Damian Wayne
Damian Wayne | |
---|---|
Partnerships | Dick Grayson Stephanie Brown Rose Wilson Bruce Wayne Superboy |
Notable aliases | Robin Batman RedBird Nightwing[2] Damian al Ghul Demon's Son |
Abilities |
|
Damian Wayne is a
A prototype of the character originally appeared as an unnamed infant in the 1987 story Batman: Son of the Demon,[18][19] which at the time was not considered canon. Following this, various alternate universe stories dealt with the character's life, giving him various names. In 2006, the character was reinterpreted as Damian Wayne by Grant Morrison, and introduced into the main continuity in Batman #655, the first issue of the "Batman and Son" story arc. Damian Wayne is the fifth character to assume the role of Robin, Batman's vigilante partner.
Damian, as a preadolescent, was left by his mother in the care of his father, who had been unaware of his existence. He is violent, self-important, and was trained by the League of Assassins, learning to kill at a young age, which troubles the relationship with his father who refuses to kill. However, the Dark Knight does care for his lost progeny.[20] After the events of Batman R.I.P. and Batman: Battle for the Cowl, he takes the role of Robin at ten years of age,[21] becoming the fifth person to use the Robin persona. He first worked with Dick Grayson before going to work alongside his father, upon the original's return to the role of Batman.
Damian appears in the 2023 Christmas-themed animated film,
Publication history
The child from Son of the Demon was used as a backup character in various stories before appearing as Damian Wayne.
In the
In another Elseworlds story,
The Kingdom: Son of the Bat shows flashbacks that shed new insights into Ibn al Xu'ffasch's history: that he was reared by Ra's al Ghul to be the heir to his empire, that he eventually murdered his grandfather (cutting off his head to prevent yet another regeneration), and that he sought therapy from psychiatrist Dr. Gibson. He was eventually recruited by
In League of Batmen (2001), the sequel to Brotherhood of the Bat, Tallant leads his own team of variant Batmen to combat the plague that was al Ghul's legacy. During the battle, Tallant discovers that his grandfather is the one who murdered his father and then cloned him. Ra's even sent the clone to murder his own daughter. Because of the deaths of his parents at Ra's's hands, Tallant has completed following his father's tragic path as Batman. The new Dark Knight desires justice for his parents along with trying to stop his grandfather while having to battle his father's murderous double.
Grant Morrison's story titled Batman and Son (2006) expands upon the Son of the Demon storyline as part of a remodeling of Batman's personality after the events of
The final issue of
Fictional character biography
Batman and Son
Damian's origin was unknown to Batman. Damian was genetically perfected and grown in an artificial womb to be the perfect warrior. He is raised by his mother Talia al Ghul and the League of Assassins. He becomes a talented martial artist before his teenage years, at which time Talia reveals Damian's existence to Bruce Wayne and leaves him in his custody in an effort to disrupt his work.
Precocious, spoiled, and violent, Damian battles
Eventually, Batman confronts Talia to confirm Damian's true identity, but both Talia and Damian are soon caught in an explosion. They survive the explosion. However, Damian's badly injured body requires transplants of harvested organs, which his mother orders her physicians to carry out. Damian makes a full recovery.[28]
The Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul
Beginning in Batman Annual #26 ("Head of the Demon"), Talia takes Damian to the Australian Outback, where he is tutored in the secret history of his grandfather Ra's al Ghul. Talia is unaware that White Ghost, a former servant of Ra's, plans to use him to resurrect Ra's, which would kill him in the process. Talia is able to save her son from his fate at the last minute.
Ra's is still able to return, but as a rotting, undead corpse, still needing Damian to stabilize his form. Damian flees to alert Batman but is pursued by his evil grandfather. Upon entering Wayne Manor, Damian attempts to relay to Tim Drake the fact that Ra's has returned. Tim, suspicious of Damian's intentions, does not believe his story and begins a fistfight. Damian flees and encounters Alfred. Before he can effectively relay his news, he is attacked by Tim, who perceives Damian's attempt to help a tripping Alfred as an attack, and renews their battle. As they fight, members of the League of Assassins approach the manor with the intention of killing everyone within and bringing Damian back to Ra's alive. Damian and Tim fight side by side against Ra's and his minions. Their collaboration is hindered by their very different philosophies of battle. Damian is willing to betray Tim at any moment for his own safety. Ra's captures the two and tells Batman that he will use one of them for his own body. Batman offers his own body instead.
Ra's refuses the offer, feeling that he needs someone of a younger age. The choices are Tim or Damian. Batman offers a third alternative: the "Fountain of Essence" which contains the qualities of a Lazarus Pit. Batman and Ra's go in search of the fountain, leaving Tim, Damian, Nightwing, Alfred, and Talia to battle the Sensei. Damian leaves his mother and Tim to an unknown fate, while he goes off to be with his father. He ends up captured by Ra's and is nearly killed. Batman and the others manage to save him, and Talia takes her son and escapes.
A subsequent conversation between Tim and Alfred implies that Batman has carried out a DNA test on Damian. Alfred says Bruce intended to tell him the results when the time was right. At this, Tim realizes that Damian is indeed Bruce's son, and exclaims "The son of Satan is my brother?"[29]
Batman R.I.P.
Prior to the start of Grant Morrison's "Batman R.I.P." story arc in Batman #675, Damian senses that someone is out to get Batman. In response to this, Talia begins formulating a plan involving Commissioner James Gordon, whom Talia and Damian rescue from a booby-trapped Wayne Manor while in search of Batman, who is insane and has gone missing.
Damian and Alfred race to aid Batman against the
Battle for the Cowl
In Nightwing #153 (2009), Damian is shown being left in Alfred's care and trained by Dick Grayson (alias Nightwing).
