Warning: contains spoilers for Robins #2!
Out of all the various Robins that Batman has trained throughout the years, Damian Wayne remains the most mysterious – and the most dangerous. Damian is the only Robin who was trained to fight from an early age long before he wore the red, green and yellow costume. Damian is inherently unpredictable, and Batman is well aware of just how volatile he can be, which is why the end result of his his test in Robins #2 is so disconcerting.
Damian Wayne may be the fifth Robin that Batman has trained, but he remains the first who is biologically related to Bruce Wayne. He’s Wayne’s son, and Talia Al Ghul is is mother. As a result, Damian was trained by the League of Assassins and in this sense, had training that even Bruce Wayne never had. Still, Damian must be tested like all the other Robins before him…though the results are unique among the Dark Knight’s sidekicks.
In Robins #2, the five main Robins – Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown and Damian Wayne – team up, but the narrative is interspersed by notes from Batman himself. They refer to the Robins’ individual tests as ‘gauntlets’ and are a way for Bruce to assess how each Robin makes decisions in a stressful crisis situation. Some, like Dick Grayson, pass with flying colors; others like Stephanie Brown prove they’re not worthy of the name Robin (yet). But Damian’s test is unique.
While Batman was away, Damian attacked Tim Drake, whom Wayne saw as his rival. Damian, trained in battle to eliminate threats (and he has eliminated them, actually killing some of his enemies unlike Batman who famously never breaks his One Rule) was in a perfect position to kill Drake, but did not. Per Batman’s notes: “The question this inadvertently raises: was that a moment of mercy? Or a strategy for infiltration? Incomplete.” Batman knows Damian Wayne, just like his mother, plays the long game, and he also knows that Damian sees himself as the only worthy successor to the mantle of Batman. Damian has mellowed out in recent years, but the possibility remains that his behavior could all be a feint.
Out of all the Robins, Damian is the most interesting for this reason. He is singularly calculating, and – quite similarly to his father’s paranoia – sees people as either allies or enemies with little room in between. For this reason, Batman will always be wary around his son Damian Wayne.
