Damian Wayne is the son of Batman and Talia al Ghul. This makes him an heir to the world's greatest crime-fighter, and its greatest super-villain Ra's al Ghul. Damian became the fifth Robin, working alongside Dick Grayson as Batman.
History
Origins
Damian's existence was initially unknown to Batman. Genetically perfected and grown in an artificial womb, Damian was intended to be a formidable warrior. Raised by his mother Talia and the League of Assassins, Damian became a talented martial artist by the time he was a pre-teen.
Batman and Son
Main article: Batman and Son
Damian was seven years old when Talia had him spy on Bruce with her.[3] Talia revealed Damian's existence to Bruce Wayne at ten years old and left him in his father's custody in an effort to disrupt Batman's work. Precocious, spoiled, selfish and violent, Damian battled Robin (Tim Drake), whom Damian wanted to replace as Batman's sidekick, and sucker punched him off the T. Rex model in the Batcave. Grounded by Batman, Damian escaped, donned a variant Robin costume made of Jason Todd's old tunic and assorted League of Assassin gear, and got into a fight with the villainous Spook, whom he decapitated. Although misguided and malicious, Damian seemed to genuinely want to aid Batman's war on crime as Damian saw himself as Wayne's true son though that remained unconfirmed.
Eventually, Batman confronted Talia, but both Talia and Damian were soon caught in an explosion. They survived the explosion, but a badly injured Damian required transplants of harvested organs, which his mother ordered her physicians to carry out. Damian made a full recovery.
The Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul
Main article: Batman: The Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul
Talia, Head of the Demon, 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.
However, Ra's is still able to return, as a rotting, shambling undead corpse, still needing Damian to stabilize his form. Damian flees to alert Batman, but he's still pursued by his evil grandfather. Upon entering Wayne Manor, Damian attempts to relay to Robin the fact that Ra's has returned. However, 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, with the help of Nightwing. However, their collaboration is hindered by their very different philosophies of battle, not to mention their strong dislike - even hatred - of each other. 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. Unfortunately, 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.
Batman R.I.P.
Main article: Batman R.I.P.
Sometime after surviving Ra's resurrection, Damian had sensed that someone is out to get Batman. In response to this, Talia began to formulate a plan.[4] It was later revealed that Bruce Wayne had performed a DNA test on Damian to determine any blood connection between them.[5] After learning of Batman's disappearance, Talia took Damian to Wayne Manor, where they deactivated a series of traps and saved Commissioner James Gordon in the process.[6] Damian rescued Alfred from a burning batcave and the kid took the Batmobile, driving it to Arkham in order to aid Batman against the Black Glove. On the road, Damian knocks an ambulance off a bridge, much to Alfred's dismay.[7]
After Batman's apparent death, Damian was left in the care of Alfred Pennyworth and trained by Dick Grayson.[8]
Battle for the Cowl
Main article: Batman: Battle for the Cowl
While Gotham was drowning in chaos, crime and corruption, Damian was joy riding in the Batmobile with a friend when Oracle called him to send him on a mission to the Gotham Harbor. Oracle took control of the car, but Killer Croc and Poison Ivy attacked the Batmobile and Croc knocked the car off the road into a stream. Damian was terrified and tried to talk his way out of the situation, but Croc was about to eat Damian until he was saved by Nightwing, who used the Bat-Glider to take Damian out of danger. While they were flying, they were shot out of the air and upon landing they were quickly surrounded by Black Mask's goons. Suddenly an impostor Batman appeared and shot the criminals, killing them all.[9] Dick fought the impostor, who was revealed to be Jason Todd. Jason shot Damian in the chest and Dick took Damian back to the Batcave, where Alfred healed Damian's wounds.[10]
Damian recovered quickly and wanted to help Dick, who was already fighting Jason Todd. Alfred allowed Damian to go, but he sent him along with Squire. Together, Damian and Squire rescued Tim from a certain death when Todd's makeshift Batcave collapsed. Todd was defeated and Dick Grayson became Batman, with Damian as Robin.[11]
Robin
Main article: 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.[12]
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 had chosen Damian instead of Tim because he sees Tim as an equal and not a sidekick. He chose Damian as he feels his character needs developing or he could be like Jason.[13]. Still, Damian mocks Drake and offers him the position of Batgirl, causing Tim to lash out and become the Red Robin[14] and search 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,[15] as her opposite number in the Red Hood battle against crime. The two are eventually defeated by Grayson and Damian.[16]
It appears that under Dick's teachings, Damian has begun to grow a conscience and has even demonstrated signs of empathy, particularly towards children. This is demonstrated by his behavior during a mission with the new Azrael and more recently during a Christmas case, in which Damian and Dick find the bodies of several dismembered kids, causing Damian to vomit in horror.
