Originally Posted by
Korath
Damian best relationship is with Dick Grayson, and the age difference was even greater than with 17 y.o. Jon.
Yes, it wasn't the silly friendship he has with 10 y.o. Jon, which somehow passed as character progression for some, and not deformation or corruption of what Damian is (a shame, considering that Tomasi and Gleason wrote a really good Damian in Batman and Robin and Robin : Son of Batman).
Damian doesn't care about the age of others. He's in charge, and to earn his respect and his friendship, you have to challenge him and prove yourself. That's why Dick Grayson grew on him while Tim Drake didn't; why he befriended Duke Thomas and Wally West. When they felt it necessary, they pushed him back and he likes them for it.
Damian has a scarred core, not a soft one. He cares, in his own way, about a lot of things, be they peoples or animals. But he can't change the fact that eh was groomed since his birth to rule. His struggle is that he is a natural-born killer and conqueror trying to become a hero, with an extremely flawed role model -Batman- another one who can't always be there for him - Nightwing- and two cautionary tales - Jason and Tim.
Even his best friends, Maya Ducard and Suren Darga are damaged goods, the children of evil and twisted men, reaching to become something better. That's why he works so well with his current Teen Titans and especially with Emiko Queen, while he didn't with his former team. He's not Tim Drake who makes friends out of everyone he met, if he so wishes. He's Damian, a little tyrant who will take a bullet for you if you earned it, utterly devoted to what he consider his missions, often to the point of zealotry. That's why his friendship with Jon don't work for me in Supersons. This isn't the real Damian here, because he's too goofy, too stupid and kid-like to be considered anything else but a twisted version of Damian.