When Was Damian Wayne First Introduced in the DC Universe?
Damian Wayne
Real Name: Damian Wayne
First Appearance: As a baby – Batman: Son of the Demon (1987). As Damian Wayne Batman #655 (September 2006)
Powers: Damian Wayne doesn’t possess any inherent powers. Instead, he’s an expert detective, a skilled armed and unarmed combatant, understands highly advanced technology, and can break into nearly any computer.
Affiliation: Batfamily, Teen Titans, Legion of Superheroes, and League of Assassins
Did You Know? Damian Wayne is the child of Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul
A Little History
The origin of Damian Wayne is pretty straightforward.
Although Damian Wayne first appeared inside the pages of Batman: Son of the Demon back in 1987, it wasn’t until 20 years later that he began to make an impact in Batman’s life.
Damian Wayne is the son of Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul. As the son of Talia al Ghul, he also makes him the grandson of one of Batman’s greatest enemies, Ra’s al Ghul. Rather than being birthed naturally, Damian was grown in a lab. This happened with the expectation that Damian would grow up and surpass his father in both abilities and intelligence under careful genetic guidance. Shortly after his birth, Damian was taken to the League of Assassins, where he was left to be taught and trained as an assassin.
One decade later, Talia revealed to Bruce Wayne that he had a son. After revealing Damian to Bruce, she brought him to live at Wayne Manor. She did this in an attempt to disrupt both his everyday life and his life as Batman. Rather than disowning the child, Bruce accepted his fatherly responsibilities and took the boy in.
Similar to Jason Todd, when Bruce first took Damian in, he was arrogant, brash, and had violent tendencies. Worst of all, he did not/refused to adhere to Batman’s strict “no kill” rule. This was never more obvious than during Damian’s first attempt at “crimefighting.” The attempt saw Damian decapitate the small-time villain known as The Spook. Damian also had jealousy issues towards the at-the-time Robin, Tim Drake. As the biological son of Bruce Wayne, he felt that it was his right and obligation to be Batman’s sidekick. Because Tim was only the adopted son of Bruce Wayne, this belief caused Damian to attack Tim outright.
Due to the way in which he was raised, Damian lacks any sort of compassion, social skills, or empathy toward others. This has caused major setbacks in his development as Robin. In fact, Damian didn’t become Robin until Dick Grayson (acting as Batman) anointed him as such. Similar to how Bruce Wayne helped him, Dick felt that it was his duty to help the troubled child. Under the guidance of Dick, Damian learned what it took to be Robin; the two have been close friends ever since.
