Warning: contains spoilers for Robin #2
Out of all the Robins, Damian Wayne is probably the least interested in romance. While Dick Grayson is stuck in a perpetual love triangle, Jason Todd has been paired with a variety of fellow heroes, and Tim Drake is in love with Stephanie Brown, Damian’s intense upbringing with the League of Assassins has left little room in his heart for love. Given that background, it’s only fitting that Damian’s new love interest is the girl who literally ripped his heart out.
Damian Wayne’s new solo series has seen the former Boy Wonder enter DC’s version of the Mortal Kombat tournament. Taking place on Lazarus Island, the tournament is a competition between some of the DC Universe’s deadliest fighters. Far from any interest in whatever reward the tournament could offer, Damian is just out to prove himself. Damian’s arrogance is his perpetual weakness though. Immediately after stepping foot on Lazarus Island, Damian declares that he trained with the best of the best and that he wants to get straight to the fighting. Putting him in his place is Damian’s exact opposite, Flatline. Instead of learning from the best of the best, Flatline learned from those who have died in combat. Though Damian puts up a decent fight, Flatline wastes no time in literally ripping Damian’s heart out, killing him.
Now, in Robin #2 from Joshua Williamson and Gleb Melnikov, Damian wakes up with his heart restored. Deathstroke’s daughter, Ravager, is quick to get him up to speed, informing him that Lazarus Island is a place where no one can die. Each combatant in the tournament gets three lives, with the last person standing winning the tournament and claiming immortality. As Ravager explains the rules, Damian spots Flatline fighting. He indicates that he’s watching her, to which she responds with a wink. Later at night, Flatline sneaks up on Damian as he investigates the island. Together, they watch the island’s caretakers. Flatline tells Damian that they should be frenemies, to which Damian only deflects.
![Robin is Falling in Love With the Girl Who Murdered Him](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Robin-Flatline.jpg)
While Flatline’s obvious attraction to Damian might seem one-sided at first, it’s clear that Damian is at least a little attracted to her on some level. Much like his father before him, Damian keeps his heart close to his chest and isn’t great at showing emotion other than wild arrogance. Given Damian’s relative inexperience in the area of romance, it’s also entirely possible that he’s interpreting feelings for Flatline as rivalry instead of attraction.
This marks Damian’s most significant love interest to date. While he has hinted at being attracted to Supergirl, and there have been hints that he had feelings for Djinn II, Maya Ducard, and Red Arrow these crushes were largely underdeveloped and never amounted to anything. It’s a cute joke that their relationship starts with Flatline literally ripping Damian’s heart out. Still, it begs the question of how much of that is foreshadowing. Flatline is the daughter of Batman villain Lord Death Man, so it’s entirely possible she’s planning on betraying Robin at the nearest chance.