For the British children's magazine, see Robin (magazine).

Robin is the name of several fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, originally created by Bob Kane, Bill Finger and Jerry Robinson, as a junior counterpart to DC Comics superhero Batman. The team of Batman and Robin is commonly referred to as the Dynamic Duo or the Caped Crusaders.

The first incarnation of the character, Dick Grayson, debuted in Detective Comics #38 (April 1940). Conceived as a vehicle to attract young readership, Robin garnered overwhelmingly positive critical reception, doubling the sales of the Batman related comic books.^[1] The early adventures of Robin included Star Spangled Comics #65-130 (1947–1952), which was the character's first solo feature. As Robin, Dick Grayson made regular appearances in Batman related comic books and other DC Comics publications from 1940 through the early 1980s until the character set aside the Robin identity and became the independent superhero Nightwing.

Following the retirement of Dick Grayson as Robin, a new version of the character, Jason Todd, debuted in Batman #357 (1983). The new character made regular appearances in Batman related comic books until 1988, when the character was murdered by the Joker in A Death in the Family (1989). Jason would later find himself alive after a reality changing incident, eventually becoming the Red Hood.

The premiere Robin limited series was published in 1991, featuring the third incarnation of the character, Tim Drake, training to earn the role of Batman's junior partner. Following two successful sequels, the monthly Robin ongoing series began in 1993 and ended in early 2009, which also helped Robin's transition from sidekick to a superhero in his own right.

After the forced retirement of Tim Drake (by his father) as Robin, Drake's on-and-off girlfriend, and an established DC Comics character named Stephanie Brown (alternatively known as the Spoiler) became the fourth incarnation of Robin and the first in-continuity female version of the character. However, shortly after her acquisition of the Robin mantle, Stephanie was stripped of the identity by Batman and was apparently killed by the supervillain Black Mask in the crossover Batman: War Games (2004). It has since been revealed that her death was a ruse and she eventually returned to resume her previous identity before becoming the sixth Batgirl. Following the "death" of Stephanie, the Tim Drake character reclaimed his former role as Robin, the Boy Wonder.

In the final issue of Battle for the Cowl, Bruce Wayne's son, Damian Wayne becomes the new Robin after rescuing Tim from death, working first with Grayson (who substituted as Batman), and then his returned father. Tim Drake later takes on the identity of Red Robin.

Fictional character biography[link]

About a year after Batman's debut, Batman creators Bob Kane and Bill Finger introduced Robin the Boy Wonder in Detective Comics #38 (1940). The name "Robin the Boy Wonder" and the medieval look of the original costume were inspired by The Adventures of Robin Hood. Robinson noted he "came up with Robin Hood because The Adventures of Robin Hood were boyhood favorites of mine. I had been given a Robin Hood book illustrated by N. C. Wyeth ... and that's what I quickly sketched out when I suggested the name Robin Hood, which they seemed to like, and then showed them the costume. And if you look at it, it's Wyeth's costume, from my memory, because I didn't have the book to look at."^[2] (Later re-tellings of Robin's origin have instead often said the name comes from the American robin bird, not Robin Hood,^[3] Frank Miller's All Star Batman and Robin being a notable exception; sometimes both sources are credited, as in Len Wein's The Untold Legend of the Batman.) Although Robin is best known as Batman's sidekick, the Robins have also been members of the superhero group the Teen Titans with the original Robin, Dick Grayson, being a founding member and the group's leader and with Tim Drake being the current team leader.

In Batman stories the character of Robin was intended to be the Batman's Watson as Bill Finger, writer for many early Batman adventures, once wrote: "Robin was an outgrowth of a conversation I had with Bob. As I said, Batman was a combination of Douglas Fairbanks and Sherlock Holmes. Holmes had his Watson. The thing that bothered me was that Batman didn't have anyone to talk to, and it got a little tiresome always having him thinking. I found that as I went along Batman needed a Watson to talk to. That's how Robin came to be. Bob called me over and said he was going to put a boy in the strip to identify with Batman. I thought it was a great idea."

