Being the "perfect Robin" is no easy feat, but if there's anyone that fits that role, it's Tim Drake. The first Robin to actively seek out the role as Batman's sidekick, Tim did whatever it took to earn a place in the Dark Knight's good graces—and succeeded. However, this may not have been possible if it weren't for the generosity of a certain "wacky zillionaire," Bruce Wayne.
Tim Drake’s first appearance in Batman #436 is as a young child witnessing the deaths of John and Mary Grayson. A teenaged Tim later seeks out Alfred at Wayne Manor and tells him that he has figured out Batman and Robin’s identities. After seeing Robin perform a quadruple somersault—a move previously only achievable by Dick the Flying Grayson—he was certain of it. It wasn't difficult to piece things together from there. After all, it wasn't long following the death of the Graysons that Bruce Wayne adopted Dick and Batman began patrolling the streets with a young sidekick. The rest is history.
However, one small detail in story "The Choice" from Legends of the Dark Knight #100, by Dennis O'Neil and Dave Taylor, changes everything. In this issue of Legends, Bruce Wayne takes a trip to Haly's Circus, following a lead on crime boss Tony Zucco. There, he meets a young boy named "Timmy," who is gently told by his mother that they can’t go to the circus because his father accidentally left his wallet at home. Bruce steps in and buys them tickets and, since he's in such a generous mood, insists on paying for everyone's tickets to the show that night. It’s clear that this Timmy must be a young Tim Drake, a young boy about to witness an event that would greatly impact the future of Gotham.
Had Bruce not bought the Drake family their tickets, Tim never would've witnessed Dick Grayson's quadruple somersault. Furthermore, Tim never would've discovered Batman and Robin's identities or become Robin himself. Strangely enough, this means that Tim’s Robin origin begins slightly before Dick’s, as John and Mary Grayson are still alive when Tim first encounters Bruce Wayne. A night that is pivotal for Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson just so happens to be the inciting incident for Tim Drake's Robin story.
Even now, after distancing himself from Batman as Red Robin—and momentarily as the unfortunately-named Drake—many fans still view Tim Drake as the definitive Robin. He has proven himself time and time again to be someone whom Batman can trust and rely on. Selfless, smart and skilled, Tim Drake embodies the best qualities that make a Robin. In a way, the tragic events of that night beneath the Big Top hit two birds—or perhaps, created two birds—with one stone.