WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Future State: Robin Eternal #1 by Meghan Fitzmartin, Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira and Pat Brosseau, on sale now.
With the Future State of the DC Universe now fully in motion, fans are being treated to possible future timelines for some of their favorite characters. While outcomes are looking bright, but others are significantly darker. And naturally, this means Gotham City is at its lowest point ever. Under the control of the private military group known as the Magistrate, Gotham has become a police state, with vigilantes completely outlawed.
In the process of trying to prevent the Magistrate from becoming even more powerful, Tim Drake is accidentally exposed to a highly addictive new drug in Future State: Robin Eternal #1.
Tim Drake, still operating under the Robin title, has been working independently of the Bat-Family. His attempts to spy on the Magistrate soldiers have brought him into the crosshairs of the Cybers, soldiers enhanced with robotics to become behemoths of death. On their own, they're extremely strong, but Tim learned that the Magistrate was shipping in a newly developed drug known as Lazarus Resin, taken from the infamous Lazarus Pits. While the drug could not bring back the dead like its source material, it would greatly enhance the physical capabilities of the already formidable Cybers.
Knowing that such an edge would destroy what little resistance remained within Gotham, Tim planned a daring heist to destroy the shipment before it reached the city. In the process, Tim was thrown directly into the substance by some Cybers, exposing him to the resin. Having already been beaten to a bloody pulp, Tim rose again, refreshed and ready for the next round. This development raises some questions about the future, both for Tim and Gotham City.
In the past, the Lazarus Pits have been used to heal severe injuries or outright bring someone back to life. Of course, the Lazarus Pit takes a toll. Whenever someone comes out of the pit they are placed in a temporary state of madness, though, depending on the recipient's mental state, this may vary. Used sparingly for only absolute emergencies, the pit still has the potential to be a useful tool. It can heal virtually any injury and even make someone younger. It could also revolutionize medical technology, but the dark side of this is that overexposure to the pit will result in a permanent mental decline.
So for Tim to use a watered-down version of the substance is worrying. Granted, every member of the Bat-Family has a strong will and this drug seems to be a lesser version of its source, but addictions are still dangerous. Tim may not be succumbing to any potential maddening effects, but he could end up becoming dependent on this drug. Ironically, something similar happened to Batman in Batman: Venom by Dennis O'Neil, Trevor Von Eeden, Russell Braun and Jose Luis Garcia Lopez. During this event, Batman got hooked on Bane's signature drug, venom, and had to detox for a period of weeks in the Batcave. While this is certainly a worst-case scenario, it does offer a light at the end of the tunnel. If Batman could defeat his drug addiction, then so can Tim.