Warning: Spoilers for Batman #149!
Summary
- Damian Wayne is a processed clone, not naturally conceived like many believe, affecting his character development.
- His bitterness towards clones like himself informs his actions and decisions, causing rivalry within the Bat-Family.
- Knowing Damian’s clone origins adds depth to his character and explains his need to prove himself to his father.
For the DCU to get Damian Wayne right, there’s one thing that James Gunn can’t forget to include about Batman’s latest Robin. We’re all pretty excited to see James Gunn’s new vision for the big screen DC Universe at Warner Bros. It’s hard not to be excited with big projects on the horizon, like Superman, a Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow adaptation, and of course, Damian Wayne’s big-screen debut.
If Warner Bros. is truly going to commit to telling Robin’s origin story, then they can’t forget that Damian Wayne is essentially a processed clone, as readers are reminded in Batman #149 by Chip Zdarsky, Michele Bandini, and Steve Lieber. I know, I know, I tend to forget that myself sometimes, as do a lot of people. Others assume that Damian was produced naturally between his biological parents, Talia al Ghul and Bruce Wayne.
It would be easy to simplify Damian’s complicated comics backstory for mainstream moviegoers, but as Batman #149 suggests, having been grown in a lab — and his history with other clones in general — is essential to Damian’s character development.
The Brave and the Bold
The Brave and the Bold is the first Batman movie in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Universe, which reboots the Dark Knight after Ben Affleck’s take on the character. It introduces Bruce Wayne’s son, the Robin Damian Wayne, and draws inspiration from Grant Morrison’s work on the comic book character.
- Director
- Andy Muschietti
- Studio(s)
- DC Entertainment , Warner Bros. Discovery , Warner Bros.
- Distributor(s)
- Warner Bros. Pictures
Damian Wayne’s Robin Is Basically a Clone
Panel from Batman #666 by Grant Morrison, Andy Kubert, Jesse Delperdang, Guy Major, and Jared K. Fletcher
While Batman and Talia al Ghul are indeed the parents of Damian Wayne, he was not conceived in the traditional sense. Using the stolen DNA of Bruce Wayne, the League of Assassins genetically engineered Damian in a lab with the hopes of molding him into the perfect warrior. The mission was accomplished, as Damian has always been far more advanced for his age in terms of intelligence, speed, agility, and durability than other children. That being said, he’s still basically a cloned version of his father.
Damian Wayne arrived in Gotham at the age of 10 in the now-iconic
Batman
#655 by Grant Morrison, Andy Kubert, Dave Stewart, and Nick J. Napolitano, which is the first part of the
Batman & Son
story being adapted for the
Brave and the Bold
DCU film.
His clone origins remain a soft spot for Damian Wayne, which explains why he acts so sorely toward Bruce Wayne’s clone — created from his Zurr-En-Arrh personality — in Batman #149. Granted, he has a reason to be sore when he sees his father consoling the Robin clone who tried to kill him not that long beforehand, but Damian seems especially fixated on the clone part. Maybe there’s a shade of jealousy about all the attention his father is giving this clone, but even the jealousy hints at something deeper for Damian.
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Damian Wayne’s Bitterness About Clones Informs His Actions and Decisions
Damian Wayne Was Killed by His Own Clone, the Heretic, in Batman Incorporated #8 by Grant Morrison, Chris Burnham, Jason Masters, Nathan Fairbairn, and Taylor Esposito
Maybe I’m speaking for myself here, but anyone who has a sibling feels like they’re in competition with each other at some point in their lives, even briefly. Call it a “brotherly feud,” if you will. Imagine you’re in Damian Wayne’s shoes for a second: you’re in a Bat-Family with brothers like Dick Grayson and Tim Drake, and you’re convinced you’re destined to be the heir to the Bat-Family. All these siblings not only have been Robin, but out of these siblings, you’re the only “clone.”
Remembering that Damian is a clone allows readers to look at all of his decisions through a new lens and, suddenly, everything makes sense.
It’s no wonder he tried to kill Tim Drake for the Robin mantle almost immediately upon entering Wayne Manor. Damian is a lab-grown child with an inferiority complex, convinced he needs to prove himself to his father to be better than his more naturally gifted siblings when his own gifts come from a lab. Remembering that Damian is a clone allows readers to look at all of his decisions through a new lens and, suddenly, everything makes sense. I think the DCU ignoring Robin’s clone origins would do a disservice to the character.
Batman #149 is available now from DC Comics.
BATMAN #149 (2024) | |
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