The following fictional characters have donned the Robin costume at various times in the main DC Comics Universe continuity:

Dick Grayson[link]

Dick Grayson was an 8-year-old acrobat, the youngest of a family act called the "Flying Graysons". A gangster named Boss Zucco (loosely based on actor Edward G. Robinson's Little Caesar character) who had been extorting money from the circus killed Grayson's parents, John and Mary, by sabotaging their trapeze equipment as a warning against defiance. Batman investigated the crime and, as his alter ego billionaire Bruce Wayne, had Dick put under his custody as a legal ward. Together they investigated Zucco and collected the evidence needed to bring him to justice. From his debut appearance in 1940 through 1969, Robin was known as the Boy Wonder. Batman creates a costume for Dick, consisting of a red tunic, yellow cape, green gloves, green boots, green spandex briefs, and a utility belt. As he grew up, graduated from high school and enrolled in Hudson University, Robin continued his career as the Teen Wonder, from 1970 into the early 1980s. The character was re-discovered by a new generation of fans during the 1980s because of the success of The New Teen Titans, in which he left Batman's shadow entirely to assume the identity of Nightwing. He aids Batman throughout the later storyline regarding the several conflicts with Jason Todd until he makes his final return as the "Red Hood". Grayson temporarily took over as Batman (while Wayne was traveling through time), using the aid of Damian Wayne, making his newish appearance as "Robin", to defeat and imprison Todd.^[4][5] With Wayne's return, Grayson went back to being Nightwing.

Jason Todd[link]

DC was initially hesitant^{[citation needed]} to turn Grayson into Nightwing and to replace him with a new Robin. To minimize the change, they made the new Robin, Jason Peter Todd, who first appeared in Batman #357 (1983), similar to a young Grayson. Like Dick Grayson, Jason Todd was the son of circus acrobats murdered by a criminal (this time the Batman adversary Killer Croc), and then adopted by Bruce Wayne. In this incarnation, he was red-haired and unfailingly cheerful, and wore his circus costume to fight crime until Dick Grayson presented him with a Robin suit of his own. At that point, he dyed his hair black. After the mini-series Crisis on Infinite Earths, much of DC Comics continuity was redone. Dick Grayson's origin, years with Batman, and growth into Nightwing remained mostly unchanged; but Todd's character was completely revised. He was now a black-haired street orphan who first encountered Batman when he attempted to steal tires from the Batmobile. Batman saw to it that he was placed in a school for troubled youths. Weeks later, after Dick Grayson became Nightwing and Todd proved his crime-fighting worth by helping Batman catch a gang of robbers, Batman offered Todd the position as Robin. Readers never truly bonded with Todd and, in 1988, DC made the controversial decision to poll readers using a 1-900 number as to whether or not Todd should be killed. The event received more attention in the mainstream media than any other comic book event before it. Some outside the comic book community mistakenly thought that DC was considering killing Dick Grayson, not realizing he had been replaced. Readers voted "yes" by a small margin (5,343 to 5,271) and Todd was subsequently murdered by the Joker in the storyline, A Death in the Family, in which the psychopath beat the youngster severely with a crowbar, and left him in a warehouse rigged with a bomb. Jason Todd later returned as the new Red Hood (the original alias of the Joker) when he was brought back to life due to reality being altered. A year after the events of Infinite Crisis, Todd appeared posing as Nightwing, but subsequently returned to his Red Hood persona. In the Countdown to Final Crisis series, he briefly returned to his Robin persona as the Red Robin after meeting an Earth 51 version of Batman during his journey throughout the multiverse with Donna Troy, Kyle Rayner, and a Monitor. After returning to his own dimension, he abandoned the Red Robin mantle and returned to his role as a ruthless vigilante. After Bruce Wayne's apparent death during Final Crisis, Todd attempted to usurp the Mantle of the Bat by battling Tim Drake and Dick Grayson during Battle for the Cowl as a brutal and murderous version of Batman. He ended Tim Drake's run as Robin after he severely injured him, but was later defeated by Grayson who assumed the role of Batman with his former mentor's biological son, Damian, as the new Robin. Todd later returns as the Red Hood once more, with his own sidekick, Scarlett, by his side. They began a public campaign to discredit Batman and Robin, but Jason was ultimately unmasked and apprehended by the GCPD after a fight with the mercenary Flamingo.

In the 2010 film Batman: Under the Red Hood, the explanation for Jason's escape from death was retconned to Ra's al Ghul obtaining his body and immersing it in the Lazarus Pit.

