Why kill Damian Wayne?
That’s the nagging question upon seeing that DC Comics is knocking off the 10-year-old son of Batman, who also happens to be the current Robin the Boy Wonder.
It doesn’t make sense. Especially given the success of two recent storylines (“Night of the Owls” and the Joker-fueled “Death of the Family”), Batman doesn’t need a gimmick death for attention.
So why is writer Grant Morrison taking Robin down in the issue of Batman Incorporated (No. 8) that hit stands this week?
Maybe this was his plan all along, from the moment Morrison introduced Damian as the son of Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul in the “Batman and Son” storyline back in 2006. Morrison has even touted the fact that Robin would die a “heroic” death.
But why dispense with him now?
Two possible reasons:
• For DC decision-makers to take such a popular, in-his-prime character out of the picture, they must have someone else who they think is equally (if not more) intriguing than Damian that they can introduce. Batman will almost always have a Robin, and rumors are rampant that a new (possibly female) Robin is on the horizon.
• Let’s not forget who Damian is: Although he’s half Wayne, he’s also half al Ghul. His mother, Talia, is the daughter of Ra’s al Ghul, one of Batman’s greatest foes. He’s a man who has stayed alive for centuries using Lazarus pits. And Lazarus pits have the power to bring someone back from the dead.