A-list is a term that alludes to major movie stars, or the most bankable in the Hollywood film industry.

The A-list is part of a larger guide called The Hot List that has become an industry-standard guide in Hollywood. James Ulmer has also developed a Hot List of directors.^[1]

Ulmer Scale[link]

Developed in 1997 by entertainment journalist James Ulmer, the Ulmer Scale is a 100-point rating that aims to quantify a star's value to a film production.^[2] The scale predicts value in terms of getting a movie financed and in production based solely on an actor's attachment to the project; score is based on their historical box office success, versatility, professional demeanor, and ability and willingness to travel and promote movies.

Ulmer's Top 10 list in 2009 (in order of 'bankable' value):^[2]

1. Will Smith
2. Johnny Depp
3. Brad Pitt
4. Tom Hanks
5. George Clooney
6. Will Ferrell
7. Reese Witherspoon
8. Nicolas Cage
9. Leonardo DiCaprio
10. Russell Crowe

The top 10 list in 2006 included:^[3]

1. Tom Hanks
2. Tom Cruise
3. Jim Carrey
4. George Clooney
5. Russell Crowe
6. Johnny Depp
7. Nicole Kidman
8. Jude Law
9. Brad Pitt
10. Julia Roberts

Popular usage[link]

In popular usage outside the film industry, an "A-list celebrity" simply refers to any person with an admired or desirable social status.^[4] In recent times, the term has given rise to any person, regardless of profession, in the limelight. Even socialites with popular press coverage have been termed as "A-list" celebrities. Similarly, less popular persons and current teen idols are referred to as "B-list."^[5] The next ranking on the Ulmer Scale is a "C-list." An article on Entertainment Weekly describes a C-list celebrity as "that guy (or sometimes that girl), the easy-to-remember but hard-to-name character actor."^[6]

"D-list" is the lowest rating on the Ulmer Scale^[7], and it is often used to describe persons whose celebrity is so obscure that they are generally only known for appearances as so-called celebrities on panel game shows and reality television. The term is often exaggerated to successive letters of the alphabet for comic effect. Kathy Griffin, a comedian who became widely known for her frequent appearances on such programs, uses the term in a tongue-in-cheek manner for her TV series Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List. Some celebrities who begin their careers in this way eventually rise in fame to upper levels of the B-list or, depending on the definition, even the A-list; examples include the members of the Kardashian family and Paris Hilton.

See also[link]

• Bankable star
• Celebrity
• Movie star
• Superstar
• Famous for being famous

References[link]

External links[link]

Neil Patrick Harris
Harris at a ceremony in September 2011 to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Born	(1973-06-15) June 15, 1973 (age 39)[1] Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, musician, director, magician
Years active	1988–present
Partner	David Burtka (2004–present)
Children	2

Neil Patrick Harris (born June 15, 1973) is an American actor, singer, director, and magician. He is best known for the title role in Doogie Howser, M.D., the womanizing Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother, a fictionalized version of himself in the Harold & Kumar series, and the title role in Joss Whedon's musical web series Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.

Harris was named as one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people in 2010,^[2] and was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in September 2011.^[3]

Early life[link]

Harris was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico and grew up in Ruidoso, New Mexico. His parents, Sheila and Ron Harris, ran a restaurant.^[4] He attended La Cueva High School in Albuquerque, where he acted in school plays and musicals. Harris graduated as an honors student in 1991.

Career[link]

Harris at the 2008 Comic Con in San Diego, California

Film[link]

Harris began his career as a child actor and was discovered by playwright Mark Medoff at a drama camp in Las Cruces, New Mexico.^[5] Medoff later cast him in his 1988 film Clara's Heart, a drama starring Whoopi Goldberg based on the novel of the same name by Joseph Olshan. Clara's Heart won Harris a Golden Globe nomination. The same year, he starred in Purple People Eater, a children's fantasy.

His first film role as an adult was 1995's Animal Room, although he portrayed a teenager. His subsequent film work has included supporting roles in The Next Best Thing, Undercover Brother, and Starship Troopers. Harris plays a fictionalized version of himself in the Harold and Kumar stoner comedy films Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, and A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas.

In 2010, he provided voice acting for the role of the adult Dick Grayson (Nightwing) in the animated film Batman: Under the Red Hood, and the beagle Lou in the film Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore. The same year, he played the lead in the indie comedy The Best and the Brightest.^[6]

On March 7, 2010, he made a surprise appearance at the 82nd Academy Awards, delivering the opening musical number.