Tim Drake[link]

DC Comics was left uncertain about readers' decision to kill Todd, wondering if they felt Batman should be a lone vigilante, disliked Todd specifically, or just wanted to see if DC would actually kill the character. In addition, the 1989 Batman film did not feature Robin, giving DC a reason to keep him out of the comic book series for marketing purposes. Regardless, Batman editor Denny O'Neil introduced a new Robin. The third Robin, Timothy Drake, first appeared in a flashback in Batman #436 (1989). Drake was a young boy who had followed the adventures of Batman and Robin ever since witnessing the murder of the Flying Graysons. This served to connect Drake to Grayson, establishing a link that DC hoped would help readers accept this new Robin. Drake surmised their secret identities with his amateur but instinctive detective skills and followed their careers closely. Tim has stated on numerous occasions that he wishes to become "The World's Greatest Detective," a title currently belonging to the Dark Knight. Batman himself has stated that one day Drake will surpass him as a detective. Despite his combat skills not being the match of Grayson's (although there are some similarities, in that they are far superior to Todd's when he was Robin), his detective skills more than make up for this. In addition, Batman supplied him with a new armored costume which included full leggings to give Drake improved protection. Tim was introduced as a happy medium between the first two Robins in that, from the readers' point of view, he is neither overly well behaved like Dick Grayson nor overly impudent like Jason Todd^{[citation needed]}. Drake is the first Robin to have his own comic book series, where he fought crime on his own. Tim Drake, as Robin, co-founded the superhero team Young Justice in the absence of the Teen Titans of Dick Grayson's generation, but would then later re-form the Teen Titans after Young Justice disbanded following a massive sidekick crossover during which Donna Troy was killed. Tim served as leader of this version of the Titans until 2009, at which point he quit due to the events of Batman R.I.P. Following the events of Infinite Crisis and 52 Tim altered the colors of his Robin costume to simply red and black in tribute to his best friend, Superboy (Kon-El), who died fighting Earth-Prime Superboy. After Batman's disappearance following the events of Final Crisis and Battle For The Cowl and his son Damian becoming Grayson's Robin, Tim is now under the identity of Red Robin. In the video game, Arkham City, Robin is a playable character and he is Tim Drake. This option is available with the pre-order and can be used in challenge maps.

Stephanie Brown[link]

Stephanie Brown, Tim Drake's girlfriend and the costumed adventurer previously known as the Spoiler, volunteered for the role of Robin upon Tim's resignation. Batman fired the Girl Wonder for not obeying his orders to the letter on two separate occasions. Stephanie then stole one of Batman's incomplete plans to control Gotham crime and executed it. In order to prove her worthiness, Brown inadvertently set off a gang war on the streets of Gotham. While trying to help end the war, Brown was captured and tortured by the lunatic crime boss Black Mask. She managed to escape but died shortly after due to the severity of her injuries. Tim Drake keeps a memorial for her in his cave hideout underneath Titans Tower in San Francisco. She recently appears alive, stalking Tim since his return from traveling around the globe with his mentor, which led into the question of whether she truly died in the first place.^[6] It is later revealed that Dr. Leslie Thompkins had faked her death after the gang war in an effort to protect her.^[7] For years she operated on and off as The Spoiler, but is now Barbara Gordon's replacement as Batgirl. She has her own series as well as making appearances throughout the other various Batman and Batman spin-off series.

Damian Wayne[link]

Damian Wayne is the child of Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul, thus the grandson of immortal terrorist Ra's al Ghul. Batman was unaware of his son's existence for years until Talia left Damian in his care. Damian is violent and lacking in discipline and morality, and was trained by the League of Assassins. Learning to kill at a young age, Damian's murderous behavior created a troubled relationship with his father, who vowed never to take a life. Originally conceived to become a host for his maternal grandfather's soul as well as a pawn against the Dark Knight, Batman saved his child from this fate which forced Ra's to inhabit his own son's body, and Damian is affectionate to his father. After Batman's apparent death during Final Crisis, Talia leaves her son under Dick Grayson and Alfred Pennyworth's care and Damian is deeply affected by his father's absence. In the first issue of "Battle for the Cowl", Damian was driving the Batmobile and was attacked by Poison Ivy and Killer Croc. Damian is rescued by Nightwing who then tries to escape but is shot down by Black Mask's men. Nightwing tries to fight the thugs, but the thugs are shot by Jason Todd. After a fight between Nightwing and Todd, Todd eventually shoots Damian in the chest. In the final issue of the series Alfred makes Damian Robin. Damian's first task as Robin was to rescue Tim. After Battle for the Cowl, Grayson adopted the mantle of Batman, and instead of having Tim (who he viewed as an equal, rather than a protégé) remain as Robin, he gave the role to Damian, who he felt needed the training that his father would have given him.

Following Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne and Flashpoint events, Bruce Wayne returns to his role as Batman while Dick resumes as Nightwing. Damian now works with his father, as well as maintaining his friendship with Grayson.