Damian and Dick came to a blow with Stephanie Brown, the new Batgirl, and Barbara Gordon, who acts as her mentor. However, even though Stephanie and Damian initially do not get along, he is intrigued by the new Batgirl, watching her in an attempt to "figure out what makes 'Stephanie Brown' tick" (something said while drawing a stick-figure Batgirl in the snow).[17]
Damian also becomes involved with the Wayne Enterprises' board members during one board meeting led by Lucius Fox. He manages to track down financial irregularities within the Wayne Enterprises accounts, intimidating the board of members along the way. The board becomes impressed that the young Wayne has such impressive business capabilities despite his young age, apparently inherited from his father.[18]
After Tim Drake is revealed to have named as Bruce Wayne's heir in accordance of his will made prior of his disappearance, Damian has filed an injunction with the boards to against Drake since he is Wayne's son.[19]
Blackest Night
Main article: Blackest Night
- See also: Blackest Night: Batman and Batman and Robin: Blackest Knight
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.[20] 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 having a horrific encounter with Batman and the Red Robin's parents - the Flying Graysons and Jack and Janet Drake - reanimated as Black Lanterns.[21] 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.[22]
Return of Bruce Wayne
Main article: Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne
Talia begun to clone Damian as she has realized 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 the cloned version of himself, whom she sees as Damian's younger brother. Talia admits to Damian, that even though she loves him, he is no longer welcome and is now considered an enemy of the House of al Ghul. Damian defiantly replied that he hoped that he would be a worthy one. Damian (as Robin) is then seen teaming up with Batman and Alfred to begin the search for Bruce Wayne.[23]
Batman and Robin got into a confrontation with a villain known as the Getaway Genius, which caused Damian to actually want to know more about his father after learning that Bruce had also encountered a villain by the same name.[24]
After Grayson's confidant Oberon Sexton was revealed to be the Joker in disguise, Damian tortured the villain by savagely beating him with a crowbar in order to get information along self-defense as Joker had planned to attack him.[25] However, the Clown Prince of Crime's appeared helplessness reveals to be another ruse and incapacitates Damian with his hidden Joker venom. The villain intends to use him and Dick of his fight against their common enemies: the Black Glove.[26] Help arrives in the form of the original Batman.[27] After Bruce Wayne helps Dick and Damian defeat the Black Glove and the Joker, Wayne accepts his son in additions of his role of Robin.[28] Despite Bruce's parental responsibilities to Damian, he decides that he prefers Damian to continue working with Dick (who maintains the Batman mantle and whom Bruce sees as a positive role model for his son) rather than being with himself primarily, due to his plans with Batman Incorporated.[29]
Teen Titans
Dick Grayson eventually sees that Damian requires friendship and compassion in order to curb his harsh methods. So Grayson takes Damian to Titans Tower, where Damian, despite not being a teenager, takes steps to become the leader of the Teen Titans.[30] His first mission ends in disaster after a super powered teen, who was using his powers in revenge for being bullied, is attacked by Damian after Raven is able to calm him down and the teen lashes out and escapes.