He starred in the 2011 movie The Smurfs

Stage[link]

Harris has worked on Broadway in both musical and dramatic roles. He played Tobias Ragg in the 2001 concert performances of Sweeney Todd. In 2002, he performed beside Anne Heche in Proof. In 2003, he took the role of the Emcee in Cabaret alongside Deborah Gibson and Tom Bosley. As a result of his critically acclaimed performance in Cabaret, Harris was named the top-drawing headliner in the role of the Emcee by GuestStarCasting.com, topping fellow celebrity stars John Stamos and Alan Cumming.^[7] In 2004, he performed a dual role of the Balladeer and Lee Harvey Oswald on Broadway, in the controversial musical revival of Stephen Sondheim's Assassins. He also sang the role of Charles (first played by Anthony Perkins) on the Nonesuch recording of Sondheim's Evening Primrose, and has portrayed Mark Cohen in the touring company of the musical Rent, a role he mockingly reprised on the January 10, 2009, episode of Saturday Night Live, which he hosted.

In 2010, he directed a production of the rock musical Rent at the Hollywood Bowl; he cast his Beastly co-star Vanessa Hudgens as Mimi.^[8] In 2011, Harris played the lead role of Bobby in Stephen Sondheim's Company, with the New York Philharmonic in concert opposite Patti LuPone and others.^[9] The same year, he directed The Expert at the Card Table at Broad Stage's Edye in Santa Monica, California.^[10]

Harris hosted the 63rd Tony Awards on June 7, 2009,^[11] and the 65th Tony Awards on June 12, 2011.

Television[link]

In 1989, Harris won the lead role in Doogie Howser, M.D., for which he was again nominated for a Golden Globe. After the show's four-season run ended in 1993, Harris played a number of guest roles on television series, such as Murder She Wrote. From 1999 to 2000, Harris starred with Tony Shalhoub in the NBC sitcom Stark Raving Mad, which lasted 22 episodes. He has taken lead roles in a number of made-for-television features including Snowbound: The Jim and Jennifer Stolpa Story in 1994, My Ántonia in 1995, The Christmas Wish in 1998, Joan of Arc in 1999, The Wedding Dress in 2001, and The Christmas Blessing in 2005.

In 2008, he guest-starred on Sesame Street as the Sesame Street Fairy Shoe Person.^[12][13][14] In 2009, Harris hosted the 7th Annual TV Land Awards and appeared as a guest judge on Season 9 of American Idol.^[15]

He also hosted the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards on September 20 of the same year. On August 21, 2010, he won two Emmy Awards at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremony, one of which was for his guest performance in the television series Glee.^[16]

After a highly successful preview at the San Diego Comic-Con, a musical episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold, featuring Harris as the villainous Music Meister, premiered on October 23, 2009 on Cartoon Network. As a character who could make anyone do his bidding by singing, he spent most of the episode singing several original songs.^[17]

Since 2005, Harris has played Barney Stinson, a serial womanizer, in the CBS ensemble sitcom How I Met Your Mother. The role earned him Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series nominations every year from 2007 to 2010.

Other media[link]

In 2007, Harris worked with Mike Nelson on an audio commentary for RiffTrax. The two "riffed" on the film Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory. Harris is a big fan of the cult TV series Nelson worked on, Mystery Science Theater 3000. He was interviewed for a 1992 Comedy Central special hosted by Penn Jillette about the series This Is MST3K and its fans.^[18] In 2008, Harris played the title role in Joss Whedon's musical web series Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog alongside Nathan Fillion and Felicia Day. The first episode of the series debuted July 15, 2008.^[19] He has also provided his voice for the Disney California Adventure Park attraction California Screamin'.^[20]

On December 11, 2010, Harris hosted the Spike Video Game Awards.

