Damian Wayne: Batman’s Biological Son

Damian Wayne: The Fifth Robin

Most DC fans are aware of at least the first five Robins Batman had as his sidekicks; Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown, and ending with Damian Wayne (whether there were more or not after Damian is kind of a debate we shall not get into today). This last one is the subject of today’s blog. And let me just tell you. There is a lot to say about this guy. so let’s just get into the basics, hmm?

The Childhood of a son of Batman

Batman had a lot of enemies to fight, including Ra’s al Ghul and the League of Assassins. During this mission, Bruce ended up running into Ra’s daughter - Talia al Ghul. And guess what happened? They fell in love, which is where Damian came from. At first, Bruce didn’t know he actually had a son. He goes back to fighting crime, unknowingly of Damian’s existance.

Talia saw her son, who she had thus named Damian, as the perfect heir and couldn’t wait for him to become strong and follow in his father’s footsteps. Which is why she speed up his aging processes. When Damian was five years old, he actually acted and looked as if he was ten years old. Which is also why Damian became a respected and very well trained member of the League of Assassins at a super young age.

Damian Wayne Becomes Robin

It was not even Bruce who found Damian, but it was Talia who decided that he was ready to meet his father. So she send him on the next train and told him to have fun in Gotham (well, maybe not like that, but you get my point). Bruce was (for very good reason, but he kind of could have seen it coming) a bit surprised to learn that he had an assassin son with a supervillain - but took the boy in, nonetheless. Which was kind of perfect, because Batman was looking for the next Robin, anyway!

But this is where it becomes kind of sad - because Damian and Bruce actually didn’t work together for long as. (SPOILER ALERT.) Bruce passed away and Dick Grayson (his first Robin) took over the mantle of Batman, still with Damian as Robin on his side; which is how they formed a very deep and brotherly bond. Fortunately, Bruce did return - actually not really being dead (it’s a confusing story, I’m sorry), but having travelled through time, so, the two took up their names again to fight crime in Gotham (and sometimes beyond).

Damian and Moving Forward

After becoming Robin, Damian goes through a lot of things. Both with and without his father. Of course, together they spent many time patrolling and saving the streets; but Damian also becomes part of the Teen Titans, gets a complicated relationship with Jon Kent, forms the Gotham Resistance, had to work against his own mother, and gets resurrected (several times). But well… life is never easy for a Robin in the DC Universe, is it?

Damian Wayne: Powers and Abilities

Being a Robin brings with it that you have to train incredibly hard to get to a high level. That is kind of what is required if you want to stand beside Batman. Fortunately, Damian was able to take a lot of them up rather quickly.

The Abilities of Damian Wayne

There is a long list of all of the abilities Damian had. For example, he was a master at deception (declared so by Batman), and has disguised himself as substitute teachers and eldery busdrivers before. He also knows how to deal with a sword and is rather good in business management (although, not at the same time I am guessing). Damian can paint pretty good, but also has insane martial arts skills (specifically karate and tae kwon do). He knows how to play some music, can do archery pretty much as well as Green Arrow, and has a very good feeling for occultism and anything magical.

Damian’s Weaknesses

Every superhero and sidekick (and villain) have their weaknesses, usually very well described within the DC Universe. In the case of Damian, his weakness is his arrogance. He believes he is capable of more than he actually is. This confidence can be good - but more often than not it will make him underestimate his abilities or irritate his allies.

Damian’s Weapons

Obviously, a Robin is very good with combat without a weapon - but Damian is also known to be wielding a battle staff and use batarangs!

Damian Wayne: Some Fun Facts

As I said earlier, there is a lot to say about Damian, so let’s just end with some quick and interesting fun facts:

At first, Damian was created as a random idea for a baby to be left for adoption - but this idea was later revamped in the Batman and Son storyline.

In some storylines, Damian does not know his mother at all; in others he meets her at the age of eight; and in the third part of them, he had a very strong relationship with her.

He is a vegetarian.

He has a lot of pets, including (but not limited to): Bat-Cow the Cow, Wiggles the Dragon, Jerry the Turkey, Titus the Dog, and Alfred the Cat.

Are you a fan of Damian? We already were, but are now a much bigger fan knowing that he had a bat-cow and a dragon! Did you know that? Or do you have some more facts about Damian? Don’t hesitate to share in the comments for a prize!