DC Comics has announced that this fall will see Batman and Robin will finally clash in Batman vs. Robin. The building tension between Bruce Wayne and Damian Wayne will boil over in this September’s five-issue limited series from writer Mark Waid, artist Mahmud Asrar and colorist Nathan Fairbarn.
Since his introduction in 2006, Damian’s relationship with his father Bruce has been tenuous, but they’ve usually put aside their differences for the greater good. That doesn’t appear to be the case anymore; the pair have recently been drifting apart, both physically and morally, in the aftermath of Alfred Pennyworth’s death at the hands of Bane in the City of Bane event. Now they’re set to come to direct blows in Batman vs. Robin, which DC hails as an “epic battle of icons years in the making!”
Batman vs. Robin will be a spinoff of both Waid’s Batman/Superman: World’s Finest and Joshua Williamson’s ongoing Batman/Robin/Deathstroke Shadow War crossover event, according to Newsarama. DC’s description of the event reads, “Deep in the heart of Lazarus Island, the demonic legacy of the al Ghul family line has at last been freed, and the Devil Nezha is out for blood.” Nezha is familiar to fans as the main antagonist of the current World’s Finest series, a team-up between Batman and Superman. Damian, who recently took part in a deadly tournament on Lazarus Island, will fall into Nezha’s clutches and the return of an old friend of Bruce’s will haunt him as father and son are pitted against each other. Waid promises that Batman vs. Robin will take Bruce and Damian “into a realm that I’m not used to seeing them in, which is dark magic sorcery, rather than science, rather than logic and detective stuff.”
Damian hasn’t been able to shake Alfred’s death, especially since it occurred right before his eyes. Additionally, Bruce isn’t really emotionally intelligent to begin with, so he wasn’t very well equipped to help his son through their massive loss. In fact, Bruce made the worst parental decision possible: he literally blamed Robin for Alfred’s death. It’s no surprise that the father and son are finally coming to blows.
In addition to past events, DC Comics has also hinted that more buildup for this event is still to come. In August, DC will be releasing a trade paperback collection titled Batman vs. Robin: Road to War that will feature numerous stories focusing on Bruce and Damian Wayne. It will include stories from Teen Titans #43-44, Teen Titans Annual #2, and Detective Comics #1032-1033. This collection also features a “two-part backup feature that sets the stage for a new chapter in the life of Damian Wayne,” originally published in Batman #106 and Detective Comics #1034. DC’s description of this upcoming collection promises that “a storm is coming… and a battle years in the making between Bruce Wayne and Damian Wayne is on the horizon.” Readers will be able to recap the breakdown of the relationship between Batman and Robin, just in time to witness the consequences in Batman vs. Robin.
Batman vs. Robin from DC Comics debuts in September 2022.
