Batman: Urban Legends set out to tell the stories of Gotham-based heroes and villains in an anthology that wasn’t focused on Batman himself. The stories ranged from a mini-series about The Outsiders, a series about Grifter and Lucius Fox, and more. The most revered stories to come out of the monthly anthology were those of Jason Todd and Tim Drake.
The former Robins have spent the last few decades trying to find their characters and going through the trials of being a Gotham hero. Jason’s story focuses on his return to the Batfamily and a case similar to his own childhood while Tim’s story focuses on him finding and expressing a part of himself he has hidden.
10 Tim Doesn’t Want To Listen To The Batfamily
Tim Drake, since he first began his pursuit to become Robin after Jason’s death, has been a team player. He was often teamed up with a variety of heroes, from Superboy to Spoiler. He used to be at everyone’s beck and call, but Urban Legends sees a different side of him.
Instead of working alongside the other Batfamily members, he has sequestered himself to working solo and ignore the family’s calls. Even when he does answer a call from Barbara, he is not listening to the questions, just going through the motions.
9 Jason Often Had Alfred and Babs As Back-Up
After coming back to life, Jason Todd went on a vengeance quest against Batman and the Joker. This had been explored in a plethora of comics, from Under The Hood to the mini-series Red Hood: The Lost Days, but in this series, it is shown Bruce took a militant approach to deal with Jason while Alfred had other ideas. Alfred notes that Jason was always angry and the two had failed him, saying Jason needed Bruce, not the Bat.
Barbara on the other hand has often stood by Red Hood, offering him tech support behind Batman’s back. Only when she knew their paths would cross does she confess and help the two reconnect.
8 Tim Has A Lot To Say To Himself
In the past, Tim has had plenty of internal monologues, but Urban Legends kicks it up a notch by making him feel like more of a computer running code than a human having thoughts. His thoughts come in two waves, the first is a feeling of confusion and the second is literal computer talk, including telling his brain he was offline after being chloroformed.
As the 3-part story continues, the inner monologues get more prevalent to become the main storytelling method until he accepts his truth. At that point, the monologue turns back into a more human structure, not coded behind the technologic speech.
7 Jason Killed A Man Pre-Batman
There has always been a debate about a particular scene during Jason’s run as Robin where a man died after being chased by the boy wonder. When Batman asks if Jason pushed him, the boy answers that he slipped, leaving it open to interpretation. Jason could have been a killer based on readers' feelings.
In Urban Legends, however, the question of Jason’s first kill is answered. When a drug dealer, who had threatened Jason previously, leaves the Todd apartment, Jason angrily pushes the man down the stairs, standing over his lifeless body.
6 Tim And Steph Are Broken Up
Long-time fans of Tim Drake were shocked to find out that just prior to the events of the story in Urban Legends, Tim and Stephanie Brown had broken up. Having been a long-term on-and-off couple since the 1990s and dealt with a lot of shared trauma, the two have been growing apart for a while in the Rebirth timeline.
This breakup felt different to fans for several reasons, the main one being the two weren’t openly talking about it. Stephanie spends her brief moments trying to find clarity, but at the time, Tim didn’t have any, until the end of the story.
5 Jason Got A New Sidekick(ish)
The major story of Red Hood in Urban Legends is a classic team-up between the two former partners, though it also introduces a new partner for Jason. When he goes to an apartment to find a Cheerdrops dealer, he meets a boy named Tyler standing over his overdosed mother. Since Jason had similar childhood trauma, he jumps into action to help the kid.
Jason then killed the kid’s father in rage after learning the father gave Tyler Cheerdrops, believing he made another Gotham orphan. The whole time Tyler is with Red Hood, he sees him as a hero, even taking on the hero name of the Blue Hood.
4 Tim Has His Own Gordon
The Batman and Jim Gordon dynamic was always based on mutual understanding and trust. While other members of the Batfamily have had cops that work with them, it is rare for them to find their version of Gordon. Tim is lucky in this series as he seems to have found his in Detective Williams.
Tim’s first instinct is to insult Williams, but over the course of the story, he opens up to the new detective easily. The detective and the boy wonder share a commonality that isn’t necessary to be said out loud but they both understand, making them fast friends.
3 Jason Knows What Can Bring Him Happiness
In his superhero career, Jason has had several moments of fleeting happiness as, even in his Robin days, he was seemingly always destined to be unhappy. Moments with Bruce outside of the action the pair had are often referenced as happy times, but even Jason’s favorite memory was just a tool.
When he is forced to take Cheerdrops by new villain Cheer, he sees a world where the Batfamily have all given up the mask and Bruce killed the Joker. Accepting his place in the family is what would make Jason happy if he could allow himself to be. Instead, he fights happiness in order to save Bruce’s life.
2 Tim Came Out As Queer
In the biggest shock to some fans, or something that has been often hinted at since his earliest days, Tim came out in Urban Legends. His relationship with Stephanie has often been at the forefront of his character, but his coming out gives him a chance to be open to the world he had been shutting out.
This seems to be a controversial coming out, as a specific group of fans believed that the choice to make Tim LGBTQIA+ was a "woke move," but queer fans have seen themselves in Tim for decades and can see themselves in his coming out.
1 Jason Will Always Be A Member Of The Batfamily
While this has been hinted at many times before, with his return to the family during Death of the Family to Batman & Robin Eternal and up to his time in the Outlaws Dark Trinity, Jason has technically been a member of the family. This was revoked when Batman tried to kill him in Red Hood and the Outlaws issue 25.
After officially being ousted, he worked with several Batfamily members and eventually made his way back to Gotham. Urban Legends sees Jason welcomed back into the family once again by Bruce, who gives him a new suit and an invite to a family dinner.
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