Upon the start of Batman: Battle for the Cowl, it appears that Damian is now residing in Gotham, and living under the command of Nightwing (to an extent). Where before Damian portrayed an arrogant and vicious personality, it appears the "death" of his father has regressed him to a more childlike mindset, as demonstrated when he takes the Batmobile joy-riding with an older girl. This is discovered by
Batman: Reborn
Despite becoming Robin to Grayson's Batman, Damian reveals that he cares little for his older brother and has no respect for him as Batman and that the latter would have to earn it. In an act of defiance, Damian decides to make the Robin mantle independent from that of Batman and decides to stop
Dick then begins to train Damian as to how to properly become the new Robin and the two develop their own unique crime-fighting style.Dick and Damian soon encounter a villain called Professor Pyg, who has created an army called Dollotrons.[35] Dick and Damian take the entire army down and begin to form a brotherly relationship.[36] Damian blames himself for being unable to save a single Dollotron, a girl named Sasha, but unbeknownst to him, the girl is taken in by Jason Todd, who had shot Damian. She therefore becomes the new Robin's opposite in Red Hood's no-holds-barred war against crime (Red Hood's maxim is "let the punishment fit the crime").[37]
Damian and Dick then attack Firefly, who is attempting to kill Black Mask. Victor Zsasz defeats Robin and rescues Black Mask while Dick takes down Firefly. These events cause Hush to escape, causing Damian to grow a further hatred for the criminal. Damian is present when Dick is inducted into the JLA, upon hearing, Damian demands to be inducted along with Dick, but his demands are promptly ignored. Damian is once again saved by Dick, with the assistance of Azrael, after a man named Amon tries to sacrifice him. Sasha, now dubbed Scarlet by Todd, returns and attacks Robin, as Jason attacks Dick.[38] The two duos battle it out until the arrival of the Flamingo, who temporarily paralyzes Damian by shooting his back.[39] Talia replaces Damian's spine,[40] but puts in a monitor connected to his brain allowing her to control his every movement.[41]
As Dick and Damian go through various events together, such as against the Black Mask, the Blackest Night, and a rogue Batman clone-corpse, the two bond, even more, prompting Talia to give over control of the monitor to Deathstroke who tries to use it to kill Dick. Working together, Dick and Damian manage to stop Deathstroke. As Dick cares little for the financial problems of Wayne Enterprises, despite inheriting it from Bruce along with Tim, Damian decides to involve himself and manages to impress the board of directors.[42] While he does not file a lawsuit against Dick, due to Grayson not being named the heir of Wayne Enterprises, but rather a high-ranking member, he does against Tim, who was named the heir to Wayne Enterprises.
Red Robin
In a flashback, Damian mocks
Later, Tim—who has been keeping a hit list of criminals and tasks—attracts Damian's fury when the latter hacks the hit list and discovers a hidden layer of allies to the bat family considered potential threats by Tim, including Damian. During a stakeout mission, Damian severs Tim's line, causing him to fall from a great height. He survives, and Tim pulls Damian into an all-out brawl that begins with their quarry escaping and ends in front of the theater where Bruce Wayne's parents were killed. The two are stopped by Dick Grayson as Batman, who chastises them both for fighting in front of the theater where Batman was born. The two then enter into a grudging truce for the remainder of Damian's appearances in the series. Dick suggests changing the hit list password to
Blackest Night
After Bruce's skull was taken from his grave, Damian and Dick decide to bring the rest of his skeleton, along with those of Damian's paternal grandparents, to their base beneath Wayne Tower. Damian is quite shaken by the sight of the bones of his family. On the way to the cave, Dick's body is possessed by
The Return of Bruce Wayne
Talia begins to clone Damian as she realizes that her son has completely sided with Dick Grayson and the Bat-Family. Damian finally stands up for his Robin mantle, telling Talia that being Robin was the best thing that he had ever done, and Talia does not need to save him from something he chooses to be. Talia then shows Damian a cloned version of himself, whom she sees as Damian's younger brother. Talia admits to Damian, that even though she loves him, she is too much of a perfectionist to admire him for choosing a path that defies her this blatantly, and he is therefore no longer welcome and will be considered an enemy of the House of al Ghul. Damian defiantly replies that he hopes to be a worthy one. Damian (as Robin) is then seen teaming up with Dick and Alfred to begin their own search for Bruce Wayne.[47]
During a confrontation with a returned minor villain the Getaway Genius, Damian is initially angry that Grayson failed to capture the foe – as well as the implication that his father failed as well during the Genius' original run back when Grayson was Robin – but when Dick explains to him that Bruce let the Genius go because he discovered that the Genius' robberies were only him stealing medicines that he needed so that he could live long enough to see his daughter grow up, Damian realizes that he never really knew his father as a person, and admits that there was more to him than Batman.[48]
After Grayson's confidant, Oberon Sexton is revealed to be the
Teen Titans
Damian joins the Teen Titans when Dick Grayson concludes that the team needs a Robin, while also feeling that Damian would benefit from the friendship of other heroes, having progressed to the point where he can be trusted not to kill if left 'unsupervised'.
When
Robin and a group of other ex-Titans later head to
The New 52
Following the "
In Batman-related issues of the New 52 taking place after Batman issue #14 (
During the "Leviathan" story arc, when his mother Talia puts a price on his head and is targeted by the most dangerous and skilled assassins, Bruce faked Damian's death and secluded him in the Batcave to protect him while he goes undercover to confront Talia and her minions. But against his father's wishes, he escapes, donning a new costume under the name of Redbird.[62]
Along with the mysterious Wingman and most of the Bat-family, Damian manages to rescue his father and defeat most of the League of Shadows. However, Batman explains that the temporary defeat of the League will not stop a larger force to attack later and destroy the city, so he came to the extreme decision that the only solution possible is for Damian to return to his mother, a decision that caused an emotional reaction on Damian like never before.
