Warning: contains spoilers for Batman: Urban Legends #8!
The third Robin, Tim Drake, recently reclaimed the role during DC's Infinite Frontier initiative, but as of late it seems he may be back to his Red Robin persona once again. While fans are unsure of what this could mean for the future, it's possible DC could use this as an opportunity to make Tim an essential cog in the newest era of Batman stories, especially given a forgotten ability which appears to be back in play.
Tim's internal struggles with self identity have long been a centerpiece of his story, ever since he was replaced as Robin by Damian Wayne in 2006's Batman & Son. DC's New 52 reboot went as far as to completely erase his tenure as Robin from history, making him Red Robin from the beginning. Recently, the Infinite Frontier era brought Tim back to the forefront as Robin in both Future State and the various Batman titles, but recent issues reverse that, choosing between Tim's titles with no clear rhyme or reason. But while fans who hated Tim's Red Robin days might not approve of him going by the name again, it's possible a forgotten ability is also making a return.
In Batman: Urban Legends #8's "The Fearful" (from Brandon Thomas, Cian Tormey, Raul Fernandez, Alejandro Sanchez, and Steve Wands), not only does Tim refer to himself as Red Robin, but he appears to be immune to the Fearful - an individual who fills anyone who gets close with hallucinatory terror, having been weaponized by the Scarecrow. When Duke chases the Fearful he, like the rest of his team, sees a terrifying enemy, but the comic ends with Tim Drake leaping in to help, seemingly immune to the Fearful's powers. It's possible he simply isn't in range yet, but his heroic entrance implies he's bringing something new to the table that the rest of the highly trained Outsiders can't, and the pre-New 52 Detective Comics #820 may explain what that is.
In the beloved "Face the Face" arc, Batman and Robin battle Scarecrow, whose new fear toxin forces them to fight avatars of their greatest fears. In the issue (from James Robinson, Leonard Kirk, Andy Clarke, John Kaliscz, and Jared Fletcher) Tim is able to quickly process his fear, defeating his opponent and recovering from the effects of the villain's toxin. Once Scarecrow has been locked away, Batman commends Tim for developing an ability that took him years to master - not quite an immunity to Scarecrow's chemicals, but the ability to quickly process his reaction, dispel the hallucinations that result, and take down the bad guy.
While these events were several reboots ago, DC's Infinite Frontier has been bringing past events back into the new canon, with Batman: Urban Legends #8 also referencing Azrael's role in Justice League Odyssey. While it's possible the next issue will begin with Tim falling to the Fearful, it makes sense that as Infinite Frontier restores his Red Robin title, it will also restore his ability to process fear toxin. This would be a much bigger deal than having an advantage over a regular villain, as the ongoing Fear State story sees Scarecrow threatening to bring about a dystopian future relevant to every Batman-related title. If Tim retains his ability to move past Scarecrow's fear, this story may be leading towards Tim having a more prominent role in Batman comics (one recently hinted at by James Tynion IV.)
The recent Infinite Frontier initiative has had so many little details that provide interesting developments to the beloved characters of the Bat-family. With the ever-changing canon of the DC Universe, and the constant confusion regarding Tim Drake's personal continuity, it seems that anything could be possible in Infinite Frontier, but Batman: Urban Legends #8 certainly seems to be setting the newly re-christened Red Robin up for an ability that could make him Gotham's savior.
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