Age of Characters

[Aahz]

Any specific examples of "contradictory"?

The side list here for example Cassandra Cain as 1 Year younger than Tim Drake, in the comics she is two year older than him. Or they lit for example J.J. Thunder at the same age as Cyclone. And Arrowette is also listed as 4 years younger than Tim despite them being the same age in the comics.

That is due to how the ages were determined on this side. The creator(s?) made a chronology of events based on the time that is said to pass in a story or between certain events, than took the best (or earliest) reference for the age of a character at a defined point of this timeline (often the age during their origin story) and used this to calculate their birthdays.

The problem is that at some point in the early to mid 90s, the character started to age to age much slower than the time the universe passed, Tim Drake turned for example 15 at some point between Knightfall and No Man's Land but didn't turn 16 until Hush, despite the fact that allready No Man's Land lasted in universe a year, and an other year passed between No Man's Land and Fugitive. And that has the consequence that relative ages of characters that were already active around COIE and characters that were introduced in the late 90s and 2000s in this list on this side don't really match with the comics.

[Shamrock Holmes]

The problem is that at some point in the early to mid 90s, the character started to age to age much slower than the time the universe passed, Tim Drake turned for example 15 at some point between Knightfall and No Man's Land but didn't turn 16 until Hush, despite the fact that allready No Man's Land lasted in universe a year, and an other year passed between No Man's Land and Fugitive. And that has the consequence that relative ages of characters that were already active around COIE and characters that were introduced in the late 90s and 2000s in this list on this side don't really match with the comics.

If Tim and Cass were about the same age during NML then she can't be two older 3 years later (at most she's six to nine months older rather than younger, and IMO inaccuraces are more understandable in her case than his.

JJ Thunder v Maxine is perphaps dubious, his age is never given in the original story but he's implied to be 13 to 15 (not twelve) based on being a "teen" but younger than Courtney (in '99/Y16). Maxine is a college freshman, therefore 18-19, on her first appearance ('09/Y21), so JJ would be 18 to 21 when she is 18-19.

Cissie's age is determined by her being born no earlier than Y4 (Bonnie doesn't meet Jones until late Y3 at the earliest), whereas Tim was 4 during this year (per above). So she might not be as much as 4 whole years younger but is likely to be 3.5 years younger.

[Aahz]

If Tim and Cass were about the same age during NML then she can't be two older 3 years later (at most she's six to nine months older rather than younger, and IMO inaccuraces are more understandable in her case than his.

JJ Thunder v Maxine is perphaps dubious, his age is never given in the original story but he's implied to be 13 to 15 (not twelve) based on being a "teen" but younger than Courtney (in '99/Y16). Maxine is a college freshman, therefore 18-19, on her first appearance ('09/Y21), so JJ would be 18 to 21 when she is 18-19.

Cissie's age is determined by her being born no earlier than Y4 (Bonnie doesn't meet Jones until late Y3 at the earliest), whereas Tim was 4 during this year (per above). So she might not be as much as 4 whole years younger but is likely to be 3.5 years younger.

This might be logic based on the timeline, but completely contradicts how these characters were written when they appeared in the same comics. I'm also not speaking about the absolute ages, abut about the age differences between the characters, and these don't line up with the comics for the newer characters.

Cassandra is according to the later comics older than Tim, and roughly the same age as Jason.

Maxine is written as being the same age as Courtney, and JJ. was iirc still a written as a minor at the and of the continuity.

Cissie was in Young Justice around the same age as the other members and not 4 years younger (and she was definitely older than 11).

It is still quite an impressive list, but since but due to the contradictions in the comics, it is just not possible to get time line and ages completely accurate to the comics at the same time (at least after Zero Hour, before the differences are pretty minor).

[Aahz]

Btw. here you can find what I found out about the ages of the Batfamily (not sure if thats the most recent version).

[Jackalope89]

This might be logic based on the timeline, but completely contradicts how these characters were written when they appeared in the same comics. I'm also not speaking about the absolute ages, abut about the age differences between the characters, and these don't line up with the comics for the newer characters.

Cassandra is according to the later comics older than Tim, and roughly the same age as Jason.

Maxine is written as being the same age as Courtney, and JJ. was iirc still a written as a minor at the and of the continuity.

Cissie was in Young Justice around the same age as the other members and not 4 years younger (and she was definitely older than 11).

It is still quite an impressive list, but since but due to the contradictions in the comics, it is just not possible to get time line and ages completely accurate to the comics at the same time (at least after Zero Hour, before the differences are pretty minor).

Makes it all the sadder that Jason and Cass have never really had much in the way of interactions, let alone team ups. Outside of fanfictions that is.

[Shamrock Holmes]

This might be logic based on the timeline, but completely contradicts how these characters were written when they appeared in the same comics. I'm also not speaking about the absolute ages, abut about the age differences between the characters, and these don't line up with the comics for the newer characters.

Cassandra is according to the later comics older than Tim, and roughly the same age as Jason.

Maxine is written as being the same age as Courtney, and JJ. was iirc still a written as a minor at the and of the continuity.

