Ages of Characters

[Aahz]

Unless they made when she was born earlier, like how we have to automatically make Damian's birth earlier
Like for example if Roy and Jade met when they're 18, though that still made Lian at most 12

I mean we don't really know how old Shoes is, 15 was just a guess based on how she is drawn and written.She could be older or younger.

[Aahz]

That's the thing...I dunno when and where they did this retcon of Bruce's meeting with Talia which people are talking about. As late as Hush, it's explicitly mentioned that Batman first met Ra's when Dick was kidnapped from his college dorm.

The way I see it, Dick had to be at least 17 at the time. I think he started as Robin at 12 at the latest, and that was 2 years into Batman's career at the earliest. So that puts Damian's conception in Year Eight at earliest. We can squeeze things a bit perhaps (let Dick start as Robin a little older, or a little earlier in Batman's career), but I doubt we can push it to earlier than Year Six. And frankly, it's against the spirit of the original Batman/Ra's/Talia story to push it too early because the whole point of those relationships is that Batman is a veteran hero of global renown whom Ra's views as a worthy successor...not some rookie vigilante.

Considering that Damian is now 14, we're at least in Year Twenty-One of Batman's career now, making Bruce around 46. Which I'm perfectly fine with.

Based on the original comics he was 18 when he left for collage, and that would mean Dick would have likely been at least 19 when Damian was born.
And Bruce is usually something between 13 and 15 year older than Dick.

[Digifiend]

I wonder what people think the current ages of the Titans are? And in this new comic, what year should it be set in?

It's set in the late silver age. Contemporaneous to comics published in the early 70s (because Bumblebee is there). However, since the sliding timescale is such that the Justice League was always formed around 15 years ago, this would be some point after 2008. 20 years in the real world is roughly five years in the comics, one year in the comics is probably around four years in the real world - so, this is probably around 2010, which is 13 years ago?

Wally is using a smartphone and promoting a twitter hashtag so it’s probably some time nebulously in the 2010s.

Twitter has existed since 2006, and I believe you're right due to the sliding timescale.

[bat39]

It's set in the late silver age. Contemporaneous to comics published in the early 70s (because Bumblebee is there). However, since the sliding timescale is such that the Justice League was always formed around 15 years ago, this would be some point after 2008. 20 years in the real world is roughly five years in the comics, one year in the comics is probably around four years in the real world - so, this is probably around 2010, which is 13 years ago?

Twitter has existed since 2006, and I believe you're right due to the sliding timescale.

Yeah, I think you're right on the money.

I think this would roughly be set around the time of Damian's birth, funnily enough, or maybe a little earlier or later So something like 14-15 years ago.

As tempting as it is to go with these ratios of 'X years in real-time equals 1 year in comic time', they never line up perfectly because different characters have aged at different rates. I mean, Damian is supposed to have been born during the early Bronze Age and aged into a 14 year old. Logically this should put Dick and all the other OG Titans in their early 30's. Yet if you ask DC, they'll probably claim that Dick and the OG Titans are still in their mid-to-late 20's and that the Bronze Age was less than a decade ago. Over in his JSA series, Johns has really been hammering home the point that Batman Year One was a mere '13 years ago'

Jon's age of course is a massive issue, because he's supposed to have been born 11 years ago, early in Tim's career as Robin. Yet Tim is supposed to still be a teenager.

The younger the character, the more they're supposed to have aged is basically DC's philosophy. The way DC treats its chronology, Damian has lived 14 years in a time-span in which Dick has aged less than 10 years, and Bruce shouldn't have aged more than 5 years

[BohemiaDrinker]

Over in his JSA series, Johns has really been hammering home the point that Batman Year One was a mere '13 years ago.

Johns has the habit of compressing the timeline way too much. Back in Booster Gold, he put Hall Jordan's origin at "8 years ago". And I think in his first Flash run he compressed the entirety of Wally's career as Flash in a couple of years.

[bat39]

So after giving this a bit (actually way too much ) thought, here's my latest outline on what the DCU timeline should look like. It's a very Batman-centric timeline, but I've tried to throw in mention of other characters relative to the Bat-family.

Year 1: Bruce becomes Batman. Clark becomes Superman.

Year 2: Batman fights the Joker, and other members of the rogue's gallery. Superman and Batman first team-up.

