A pivotal Robin moment in Teen Titans Annual #2

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Bruce and Damian have a LONG overdue father son moment, which leads to something terrribly sad.




Bruce FINALLY confronts Damian over his whole "Jail the bad guys without due process, and possibly reprogram their minds" plan he's been running in Teen Titans of late.

Damian says that since Batman no longer seems to worry about making the villains fear him, HE will.

The other Titans inform him that they're actually not nearly as scared of the villains as they are of Robin these days

Bruce tries to get him to stop.







Too bloody right you have Bruce. A Robin isn't just for random crossover appearances because Bruce is being all broody by himself is what the Batfamily titles tend to go for, it's for life and this kid is THIRTEEN!

Damian has a rather horrible flashback to Alfred's death (and Alfred begging, not for his life, but that Damian isn't made to watch him die, which is ignored) as he stares at the R symbol on his chest, until...





So this does seem to confirm the various rumours that Damian will no longer be Robin goign forward, giving Tim the chance to reclaim the name Robin (and they'll probably just pretend that Tim was never "Robin" in the post-Flashpoint universe, he was always "Red Robin")

I'm bitterly disappointed by this decision, if it what it seems. Damian has been a conentious character since his introduction, but I've liked the kid he's grown into for the most part (though inconsistent writing hasn't helped) and his growth whilst with (and since) Dick!Batman were a lot of fun.

I think I said when New52 came along that Damian was a bad Robin for Bruce in terms of the duo's dynamic and I think I was right. You don't create a thirteen-year old Robin who has such a skewed worldview and then keep isolating him from his father figure(s) because it misses the point of what Robin is for IMHO.

I also worry about the direction they will take him moving forward. Given his actions in Titans it may be more of the anti-hero and that I feel shouldn't be where they take someone who is an Al Ghul who has been trying so hard to be a hero for years now.

I also wonder how Dick will react to this when he comes back to his senses?
 

Comments

[donnblake]

Isn't Tim going by Drake (the deadliest bird!) these days?

I never warmed all that much to Damian- I haven't read an awful lot with him, he always struck me as consciously try-hard edgy (admittedly as a character choice rather than just a writing one) and while I understand where that comes from and don't find it entirely unsympathetic, I have a hard time not rolling my eyes when he's on panel most of the time. (So a case of not-for-me more than an accusation of his being badly written of a poor character, to be clear).

But clearly this opens the way for Batman to get a new goldfish- er... Robin! Hey, what happened to that kid with the light powers?

[magicrubbish]

Well I for one is cautiously optimistic and in fact happy with these turn of events. Full disclosure: Damian is my most favorite DC character. He's THE character anchor which keeps me attached to DC. Having said that , I completely agree that Damian can never come to his own as long as he's in Batman's shadow. He's right , his father will never see him for who he really is and what is he capable of achieving as long as he's Batman's sidekick , one of the innumerable Robins. Damian has the capability of being so much more. But for that he needs to shed off the tag of Robin. It was perfect as his entry point but it's been a while since he's grown out of that shoe. This is indeed crossroads for him. The way many years ago Dick Greyson shed off the tag of Robin , the 1st ever Robin. Had he not done that he would not ever be Nightwing.
Damian will never be Bruce part 2 and he doesn't need to be. He needs to find his own way and I don't think he'll take a turn for the worse because even in this issue we see the influence of Alfred over him , his guiding star , his anchor with humanity his real father figure. He also have Jonathan Kent . He has Dick. He'll go on a path of self discovery and make the right choice.
After all , he always have.
Bruce doesn't deserve to be part of that journey with how long and how utterly he ignored and neglected the existence of his son. One sorry apology doesn't change anything nor it should.

[magicrubbish]

Also I'm really glad that Teen brats I mean Teen Titans have been dissolved. Those kids suck as team mates . Dami deserves better friends.
Correct that , he actually has better friends. Also saves me the trouble of going through their boring acts just for the sake of Damian.
I hope they give him his own comic series now or with Jonathan. He's now popular enough to survive and succeed his own issues .
And keep Bruce away from my boy. Can Clark and Louise adopt him as their second son ?? I always liked his interactions with Superman.