Death
Damian is killed battling a brutal enemy, the
In the comic, Damian is fighting hordes of Leviathan henchmen in the lobby of Wayne Tower when Nightwing comes to rescue him. Behind cover, the two briefly reminisce about their time together as Batman and Robin before resuming the defense. When the Heretic arrives and knocks Nightwing out, Damian bravely fights him. However, the Heretic eventually gains the upper hand and impales Damian through the chest, the sword piercing Damian's heart and resulting in Damian dying almost instantly. Minutes after Damian's death, Batman arrives and sees Damian's dead body. Angered, he and a revived Nightwing battle the Heretic, but are eventually forced to retreat with Red Robin and Damian's body. After holding a private funeral for the fallen Boy Wonder, Bruce vows to avenge his son's death.
The later storyline, Requiem, deals with the aftermath of Damian's death and Batman's thirst for revenge against Talia as well as his own increasingly unbalanced mental state resulting from this loss. He is buried next to Bruce Wayne's parents, Damian's paternal grandparents. Batman is also unwilling to accept his son's death, and begins seeking the means to resurrect Damian at the cost of his relationships with his friends and allies, and keeps his death a secret from the public in anticipation that his resurrection would succeed.[65][66] Damian's absence has also been causing a conflict between his father and his acting instructor, Carrie Kelley, who is determined to find out what has happened to him, leading her to realize that the Waynes are harboring a secret.[67]
When Batman and Nightwing finally re-confront Heretic, they overpower him, and the clone suffers a brutal beating from both in retaliation for Damian's death. Batman, despite desiring to kill his son's murderer more than anything and Nightwing making no attempts of stopping his mentor, spares the villain's life after seeing his resemblance to Damian, realizing the clone is what is left of his son. However, Talia later kills the Heretic for his failure to kill Batman and challenges Batman to a duel to the death in the Batcave.[68] But Talia is killed following the duel by Kathy Webb, and it is later revealed that Damian's body was stolen from the Manor cemetery by the League of Assassins along with Talia's for plans against Batman in addition to making their resurrections. It has also been shown that Ra's al Ghul has begun to engineer more clones of Damian.[69]
Road to Resurrection
After being preoccupied with a series of cases in Gotham, Batman begins his attempt to reclaim Damian's body despite Ra's claim that he wishes to resurrect his daughter and grandson. Batman continues his pursuit out of his distrust towards Ra's. After defeating Damian's half-aquatic clones with Aquaman, Batman seeks Wonder Woman's help in chasing Ra's to Themyscira.[70] Though Ra's attempts to resurrect Damian alongside Talia in what he thought was a Lazarus Pit in the island, in addition, to brainwash his grandson into joining him afterward, instead Ra's discovers that it is a portal to a Netherworld in the Pit's former location, of which both Wonder Woman and Batman were already aware. Ra's flees with the bodies afterward.[71]
After Batman and Frankenstein locate Ra's and the bodies, they are too late as Ra's has successfully had them placed in a Lazarus Pit, leaving Batman in dread of Damian's fate.[72] The resurrections fail, leaving Ra's to realize his arrogance for allowing the Heretic to kill his grandson and regret allowing Talia to clone Damian. After defeating Ra's in combat, Batman reclaims Damian's body and threatens his son's maternal grandfather that if he steals his son's body again, he will kill him in retaliation. They later encounter Darkseid's elite member Glorious Godfrey, setting in motion the Robin Rises story arc.[73]
Return
Later, Godfrey's reason for coming to Earth is revealed; to retrieve the Chaos Shard, a powerful crystal that once belonged to Darkseid which Ra's revealed was hidden inside the sarcophagus he crafted for Damian. After detecting a trace signature of the shard coming from inside Damian's body, Godfrey escapes with Damian's corpse back to Apokolips, despite assistance from the Justice League. Angered, Batman once again vows to retrieve his son's corpse.[74]
Batman enters and accesses the Justice League Watchtower to use his unstable exosuit known as the Hellbat armor designed by Batman himself and the Justice League members to engage large scale threats.[75] He then activates the Boom Tube to Darkseid's homeworld, Apokolips, to retrieve Damian's corpse.[76] Batman successfully retrieve his son's corpse as he and his family team return to Earth via the Boom Tube directly to the Batcave after successfully escaping the clutches of Darkseid and his Parademons. After this, Batman uses the Chaos Shard on his son's corpse, which has been infused with Darkseid's Omega Sanction. With Batman facing two choices of whether to resurrect Damian or his parents, he chooses his son, granting Damian's true resurrection. As Damian and Batman embrace, Batman collapses from exhaustion.[77]
However, before the team can celebrate, the Boom Tube used to return to Earth was not closed and Darkseid's son Kalibak arrives and attacks the team. During the fight, Kalibak beats the team nearly to death, when suddenly Damian knocks out Kalibak with a powerful uppercut; discovering that due to the Chaos Shard he has gained superhuman abilities. While Damian fights Kalibak, Batman remotely controls the Batwing and sends it crashing into Kalibak, sending him back through the Boom Tube and then closes the portal. Damian then reunites with his father and his family team. In the aftermath, Damian is tested by Batman on how to control his new power abilities before Damian returns to the role as Robin.[78] With help from the Justice League, Batman discovers that Damian's new powers do not last, and he eventually relies on his natural abilities once more.[79]
Robin: Son of Batman
After the events of Batman: Endgame that resulted in Bruce Wayne's disappearance, Damian, as Robin, sets out on a globe-spanning journey to forge his own destiny and make amends for all of his wrongdoings in his own series, titled Robin: Son of Batman. Along his journey, he crosses paths with Ra's and Talia al Ghul, Deathstroke, and a new character named Maya Ducard, daughter of the late villain, Nobody. Damian plays a particular role in Batman and Robin Eternal when the Bat-Family is pitted against Mother, a ruthless woman who believes that she can make her 'children' stronger by putting them through intense trauma. Returning to assist his fellow Robins as the crisis reaches its conclusion, Damian helps Dick, Jason and Tim regain confidence in themselves after Mother decimates their initial efforts against her by recalling a conversation he had with Bruce where Bruce noted that he is proud of how all three of the other Robins have different strengths, Bruce wanting his partners to find their own paths rather than blindly follow his own example.[80]
Damian is also a major player in the Robin War event, where he, Agent 37 (Dick Grayson), Red Hood, and Red Robin organize a street gang called "Robins" to defeat the Court of Owls with reluctant aid from Jim Gordon, who is now Batman. In the climax, the Court manipulates Damian into joining them so they can use him to recruit Agent 37. Dick does join to save Damian and end the war. In the aftermath, Robin forms an unlikely partnership with his mother Talia.
