Titans season 3 alters the usual DC origin of Tim Drake, making one Robin responsible for creating his successor. Many familiar faces are introduced by Titans season 3, including Vincent Kartheiser's stoner Scarecrow and Savannah Welch's Commissioner Barbara Gordon. Arguably the most intriguing newbie, however, is Jay Lycurgo as Tim Drake - a delivery boy for his family's Gotham City restaurant. In the DC comics, Drake is a keen Batman fan who uncovers the Dynamic Duo's identities and offers to become the new Robin, believing he can halt Bruce Wayne's downward spiral following the death of Jason Todd. Proving himself, Drake is officially inducted as the third Robin.
As per the requirements for joining Batman's superhero club, Tim Drake's backstory doesn't come without tragedy. While the youngster is busy training with Bruce Wayne to become Robin III, his parents are kidnapped and poisoned by the villainous Obeah Man. Though Batman saves the day, Tim's mother dies and his father is left with life-changing injuries. Titans season 3 does things a little differently. Tim Drake's live-action parents aren't rich, and their family unit is far more tight-knit than in the comics, where business trips left young Tim feeling neglected. The real change, however, is how Jason Todd becomes responsible for turning Tim Drake into the next Robin.
Irked at playing second-fiddle to Scarecrow, Jason takes his anti-fear serum onto the streets of Gotham, promising the city's many junkies a high like never before. With Jason watching on, one of these fearless ne'er-do-wells strolls directly into the Drake family's restaurant and unleashes a volley of bullets. Though we don't yet know the extent of the carnage, Tim's father looks badly wounded slumped against the counter of his noodle house. Violent crimes aren't exactly rare in Gotham City, but Titans shows the culprit had been made fearless thanks to the drug Jason Todd gave him. Had Jason not childishly struck out at Scarecrow by distributing the anti-fear serum, the attacker would've never targeted the Drake family's noodle house.
If DC has taught us anything, it's how tragedy makes for a good origin story. Titans fans can feel reasonably certain that whatever the outcome of the attack, Tim Drake will be spurred into action - either seeking out Batman to ask why he didn't help, or wanting to be trained as a superhero who can keep Gotham's noodle houses safe. Ultimately, this path will lead Tim Drake to becoming the new Robin - and it'll be Jason Todd's fault. One Robin creating the next works perfectly in the context of Titans season 3. Unlike the DC comics, the Robin name has been tarnished by Jason's immediate return as Red Hood and Bruce Wayne's traumatizing training methods. For the appearance of a new Robin to happen in Titans, it makes sense that Jason Todd should push the domino that leads to a more worthy candidate taking his superhero mantle.
And, of course, the circumstances surrounding Tim Drake's origin in Titans season 3 mean a Robin vs. Robin feud is inevitable. A keen detective in the comic books, Tim will eventually discover who supplied the drug his attacker was high on, joining the dots right back to Jason Todd. The pair had a respectful rivalry in the Batman comics, but their Titans feud will likely be very different - a vengeful, bloody clash in which Red Hood is forced to pay for his post-resurrection crimes. Jason's real punishment, however, won't be the beating Tim Drake gives him - it'll be seeing someone else do justice to the Robin costume and become the hero he never was.