Eventually Damian and Ravager work well together to defeat the feral students in the cafeteria, even coming to a truce with one another after a few final insults. During this the other Titans defeat the super powered teen Head Case. Not long after this Tim Drake commissions the Titans help to deal with The Calculator causing for the first time there to be two Robin's with the Titans. While fighting against The Calculators androids Ravager states that Damian seems to "turn up the snark factor for his brother", after which both Damian and Tim reply "He's not my brother!" After revealing The Calculator to be an android as well, Damian quits the Titans stating "you fools will only get in my way" and "you still have a Robin" Also telling Tim that it is obvious that he is the one they prefer.
Upon his return to Gotham, Grayson notices that Damian's time with the Titans has made him more patient and he is less prone to use his weapons. After apologizing to Damian about his time with the Titans being a bust, Damian states that he knows Grayson sent him there to find friends but "[he has] one in Gotham and that's more than enough" implying that Grayson is the only friend he will need.
Flashpoint
This section of the history takes place during Flashpoint, a massive crossover event set in an alternate timeline to the mainstream DCU. History was completely changed when Professor Zoom finally found a way to erase his nemesis the Flash without harming his own legacy.
During the "Flashpoint" event, Flash creates an alternate while trying to save his mother, but said timeline is pretty much the apocalypse.[31] In this version of history, Bruce Wayne dies instead of Thomas Wayne and Damian is never born.[32] Eventually they find a way to repair the timeline from this dystopia, but Pandora alters the DC Universe even further.[33] Another Being alters it ever more.
The DC Universe was rebooted in 2011 as part of the Flashpoint event. This was an attempt to simplify continuity, and make DC Comics more accessible to new readers. Prior to this, mainstream comics took place in New Earth continuity since the Crisis on Infinite Earths in 1985. The continuity established following Flashpoint is Prime Earth.
Convergence
This section of the history takes place during Convergence, a massive crossover event revisiting characters from past eras and realities. The villains Brainiac and Telos plucked them from their own timeline and stored them together, causing them to cross over into each others' reality. Its precise chronological placement and canonicity may be unclear.
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Damian and Bruce defend Poison Ivy from Penguin and his crew. He fights with Jason, before Batman stops him.[34] He and the others then have to fight the Extremists.[35]
Possible Futures
- See also: Possible Futures
- Batman in Bethlehem shows an alternate Damian Wayne who grows up to become a brutally violent Batman after the death of his father.[36]
- Justice League: Generation Lost shows an adult Damian Wayne who becomes Batman in a post-apocalyptic future.[37]
Powers and Abilities
Abilities
- Business Management: Trained by his mother and the League of Assassins in the way of controlling a company with an iron grip. Even as a young boy he knows that in business there are wars and even in war there are assassins. Damian is involved with the Wayne Enterprises' board members. He even intimidated the board members by tracking down financial irregularities within the Wayne Enterprises' accounts.
- Martial Arts: Trained by the League of Assassins, Damian has stated he knows just as many martial arts as Batman and can use them more effectively. This may be a largely overstated comment but one should not ask for verification. Damian may not be physically tough but he knows how to control his weight and has stated that he knows, "one thousand ways to kill a man." Damian's training has made him a formidable hand-to-hand combatant able to defeat or hold his own against multiple opponents, armed opponents or skilled hand-to-hand combatants.
- Genius Level Intellect: Damian has inherited a genius IQ from his father.
- Investigation: Damian, having been trained under the "World's Greatest Detective", has been able to deduce people's actions as well as solve mysteries with few amounts of data.[18]
- Intimidation
- Mimicry: Damian can imitate anyone's voice and speech patterns perfectly as he imitated Tim Drake's voice in order to gain access to the Batcave.[38]
- Peak Human Condition: Damian's body is primed to the height of someone of his age and frame.
- Stealth: Damian was able to sneak into Gotham City and furthermore into the Batcave virtually undetected until he felt necessary. Of all the Robins, Damian may be the one that is the most silent.
