Damian Wayne isn’t the most popular Robin. Obviously, Dick Grayson is number one and Tim Drake is probably number 2. Despite Red Hood being one of the most popular members of the Bat Family, Jason Todd was so disliked as Robin he was voted out of DC Comics. However, Bruce Wayne’s biological son, Damian Wayne, might be the most hated Robins. Sadly, some of that disdain could be attributed to Tom Taylor’s Injustice.
First, let this writer say this isn’t an attack on Tom Taylor or Injustice. Damian Wayne was a good character during that series and was supposed to be unlikable. He was a thirteen-year-old kid who never gained social skills from people his age. He spent all of his time around older superheroes punching villains or in a dark cave. Then, when the most traumatic moment of his life occurred (he killed Dick Grayson), his father was nowhere to be found. It’s no wonder he was so annoying. While this was brilliantly done by Tom Taylor, it isn’t a good representation of Damian Wayne.
"But Superman's been more of a father than you ever were..."Damian Wayne by writer Tom Taylor
I was one of the people who didn’t like Damian Wayne because of Injustice. Yes, I was aware that this was a DC Comics Elseworld story, but he was still infuriating. The privilege, stubbornness, and betrayal of Batman made it hard to like him even outside of the series. Then, in 2021, writer Joshua Williamson wrote a solo Robin comic book and changed how I looked at him.
Robin showed me how wrong I was Damian Wayne. You get to see more than Damian’s skills as a fighter and strategist. His personality is on full display and not just the arrogant jerk who says "*TT*." He's emotional. For example, there's a heartfelt moment with the Bat Family that shows the uninformed reader who he truly is (Robin No. 4). He cares about his family more than he lets on and they love him just as much (regardless of him being frustrated at times). For instance, the quote below is from Nightwing talking to Damian during this issue.
"Tim, Steph, Jason...we were all Robins to Bruce first...but you were my Robin."written by Joshua Williamson
If you want to learn about Damian Wayne, you can’t go wrong with Joshua Williamson’s Robin. You should also check out his run of Batman and Robin. This is where you see Bruce and Damian being more than the Dynamic Duo. They’re learning to coexist as father and son. More than that, Bruce makes Damian go to high school. Shocking to no one, Damian finds out that while he’s smarter than the students (and some of the teachers), he still needs to learn social skills. They would have helped a lot during Injustice.
What did you think of Damian Wayne in Injustice? Would you recommend the series to others? Let us know on the Bam Smack Pow Bluesky, Instagram, and Twitter.