Terry McGinnis is by far the most popular person to wear the Batman Beyond costume. However, he's not the only one who dawned the high-tech wings and cowl in the DC Universe. Tim Drake was Jason Todd's successor as the third Robin, though many might not know Drake had a significant run as Neo-Gotham's caped crusader.
Drake starts The New 52 with a brand new back story as an accomplished genius athlete who forces his way into the Bat-Family after discovering Batman's identity. Out of respect for Jason Todd, he becomes the Red Robin instead. His new look features skin-tight, red body armor with black and yellow highlights and completely shies away from the original green leggings. The New 52's Teen Titans run follows Drake creating his own Batman-free legacy while protecting a group of runaway heroes from Harvest and his organization N.O.W.H.E.R.E. In the process, he becomes their leader and mentor and thoroughly enjoys leading the Teen Titans.
The Brother Eye and Darkseid conflict from the Futures End arc kills every Teen Titan except Drake. He becomes so distraught he retires the Red Robin identity to be a lonely bartender. His time in the hospitality industry is cut short when Brainiac attacks his timeline and sends him to a parallel universe/alternate timeline where he will be forced out of retirement to be Batman, something Drake never wanted to do. After all, he started the Teen Titans to create his own legacy.
After Brother Eye kills Terry McGinnis with a Joker/Batman hybrid robot, Drake is the only one who can stop Brother Eye and he does so in McGinnis' Batman Beyond suit. After he defeats Brother Eye, he's thrown forward in time 35 years to a future where Brother Eye rules the world. This is when Drake starts his reign as Neo-Gotham’s protector.
While Drake is an experienced crime fighter, he’s completely unfamiliar with Neo-Gotham’s politics and villain hierarchy. This creates a fun “first day of school” dynamic with Drake trying to figure out the landscape of his new post-apocalyptic home while battling familiar villains like Inque. Despite the harrowing dystopian circumstances of his new role, he rises to the occasion with the help of Micron, Barbara Gordon and some golden-age bat tech to once again kill Brother Eye.
Drake’s run as Batman Beyond is an unfamiliar role for any Batman up to this point. He has to battle robots, super villains and an evil AI in a Mad Max-like hellscape while trying to find the Justice League, rebuild the world and keep Neo-Gotham safe. Drake’s Batman Beyond run goes beyond the typical scope of the streets and rooftops of Gotham City.
After rescuing a Justice League that includes Green Lantern Kai Ro, Aquagirl, Barda, Warhawk and Superman, Batman Beyond, Vol. 5 ends with a story arc involving Spellbinder and Rewire. However, Rewire isn’t actually Rewire -- they're a brainwashed Terry McGinnis who was never actually dead. Once Spellbinder is defeated and McGinnis regains his memories, Drake once again retires and gives Terry McGinnis his suit back, which makes his brother Matt incredibly happy.
Drake reiterates that he never wanted to be Batman and only ever felt whole as a Teen Titan. Forcing his way into Robin's role never sat right with him and he’s happy to leave Batman behind him to find new meaning in life. Drake's stint as a time-traveling Batman Beyond only further cements his legacy as arguably the most interesting Robin of the bunch.