Who Is Damian Wayne? (2024)

Amidst James Gunn and Peter Safran's latest DCU slate announcement came word of many exciting new characters joining this cinematic universe for the first time, including well-known member of the Bat-family, Damian Wayne. But who is Damian Wayne? To best contextualize the excitement around this announcement, let's back track.

The DC film universe has been in flux for a long time. With James Gunn and Peter Safran taking over, it may finally stabilize. They plan to create a connective universe incorporating film and shows, both live-action and animated. With several exciting projects on the horizon, fans were happy to hear that the sequel to Matt Reeve's The Batman is moving forward. But it's an Elseworlds story, meaning two different Batman films can be expected in the near future.

The Batman in the connected story will be a newcomer (not Robert Pattinson or Ben Affleck). The film in the works for this Batman is titled The Brave and the Bold. Gunn said it will be based on Grant Morrison's comic run and confirmed the character of Robin. The DCU will introduce the Boy Wonder in the form of the aforementioned Damian Wayne. Several characters have used the Robin name, and Damian was not the one fans expected to see, as traditionally, he is far from the first Robin. But for The Brave and the Bold to include any iteration of the young hero is a welcomed deviation from other Batman films. For those less familiar with the character, now is the time to learn the basics as we wait for information on the film.

Damian Wayne's History

The character of Damian first appeared in the 2006 "Batman and Son," though a nameless version can be seen as an infant in 1987's "Batman: Son of a Demon." This character isn't really the same, yet his story is not contradicted by the current Damian. Whatever his origin, Damian is the biological son of Bruce Wayne through his inadvisable relationship with the daughter of the Demon, Talia al Ghul, who Bruce didn't know about for the first eight to ten years of his life. Damian spent his early childhood with his mother and grandfather, Ra's al Ghul, surrounded by their League of Assassins. Talia aged him artificially to speed up his training, which was brutal for anyone, much less a child. During that time, he learned to be an assassin himself and had quite a knack for it, despite his young age.

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Damian Wayne is small, dangerous, and unafraid to kill. James Gunn described him as "a little son of a bitch," and admitted that Damian is his favorite Robin. When Talia finally allowed Damian to meet his father, selfishly hoping to through Batman off his game, Bruce takes Damian in. Despite his assassin past, Damian wants to be Robin and agrees to Batman's rules. The young vigilante struggles to find his place as both a Wanye and an al Ghul, as the two families are often at odds.

Damian's unique childhood left him serious, arrogant, and quick to anger. But he has a big heart which can be seen in his love for animals. He often fights with his adoptive brothers but is usually shown to have a close relationship with Dick Grayson, the first Robin. Many portrayals of Damian have made him friends with Superman's son, Jon Kent, though this seems an unlikely path for Brave and the Bold, considering no son was mentioned in the description of the new Superman film.

Damian Wayne's Relationship with Bruce Wayne

Bruce and Damian start their relationship in an unconventional way. At that point, Bruce is not new to fatherhood, but most kids are adopted, while Damian shows up claiming to be the son he never knew he had. In some versions of the story, Damian was conceived after Bruce was drugged, though this has been retconned. Despite everything, Bruce always does his best for the kid. Damian takes up Bruce's vigilante ways, and though he attempts to leave his assassin past behind, Damian is still willing to kill when necessary, unlike Bruce. That fact can cause tension between them, but for the most part, they grow into a father/son dynamic. Despite the potential in the complex relationship between Bruce and Damian, he is most often the Robin to Dick Grayson's Batman.

Damian Wayne's Previous On-Screen Appearances

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Damian Wayne, Batman's Son and the Current Robin, Explained

Brave and the Bold will mark Damian’s first live-action appearance, but the character isn’t wholly new to the screen. He appears in the animated TV shows Batman: The Brave and the Bold and has brief parts in Young Justice and Harley Quinn. Additionally, Damian plays a significant role in the DCAMU films, appearing in several of them, including Son of Batman, Batman vs. Robin, Batman: Bad Blood, Justice League vs. Teen Titans, Teen Titans: The Judas Contract, Batman: Hush, and Justice League Dark: Apokolips War. Son of Batman and Batman vs. Robin, in particular, deal with his tumultuous relationship with Bruce, starting with the very beginning of their story and showing Damian’s journey to becoming Robin. Throughout his DCAMU appearances, he struggles with his past and his legacy as an al Ghul as he grows from a child into a young adult.

Who Are the Other Robins?

The most surprising thing about Damian in the DCU is that it skips the four previous Robins entirely. Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, and Stephanie Brown all used the name first, and with so few Robin stories making it to screen (especially in live-action), there is plenty of material for any of them. The last live-action film featuring the dynamic duo was 1997’s Batman and Robin, with Chris O’Donnell playing Dick Grayson. The only recent live-action appearance of any Robin is in Titans, which includes Dick, Jason, and Tim in rapid succession. There is still plenty of unused material for any Robin, so skipping straight to Damian was unexpected.

Damian is unlike the others in his past and his feeling entitled to the role of Robin. The vague description of Brave and the Bold may still allow Dick, Jason, Tim, Stephanie, or some combination thereof to appear in the story. Safran claimed the film would "feature other members of the extended bat family," so any and all of these characters are still on the table. Though the DCU will have younger heroes, with Damian around, it won't be another Batman origin story. Certainly, any Robin is exciting, but multiple would really catch the attention of fans.