| Damian Wayne (Robin) | |
|---|---|
 Damian Wayne as Robin. Promotional art for Batman & Robin vol. 1, #1 (June 2009) cover, art by Frank Quitely. |
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | As a baby: Batman: Son of the Demon (1987) As Damian Wayne: Batman #655 (September 2006) As Robin: Batman and Robin #1 (August 2009) |
| Created by | Mike W. Barr Grant Morrison |
| In-story information | |
| Full name | Damian Bruce Wayne[citation needed] |
| Team affiliations | Batman Family League of Assassins |
| Supporting character of | Batman |
| Notable aliases | Robin |
| Abilities | excellent athlete, exceptional martial artist, trained by the League of Assassins, access to high tech equipment, good detective skills |
Damian Wayne is a fictional character in the DC Comics Universe. Damian is the child of Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul[1][2][3] and thus the grandson of Batman villain Ra's al Ghul.
The character originally appeared as an unnamed infant in the 1987 story Son of the Demon[4]. Following this, various alternate universe stories dealt with the course of the character's life, giving him varying names. In 2006, the character was reinterpreted as Damian Wayne by Grant Morrison, and reintroduced into the main continuity in Batman #655, the first issue of the Batman & Son story arc.
Having spent his gestation in a laboratory, Damian's mother leaves him in the care of his father, who was not aware of his son's existence until that point in time. Damian is violent and self-important, and was trained by the League of Assasins, learning to kill at a young age. After the events of Batman R.I.P. and Batman: Battle for the Cowl, Damian takes up the identity of Robin at ten years of age[5]. He is the fifth person to use the Robin identity. He works with Dick Grayson, who has become the new Batman.
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Publication history
The concept of Bruce and Talia having a son first appeared in the graphic novel Son of the Demon (1987). Since then the concept has been used with various different names.
In the Elseworlds story, The Brotherhood of the Bat (1995), a version named Tallant Wayne appears who crusades against his grandfather, Ra's al Ghul. Brotherhood of the Bat features a future in which Ra's al Ghul discovers the Batcave following Bruce Wayne's death, and outfits the League of Assassins in variant Batman costumes based on Wayne's rejected designs. Talia and Bruce's son joins the Brotherhood in the original Batman costume, to destroy it from within.
In Kingdom Come (1996) by Mark Waid and Alex Ross, which functioned as a possible future to the canon of the time, the child of Batman and Talia is Ibn al Xu'ffasch, literally "Son of the Bat", a member of Lex Luthor's inner circle. He falls in love with Nightstar, the daughter of Dick Grayson and Starfire. There is some suggestion that he is Batman's spy in Luthor's camp.[6] In the Elliot S! Maggin novelization of Kingdom Come, al Xu'ffasch tells Bruce that his mother Talia is still alive and working as a Mother Superior in India, one of Mother Teresa's succesors. al Xu'ffasch reappears in Waid's The Kingdom. In The Kingdom: Son of the Bat, flashbacks shed new insights into his 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 Rip Hunter to try and stop a madman named Gog from altering his history. He works with several other heroes of his generation - Kid Flash, the daughter of the Flash; Nightstar (Nightwing and Starfire's child) and Offspring, the son of Plastic Man.
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.
In Teen Titans #38 (2006), Batman and Talia's son goes by the alias Talon, his real name not revealed. Talon is the apprentice of Owlman, and the Earth-3 equivalent of Robin. He is a member of the Crime Society, and a member of the Teen Titans during the one year gap after Infinite Crisis. His costume is similar to the third male Robin costume, but with the colors reversed. According to an interview with Tony Daniel at Newsarama, Talon is supposed to look like his mentor Owlman[1]. He briefly battled Black Adam with his fellow Titans during World War III. It was revealed in The Search for Ray Palmer: Crime Society that there have been several Talons. The first one is shown dressed parallel to that of Grayson's classic Robin costume including brown pixie boots. On Post Crisis Earth-3, the Teen Titans' Talon and Duela Dent, the daughter of the Jokester, had been dating. When Duela revealed their relationship to her parents, her father denounced her and the two fled. It is currently unknown how the two managed to flee to New Earth, or what has happened to Talon beyond that.
Grant Morrison's story titled Batman & Son (2006) expands upon the Son of the Demon storyline as part of a remodeling of Batman's personality after the events of Infinite Crisis. In Morrison's version, the child, Damian Wayne, is the result of a tryst by Batman and Talia, during which the Dark Knight claims he was drugged.
The final issue of 52 (2008) designates the Kingdom Come alternate universe as Earth-22, thus making the Ibn al Xu'ffasch version part of the DC multiverse. Justice Society of America (vol. 3) #22 (2009) reveals that he would eventually marry Nightstar, and have a daughter and son.
