Originally Posted by
SiegePerilous02
I wouldn't go so far as to claim Tim was a Gary Stu, but a lot of the stuff about his introduction to the mythos seems a bit much. He figures out Bruce and Dick's identities, he's hailed as a better detective than Dick and has the potential to surpass Bruce, is the best fighter of the Robins at the time, is said to be better overall than his immediate predecessor, is reluctant to take the role but relents when he says Batman needs a Robin and proceeds to become the best Robin, is a serious consideration to become Batman's true heir over Dick, and everyone got along with him.
To me at least, that has more red flags than Damian, who even as Batman in the possible future is said to be less effective than either Bruce or Dick, and everyone hates the little brat initially.
Yes, but he did it as Robin, which is a brand that's bigger than he is as an individual character. It's bigger than all the individual characters who wore the mantle. Take away the mantle and all of them can struggle for a bit until a new niche is found, but Tim seems to have struggled more than the others. Damian is a more marketable and dynamic alternative, and has a popular dynamic with Batman and Nightwing.
Tim's solo as Robin also came at a time when Batman's brand was reaching new heights and could start sustaining many solo spin off books. If Dick was Robin and got a new costume, he could have probably sustained the same amount. Especially since he was the Robin in other media wearing the updated costume given to Tim, so Tim cannot even claim that he was the only Robin in the 90s.