DC Rebirth
This article needs to be updated.(August 2017) |
As part of DC's 2016 relaunch of its titles,
Teen Titans Rebirth
On his 13th birthday Damian is sent a package by his grandfather Ra's al Ghul, which contains a dead robin. After a meeting with his mother Talia, he discovers that it is a warning from his cousin Mara al Ghul, who has chosen him as her prey as part of an initiation ritual that she must undertake to properly join the League of Assassins. Mara has been made leader of a group known as the Demon's Fist, which was originally supposed to be led by Damian, but became hers when he chose to leave the League. They, too, have chosen targets that they must hunt down to ascend to the League. Damian decides to collect the other Demon's Fist's targets to form the new Teen Titans; this includes
After the events of Justice League: No Justice, the Titans disband. In his subsequent struggle with organized crime in Gotham and a mysterious crime lord known as The Other, Damian assembles a new team of Titans, consisting of Kid Flash (the only old team member to join), Kid Flash's friend and kid genius Roundhouse,
His teammates are also unaware that he is working with Jason Todd, who goes by the alias Outlaw.[84] Later, due to a misjudgment, Damian no longer trusts him, which ultimately leads to them cutting ties.
Eventually, Kid Flash discovers the secret prison,[85] and Crush, who has fallen for Djinn, kisses her, showing her the kind of genuine affection which Damian in his grimness never really did.[86] When the other Titans find out, and when Red Arrow kills Deathstroke,[87] conflict erupts within the team until Lobo, looking for Crush, crashes in.[88] Djinn defeats him by altering his memory, and proceeds to do so with the other criminals Damian captures, giving them new, harmless identities.[89]
Super Sons
In this book, Robin teams up with Superman's ten-year-old son Jonathan Kent, who he befriended previously during a test facilitated by Batman and Superman.[90] Together, they form the Super Sons. In the first volume, Damian and Jon team against Kid Amazo, a child affected by a virus which grants powers to ordinary humans. They defeat him and Damian decides to train Jon, but Jon's desire to join the Teen Titans against Damian's wishes creates ongoing conflict between the boys. Batman and Superman construct an underwater base for the Super Sons, which Jon refers to as the "Fortress of Attitude," much to Damian's chagrin. The team returned in The Adventures of the Super-Sons, where they spend their summer pursuing justice against Rex Luthor, an alien child who imitates Lex Luthor and attempts to assemble his own team of child-villains modeled after famous Earth ones.[91] Changes made to Jon's character make the future of this team uncertain.[92] Despite the book's cancellation, the characters have subsequently appeared as a team in other series.[93]
No More Teen Titans
After the death of Alfred Pennyworth and Dick Grayson losing his memories thanks to the villain KGBeast, Damian began to see his father's view of justice versus fear as not enough. Instead, Damian decides to begin killing criminals to invoke true fear in his enemies. This decision, coupled with his recently adopted practice of holding criminals against their will and wiping their memories, leads Djinn to leave the Teen Titans, while Kid Flash, Red Arrow, Crush, and Roundhouse turn against him. Damian attempts to kill KGBeast, but only succeeds in cutting off his left arm before the Titans intervene and stop him. Batman then arrives, having learned of his son's actions, declaring that the Teen Titans are finished. At that moment, a revived Deathstroke attacks the Titans and Batman with the intent to kill them all. Damian pursues Deathstroke and attempts to kill him, but the Titans again intervene. Red Arrow is injured and Deathstroke escapes. Batman tries to convince Robin to come home with him, but Damian attacks him, declaring that Wayne Manor is a coffin and that Batman's views are not enough to save Gotham. At the height of his anger and frustration, Damian rips the Robin insignia off his chest and gives it to Batman. Declaring himself free, Damian leaves for parts unknown.[citation needed]
Robin (2021)
After Damian left the Teen Titans, they, along with members of the Bat family and Superboy, tried to find him, but Damian was able to evade their efforts. While helping the Teen Titans battle the super criminals Mammoth and Shimmer, Superboy discovers a note from Damian to him. It is not directly revealed what was in the note, but it makes Superboy realize that wherever Damian is, they won't find him. Damian also leaves a note for the Teen Titans, which contains a set of coordinates leading them into a meeting with Nightwing. Nightwing explains that Damian encouraged him to have the remaining members of the Titans and Teen Titans work together in spite of the Justice League's disapproval. This leads to a new version of the Titans forming, consisting of Nightwing, Cyborg, Raven, Starfire, Beast Boy, Troia, Crush, Roundhouse, Red Arrow, and Kid Flash.