Other versions[link]

Bruce Wayne[link]

A Batman story from the 1950s featured the young Bruce Wayne assuming the identity of Robin, complete with the original costume, in order to learn the basics of detective work from a famous detective named Harvey Harris. The purpose of the secret identity was to prevent Harris from learning Wayne's true motivation for approaching him, which could have led to the detective attempting to discourage the boy from pursuing his obsession. This story was later revised in the 1980s post-Crisis to edit out any reference to Bruce Wayne having ever called himself "Robin" or worn any costume before he finally donned his Batman costume as an adult. John Byrne later worked this aspect into his non-canonical story Superman & Batman: Generations.

Post-Crisis, there was one instance in continuity when Bruce Wayne adopted the Robin persona. In Batboy & Robin, a tie-in special to the DC Comics storyline Sins of Youth, Bruce and Tim Drake, the third Robin, had their ages magically switched. In an effort to keep up the illusion of Batman, Bruce had Tim adopt the Batman identity while he is forced to be Robin.

Earth-Two Robin[link]

On Earth-Two, home of the Golden Age version of DC's superheroes, Dick Grayson continued to be Robin even as an adult, having no successors, and even after Batman's death. His allies included the All-Star Squadron along with Batwoman and Flamebird. He became a member of the Justice Society of America in Justice League of America #55.

During his later years, he adopted a more Batman-like look for a time, and by the 1960s had become a lawyer and the ambassador to South Africa. Although in semi-retirement, he was called back to active duty when he rejoined the Justice Society during the period when Power Girl and Star-Spangled Kid also assisted them.

He appeared to have died during the 1985 miniseries Crisis on Infinite Earths, in which the DC Multiverse was reduced to one Universe, and this version of Grayson, as well as the Earth-Two Batman, were deemed never to have existed. However, after the events of 52, (in which 51 new Universes were introduced) there appears to be an Earth-2 in which Robin survived, raising theories as to whether or not Earth-2 was really destroyed, or was perhaps replaced by a new Earth-2. (See the 52 section below.)

Carrie Kelly[link]

In Frank Miller's non-canonical The Dark Knight Returns, the role of Robin is filled by Carrie Kelly, a thirteen year old girl. She becomes Robin, and is accepted by the Batman after she saves his life. Unlike the previous Robins, Carrie is not an orphan, but she appears to have rather neglectful parents who are never actually depicted (one of them mutters "Didn't we have a kid?" while their daughter is watching the fierce battle between Batman and the Mutants). It is hinted through their dialogue that they were once activists and possibly hippies during the 1960s, but have since become apathetic stoners. She was the first female Robin and the first Robin with living parents. In the sequel, Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again, 2001, Carrie dons the identity of Catgirl but still works as Batman's second-in-command.

She was also featured in an episode of Batman: The Animated Series entitled Legends of the Dark Knight.

[edit] 52

In the final issue of 52, a new Multiverse is revealed, originally consisting of 52 identical realities. Among the parallel realities shown is one designated "Earth-2". As a result of Mister Mind "eating" aspects of this reality, it takes on visual aspects similar to the pre-Crisis Earth-2, including Robin among other Justice Society of America characters.^[8]

Based on comments by Grant Morrison, this alternate universe is not the pre-Crisis Earth-2.^[9] However, in the Justice Society of America Annual #1, published in the summer of 2008, Silver Scarab explains that the events of the Crisis are remembered by the people of this Earth-2, and from their perspective, Earth-2 seemed to be the only Earth to have survived the Crisis, raising theories as to whether or not Earth-2 was really destroyed, or was perhaps replaced by a new Earth-2. Indeed, in Justice Society of America #20, published in December 2008, Starman explains that during the re-expansion of the DC Multiverse, Earth-2 was reborn "along with everyone on it," including Robin.

[edit] Robin monthlies

The first Robin miniseries was printed in 1992 following Tim Drake's debut as Robin. The series centered around Tim's continued training and set up villains linked to the character. It was followed up by another series Robin II: Joker's Wild which pitted Tim against his predecessor's murderer the Joker. With Batman out of town, it was up to Tim and Alfred to end the Joker's latest crime spree. A final miniseries, Robin III: Cry of Huntress wrapped up the trilogy, teaming Tim with the Huntress. In 1993, the success of the three miniseries led to the ongoing Robin series which ran 183 issues until 2009. The title was replaced by a Batman and Robin series following the Battle for the Cowl mini-series, as well as an ongoing Red Robin monthly which continues the story of Tim Drake.