Personal life[link]

Harris with his partner David Burtka in September 2011

Harris is openly gay, confirming this in November 2006 by saying "I am happy to dispel any rumors or misconceptions and am quite proud to say that I am a very content gay man living my life to the fullest and feel most fortunate to be working with wonderful people in the business I love."^[21]

Harris attended the Emmy awards in September 2007 with his partner David Burtka, later confirming the relationship, which he said began in 2004 in an interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.^[22] On August 14, 2010, Harris announced that he and Burtka were expecting twins via a surrogate mother.^[23][24] The fraternal twins Gideon Scott, a boy, and Harper Grace, a girl, were born on October 12, 2010.^[25][26]

Following the passage of the Marriage Equality Act in New York on June 24, 2011, Harris and Burtka announced their engagement via Twitter,^[27] stating that they had proposed to each other five years ago but kept the engagement secret until same-sex marriage became legal.^[28]

Harris is a fan of magic, like his character on How I Met Your Mother. He serves as the President of the Board of Directors of Hollywood's Magic Castle.^[29] Harris won the Tannen's Magic Louis Award in 2006 and hosted the 2008 World Magic Awards on October 11, 2008. Additionally, Harris and Burtka were guests of honor for a Top Chef Masters episode which took place at the Magic Castle. Harris also performed magic in his Emmy-winning performance on Glee.

Discography[link]

Cast recordings[link]

Singles[link]

Filmography[link]

Films[link]

Television[link]

Theater[link]

Web television[link]

Video games[link]

Theme parks[link]

Awards[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Neil Patrick Harris

• Neil Patrick Harris at the Internet Movie Database
• Neil Patrick Harris at the Internet Broadway Database
• Neil Patrick Harris at Internet Off-Broadway Database
• Neil Patrick Harris on Twitter
• 2011 interview with The Sondheim Review

Anglicanism portal

Patrick Burnet Harris is a retired Church of England bishop who served in two episcopal positions.

He was born on 30 September 1934 and educated at St Albans School and Keble College, Oxford. He was ordained in 1961 ^[1] and his first post was as a curate at St Ebbes' Oxford^[2] after which he became a missionary in South America. He became the Archdeacon of Salta in 1969 before being ordained to the episcopate four years later as Bishop of Northern Argentina.^[3] After seven years he returned to England firstly as Rector of Kirkheaton ^[4] and then Secretary of the Partnership for World Mission^[5] where he remained until 1988 when he was appointed Bishop of Southwell, a post he held for 11 years. In retirement he continues to serve as an assistant bishop in the Diocese of Gloucester.

References[link]

This article about a Church of England bishop is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

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][5] which was then never mentioned within continuity. 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 as a pre-adolescent is left by his mother 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 Assassins, learning to kill at a young age, which creates a troubled relationship with his father who refuses to kill his opponents. However, the Dark Knight does care for his lost progeny.^[6] 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,^[7] becoming the fifth person to use the Robin identity. He first worked with Dick Grayson - the original Robin - who temporarily took over as Batman, before going to work alongside his father, upon Bruce Wayne's return to the role of Batman.

Publication history[link]

The child from Son of the Demon was utilized in various stories before appearing as Damian Wayne.

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 join the Brotherhood in his father's 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 has become 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.^[8] 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 successors. 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 to 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. 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 the deaths of his parents at Ra's hands, Tallant has completed following his father's tragic path as Batman. The new Dark Knight desires justice for his parents along trying to stop his grandfather, while having to battle his father's murderous double.

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 when they were at the Tropic of Cancer. After the DC Universe was remade following Flashpoint the tryst was changed to be consensual.

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 with whom he would have a daughter and son.

Fictional character biography[link]

[edit] 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."^[9]

[edit] 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. Damian then escapes, dons a variant Robin costume made of Jason Todd's old tunic and mask 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. Unfortunately, because of how he was raised, Damian lacks any sort of common sense in regards to social behavior, and believes that in order to be accepted by Batman, he must kill any rivals, which included Tim Drake.

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.^[10]

[edit] 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]

[edit] 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, whom 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.

[edit] 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 "death" 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 blindsided by Killer Croc and Poison Ivy, who prepare to kill Damian. The older girl Damian was with is later eaten by Killer Croc.^[11] Damian is saved by Nightwing who ends up being cornered by Black Mask's men, until a murderous figure 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.^[12] When Grayson hangs up his Nightwing mantle to become the newest Batman, Damian takes over the mantle of Robin by his side.^[13]

[edit] Batman: Reborn

Despite becoming Grayson's Robin, 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 Doctor Phospherous from breaking in to Project Cadmus, but fails miserably and is saved by Dick. 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. Damian then begins to mock Tim Drake for not being chosen as Robin, causing Tim to severely beat down Damian, only to be stopped by Dick.