After having his own dedicated story arc in 2021, entitled "Demon or Detective",[94] Damian starred in the ongoing "Robin" series written by Joshua Williamson and centered around Damian going on a solo journey to discover the mysterious League of Lazarus through competing in the Lazarus tournament with Ravager, Connor Hawke and Flatline, an apprentice of one of his father's enemies who he develops a romantic relationship with. During the tournament, he discovers that the host of the tournament is his maternal great grandmother, Ruh al Ghul, who was imprisoned on this island by her son, Ra's al Ghul.[95] At the conclusion of the first arc, both Damian's mother and grandfather arrive to aid him in defeating Ruh and in the aftermath of this arc, he returns to live with them in their palace up until the events of "Shadow War."[96][97]
"Shadow War"
After observing how happy both his daughter and grandson are while living a peaceful life without killing, the now reformed Ra's al Ghul decides that he wants to turn himself in to the authority to atone for all the crimes he committed as well as publicly share all the secrets he kept hidden over the centuries, this decision has sparked a huge interest in both the superhero community and the villain community due the amount of knowledge the immortal Demon's Head has about the world, so all eyes were on him during a press conference he held before his incarceration. However, as soon as the conference started, Ra's was immediately shot by a sniper wearing a Deathstroke-looking costume, who also threw a bomb that turned his body to ashes to insure that there would be nothing left of him that can be resurrected through the Lazarus Pit.[98]
This incident has deeply hurt both Damian and his mother, Talia, who had to watch her father get murdered even though he finally made the right choice for the first time in his life and was willing to turn a new leaf for his family's sake. In her grief, she gathered all the members of the League of Assassins and put a hit on Deathstroke as well as all of his associates in revenge for killing her father. On the other hand, Damian has teamed-up with his father, who wasn't fully convinced that it was the real Deathstroke that killed Ra's al Ghul, to investigate the murder and find out who was really behind it.[99]
This event concludes with "Shadow War" between The League of Assassins and Deathstroke Inc, which ends with Talia killing Slade in a one-on-one battle, but shortly afterward the Deathstroke imposter reveals himself to be Geo-Force, who plotted this whole war in hope of having both Slade and Talia killing each other. Damian and Bruce arrive shortly soon and help Talia defeat Geo-Force, with Damian managing to convince his mother to not kill Geo-Force afterward because his grandfather believed that their family could be better than this.[100]
Batman and Robin (2023)
Bruce finally begins to live a new life with Damian settling into his new apartment.
Skills and abilities
Having been trained by the
Damian is shown to have highly advanced engineering skills, as he was able to complete his father's plans of building a flying Bat-mobile, the construction of which Alfred described as "being an endless source of frustration to Damian's father". Damian is also a capable businessman despite his young age, being involved with Wayne Enterprises and its board members.
Damian possessed superpowers similar to that of Superman following his resurrection, though this was short-lived. However in the current Batman Vs Robin comic, he is shown to have magic abilities that he learned from his time with the League of Assassins.
Appearance
Concerning the character's artificial gestation in respect to the al Ghuls' notable idealization of Bruce Wayne as the optimal specimen in leading the League of Assassins, Damian Wayne is warranted to be notably depicted in bearing a stark resemblance to his father.
After stealing Jason Todd's Robin tunic and mask from his memorial case, Damian's unofficial appearance as Robin was wearing them over his black and white League of Assassins bodysuit with a grayish hood and cape. He carried a pair of brass knuckles, which he incorporated as part of this costume, and would also carry a sword.
After Dick Grayson officially sanctioned Damian's role as Robin, while a standard Robin tunic was retained, the bodysuit was replaced with a black survival suit, the grayish cape with a yellow "para-cape" which grants him a gliding capability, the black mask with a green one, a bulkier utility belt to carry more weapons and gadgetry, a black hood, and green gloves and flexible boots.
In DC Rebirth, Damian's suit is modified. The gauntlets and boots are more armored and he has knee pads now. His cape is now black on the outside with the cape and hood having a yellow trim. His tunic is longer and has a yellow trim as well.
After running away from Batman, Damian gets a brand new Robin suit in his solo series. It differs greatly from most Robin suits. It’s entirely black and gray with a red trim around the knees, chest, and collar. The Robin logo is red with a black “R”. He retains his old black and yellow cape and green domino mask.
As of age 13, Damian was short for his age and had few other markers of impending puberty. In Super Sons, it was a running joke that he was frequently mistaken as younger than ten-year-old Jon Kent.
Other versions
References in current continuity have been made to the future of Bruce and Talia's son.
- In DC One Million (1999), written by Grant Morrison, a Batman from the 853rd Century references a Dark Knight's battle with Two-Face-Two, which Batman #700 (2010) depicts with Damian Wayne.[102]
- In Teen Titans vol. 3 #18 (2006), when the Teen Titans were transported 10 years into the future, a graveyard full of deceased Batman allies and villains is depicted. One tombstone reads "Ibn al Xu'ffasch" which means "son of the bat" in the Arabic language.[103]
- Batman #666 (2007) features an adult incarnation of Damian Wayne as Batman.
- Superman/Batman #75 shows Damian Wayne as he appears in Batman #666 and #700 with Conner Kent, who is now Superman.
- Justice League: Generation Lost #14 shows another alternate future for Damian Wayne, this time taking place over 100 years in the future.
- On Earth-16 of the Chris Kent has assumed the mantle of Superman. He is in a relationship with Lena Luthor, the daughter of Lex Luthor, who ends up betraying him.
- Damian Wayne is also featured in the prequel comic to the game Injustice: Gods Among Us.
- In the DC Rebirth Batman Beyond series, Damian has succeeded his grandfather as the new Ra's Al Ghul. However, after an antagonistic encounter with his estranged father and the new Batman, Terry McGinnis he reforms and partly reconciles with Bruce.
- A Bizarro counterpart of Robin, named Robzarro, first appeared in the four-part story "Boyzarro Re-Death".Boyzarro. The team name and character names were influenced by fans on social media.[105]
- A version of Damian Wayne is present in Dark Nights: Metal.
