Damian Wayne: Robin Appreciation 2019

[Jackalope89]

Really liked this page from Teen Titans.



Even among peers, Damian is still a little too short for the panel. lol

And... Roundhouse isn't wrong either. lol

[dietrich]

http://marcusto.tumblr.com

[dietrich]

Really liked this page from Teen Titans.



Even among peers, Damian is still a little too short for the panel. lol

And... Roundhouse isn't wrong either. lol

Lol this is so cute. Trying to imagine just how short he is now compared to new Jon

[CPSparkles]

Lol this is so cute. Trying to imagine just how short he is now compared to new Jon

This

[CPSparkles]

http://miyuki-rin.tumblr.com

[CPSparkles]

A hero by choice

I love this run and this dynamic duo

[Mataza]

Damian and Identity


So, in the newest issue of Teen Titans, Alfred tells Damian this.

“You have the distinct privilege of knowing who you are and how you fit into this life, as you bear the name Wayne.”

For context, he’s explaining to Damian why he’s protecting Jason and trying to get him to talk to Jason rather than fight him. All that’s fair enough, but this description of Damian seems highly inaccurate to me.

Damian has a lot of privileges, wealth being the obvious one, but I always thought that the central conflict of his character was that he didn’t know who he was. Damian’s whole identity has been fed to him by his mother and, now that he’s left her, he’s trapped between the ideologies of his mother and father. One of them is an assassin, the other a thou-shall-not-kill vigilante. Choosing between those two lives is, essentially, choosing between his parents. He’s always seemed somewhat insecure of his position in Batman’s family, which makes sense because he is the only biological child of Bruce Wayne, which makes him the odd one out, and the only one who came to him as an unrepentant killer. He was also rejected by Bruce a number of times early on, including when Bruce first came back to find that Dick had made him Robin.

Here are a few good examples of Damian’s insecurities:

In Batman and Robin (2009), Damian worries that when Bruce comes back, he and Dick won’t get to be Batman and Robin anymore. Being Robin is something that, to him, means he belongs, and he’s afraid that Bruce will take it away.
In Red Robin (2009), Tim’s inclusion of Damian on a list of heroes he’s made plans to take down sets Damian off as he sees it as a rejection, not only of him, but of the effort that he’s put in to respect and follow the values of the vigilante side of his family. (It’s worth noting that Damian had tried to kill Tim before. Twice. At least.) After this incident, Dick says of Damian, “He practically bleeds the need to be accepted.”
In Batgirl (2009), Damian tries to convince Stephanie that Bruce has time for him. Stephanie doesn’t buy it.
The War of the Robins arc in the New 52, in which he tried to defeat all of the Robins. He outright stated that he wanted to prove he was the best “to you, to him, to me.”
The Nightwing Must Die arc, in which he worries about Dick having a child as he thinks that that child would effectively push him out of the relationship he has with Dick.
His issue of Batman: Prelude to the Wedding focuses on his fear of Bruce and Selina having a child because, again, he fears being replaced.
Damian has a lot of bravado about being Bruce’s blood son, but that’s all it is. Bravado. He’s terrified of being replaced. Terrified of rejection. After all, his mother rejected him for embracing his father’s ideals, so where will he go if they decide that they don’t want him either? To say that Damian, who was raised with opposite ideals to the entire Batfamily, knows where he belongs in the vigilante world simply because his surname is Wayne is just bizarre.

It is, admittedly, not the first time I’ve side-eyed Damian’s portrayal in the current Teen Titans run. The secret prison still seems out of character to me, especially as Damian recruited Djinn by talking about redemption and how he’d done bad things too. This is character whose focus was redemption from pretty much the moment he came in up until the end of the New 52 (it’s the entire point of Robin: Son of Batman). It doesn’t make sense for him to decide that villains cannot be redeemed. I suppose, an argument can be made that Damian was raised to be bad and that he could see adult villains as people who’ve chosen evil, but I can’t find a textual basis for that level of nuance.

The secret prison is something I can see Damian doing. Imprisoning someone doesn't automatically mean he believes they can't be redeemed.

Completely agree with this. good analysis.

didn't stop the family viewing him as a demon or an enemy.

This was 100% on Damian.

Dick accepted him because he was a young boy in need on his own in gotham doing hero work.

Nope, he accepted him because he was Damian Wayne.

Being a Wayne guarantees nothing.

This is not true. In fact being a Wayne, both inside and outside the narrative gives him more leverage than pretty much any other character in the Batman mythos other than Bruce and maybe Dick.

Tim dislikes because of his name.

This is wrong. Jealousy was never a part of Tims motivation.

The first and most important thing to understand is that to Tim, Robin is important, it is not only what keeps Batman sane and balanced, it is a mantle that is important even when divorced from Batman. He struggled all his career to honor it, to be worthy of wearing it. It took a long time for him to even wear it, out of respect for Jason and the legacy of Robin, it took a lot longer to feel he deserved it.
It represents a purity and innocence, but also the strenght to go against overwhelming odds in the name of justice. Tim never wanted to fight crime all his life, but the time he was around, his service as Robin had to represent all that.

The problems Tim has with Damian are solely about the Robin mantle and what Damian did. Before he knows who this kid is and what he wants, but already knowing its bruces son, he extends his hand and offers friendship (this immediately tells you that his intentions are noble and that theres no jealousy), but is rejected. He gets the head of a criminal with a grenade in the mouth before their first exchange. He offers a helping hand after their fight, but is betrayed. Through all of this he tries to be the bigger man, because there are no ill feelings towards Damian, yet.

