Batman is one of DC’s most popular and oldest superheroes, and as such, he’s gained a very large supporting cast of characters over the years. It only makes sense that DC would want a constant influx of characters to bounce off both Bruce Wayne and Batman, especially given how differently Bruce will act depending on the situation he’s in. Of course, not everyone has managed to stick around throughout the decades, but one of the best ways to guarantee characters last is to intimately tie them to either Batman or another permanent character in a big moment that’s essential to their character.
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That’s exactly what happened with Bernard, Tim Drake’s first and current boyfriend, who was there when Tim came out as bisexual. This was a major deal, especially for a character as popular as Robin, but what made Bernard’s guaranteed presence so abysmal is that he had no character. He was a cardboard cutout of a character, with almost no personality traits and not nearly enough focus to develop him. He was criminally boring for years, but as of Matt Fraction’s Batman (2025) #3, that’s finally about to change.
An Unfortunate Pattern Is Noticed
Bernard showed up for the first time in this run in issue #3, visiting Tim in the hospital. Tim had been taken captive by the corrupt GCPD in the previous issue, having been shot by a cop and jumped by several criminals while in handcuffs. Bernard fussed over the very injured Tim, making sure he was propped up with an excessive amount of bedside care. Bruce walked in with flowers he meant to give Tim, but Bernard immediately grabbed Bruce and pulled him into the waiting room, wanting to talk to Tim’s adoptive father alone.
Bernard all but cut into Bruce with his accusations. While he didn’t outright say that he didn’t believe that Tim was injured in a skiing accident, which was the public explanation, he did tell Bruce that he noticed a pattern. Every time Bruce and Tim spent time alone, Tim tended to come back with far more injuries. The young man curtly grabbed the flowers out of Bruce’s hands and marched off, doing everything but telling Bruce that he wasn’t welcome to visit Tim while he was around. Bernard only appeared for two pages in this issue, but those two pages completely revolutionized his character and gave him an interesting direction that deserves to be explored.
A Suspicious But Caring Antagonistic Force
Before, Bernard had no discernible character beyond being Tim’s boyfriend, but here he showed a clear narrative that he could stand at the center of. Bernard clearly doesn’t know that Tim is Robin, otherwise he wouldn’t accuse Bruce with this whole song and dance. Bernard is justifiably concerned for Tim’s safety, thinking he’s trapped in an abusive situation, and could take steps to get Tim out of that. This naturally positions him in opposition to Bruce, which causes tension and interest in the story, something Bernard never offered before. Bernard could easily get the authorities involved if he found more evidence of Tim’s “abuse,” and that would put Batman and Robin in some seriously hot water.
This could herald the return of something that has been absent from Batman comics, and superhero comics on the whole, for far too long: secret identity drama. In the last few decades, especially, secret identities have been almost entirely phased out of comic books. Most heroes still keep their real names a secret from the public, but most, if not all, of their supporting cast know who they are. If they only interact with people who know their identities, then they feel practically nonexistent. Bernard is the perfect chance to bring back that kind of interpersonal drama to Batman and Robin.
It’s something that only Bernard could do, given that only he is in a position to question Tim and Bruce in this way. This gives Bernard a niche that his character has desperately needed, and gives him a reason to appear in the narrative and continue to establish himself and develop. If Bernard’s entire character could be so utterly transformed in just two pages, imagine what an issue with him as a focus character could do, even if he shared the spotlight with Tim. This is exactly the kind of thing Bernard needed, and for the first time, I am genuinely excited to see what they do with him next.
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Image courtesy of Focus Features.