- In Injustice vs. Masters of the Universe, which is a continuation of Cyborg have realized that they have been fighting for the wrong side the entire time and then reform seeking the help of the Masters of the Universe in stopping Superman, who has since bonded with Brainiac's ship and has captured and brainwashed Batman into being a mindless slave. Damian attempts to free his father from Superman's control but is killed by Wonder Womanfor his betrayal which triggers Batman's release from Superman's programming.
- An adult version of Damian Wayne appears in DCeased. He took up the mantle of Batman after he had been infected and killed.
In other media
Television
- Damian Wayne appears in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode "The Knights of Tomorrow!", voiced by Patrick Cavanaugh as Robin and Diedrich Bader as Batman. This version is the son of Batman and Selina Kyle, who becomes Robin after they are killed by Joker, and fights alongside Batman (Dick Grayson) to bring Joker to justice. Following this, Damian goes on to fight the Club of Villains, Flamingo, and Professor Pyg. In his later years, Dick passes the Batman mantle to Damian, who is then shown fighting crime with his own child (voiced by Sebastian Bader) as the new Robin.
- Damian appears in the Grey Griffin.
- An infant Damian Wayne makes cameos in Young Justice.
- Damian appears in Harley Quinn, voiced by Jacob Tremblay.[106] This version is a spoiled brat who is not taken seriously by most individuals. In the second season premiere "New Gotham", he takes up the mantle of Batman after his disappearance during the first season finale, but is sent home by Commissioner Gordon due to his young age. It was revealed in season 4 that he was raised by Batman after Talia left him in the latter's care as a baby. He was reunited with his mother sometime after his father's incarceration.
Film
- Damian Wayne appears in films set in the DC Animated Movie Universe (DCAMU), voiced by Stuart Allan. This version is a member of the Teen Titans and in a relationship with Raven.[107][108]
- Damian Wayne appears in the Lego films Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Aquaman: Rage of Atlantis and Lego DC Batman: Family Matters, voiced by Scott Menville.
- Damian Wayne appears in Batman Unlimited: Mech vs. Mutants, voiced by Lucien Dodge.[109]
- A Feudal Japan version of Robin appears in Batman Ninja,[110] voiced by Yuki Kaji in Japanese and by Yuri Lowenthal in English.
- Damian Wayne appears in Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, voiced by Ben Giroux.
- Damian Wayne appears in one of the alternate storylines of the interactive film Batman: Death in the Family. In one ending, Damian appears as an infant with his mother Talia meeting Jason Todd after he has taken on a new identity similar to Hush. Talia wishes for Jason to help raise his adoptive brother, an offer he accepts while secretly planning to turn Damian against both of his parents.
- Damian Wayne appears in Injustice, voiced by Zach Callison.[111]
- Damian Wayne appears in Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons, voiced by Jack Griffo.
- Damian Wayne appears in Merry Little Batman, voiced by Yonas Kibreab.[112]
- Damian Wayne will appear in the upcoming live-action
Video games
- Damian Wayne appears as a playable character in Amazon.com and EB Games.
- Damian Wayne appears as a character summon in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure.
- Damian Wayne appears in Infinite Crisis, voiced by James Arnold Taylor. Damian Wayne is the equivalent of Robin from the "Nightmare" universe, and appears as one of the available "champions".
- Damian Wayne appears as a playable character in DC Unchained.
- Damian Wayne appears as a playable character in Lego DC Super-Villains, voiced again by Stuart Allan.
- Damian Wayne was supposed to appear as the lead character in a new Batman game by
Injustice
- Damian Wayne appears as a playable character in Stryker's Island during a break-in to rescue mainstream Batman. During their fight, Batman says Nightwing isn't his son and that Dick was his true son, while Nightwing claims that Superman is a better father than Batman ever was. At the end of the game, Nightwing is seen being arrested along with other Regime members following Superman's defeat. In his non-canon Arcade ending, after defeating Superman, Damian becomes more violent and cruel than ever before, catching Sinestro's attention, who convinces him to join the Yellow Lantern Corps to bring more fear into the hearts of criminals.[116]
- Damian appears as a playable character in Injustice 2, voiced by Scott Porter. He appears as both Robin and Nightwing. Prior to the events of the first game, Robin accompanies Batman to stop the Regime from rounding up Arkham Asylum inmates to execute. Following an argument and fight between Batman and Superman, Robin sides with the latter after executing Victor Zsasz as a show of trust, believing in Superman's cause to kill criminals, and he leaves with him to join the Regime. In the present, Nightwing is released from Stryker's Island alongside Superman and Cyborg by Wonder Woman, Black Adam and Supergirl, and given his gear back. He then fights and is defeated by either Firestorm or Blue Beetle, who are attempting to stop the breakout. Nightwing later reluctantly joins forces with the Insurgency to defeat Brainiac and fights Supergirl to stop her from her leaving the Fortress of Solitude after the latter discovers the Regime's true nature, though he is defeated.
References
- ^ Paternity test/documentation via source material, proof of biological relation and established name of the character provided in last panels of comic book. Priest, Christopher. Deathstroke (2016) #35. DC Comics, Inc., 2018
- ^ Batman Incorporated Vol 2 #3
- ^ Morrison, Grant. Batman #656 DC Comics, Inc., 2006.
- ^ J. Tomasi, Peter. Batman and Robin 2011 #2. DC Comics, Inc., 2011
- ^ J. Tomasi, Peter. Batman and Robin 2011 #0. DC Comics, Inc., 2012
- ^ J. Tomasi, Peter. Robin Rises: Omega. Marvel Comics, Inc., 2014
- ^ Morrison, Grant. Batman (1940) #666. DC Comics, Inc., 2007
- ^ "Your admirable mind has reasoned all save the obvious that my darling Talia loves you! My organization is vast... I had to satisfy myself that you are a worthy successor to me!" —Ra's to Batman. End of the comic. O'Neil, Dennis. Batman (1940) #232. DC Comics, Inc., 1971.
