REQUIEM, Retcons, and the Return of Damian?

[Dzetoun]

Well, a lot of speculation about Tomasi's upcoming "event" starting in April involves the idea that it will result in the return of Damian Wayne is some form. The evidence for this is:

1) the current plot trend of the Batman and ... line;
2) the fact that Secret Origins features Damian in July just as the event kicks off;
3) the fact that the teaser image for Future's End features a male Robin with light skin and dark hair who is apparently either a teen or in his early twenties. Tim Drake, Dick Grayson, and Jason Todd are all accounted for in Future's End or Five Years Later solicits, and none of them can be the Robin in question. On the other hand, a fifteen year old Damian (which he would be if he returns this year) fits the description. The only other candidate we know of at the moment would be Cullen Row, if he suddenly evinces heroic tendencies not so far in evidence and becomes the openly gay Robin many want Tim Drake to be;
4) most importantly, Warner Bros Animation has started releasing movies featuring Damian, and the timing of those movies and this event probably isn't just a coincidence.

An objection to this would be that it is too soon for Damian to return, and that such a development would make a mockery of the Requiem arc, since putting Bruce through the five stages of grief would be pointless if it's all going to be undone a few months later. But Warner Bros could probably care less than a fig for the coherence of DC Comics narratives, and they have shown themselves to be willing to arbitrarily advance DC timelines in the past, which is why Flashpoint ended up being a reboot story when it was not supposed to be. If DC is under duress to get Damian off the bench and fast, DC might be in the process of quietly retconning the whole Requiem storyline away, or at least of relegating it to the misty neverland where stories like Jason Todd: The Lost Days and Bruce Wayne: The Road Home lived before the reboot. Almost no one has seen fit to refer to the events of Requiem recently, I think the last reference was a passing nod in Tynion's RHATO run. In the Batman/Superman Annual the confrontation between Jason and Bruce in Ethiopia is ignored, and Tim does not mention the events in Greenland during Batman Eternal #5. Barbara may be referring to Requiem with her "you're one to talk" remark in Batman Eternal #4, but the remark is so vague it could refer to almost anything. It seems that, like The Road Home, DC is moving Requiem into an area of "we aren't going to formally disavow it but we aren't ever going to do anything with it or mention it again, so feel free to go on as if it never happened." This month's Batman and Frankenstein will tell the tale. If the vivisection doesn't come up, or if it is given one line to be quickly swept aside, then DC will be saying of Requiem, "nothing important to see, move along."

[Dark_Tzitzimine]

And I'm really glad for that, Requiem was terrible by all accounts. Just murdering characterizations and dumbing down the characters for cheap drama.

[JasonTodd428]

I'm glad of that as well. It was a poorly planned out and executed arc full of trite drama. Some people have tried to convince me to cut Bruce a little slack because his "natural born" son had been killed but I felt his reaction was way out of line.

[Penguin Truth]

They should have done a movie based on Tomasi's B&R run rather than Batman & Son.

[Captain Jim]

Maybe I'm being dense but, if Damian comes back, how does that nullify the fact that he did die and was mourned? Where is the contradiction here?

Having said that, I'll agree that the Requiem arc in Batman and was pretty bad.

[Penguin Truth]

The "silent" issue was spectacular. The rest was mostly just okay. I'll probably still end up getting the trade.

[Dzetoun]

Maybe I'm being dense but, if Damian comes back, how does that nullify the fact that he did die and was mourned? Where is the contradiction here?

Having said that, I'll agree that the Requiem arc in Batman and was pretty bad.

The argument, as I understand it, is that it creates a jarring, and somewhat insulting, narrative arc in which Bruce goes through an extended grieving process to be told at the end, "okay, now that that's over and we've got everybody's money, here's your son back." That is extremely subjective, I agree, but it seems a common response in some quarters. I think there are some people that would view it as 1) a sin against character development, and 2) an insult in that it makes light of grief and loss.

If this new event is being launched by command of Warner Bros, who I seriously doubt cares a penny about any of those concerns, then I can see how DC might decide to spare themselves a little trouble by quietly setting the Requiem stories aside. Then again, Tomasi has never shown himself to be shy about writing arcs that will inevitably be shoved into neverland, Arkham War being a great example.

[oasis1313]

I really miss Damian, want him back.

[Conway]

I'm glad of that as well. It was a poorly planned out and executed arc full of trite drama. Some people have tried to convince me to cut Bruce a little slack because his "natural born" son had been killed but I felt his reaction was way out of line.

Tomasi's B&R Requiem issue was brilliant. The rest of them need to be burned, especially Snyder's.

[NexusTenebrare]

3) the fact that the teaser image for Future's End features a male Robin with light skin and dark hair who is apparently either a teen or in his early twenties. Tim Drake, Dick Grayson, and Jason Todd are all accounted for in Future's End or Five Years Later solicits, and none of them can be the Robin in question. On the other hand, a fifteen year old Damian (which he would be if he returns this year) fits the description. The only other candidate we know of at the moment would be Cullen Row, if he suddenly evinces heroic tendencies not so far in evidence and becomes the openly gay Robin many want Tim Drake to be;

Actually the costume and the him being next to Booster Gold seem IMO to indicate a time-displaced past Robin. Most likely Dick.
That being said, I defenitely want Damian back. He's my favorite Robin. Even though I grew up on Dick in the 90's animation and Tim in the comics.

As for an openly gay Robin. I don't think they'd put Cullen in that role. I'd love to see them actually give him powers and become an active part of the Bat family (and the happenings in Eternal could open the door to that), but I don't see him as Robin happening. And frankly, I'd much rather have Damian be an openly gay Robin than Tim. Especially if they age him up. Though that's not especially necesairy for him to identify as gay. At least Damian hasn't shown any previous interest in women before.

[DV1Band]

I don't want Tim Drake to be gay. I hate the way that they're writing him now. They need to go back to the Yost era... I have no doubt that Damian will return...

[JasonTodd428]

Tomasi's B&R Requiem issue was brilliant. The rest of them need to be burned, especially Snyder's.

I was referring to the "Five Stages of Grief" issues though and not his Requiem issue. I'm really not a fan of Tomasi's Batman and Robin work though. It has a lot of stylistic problems to me that made his entire run less than enjoyable reading. I dropped it at issue 12 after hoping for months that it would improve. It never did. I came back temporarily for the beginning of the "Five Stages of Grief" arc and after two I was completely done with him. I haven't so much as touched an issue since the Batman and Red Hood one and I don't plan to return to the title at all until there is a creative team change. YMMV.

[oasis1313]

DC should have killed off Tim Drake instead of Damian.

[ABH]

DC should have killed off Tim Drake instead of Damian.

Morrison didn't have a reason to kill off Drake, while Damian's death was always part of the plan.

Plus, hopefully Batman Eternal can salvage Red Robin, and make Tim interesting again.

[JasonTodd428]

Plus, hopefully Batman Eternal can salvage Red Robin, and make Tim interesting again.

I really hope it does make him interesting again and that it feeds into how he is in Teen Titans as well.