Fictional character biography
Batman: Son of the Demon
When asked by Wizard about the canonicity of Son of the Demon, Morrison responded:
"For a long time, [DC] said [Son of the Demon] was out of continuity. Now it's just kind of out of continuity. I didn't actually read it before I started writing this. I messed up a lot of details, like Batman wasn't drugged when he was having sex with Talia and it didn't take place in the desert. I was relying on shaky memories. But now we have this new "Superboy punch" continuity [after Superboy Prime attacked the fabric of the universe during Infinite Crisis]. People still don't realize how important that single punch was to cover everyone's ass."[7]
Batman & Son
Damian's origin is unknown to Batman. Genetically perfected and grown in an artificial womb, Damian was intended to be a formidable warrior. He is raised by Talia and the League of Assassins. He becomes a talented martial artist by the time he is a pre-teen, at which time Talia reveals Damian's existence to Bruce Wayne and leaves him in Batman's custody in an effort to disrupt Batman's work.
Precocious, spoiled, and violent, Damian battles Tim Drake, whom he wants to replace as Wayne's Robin, and sucker punches Drake off the stuffed Tyrannosaurus in the Batcave when Tim stops fighting to help him. Grounded by Batman, Damian escapes, dons a variant Robin costume made of Jason Todd's old tunic and assorted League of Assassin gear, and gets into a fight with and decapitates the villainous Spook. Although misguided and malicious, Damian seems to genuinely want to aid Wayne's war on crime as he sees himself as Wayne's son and wants Wayne's approval.
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, but a badly injured Damian requires transplants of harvested organs, which his mother orders her physicians to carry out. Damian makes a full recovery.[8]
The Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul
In Batman Annual: 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 a former servant of Ra's, named White Ghost, plans to use Damian as a shell for the soul of Ra's to return to Earth. This process would, of course, kill Damian. 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, shambling 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 Robin the fact that Ra's has returned. Robin, suspicious of Damian's intentions, does not believe his story and begins a fist fight. Damian flees and encounters Alfred. Before he can effectively relay his news, he is attacked by Robin, 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 all others within and bringing Damian back to Ra's alive. Damian and Robin (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 Robin or Damian. Batman offers a third alternative: "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 nearly loses his life. Batman and the others manage to save him, and Talia takes her son and escapes.
A subsequent conversation between Robin 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 the Devil is my brother?"[3]
Batman R.I.P.
Prior to the start of Grant Morrison's "Batman R.I.P." story arc in Batman #675, Damian has sensed that someone is out to get Batman. In response to this, Talia begins to formulate a plan. That plan seems to involve getting the help of Commissioner James Gordon, who Talia and Damian rescue from a booby-trapped Wayne Manor, while in search of Batman, who has gone insane and missing.
Damian and Alfred race to aid Batman against the Black Glove in a commandeered Batmobile and Damian who is driving, knocks an ambulance off a bridge without any sign of remorse or even concern. When Alfred reprimands him, Damian retorts with a backhanded threat. Thankfully, the only occupant of the ambulance was the Joker.
Battle for the Cowl
In "Nightwing" #153 (2009), Damian is shown being left in the care of Alfred Pennyworth and trained by Dick Grayson.
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 loss of his father has regressed him to a more child-like mindset, as demonstrated when he takes the Batmobile joy-riding with an older girl. This is discovered by Oracle, who ejects the girl and takes control of the Batmobile, intent on taking Damian home. Unfortunately, the car is sidetracked by Killer Croc and Poison Ivy, who prepare to kill Damian.[9] Damian is saved by Nightwing who ends up being cornered by Black Mask's men, until a murderous Batman appears stating that he is Batman (this is later revealed to be Jason Todd). Although shot by Todd, Damian recovers, and saves Tim Drake from falling to death inside Jason's Batcave.[10] When Grayson hangs up his Nightwing mantle to become the newest Batman, Damian takes over the mantle of Robin by his side.[11]
Batman: Reborn
Despite working as Grayson's Robin, Damian expresses a strong willingness to take over the Batman identity himself if Dick is not "up to it." Damian has no respect for Grayson, and tells him that he needs to earn it if he wants his respect.
It is revealed that Damian has begun to visit his father's former friend and enemy Thomas Elliot, also known as Hush, in the prison at the top of Wayne Tower that Dick and Tim put him in, and engages him in chess games. Damian claims that these visits are out of his curiosity for why Hush would alter his appearance to that of Bruce Wayne's. But Hush suspects that the visits are rather Damian's form of grieving for Bruce and a way to "spend time with your old man."