The ongoing Robin series has taken part in a number of crossovers with other comics, especially Batman and related series. These include:

• Robin #1: Knightquest: The Crusade
• Robin #7: Knightquest: The Search
• Robin #8: KnightsEnd
• Robin #9: Knightfall: Aftermath
• Robin #10–13: Prodigal
• Robin #14: Troika
• Robin #27–28: Batman: Contagion
• Robin #32–33: Batman: Legacy
• Robin #52–53: Batman: Cataclysm
• Robin #67–73: Batman: No Man's Land
• Robin #86: Batman: Officer Down
• Robin #95: Joker: The Last Laugh
• Robin #98–99: Bruce Wayne: Murderer?
• Robin #129–131: Batman: War Games
• Robin #168–169: The Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul
• Robin #175–176: Batman R.I.P.

Reception[link]

According to Entertainment Weekly he is one of the "greatest sidekicks."^[10]

Portrayals[link]

Robin (Dick Grayson) was portrayed by Douglas Croft and Johnny Duncan, respectively, in the 1943 and 1949 fifteen chapter Batman serials. Burt Ward played him in the 1966–1968 Batman television series and the related 1966 film. In the two live-action movies Batman Forever and Batman & Robin, he was played by Chris O'Donnell.

The Dick Grayson version of Robin also appears in Batman: The Animated Series, voiced by Loren Lester. Grayson is replaced by Tim Drake, played by Mathew Valencia, in the subsequent series The New Batman Adventures.

The animated series Teen Titans features Robin (voiced by Scott Menville) as the leader of a team of young heroes; it is hinted that it is Dick Grayson. When the Teen Titans animated season two, episode eleven, "Fractured", introduced their version of Bat-Mite he stated that he was Robin's DNA buddy (genetic twin) and was given the more pronounceable nickname "Larry" by Beast Boy, after Larry had given the team his real name, Nosyarg Kcid or Dick Grayson spelled backwards. Also, in one episode, Raven sees into Robin's mind and sees a man and a woman's shadow falling from a trapeze. This idea, that Robin is in fact Dick Grayson, is further supported in Teen Titans in an episode in which Starfire travels to the future, and Robin has taken the identity of Nightwing.

Robin is also seen in the 1987 Zeller's commercial, which features the infamous catchphrase, "Well said, Robin!"

Robin is voiced by Jesse McCartney in Young Justice.

Robin is portrayed by Nick Lang in Holy Musical B@man!. His portrayal is based mainly on Burt Ward's Dick Grayson.

See also[link]

• Homosexuality in the Batman franchise

References[link]

External links[link]

• Robin at the Internet Movie Database
• Extensive biography on Dick Grayson
• Extensive biography on Jason Todd
• Extensive biography on Tim Drake
• Robin on DC Database, an external wiki, a DC Comics wiki

Look up robin or Robin in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Robin may refer to:

• Robin (name), a common given name and a surname.

It may also refer to:

Birds[link]

Most birds called "robins" belong to the superfamily Muscicapoidea:

• European Robin (Erithacus rubecula)
  • More broadly, to all birds of the genus Erithacus in subfamily Saxicolinae of family Muscicapidae
• Some other members of subfamily Saxicolinae (Old World chats), such as the bush-robins and the African robins
• Certain true thrushes (Turdus) of family Turdidae, including:
  • American Robin (T. migratorius)
  • Rufous-collared Robin (T. rufitorques)
  • Rufous-backed Robin (T. rufopalliatus)
  • Formerly other American thrushes, such as the Clay-colored Thrush (T. grayi)

Other "robins" are unrelated songbirds:

• Australasian robins, the family Petroicidae
• Pekin Robin or Japanese Hill Robin, archaic names for the Red-billed Leiothrix (Leiothrix lutea)

In transportation[link]

• Avions Robin, French manufacturer of light airplanes
• Curtiss Robin, monoplane introduced in 1928
• Reliant Robin, three-wheeled car built by Reliant
• HMS Robin, the name of two Royal Navy ships and a shore establishment
• SS Robin, world's oldest complete steam coaster (a class of steamship)
• USS Robin, the name of four U.S. Navy ships

Other[link]

• Robin (answering machine), sales name of a 1985 answering machine
• Robin (comics), "The Boy Wonder" or "Girl Wonder," Batman's crime-fighting partner
• "Robin (The Hooded Man)", hit song by the Irish group Clannad
• Robin (magazine), a British children's magazine published from 1953 to 1969
• Robin, a layout engine computer software component used by The Bat! e-mail client
• Robin (TV series), cartoon created by Magnus Carlsson
• Robin Poupelle, member of a French mafia gang

See also[link]

• Robins (disambiguation)
• Sea robin, a fish with small "legs" (actually spines)
• Robyn, Swedish singer

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

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]