away at school, there had been romantic tension building between him and Stephanie. He knew that he couldn’t keep the charade up for long, and had to tell her the truth. In issue 56, Tim tells her that while he liked teaming up as Robin and Spoiler, to have her be a part of his personal life would create a problem, since he has to guard his and Batman’s identity and secrets. To his surprise, Stephanie tells him that she is okay sharing just one corner of his life.
This is where Tim Drake and Stephanie Brown’s relationship accelerates. After embracing in a kiss, Robin realizes that his dilemma continues and has to break up with Ariana. While in The Batcave, Bruce’s butler Alfred belittles Tim for writing a note for Ariana with the intent to break up with her. When he meets with her face to face, he is surprised that she already had the intention of ending their relationship. In issue 57, Tim and Stephanie decide to go to a movie theater for their first date. Since everyone there is dressed up in science fiction costumes, Robin and Spoiler blend right in with their outfits. After the movie, the two of them get some pizza along with the rest of the movie crowd.
Just when things seemed to be getting better for The Boy Wonder, Tim Drake and Stephanie Brown’s relationship takes a turn for the worst in the most absurd way. At the end of issue 57, Spoiler reveals that she is pregnant. No, seriously. And not from Robin, but from her old boyfriend. (This is explained in the following comic issue, when Stephanie points out that her and Tim had only kissed, making it clear that they were never in a physical relationship.) What’s even more crazy is that she asks Tim to come to a birthing class with her. Astoundingly, Tim puts on a disguise and shows up at her front door to take her to class. Talk about cleaning up someone else’s garbage.
So that’s the gist of their relationship. A few issues later, Tim leaves Gotham City for Keystone City. He says his goodbyes to Stephanie. The real tragedy of this entire thing is that he was going to break up with his girlfriend Ariana in favor of Spoiler, who was secretly pregnant. Finding issues of 1993’s Robin is pretty easy and cheap, so be sure to grab a few.
What do you think? Do Robin and Spoiler make a good couple?