- ^ "I need a man to assume my position when I'm gone... Because you are most worthy. That is now proven beyond any doubt. And because my precious daughter loves you." —Ra's to Batman. Near the end of the episode. Altieri, Kevin, director. Batman: The Animated Series, "The Demon's Quest: Part 1" Warner Bros. Animation, 1993.
- ^ "You fell in love with the Detective that day, of course. How could you not? He was the optimum man... You and your detective will yield the ultimate child. A dark king for a new age." —Ra's to Talia. Near the end of the comic. Morrison, Grant. Batman, Incorporated Vol.2 #2. DC Comics, Inc., 2012
- ^ "Assassins plan to take over Ra's' organization... led by a man who Father believes could be his successor, until my father became aware of you." —Talia al Ghul to Batman. Around fifteen minutes into the film. Spaulding, Ethan, director. Son of Batman Warner Bros. Animation, 2014.
- ^ "Holy Bat-trimony: The Dark Knight and Marriage". DC. September 17, 2021. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
- ^ "Genetically perfected, and grown in an artificial womb, Damian was engineered to kill and replace his famous father," —Narrator. Beginning of comic. Morrison, Grant. Batman (1940) #666. DC Comics, Inc., 2007
- ^ "It's true that I was gestated in a laboratory. That I was groomed to be a new body for my grandfather so that he may sidestep death and continue his mission to reduce the swollen population of the Earth." —Narration by Damian Wayne via introductory pages of the comic book. Seeley, Tim. Batman: Prelude to the Wedding - Robin VS. Ra's al Ghul #1. DC Comics, Inc., 2018
- ^ "You fell in love with the Detective that day, of course. How could you not? He was the optimum man... You and your detective will yield the ultimate child. A dark king for a new age." —Ra's to Talia. "You have no intention of giving up your power to another, Father. But it seems there are rites, whereby consciousness can survive death by migrating to more vigorous flesh? I know you've been searching for ways to survive when the Lazarus Pits run dry." —Talia al Ghul Near the end of the comic. Morrison, Grant. Batman, Incorporated Vol. 2 #2. DC Comics, Inc., 2012
- ^ "Who else in this world is like us, Bruce Wayne? The century's greatest crimefighter, the daughter of its greatest crimelord. And their genetically perfect child... We'll found a dynasty that will rule the planet for a thousand years. Ours is a love story remember? -Talia al Ghul to Batman. Near the end of the comic book. Morrison, Grant. Batman (1940) #658. DC Comics, Inc., 2006
- ^ "Your brain waves will be purged as mine are implanted in their place. I shall return to Gotham in your stead, bringing with me proof, both written and genetic, that I am the long-forgotten son of Bruce and Talia. How ironic that your company and holdings will fund my new empire." —Ra's al Ghul, while in Talia's body, to Bruce Wayne. Elaborating his plan in transferring his consciousness into Bruce's. Near the end of the episode. Tucker, James, director. Batman Beyond "Out of the Past" Warner Bros. Animation, 2000.
- ^ "Batman and Son TPB Review". shelfabuse.com. January 9, 2009. Retrieved December 29, 2010.
- ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9.
In an over-sized hardcover graphic novel one-shot, writer Mike W. Barr and artist Jerry Bingham introduced a monumental new character into the life of the Dark Knight – Damian Wayne.
- ^ a b Batman #658
- ^ Batman and Robin #2
- ^ Kit, Borys (January 31, 2023). "DC Slate Unveiled: New Batman, Supergirl Movies, a Green Lantern TV Show, and More from James Gunn, Peter Safran". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
- ^ Batman: Brotherhood of the Bat
- ^ Jess Nevins. "Kingdom Come #3 Annotations". Archived from the original on October 26, 2009. Retrieved December 29, 2010.
- ^ Batman Incorporated Vol. 2 #2 (June 2012)
- ^ Batman and Robin #2 (October 2012)
- ^ Robin Rises: Omega #1 (July 2014)
- ^ Batman #665
- ^ "Did he do a paternity test on Damian? You know, like a DNA test... He had to, right? Alfred?"—Tim Drake.
"He insisted he would tell you the results himself when the time was right." —Alfred
"So you know. You both know and nobody is going to tell me?" —Tim Drake
"It's not my place to say, young sir. Forgive me." —Alfred "The son of Satan is my brother?" —Tim Drake. Dialogue post-midway through a comic book ("son of Satan" likely in reference to The Omen franchise). Morrison, Grant. Batman #676. DC Comics, Inc., 2008 - ^ Batman: Battle for the Cowl #1 (2009)
- ^ Batman: Battle for the Cowl #2 (2009)
- ^ Batman: Battle for the Cowl #3 (2009)
- ^ Batman vol. 1 #687 (2009)
- ^ Batman and Robin vol. 1 #2 (2009)
- ^ Batman and Robin vol. 1 #2 (2009)
- ^ Batman and Robin vol. 1 #3 (2009)
- ^ Batman and Robin vol. 1 #4 (2009)
- ^ Batman and Robin vol. 1 #5 (2009)
- ^ Batman and Robin vol. 1 #6 (2009)
- ^ Batman and Robin vol. 1 #7 (2010)
- ^ Batman and Robin vol. 1 #10-11 (2010)
- ^ Batman and Robin vol. 1 #10 (2010)
- ^ Red Robin #1 (2010)
- ^ Blackest Night: Batman #1 (August 2009)
- ^ Blackest Night: Batman #2 (November 2009)
- ^ Blackest Night: Batman #3 (December 2009)
- ^ Batman & Robin vol. 3 #12 (May 2010)
- ^ Batman #703
- ^ Batman & Robin vol. 3 #13 (2010)
- ^ Batman & Robin vol. 3 #16 (November 2010)
- ^ Batman: The Return one-shot (Jan. 2011)
- ^ Teen Titans vol. 3 #88
- ^ Teen Titans vol. 3 #89
- ^ Teen Titans vol. 3 #91
- ^ Teen Titans vol. 3 #92
- ^ Batman: Gates of Gotham
- ^ Batman: Gates of Gotham #2
- ^ Teen Titans vol. 3 #99
- ^ Teen Titans vol. 3 #100
- ^ Batman and Robin vol. 2 #1 (September 2011)
- New York, NY: Detective Comics.