- Swordsmanship: Damian assaulted both Tim Drake and Bruce Wayne on separate occasions with his sword, apparently the same sword used by Ra's al Ghul. Although Damian no longer uses his sword he may be unmatched with one if armed correctly.
- Throwing: Damian is trained by the League of Assassins in shuriken throwing and further trained by Batman in Batarang throwing.
Weaknesses
- Arrogance: More often than not, Damian believes himself to be better than he is, this has allowed him to underestimate opponents as well as irritate his allies.
Notes
- Damian was originally created by Mike W. Barr as the unnamed son of Batman and Talia in the graphic novel Son of the Demon (1987). In that story, Talia and Bruce had consensual sex and she got pregnant. Bruce knew about her pregnancy, but she later lied and told him she had miscarried. Talia gave the baby to an orphanage, and he was adopted by an unnamed couple. The baby's name was never given. After Zero Hour (1994), Dennis O'Neil announced that this entire story had been retconned out of existence: Talia had never been pregnant and Bruce had no children. In the books Kingdom Come (1996) and The Kingdom: Son of the Bat #1 (1999), set in an alternate future, Bruce and Talia have an adult son named Ibn al Xu'ffasch, but (at the time) this was an Elseworlds story so it had no impact on continuity. After Infinite Crisis, Grant Morrison retconned the child back into existence, with altered details. As revealed in Batman #656, Talia had drugged Bruce and had sex with him in order to conceive a child as part of a eugenics experiment. She named the child Damian. Bruce never knew she was pregnant, and he didn't learn about Damian until years later. Morrison and Andy Kubert revamped the character, creating his look and personality in the "Batman and Son" storyline.[3]
Trivia
- While the Pre-Flashpoint Damian did not meet his mother until he was eight,[18] New 52 Damian knew his mother his entire life and they had a mother-son relationship.[39]
Related
- 155 Appearances of Damian Wayne (New Earth)
- 147 Images featuring Damian Wayne (New Earth)
- 15 Quotations by or about Damian Wayne (New Earth)
- Character Gallery: Damian Wayne (New Earth)
Footnotes
- ↑ Batgirl (Volume 3) #17
- ↑ Superman/Batman #77
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Batman #655
- ↑ Batman #675
- ↑ Batman #676
- ↑ Batman #680
- ↑ Batman #681
- ↑ Nightwing (Volume 2) #153
- ↑ Batman: Battle for the Cowl #1
- ↑ Batman: Battle for the Cowl #2
- ↑ Batman: Battle for the Cowl #3
- ↑ Batman and Robin #1
- ↑ Batman #687
- ↑ Red Robin #1
- ↑ Batman and Robin #5
- ↑ Batman and Robin #6
- ↑ Batgirl (Volume 3) #5
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Batman and Robin #10
- ↑ Red Robin #12
- ↑ Blackest Night: Batman #1
- ↑ Blackest Night: Batman #2
- ↑ Blackest Night: Batman #3
- ↑ Batman and Robin #12
- ↑ Batman #703
- ↑ Batman and Robin #13
- ↑ Batman and Robin #14
- ↑ Batman and Robin #15
- ↑ Batman and Robin #16
- ↑ Batman: The Return #1
- ↑ Teen Titans (Volume 3) #88-89
- ↑ The Flash (Volume 3) #12
- ↑ Flashpoint (Volume 2) #1
- ↑ Flashpoint (Volume 2) #5
- ↑ Convergence: Batman and Robin #1
- ↑ Convergence: Batman and Robin #2
- ↑ Batman #666
- ↑ Justice League: Generation Lost #14
- ↑ Batman #657
- ↑ Batman and Robin (Volume 2) #0
Batman Family member This character is or was an incarnation of or an ally of Batman, and a member of the Batman Family. This template will automatically categorize articles that include it into the "Batman Family members" category. |
League of Assassins member |
Teen Titans member This character is or was primarily a member of the younger superhero team known as the Teen Titans, in any of its various incarnations. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Teen Titans members" category. |
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