After Tim leaves, Damian starts engaging in chess games with Hush, visiting him secretly against Dick's orders. Dick and Damian then encounter a villain called Professor Pyg, who has created an army called Dollotrons. Dick and Damian take the entire army down and begin to form a brotherly relationship. 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 previously shot Damian.^[14] thereby becoming the new Robin's opposite number in Red Hood's no-holds-barred war against crime (Red Hood's maxim is "let the punishment fit the crime").^[15]

Damian and Dick then attack Firefly, who is attempting to kill Black Mask. Victor Zsasz defeats Robin and rescues the Black Mask while Dick takes down the 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, the two duos battle it out until the arrival of the Flamingo, who temporarily paralyzes Damian. Talia fixes Damian's spine, but puts in a monitor connected to his brain allowing her to control his every movement.

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. 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.^[16]

[edit] Red Robin

Damian's second year as Robin begins with a bang, as he chooses this time to pick a fight against his predecessor, Tim Drake (Red Robin). Red Robin, who has been keeping a list of criminals and tasks he calls the Hit List, attracts Damian's fury when the Boy Wonder hacks the Hit List and discovers a hidden layer of allies to the Bat-Family considered by Tim as potential threats, among which is Robin. During a stakeout mission, Damian slices off Red Robin's line, causing him to fall from a great height. He survives, and Red Robin pulls Robin into an all-out brawl that begins with their quarry escaping, and ending in front of the theater where Bruce Wayne's parents were killed, and where Dick, Tim, and Damian's destinies were forged. Robin loses to Red Robin, but still struggles to fight when the two are stopped by Batman, who chastises the brothers for fighting in front of the theater where Batman was born. The two then enter into a grudging truce for the remainder of Robin's appearances in the series, with Batman (the one ally Red Robin trusted, and did not include in the Hit List) changing the Hit List password to make it difficult for Damian to hack.

[edit] 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, at whom Damian lashes out 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 Lanterns' assault on Gotham.^[17] 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.^[18] 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 Boys Wonders.^[19]

Return of Bruce Wayne[link]

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.^[20]

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's 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's robberies were only him stealing medicines that he needed so that he could live long enough to see his daughter grow up, Damian realises that he never really knew his father as a person, and admits that there was more to him than Batman.^[21]

After Grayson's confidant Oberon Sexton is revealed to be the Joker in disguise, Damian tortures the villain by savagely beating him with a crowbar in order to get information, considering it to be self-defense since the Joker planned to attack him.^[22] However, the Clown Prince of Crime's apparent helplessness is revealed to be another ruse and he incapacitates Damian with his hidden Joker venom. The villain intends to use Damian and Dick in his fight against their common enemies: the Black Glove. Help arrives in the form of the original Batman. After Bruce Wayne helps Dick and Damian defeat the Black Glove and the Joker, Wayne accepts his son in additions of his role as Robin.^[23] 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 Inc. ^[24]

Teen Titans[link]

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'.^[25] Although Wonder Girl objects to this decision, Grayson convinces her to let Damian stay on the team as he needs to learn that he can trust others not to betray him, only for his temper to jeopardize his first mission with the team when he attacks an opponent just after Raven had convinced him to calm down, provoking their new foe into starting his wave of destruction again.^[26] Robin eventually begins to develop a friendship with Ravager, who initially reaches out to Damian due to their similar upbringings (Ravager's father being the notorious assassin, Deathstroke).^[27] Tim Drake eventually comes to the Titans for help after a robotic duplicate of the Calculator attempts to murder his close friend, Tam Fox, and decides to rejoin the team once the mission is completed. Damian chooses to leave the team upon Drake's return, reasoning that the Teen Titans do not need two Robins, and realizing that his teammates prefer to work with Tim. Upon returning to Gotham, Damian tells Dick that even though he'd been brought to the Titans in order to find friends, he did not need to, as he already had one, Grayson himself.^[28]

When Blackbat, Stephanie Brown's predecessor, returns to Gotham, she and Damian are partnered together during a stake-out to catch the Architect, a new villain obsessed with destroying Gotham landmarks. Damian berates Blackbat and mocks her for being sent to Hong Kong by his father, but she ultimately saves his life by rescuing him from the exploding Iceberg Lounge.^[29] Afterwards, the two work together to stop the bomber from destroying a massive bridge, saving dozens of lives in the process.^[30]