The moment this becomes too much is when Damian starts wearing a Robin costume, thats the moment his attitude towards Damian makes the biggest shift. Because that, not the attempts on his life, not his name, or him being the son of Bruce, THAT is an attack on him and what he has worked for. Thats the first time we see Tim attacking him without giving Damian a chance to explain, when he comes back wearing the costume.

[CPSparkles]

[CPSparkles]

Dark Prince






http://miyuki-rin.tumblr.com

[Aahz]

This

Is Damian really older? Wasn't he artificially aged?

[Jackalope89]

Is Damian really older? Wasn't he artificially aged?

Maybe. Superman Reborn did warp reality, so it is possible Damian was born 3 years before Jon was.

[CPSparkles]

Tim didn't hate Damian because of his name. His dislike and doubt started after Damian tested him. However the major reason for his resentment that lingered and defined their relationship was Damian replacing him.

Since Tim was able to forgive Jason no reason he couldn't forgive Damian. Even more so we remember that Damian was already a hero on the path to redemption, Saved Tim's life, was someone Dick [the person who created,set and defined everything that is Robin] and Alfred considered an ally and suitable to wear the R. Jason at the time didn't have all those in his favour yet Tim seemed more willing to forgive him.

I know Secret Origins changed the way Damian became Robin by having Alfred forge a letter but I even without the letter I doubt Dick would have treated Damian differently.
A 10 year old with no one else, working as a hero and already helping the Bats out? Dick believed Tim was ready to go solo so he gave Robin to the one most in need of that mantle. He would have done the same even if Damian wasn't Bruce's kid because that is what the Robin was created for.

[TheCape]

Tim didn't hate Damian because of his name. His dislike and doubt started after Damian tested him. However the major reason for his resentment that lingered and defined their relationship was Damian replacing him.

Since Tim was able to forgive Jason no reason he couldn't forgive Damian. Even more so we remember that Damian was already a hero on the path to redemption, Saved Tim's life, was someone Dick [the person who created,set and defined everything that is Robin] and Alfred considered an ally and suitable to wear the R. Jason at the time didn't have all those in his favour yet Tim seemed more willing to forgive him.

I know Secret Origins changed the way Damian became Robin by having Alfred forge a letter but I even without the letter I doubt Dick would have treated Damian differently.
A 10 year old with no one else, working as a hero and already helping the Bats out? Dick believed Tim was ready to go solo so he gave Robin to the one most in need of that mantle. He would have done the same even if Damian wasn't Bruce's kid because that is what the Robin was created for.

People keep saying this, but it isn't true, Tim disliked Jason even more than Damian before the reboot, after their encounters in Infinite Crisis, BFTC and FacNic Robin series, he has nothing but contempt toward him, he released him from prison because he knew that Bruce didn't want him to rot on prison and the feeling was mutual. It was Lodbell after the reboot when they became friends, but those are, regardless of what DC said completely different characters, we don't even know if Jason actually tried to kill him in this continuity or how Under the Red Hood came to pass. With that being said, neither Damian or Tim had any problem with the other anymore, they aren't friends but they aren't at each other throats either since the Terminus arc in Tomasi's run.

[Mataza]

Tim didn't hate Damian because of his name. His dislike and doubt started after Damian tested him. However the major reason for his resentment that lingered and defined their relationship was Damian replacing him.

It was before Damian took his mantle from him, it come from the fact that he threatened to do it.

Since Tim was able to forgive Jason no reason he couldn't forgive Damian.

Tim never did forgive Jason. We got a universe reboot and magical always Red Robin status quo.

Even more so we remember that Damian was already a hero on the path to redemption, Saved Tim's life

When did this happen?

Tim seemed more willing to forgive [Jason]

This isnt really strange tho, Tim idolized Jason.

Dick believed Tim was ready to go solo so he gave Robin to the one most in need of that mantle.

I dont think Tim being ready to give up being Robin was the issue, just Damian never having earned it. Tim placed a great importance on being Robin. By Damians own admision being Robin was just a stepping stone.
While you can think thats not a big deal, some people value some symbols, and theyll hate you for tearing them down. Nowadays Robin is the annoying brat nobody wants to work with. Everything Tim worked for simply got tore down to accomodate entitlement.
I dont think Tim would have had a problem if Dicks Robin was a good kid.

He would have done the same even if Damian wasn't Bruce's kid because that is what the Robin was created for.

A disguise to help troubled kids feel better about themselves? thats pretty lame, but could be interpreted that way.

Now i think Damian earned it later down the line, it is as we know, a redemption story. But that doesnt change the fact that things happened.

And even now that we arent sure what the hell happened, the status quo from the past continuity is so strong that their dynamic is the same even when it makes no sense for it to be.

[dietrich]

QUOTE=Mataza;4207977]

@Mataza correction I meant in spite of his name Tim hated Damian.
Even though they were technically brothers being a Wayne didn't guarantee acceptance from Tim Wayne or Bruce wayne or even Dick.

Dick Grayson would have accepted Damian even if he wasn't Bruce's kid. At that point he had already turned his back on his mother in favour of becoming a hero.

You will have to show me how his name guarantees him anything in story. Outside of the narrative being the current Robin gives him leverage. Damian isn't Batman's 1st biological child so if the name was such a leverage Helena should have been ripping the benefits decades before Damian. Aside from the Son of Batman movie inclusion in anything else can be attributed to current Robin or character appeal [possible in works where his sole purpose is bio son one could argue the appeal is purely due to him being a Wayne but such works are few]

His name couldn't keep him under the bat office. it didn't guarantee that he would appear in the bat books. It didn't stop replacements coming.

However I digress. We are talking in-story