Robin Damian Wayne has mastered a new skill that’s even absent from Batman’s own arsenal of abilities. This skill is as essential as it is unconventional and has resulted in Damian earning the title “The Bat-Exorcist.” While there’s still time for Batman and the other Bats to learn this game-changing ability, they may not demonstrate the same level of effectiveness in executing it as Robin does.
Batman/Santa Claus: Silent Knight #4, crafted by Jeff Parker, Stephen Segovia, and Danny Kim, delves into the concluding chapter of DC’s 2023 Batman holiday special. The narrative unfolds as various DC heroes and Santa continue to fight against nefarious forces unleashing deadly creatures upon Earth.
Beyond this mission, there’s also the priority of locating Robin, who was kidnapped by Krampus. The usually harmless holiday trickster is possessed by malevolent supernatural forces that are trying to convince him to kill the captured Robin. During his captivity, Damian learns a crucial new skill: the power of shedding crocodile tears.
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The season of cheer has transformed into the season of tears as Santa reveals Batman’s heartbreaking and unmet Christmas wish in DC’s holiday special.
Robin Damian Wayne Learns the Power of Crocodile Tears
Unbeknownst to the other heroes, Krampus is holding Robin captive in a birdcage within an underground “Gnome Hall.” Within this lair, the spirits continue to try to convince Krampus to kill Damian. Despite Krampus being against harming children, he begins to crumble under pressure. Thinking on his feet, Robin recalls that Zatanna’s Christmas book depicted children crying to appeal to the holiday-themed villain’s leniency. Robin starts shedding fake tears, a move that momentarily gives Krampus pause, halting him from inflicting any harm on Damian. This strategic play allows the Bat-Family and Santa the time they need to locate Robin and stage a rescue mission.
As the Bat-Family endeavors to physically extract Robin from Krampus’s clutches, Damian persists in shedding tears and pleading with Krampus to release him, vowing to be a well-behaved boy upon his return to his family. Damian’s fake cries manage to tap into the trickster’s genuine nature, prompting him to resist the malevolent spirits manipulating him. Through Damian’s emotional manipulation, Krampus wages an internal war, ultimately triumphing as he expels the possessing spirits before reuniting Robin with his family. In the aftermath, Batgirl dubs Damian “The Bat-Exorcist” for his ability to exorcise the spirits from Krampus by leveraging the power of crocodile tears and appealing to the trickster’s inherent goodness.
Batman Should Try His Hand at Crying and Crimefighting
The skill of using tears as a disarming tactic is likely to be a unique ability for Damian, as his older siblings and father crying may not be as effective, given that they are predominantly adults. However, if Batman started crying during an encounter with one of his rogues, they might be so disturbed by the sight that they’d surrender right on the spot. While the likelihood of Batman resorting to tears as a means of defeating an adversary is slim in the foreseeable future, it will be interesting to see if Robin employs crocodile tears in any of the ongoing DC storylines featuring the young hero.
Batman / Santa Claus: Silent Knight #4 is available now from DC Comics.
BATMAN / SANTA CLAUS: SILENT KNIGHT #4 (2023) | |
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