- ^ Batman: Incorporated #3 (September 2012)
- ^ "DC killing off Batman's 'Boy Wonder' Damian Wayne in new comic book". New York Post. February 25, 2013. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
- ^ "Batman's side-kick Robin to be killed off in next DC Comics issue". CBS News. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
- ^ Batman and Robin vol. 4 #19 (April 2013)
- ^ Batman and Robin vol. 4 #20 (May 2013)
- ^ Batman and Robin vol. 2 #19 (April 2013)
- ^ Batman, Incorporated vol. 2 #12 (July 2013)
- ^ Batman, Incorporated vol. 2 #13 (August 2013)
- ^ Batman and Aquaman vol. 2 #29 (March 2014)
- ^ Batman and Wonder Woman vol. 2 #30 (April 2014)
- ^ Batman and Frankenstein vol. 2 #31 (May 2014)
- ^ Batman and Ra's al Ghul vol. 2 #32 (June 2014)
- ^ Robin Rises: Omega one-shot (July 2014)
- ^ Batman and Robin vol. 2 #33 (July 2014)
- ^ Batman and Robin vol. 2 #34 (August 2014)
- ^ Batman and Robin vol. 2 #37 (December 2014)
- ^ Robin Rises: Alpha one-shot (December 2014)
- ^ Batman and Robin vol. 2 #40 (March 2015)
- ^ Batman & Robin Eternal #22
- ^ Teen Titans Special #1 (2018), Teen Titans #20 (July 2018)
- ^ Teen Titans #21 (August 2018)
- ^ Teen Titans #20 (July 2018)
- ^ Lobdell, Scott (w), Woods, Pete (a), Peteri, Troy (let), Marie Javins, Rob Levin (ed). "Outlaw, Part One" Red Hood and the Outlaws 26 (November, 2018), New York: DC Comics
- ^ Teen Titans #28 (March 2019)
- ^ Teen Titans #29 (April 2019)
- ^ Deathstroke #43
- ^ Teen Titans #30-32 (May–July 2019)
- ^ Teen Titans #33 (August 2019)
- ^ Superman (2016) #11.
- ^ Adventures of the Super Sons #1.
- ^ Superman #8 (2018)
- ^ Superman #16 (2018).
- ^ "Where Damian Wayne's New Superhero Identity Will Debut". December 20, 2020.
- ^ Terror, Jude (January 21, 2022). "Robin #10 Preview: Dysfunctional Family Reunion". Bleeding Cool News And Rumors. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
- ^ Terror, Jude (February 18, 2022). "Robin #11 Preview: Damian Deals with his Granddaddy Issues". Bleeding Cool News And Rumors. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
- ^ Terror, Jude (March 25, 2022). "Shadow War Alpha #1 Preview: Robin Works on His Mommy Issues". Bleeding Cool News And Rumors. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
- ^ "A classic Batman villain is murdered in Shadow War Alpha #1 - but did Deathstroke do it?". March 29, 2022.
- ^ "DC Comics & Deathstroke Inc. #8 Spoilers & Review: Why Does Batman Pick a Side He Doesn't Want to in Shadow War Part 3?!". April 26, 2022.
- ^ "DC Comics & Robin #14 Spoilers & Review: Fake Deathstroke Unmasked with Ties to Batman in Shadow War Part 7!". May 24, 2022.
- ^ Batman: Blackest Night vol 1 #2
- ^ Batman #700
- ^ Teen Titans #18
- ^ Patrick Gleason, Peter J. Tomasi (w), Patrick Gleason, Doug Mahnke (p). "Boyzarro Re-Death" Superman, no. 42-45 (2018).
- ^ @patrick_gleason (November 23, 2017). "WowThx guys!More than 1 of you(Across all my social media) suggested BOYZARRO should be his name.I LOVE IT!The fans…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "DC Universe's 'Harley Quinn' Starring Kaley Cuoco Eyes New Perspectives on Familiar Caped Crusaders – TCA". July 23, 2019.
- ^ Sands, Rich (January 18, 2016). "Roll Call: Meet the Cast of Justice League vs. Teen Titans". TVInsider.com. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
- ^ Kit, Borys (January 19, 2017). "Christina Ricci, Miguel Ferrer Join Voice Cast of 'Teen Titans' Animated Movie (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ @Wes_Gleason (July 12, 2016). "He s a great Damian/Robin!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "'Batman Ninja' Anime: First Details & Poster Revealed". Anime.
- ^ Couch, Aaron (July 21, 2021). "DC's 'Injustice' Sets Cast for Animated Movie (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
- ^ Melissa, Billie (November 14, 2023). "Luke Wilson Is Bruce Wayne in Merry Little Batman". Men's Journal | Streaming. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
- ^ "DC Slate Unveiled: New Batman, Supergirl Movies, a Green Lantern TV Show, and More from James Gunn, Peter Safran". The Hollywood Reporter. January 31, 2023.
- ^ "Alleged Concept Art from Damian Wayne Batman Game Surfaces". August 14, 2019.
- ^ "R/Xboxone - A few pieces of concept art from WB Montreal's cancelled Damian Wayne Arkham Game". August 13, 2019.
- ^ "New Injustice Footage Contains MAJOR Spoiler for Nightwing". IGX Pro. Archived from the original on April 10, 2013.