Year 3: Dick becomes Robin. Diana comes to Man's World and becomes Wonder Woman.

Year 4: Superman starts regularly teaming up with Batman and Robin. Kathy Kane becomes Batwoman. Barry becomes Flash. Arthur emerges as Aquaman.

Year 5: Hal becomes GL. Kara comes to earth and becomes Supergirl. The Justice League is formed. Wally becomes Kid Flash.

Year 6: The Teen Titans are formed. Barbara becomes Batgirl.

Year 7: Batman, Robin and Batgirl fight crime as a team in Gotham. The Justice League moves to the satellite.

Year 8: Dick goes to college. Batman encounters Talia and Ra's. Damian is conceived and born.

Year 9: New Teen Titans are formed. Dick becomes Nightwing. Jason becomes Robin.

Year 10: Crisis occurs. Kara dies. Barry disappears into the Speed Force. Barbara is shot and paralyzed. Jason is killed. Wally becomes Flash.

Year 11: Tim becomes Robin. Superman 'dies' and returns. Lois and Clark get married. Jon is born.

Year 12: Hal goes rogue as Parallax. Kyle becomes GL. Zero Hour occurs.

Year 13: Young Justice is formed.

Year 14: No Man's Land in Gotham. Luthor becomes POTUS.

Year 15: Jason returns as Red Hood. Hal returns as GL. Kara is resurrected.

Year 16: Infinite Crisis occurs. Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman go on a year-long hiatus. Kate Kane becomes Batwoman.

Year 17: Bruce meets Damian.

Year 18: Bruce is lost in time. Dick becomes Batman and Damian becomes Robin. Bruce returns and forms Batman Inc. Barry returns from the Speed Force.

Year 19: Dick, as Batman, encounters James Jr. Batman encounters the Court of Owls. Barbara returns as Batgirl. Damian is killed.

Year 20: Damian is resurrected. Bruce briefly spends time as an amnesiac before returning as Batman.

Year 21: Wally returns from the Speed Force. Jon discovers his powers and becomes Superboy.

Year 22: Jon, having aged up, becomes Superman. Luke Fox becomes Batman. Dark Crisis occurs.

So we're currently in Year 22, and it's been 21 years since Batman and Superman first appeared and began the modern age of heroes (though Green Arrow might have been around longer than them). The way I see it, Bruce and Clark are currently around 46, and most of their League contemporaries are in their early 40's. Dick is currently around 31, and most of his Titans contemporaries are around that age or maybe a couple of years younger. Tim is currently around 23, and his Young Justice/Titans contemporaries are also around that age or a couple of years younger. Damian is 14.

Roughly speaking, this is how the timeline corresponds to comic-book history/eras as we know it.

Years 1-3: Golden Age

Years 4-7: Silver Age

Years 8-10: Bronze Age/Early Modern Age

Years 11-15: Modern Age (Post-Crisis)

Years 16-18: Modern Age (Pre-Flashpoint)

Years 19-22: Modern Age (Post-Flashpoint)

[The Darknight Detective]

Going by the aged-up youngsters to determine overall ages is going to be a waste of time. DC is doing what the soap operas used to do: take a newborn and age them up within a few years, yet everyone else stays the same. Obviously, it's ridiculous in both cases.

EDIT: Here's a good example with actual ages - Dick Grayson was officially age 8 when he first met Bruce Wayne. Now we know Dick was aged up to age 18, yet Bruce was, officially again, only in his late twenties at the end of the Bronze Age. Does that mean Bruce was only in his late teens when he first met the future Boy Wonder. No. What it means is DC doesn't really care about the age displacement they create.

[Refrax5]

Johns has the habit of compressing the timeline way too much. Back in Booster Gold, he put Hall Jordan's origin at "8 years ago". And I think in his first Flash run he compressed the entirety of Wally's career as Flash in a couple of years.

Which is odd, since he specifically refers to Wally as being 26 during that run also.

[Batgrayson]

Which is odd, since he specifically refers to Wally as being 26 during that run also.

There was a timeline on a special oneshot almost at the end of the 90s, and it stated that around 5 years happened from the moment Wally became the Flash to the end of Chain Lightning. So he would be around 25 years old by the end of Waid's run.

