Is it Tim or Damian? We Decide.

This is by no means a definitive post, nor is it even any reflection on what the manufacturers intended. But every time you buy a "Robin" figure--do you know who you're actually buying? Now, if you're a Bat fan, you don't have this problem with the Caped Crusader himself. You don't find yourself questioning "Is this really Bruce Wayne under the cowl?" Well, with DC Comics' horrible and confusing treatment of their latest Boy Wonders, you're often left with an uncertainty that leaves you scratching your head and asking yourself "Is it supposed to be Tim Drake or Damian Wayne?"

Now, I'm fully open about being a HUGE Tim Drake fan and not much of a Damian fan. In reality, the vagueness in these Robin's is likely due to that very reason. Pegging a particular Robin identity splits your potential buyers or even confuses those shoppers who aren't well-versed in the latest happenings in the DC Comics universe. That said, I'll try to be fair in my assessments. But this is all in good fun, but keep in mind that Tim is the best Robin. (Sorry, I had to go there!)

The Toys

Let's start out with a few easy ones.

Tim Drake, from the Teen Titans line.

Another Tim Drake. This one is from the Total Justice line from Kenner.

Another easy one. This is Tim Drake as the New 52 Red Robin. I like the design, but no comments on how badly the character was written.

Here is a Tim Drake as Red Robin in a Domez (I think that's what it is called)

Here's an interesting one. We're calling this one Tim Drake, too, because of the artwork on the packaging.

This is the beginning of the Spin Master 6" figures with little clarification as to which Robin it is. We're going with Tim Drake on this one because his belt, shoulder pads and arm gauntlets are direct matches to the Red Robin "Rebirth" design.

One of the last Mattel figures, this one is Tim Drake, despite the use of the Damian "R".

Back to Spin Master for another Tim Drake, colored to reflect Tim's "One Year Later" design.

From the Batman Unlimited era, this Tim Drake actually features the proper "R".

A Power Attack version from the Batman Unlimited era featuring Tim Drake. I love the red swish in his hair.

This is the Mattel version of Robin with an accessory that doesn't really line up with any Robin. We're calling him Tim Drake because the design lines up with the Red Robin "Rebirth" era when this toy came out.

And we have our first Damian Wayne! This Spin Master version, along with his glossy variant, features Damian's hooded cape, appropriate "R", lace up boots and the "ninja-style" suit with the three distinct sections below his belt.

Now we're entering the "who the hell knows?" version of Spin Masters 4" line. This Robin has the colors of Tim, but a green mask and sort of a Damian feel. We'll give this one to Damian Wayne.

Okay, this one's a little easier. Sure, Spin Master just reused the same sculpt, but the design is clearly Tim Drake from "One Year Later". Even the armor and the "ninja-style" bottom of his shirt is colored to appear part of his belt or cod piece. I would have made the mask black, however.

Hmmm...I think we're going Tim Drake because of the extra red introduced on this figure. Also, the black mask and the red coloring to make it appear the shirt is more of Tim's "onesie-style".

I think this is Damian Wayne. It has a Tim vibe, but with the green piping on the hood we're going with Damian on this one. It is a hard call though, as this sculpt looses the lace up boots and the should armor and arm gauntlets recall Tim's much more than Damian's.

One of the older of the Spin Masters, but this one again captures Tim Drake as he appeared in "One Year Later". My only complaint would be the lace up boots, but realize Spin Master is far from consistent.

Taking a look at Spin Master's excellent 12" line, we have a Damian Wayne. Noting his "ninja-style" shirt tail and green lace up boots, we're pretty certain we got this one right.

This variant of the one above from Spin Master's 12" line is Tim Drake. Notice the chest armor is now armored with rivets, the boots are now armored, the arm gauntlets are reflective of Tim's and suit is now "onesie-style".

Our final Robin is the 12" version of the Mattel line and we're sticking with Tim Drake. The design, the boots, the armor all line up with Tim Drake's pre-New 52 design and this is one of my favorites.

Follow up. You might be asking, "Couldn't some of these be Dick Grayson?" Well, not really since almost every one of these lines included a Nightwing. Most didn't include a Red Hood figure (too bad), but Jason Todd was so specific in his era of being Robin that we're assuming the idea that any of these were supposed to be Jason was pretty unlikely.

That's our assessment. What do you think?