Latest Robin in Batman comics dies this week
Damian Wayne, son of Bruce, meets his end in 'Batman, Incorporated'
By DonKaye_ParallelUniverse Feb 25, 2013 1:57PM
The latest version of Batman's crime-fighting sidekick, Robin, will die this week in Batman, Incorporated #8, which hits the stands on Wednesday (February 27).
But while Batman has lost people close to him before -- including an earlier Robin -- this one will hit particularly hard: the current Robin is Damian Wayne, his illegitimate son.
Bing: More on Batman | More on Damian Wayne
The New York Post and DC Comics confirmed the news on Monday (February 25), following rumors that had circulated through the fan community that Damian was going to meet his end. The cocky and whip-smart 10-year-old, often at odds with his old man, is Bruce Wayne's son by Talia al Ghul, the daughter of longtime arch-nemesis Ra's al Ghul.
(For those keeping score, Talia was played by Marion Cotillard in last year's "The Dark Knight Rises," while Liam Neeson appeared as her dad in that film and 2005's "Batman Begins.")
Damian will apparently die at the hands of a brutal assassin who also happens to be cloned from his own genetic material, with his father arriving too late to save him. But writer Grant Morrison promised that the young superhero "saves the world. He does his job as Robin...he dies an absolute hero."
DC has also posted a new essay by Morrison about his current run writing Batman comics, which began in 2006 and is coming to a close. He addresses the death of Damian by saying, "In many ways this has been Damian's story as much as it has been the story of Bruce Wayne and it's a story that had its end planned a long time ago -- for what son could ever hope to replace a father like Batman, who never dies?"
There have been five Robins in Batman comics continuity, starting with Dick Grayson, who debuted in 1940 as the original. Grayson later went off on his own as Nightwing and his replacement, Jason Todd, was famously murdered by the Joker in 1989's A Death in the Family. Todd was later resurrected and assumed the persona of Red Hood.
The next Robin was Tim Drake, who lasted from 1991 to 2009 before also becoming a superhero in his own right, Red Robin. He was briefly replaced by his girlfriend, Stephanie Brown, although she only lasted for a brief spell before Damian came on the scene. Another female Robin, 13-year-old Carrie Kelly, fought alongside the Bat in Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns, but that was not part of series continuity.
Batman has been to some pretty dark places in the last couple of years, between Morrison's books and those of Scott Snyder (Batman: The Court of Owls), so it will be interesting to see what Damian's demise does to his already tortured psyche. Of course, characters also have a habit of not staying dead in comic books, but this one seems likely to stick -- and do incalculable damage to the Dark Knight.
"Batman, Incorporated" #8 is out in stores Wednesday, February 27.
21Comments
Feb 26, 2013 1:07AM
The article got one thing wrong--since Damien Wayne is the son of Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul, he is not actually their "illegitimate son," because, as it was explained in the Batman graphic novel "Son of the Demon," Bruce and Talia were technically married. And it was in that same graphic novel that Damien was conceived and born, although Talia lied to Bruce, saying that she lost the baby, but actually gave birth to him and had him secretly adopted by a couple. So the writer of this article is clearly not a comic book geek, neither did he do enough research.
Feb 25, 2013 8:22PM
Feb 26, 2013 9:58AM
Feb 26, 2013 11:36AM
Feb 26, 2013 11:23AM
Feb 26, 2013 1:06PM
Feb 26, 2013 11:01AM
Feb 26, 2013 6:49PM
Feb 26, 2013 7:44AM
Feb 26, 2013 5:52PM
I know I'm out of touch, comics wise, but what ever happened to Dick Grayson? He (Robin) became Nightwing right? Anyway it's all a bit like Mr. Spock dying. Nobody really dies in Sci-fi, soaps, or comics. So they will clone him or it wasn't really him that died or they all come back in Bizarro world and have tea with the Mad Hatter. I played Gotham city recently and I didn't even know that Batgirl was in a wheel chair. Superman is a Vegan? WTF?
Feb 26, 2013 11:45PM
Feb 26, 2013 2:41PM
Why is he still running around with 10 year old kids in the first place? Does he never learn? kids should be in school, not running around with him fighting crime. What an irresponsable guardian. Another dead kid in his hands. I hope Gotham City's child protective services take away any other kid he ends up being around.
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