[Sandy Hausler]

I was just wondering if anyone could point out specific examples of the ages of characters over the years.

I know Batman: Year One specifically states Bruce Wayne is 25 years old. That's about it.

Some characters I'm specifically intrigued by include Dick and Barbara. I know there's an age gap between them. Dick met Batgirl (DC#359, Nov. '66), and started college shortly afterwards (in comic book time anyway) (Batman #217, Oct. 1969), so I sort of take it Dick was in his senior year when they met. Barbara became a congresswoman in 1972 (DC#424), which, at least in the real world, requires her to be 25.

I'm also intrigued by how old Courtney Whitmore was in her first appearance in 1999. And of course any others would help as well.

The age gap between Dick and Barbara has changed. I don't think he was in college when he first met. her. And she was a librarian, meaning she had already graduated from college, maybe already had a master's. I always though Barbara was quite a bit older than Dick. But that hasn't been the case in a long while.

EDIT: Sorry. I see you meant (said) was that he was in college when she was in Congress. True. But when she first appeared, he was still the Boy Wonder and she was an adult.

[BohemiaDrinker]

The age gap between Dick and Barbara has changed. I don't think he was in college when he first met. her. And she was a librarian, meaning she had already graduated from college, maybe already had a master's. I always though Barbara was quite a bit older than Dick. But that hasn't been the case in a long while.

EDIT: Sorry. I see you meant (said) was that he was in college when she was in Congress. True. But when she first appeared, he was still the Boy Wonder and she was an adult.

I "think" back in pre crisis Babs was considerably older than Dick, then in post crisis they portrayed her at her early 30s as Oracle initially, but stealth deaged her further when the bat offices took a hold of Dick and made him and Babs an item again. Then in the new 52 they may have made her actually younger than Dick, but now they try to sell them as being the same age. Babs age fluctuates a lot depending on how they may want to portray her.

[The Darknight Detective]

I "think" back in pre crisis Babs was considerably older than Dick, then in post crisis they portrayed her at her early 30s as Oracle initially, but stealth deaged her further when the bat offices took a hold of Dick and made him and Babs an item again. Then in the new 52 they may have made her actually younger than Dick, but now they try to sell them as being the same age. Babs age fluctuates a lot depending on how they may want to portray her.

The popularity of the Timmverse (as usually is the case with a medium with more fans than the comics industry) is what changed things. I'm not sure DC would have deaged Babs otherwise, IMO.

[Tzigone]

The popularity of the Timmverse (as usually is the case with a medium with more fans than the comics industry) is what changed things. I'm not sure DC would have deaged Babs otherwise, IMO.

Definitely a thing. Mind you, the age gap might have already been lessened. Or not (comics not consistent). Secret Origins #20 says Barbara came to live with Jim when James Jr. was a baby and she was 13. Dick was supposedly 13 (Batman #410) when he became Robin, so that would be a smaller age gap. But the math from Year 3 says he was 10, so that would still have a bigger age gap. At least according to some old notes I have. Can't swear to accuracy. And, of course, sometimes you get the Writers Cannot Do Math thing or just different writers with different ideas on when things happened or how old characters are.

[Stick Figure]

Age is only a huge factor of you try to fit in stories from decades ago. I love Spider-man but I don’t need to acknowledge the old Ditko stories. I’ve hardly even read any of them! All I need are the basics for each character. I don’t worry about really older stories. Doesn’t that handcuff writers somewhat?

[marhawkman]

Definitely a thing. Mind you, the age gap might have already been lessened. Or not (comics not consistent). Secret Origins #20 says Barbara came to live with Jim when James Jr. was a baby and she was 13. Dick was supposedly 13 (Batman #410) when he became Robin, so that would be a smaller age gap. But the math from Year 3 says he was 10, so that would still have a bigger age gap. At least according to some old notes I have. Can't swear to accuracy. And, of course, sometimes you get the Writers Cannot Do Math thing or just different writers with different ideas on when things happened or how old characters are.

Yeah, the old live action Batgirl....
She had an actual day job!

Also Yvonne Craig was 30 when doing the Batgirl role!

Burt Ward(Robin) was early 20s.

EDIT: "Dick is at least 16 years old by the beginning of season 3, as in "Enter Batgirl, Exit Penguin", Dick gets his driver's license."

He IS in High School though.