Cissie was in Young Justice around the same age as the other members and not 4 years younger (and she was definitely older than 11).

It is still quite an impressive list, but since but due to the contradictions in the comics, it is just not possible to get time line and ages completely accurate to the comics at the same time (at least after Zero Hour, before the differences are pretty minor).

So "word of author" is more important that the length of the stories? Per your original "inconsistentcy" post, there were at least two years of stories between Tim's two birthday references?

If that's your position, that's fine. But I'll stick with my support of a timeline that attempts to follow logic rather than the whim of a particular writer.

[Aahz]

So "word of author" is more important that the length of the stories?

The time that passes in the comics is as much "word of author" as the ages of the characters that were stated in the comics, one is not necessary more important or correct then the other imo.

And my point is these don't line up with each other after the continuity ran for some years, which leads to contradictions.

[Shamrock Holmes]

That's a fair point. I'm going to stick ages based on the general "big picture" rather than giving priority to contradicting specific ages. YMMV.

[Slimybug]

The side list here for example Cassandra Cain as 1 Year younger than Tim Drake, in the comics she is two year older than him...
Tim Drake turned for example 15 at some point between Knightfall and No Man's Land but didn't turn 16 until Hush, despite the fact that allready No Man's Land lasted in universe a year, and an other year passed between No Man's Land and Fugitive..

Where is Tim's age referenced, or the period of time between No Man's Land and Fugitive?

[Aahz]

Where is Tim's age referenced, or the period of time between No Man's Land and Fugitive?

I need to look up the details, but iirc it's is said around the beginning of No Man's Land that Tim is in 10th grade (which makes him 15), and in Beginning Fugitive there is iirc a conversation between Barbara and Dick(?), where Barbara iirc says something along the line that it would be better to send the 17 year old girl to the crime scene than the 15 year old boy.

And beginning (or actually Cataclysm, how the story arc about the earthquake is called, the beginning of the actual No Man's Land was a little later) and end of No Man's Land and the beginning of Fugative are all set around Christmas or New Year. So there is really

[Aahz]

So here the details:

Tim was first said to be a sphomore (= age 15-16) in "Robin and Argent Double-Shot #1". (Published one Month before Cataclysm)
1 - Robin and Argent Double-Shot #1.jpg

Cassandra is said to be 17 in Batgirl #17
Batgirl #17.jpg

And a few issues later in Batgirl #24 (second issue of Fugitive) we learn that Tim is still 15.
Batgirl #24.jpg

[Adekis]

This road will literally lead to no where but madness.

Definite, total agreement. DC's timeline doesn't even exist, to be honest.

in the end, I really only have two suggestions. Either a.) use your own internal continuity/timeline where some of these heroes are actually allowed to *gasp* age past their 40th birthday, or b.) as someone else already mentioned, just go along with how DC does it, by having the story itself dictate what age they are no matter what previous story (or concurrent one, for that matter) may say otherwise.

I kind of do both. Based on the art, I kind of guess at how old the characters look, and then I get mad if Superman is too old or Batman is too young, because in my head the "ideal" Superman is never older than thirty-one, and a post-Judas Contract Batman is never younger than thirty-one either. Of course, this is completely counter to DC's ideas about the characters on many occasions, and based on nothing but my own preferences, so I try not to let it bother me. I'm fully aware it's irrational.

[Anthony Shaw]

The age curve keeps getting screwed up due to having too many Robins. Each new Robin makes every character older. With each new Robin, another hero gets a younger sidekick.

Now, Tim & Damian has their own generation of heroes. The NTT generation should be stuck below 25. The silver age JL should be no older than 35.

While I don't like it, a part of me somewhat understands why the Titans are so often used as canon fodder. But this is DC's fault for continuously introducing younger heroes, as opposed to peers to already established generations.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

The age curve keeps getting screwed up due to having too many Robins. Each new Robin makes every character older. With each new Robin, another hero gets a younger sidekick.

Now, Tim & Damian has their own generation of heroes. The NTT generation should be stuck below 25. The silver age JL should be no older than 35.

While I don't like it, a part of me somewhat understands why the Titans are so often used as canon fodder. But this is DC's fault for continuously introducing younger heroes, as opposed to peers to already established generations.

I think the five 'generations' of heroes the DCU has is just fine because it allows for everyone to be at different points in their lives, but without the marquee heroes being too old.

The JSAers are perpetually in their 50s thanks to magical face-lifts and/or time shenanigans.

The founding JLAers are similarly always in their physical prime of their thirties.

The original Teen Titans will never age out of their twenties, the Young Justice kids will stick to being in their late teens while Damian's current crop of Teen Titans will be in be in their early teens

[Aahz]

I think the five 'generations' of heroes the DCU has is just fine because it allows for everyone to be at different points in their lives, but without the marquee heroes being too old.

As long as they don't start to age the characters up or to introduce a 6th generation.

Btw. can you in Damians case really already speak of a new generation, most of the characters seem quite close to Tim's generation in age, the only ones that were significantly younger were Damian and Jon, and Jon was afaik apparently also aged up to Tims age.