Robin and a group of other ex-Titans later head to Titans Tower to help the team during a battle against Superboy-Prime and the Legion of Doom.^[31] During the battle, Robin destroys one of Prime's evil Superboy dopplegangers by using a Kryptonite blade.^[32]

After the universe changes again[link]

Following the Flashpoint event, Bruce was returned by writers to being Gotham's Dark Knight, while Dick was returned to his previous role as Nightwing. Damian serves as his father's partner. After reading the letter written by his father from an alternate timeline, the Dark Knight decides that it is time to take steps to put his past behind him. He tries to teach Damian the same values his parents have instilled within him as he finally assumes his role as a father.^[33] However, despite Bruce's attempts to build a relationship with his son, he remains cold and distant with his other allies, which Alfred worries about.

Possible future[link]

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 853rd Century references a Dark Knight's battle with Two-Face-Two, which Batman #700 (2010) depicts with Damian Wayne.
• 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. Damian is a darker Batman than his father, more willing to injure and kill opponents if he judges it necessary to do so (although he mentions that he promised his father not to kill). He sets his base beneath Wayne Tower, suggesting that he inherits his paternal family's resources. 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 he felt he needed to protect Gotham. Damian states he knew he could not match his predecessors, Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson, but makes up for it by "cheating" as he calls it. By setting booby traps throughout the city (mostly prominent buildings), Damian turned Gotham itself into a weapon. Even further into this future in Batman #700 he is seen mentoring Terry McGinnis, who takes the mantle of Batman.
• Superman/Batman #75 shows Damian as he appears in Batman #666 and #700 with Conner Kent, who is now Superman. Unlike his father and the original Superman, Damian is apparently completely at odds with the new Man of Steel due to his disapproval of Damian's violent approaches as Batman. In issue #80 also shows Damian as Batman and another Superman of the future.
• Justice League: Generation Lost #14 shows another alternate future for Damian, this time taking place over 100 years in the future, where Maxwell Lord has plunged humanity into a massive Metahuman war. Here, Damian and his sidekick, the Red Hood (Thomas Grayson) serve on a new incarnation of the Justice League, dedicated to destroying Lord's army of OMACs. It is implied that Damian was able to survive and maintain his longevity by taking repeated baths in a Lazarus Pit.

Skills and abilities[link]

Having been trained by the League of Assassins since birth, Damian is already a master martial artist. Under the tutelage of Dick Grayson, he was trained 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 the Batcave's voice recognition security systems.^[34] Damian has demonstrated to have highly advanced engineering skills, as he was able to complete his father's plans of building a flying Batmobile, 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, and involved with Wayne Enterprises and its board members. He also has been trained in every weapon known to man as shown in the Blackest Night event.^[35]

Appearance[link]

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 carried a pair of brass knuckles, which he incorporated as part of this costume. He also would 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 arsenal and gadgetry, a black hood, and flexible green gloves and boots.

In other media[link]

Television[link]

• Damian Wayne made his television debut in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode "The Knights of Tomorrow!", where he was voiced by Patrick Cavanaugh for most of the episode, and by Diedrich Bader when shown as an adult. Here in a stark departure from the comics, he is presented as the son of Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle rather than the child of Bruce and Talia al Ghul. He is initially portrayed as being reluctant to follow in his father's footsteps, telling his parents that he does not want them to plot out his life for him. In this portrayal, Damian is notably not like his comic book counterpart as he bares no intent to kill at all and acts much more like his father and his costume is similar to Tim Drake's second Robin costume. After Bruce and Selina are killed by the Joker's successor Joker Jr., Damian takes up the Robin mantle and fights alongside Dick Grayson (Bruce's protege and the current Batman). Ultimately, the two bring Joker Jr. and the original aged Joker to justice and save Gotham from a poison gas attack. It shows that Damian goes on to fight the Club of Villains, Flamingo and Professor Pyg. The episode ends with an elderly Dick passing on the Batman mantle to Damian who is shown fighting crime with his own child (voiced by Sebastian Bader) as the new Robin. The pair are seen fighting the mutants from The Dark Knight Returns, a reference which is further established by the new Robin's resemblance to the Robin from The Dark Knight Returns, Carrie Kelly. It ultimately turns out that the events of the episode were part of a book that Alfred Pennyworth was writing titled "The Knights of Tomorrow." This episode was based on a comic book story from the Silver Age in which Batman had married Kathy Kane and their son was named Bruce Jr.

References[link]