[janegray]

I will say, I appreciate that page where Bruce tells him that he loves Damian and admits he failed.

[silverhammerman]

If they're actually going to do this I kind of wish they'd done it a few years ago. Either leaning into the decentralized, civic minded aspects of We Are Robin or just promoting Duke Thomas rather than making him the Signal, the superheroic legacy equivalent of a dead end job.

As is, I'll be a little surprised if this sticks. Damian's been gaining traction the past few years as Robin in mass media adaptations which I can't imagine DC wants to lose, and given that he's pointedly younger than the other Robins, giving him his own identity as a solo hero would be tricky to justify. They could age him up, but I suspect that DC wouldn't want Batman's one biological kid running around as a 20-something.

Also, as someone who has complained before about the Batfamily being too large, this is getting ridiculous. If Damian leaves and they bring in yet another Robin, Batman will have gone through five major Robins, that's too many Robins! It's confusing and redundant!

[lordultimus]

See this is why Damian needs a Jon his own age or younger, this would never have happened in the Super Sons era.

[matrix_dragon]

Stop blaming Batman for the status quo. The man is not judge, jury and executioner, and never has been. Blame the writers out of universe, and the justice system in-universe.

[leahandillyana]

This was the nicest issue of Teen Titans since well before New 52, but it really showcases how the "no killing (unless I personally do it)" ideology goes nowhere. Damian is unfortunately right here - some villains cannot be contained or redeemed, and killing them is the only option. I guess he may team up with Red Hood now?

[obsidianwolf]

My reaction to this is pretty much the same as my reaction to Damian himslef prety much ambivelent. I mean the character came along and hit way too many of my this is everything wrong with DC comics buttons and while some writers have done some real heavy lifting and almost salvaging him it's just never quiet worked to me.

And this plot line while heavily foreshadowed dozens or so times over still feels hollow because sooner or later the status quo of Damain as Robin is probably going to be restored. I seriously doubt we've got a Hal Jordan or Barry Allen situation where Damian will get shuffled to the side to make way for the more iconic character. (that would only happen if DC decided to reboot totally and put Dick back in the short pants)

[tcampbell1000]

Not sure if that's meant to be Batman's shadow on the cover there, but can't unsee or unthink about how that'd mean the shadows were going in two different directions.

Damian's Gitmo phase was never my favorite, so I'm glad to leave it behind, and I'll concede there's some effort to justify it in light of his recent traumas. But Batman's apology seems less like an earned moment and more like a veiled CYA from the creators. "Hmm, Damian was running his own secret prison and low-key terrorizing his teammates for what felt like YEARS and Batman never noticed even though they were living and working together at the same time? How do we explain that? I know, let's just have Batman admit he's a BIG, STUPID ASSHOLE."

There's something deeply ironic, and not in a good way, about this iteration of Teen Titans echoing the "outgrowing Robin" theme. When Dick did it, it seemed like an acknowledgment of growth and the passage of time, and the story was very committed to the follow-through of his new identity. If this is indeed about Damian vacating the role so Tim can step in, it's about going backward, not forward.

Frankly, I'm not anxious to see any more Robins after this. Let's just give that concept a long rest. Signal's got his own thing going on, Tim's the obvious choice but he's really outgrown the role, and I can't see how anybody new could really get past the child-endangerment thing.

[lonewolf23k]

Maybe Damien can become Red X or something?

[superfangirl1]

I have grown to like Damien as Robin. Also feel bad for Damian that's he's going through so much emotional trauma with Alfred's death. What is really frustrating is Damian’s character being so inconsistent in comics.

If this ends with Damian becoming Flamebird with Dick, I know not likely but would love that possibility.

[raspberryrain]

I've heard of emancipated minors, but this is ridiculous!

[john_wyatt]

I really adored the Super Sons dynamic. I really hated Bendis aging Jon and Damian breaking bad. Most of the time, reset retcons bug me, but I'd prefer a return of a younger, more innocent Jon/Damian pairing. LSH and Teen Titans have done nothing for me.