It becomes apparent that Grayson chose Damian to be his Robin instead of Tim Drake because he sees Tim as an equal and not as a sidekick, and thinks that Damian needs guidance and a constant eye watching him, or else he will kill again. Regardless, Damian mocks Tim for no longer being a part of the Dynamic Duo, even going so far as to offer him the Batgirl position. This causes Tim to snap, taking on the mantle of Red Robin and searching the globe for Bruce Wayne, who Tim believes is still alive. After his first fight alongside Dick, Damian gets upset with Grayson and goes looking for the villain Professor Pyg himself. The Professor captures him, or rather, is led to believe so by Damian, who is in complete control of the situation, waiting for the right moment to make his move. Despite his good intentions, however, Damian is still overpowered by a large number of Dollotrons. Bent on catching Pyg, he is saved only by the timely intervention of Dick Grayson. While pursuing Pyg, he overlooks an earlier promise he had made to Sasha (a promise to save her and take her to safety), the only Dollotron who has an intact personality. As a result, the young girl's sanity is bent by her traumatic ordeal and disfigurement, ripe for the Red Hood to sway to his side [12], as her opposite number in the Red Hood battle against crime.
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 Deadman, whom Damian lashes out at in confusion. Deadman then possesses and leaves Damian's body, subsequently passing his knowledge of the attack of the Black Lanterns onto him. The two heroes then prepare for the Black Lantern's assault on Gotham.[13] After raiding the Army Reserve National Guard Armory, Dick, Damian, and the arriving Tim Drake, are able to save Commissioner Gordon, Oracle, and the surviving police officers at Gotham Central from the reanimated versions of the original Dark Knight's deceased rogue gallery members. However, they then find themselves in a horrific encounter with the parents of Dick Grayson and Tim Drake reanimated as Black Lanterns.[14] Dick and Tim send Damian with the Gordons to their underground base while they battle the Black Lanterns. Dick eventually orders Damian through their comm-links to send one of his Wingers with Mr. Freeze's gun. Grayson uses the weapon to cryogenically suspend himself and Tim, forcing the Black Lanterns to retreat as they are unable to read any sign of life of them. Deadman later revives the former Boy Wonders.[15]
Possible future
References in current continuity have been made to the future of Bruce and Talia's son.
- In Teen Titans (vol. 3) #18 (2006), when the 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".
- Batman #666 (2007) features an adult Damian Wayne as Batman. He takes on the mantle after he is unable to save Batman from being killed. This Batman is darker than his father, more willing to injure and kill opponents if he judges it necessary to do so. He also has a pet cat he calls Alfred. He seems to have developed a rivalry with Commissioner Barbara Gordon (who strongly condemns his actions, claiming that he was responsible for the death of someone close to her) and possesses some form of supernatural ability; most visibly, the ability to heal catastrophic wounds such as multiple bullet wounds in moments. It is implied that, in this possible future, Damian made a literal deal with the Devil: his soul in exchange for the immortality and healing abilities he felt he needed to protect Gotham. Damian states he knew he could not match his predecessors, Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson (implying a bond between Dick and Damian that has yet to form in the present), but makes up for it by "cheating" as he calls it. By setting booby traps throughout the city, Damian turned Gotham itself into a weapon.
Skills and abilities
Having been trained by the League of Assassins since birth, Damian is already a master martial artist. He goes under the tutelage of Dick Grayson to further his training in the disciplines of forensics, acrobatics, criminology, disguise, and escapology. Damian is skilled in mimicking voices and speech patterns of others accurately, as he was able to imitate Tim Drake's to bypass Batcave's voice recognition security systems.[16] Damian is also demonstrated to have advanced engineering skills, as he was able to complete his father's plans of building a flying Batmobile.
Appearance
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 bodysuit with a grayish hood and cape. He also carried a pair of brass knuckles, which he incorporated as part of this costume. He also would carry a sword.
After Alfred officially sanctioned Damian's role as Robin, while an archetypal Robin tunic was retained, the bodysuit was replaced with a black survival suit, a grayish cape with a yellow "para-cape" which grants him a gliding capability, a black mask with a green one, a bulkier utility belt to carry more arsenal and gadgetry, a black hood, and flexible green gloves and boots.
References
- ^ Phillips, Dan (August 8, 2009). "Grant Morrison's New Batman and Robin". IGN. http://comics.ign.com/articles/986/986031p1.html. Retrieved August 8, 2009.
- ^ Batman 666. Page 2.
- ^ a b Grant Morrison. Batman #676
- ^ http://www.shelfabuse.com/index.php/Graphic-Novel-Reviews/batman-and-son-tpb-review.html
- ^ Batman and Robin #2
- ^ Kingdom Come #3 Annotations
- ^ Wizard #182 ("Son of a Bat!"; p. 38).
- ^ Batman #665
- ^ Batman: Battle for the Cowl #1 (2009)
- ^ Batman: Battle for the Cowl #2 (2009)
- ^ Batman: Battle for the Cowl #3 (2009)
- ^ Batman & Robin vol.3 #3
- ^ Blackest Night: Batman #1 (August 2009)
- ^ Blackest Night: Batman #2 (November 2009)
- ^ Blackest Night: Batman #3 (December 2009)
- ^ Batman #658
External links
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