Are there actual fans of Damian out there? I don’t get the appeal. I get that he traditionally has been a little 
, but Jason was way more interesting as a more subversive Robin.
Sucks that he is creeping into the main canon as Robin in the animated universe. Change my mind though!
I like him.
Simple, he’s an interesting character.
People who hate Damian forget about other uptight/nonchalant, vengeful, and/or polarizing characters that are nevertheless praised like Kratos, Vegeta, Piccolo, Punisher, Ghost Rider, Near (Death Note), Blade, Spawn, and Dante from DmC.
I believe Damian Wayne is not just a 2-D character that DC pulled out of their butts as a marketing ploy to get consumers’ attention as the Son of Batman. Damian Wayne is for all intents and purposes an interesting character right up there with Raven of the Teen Titans; a character whose collective, quite knowledgable, knows her existence is problematic and yet really wants to do good (notice how both are responsible for bringing the Titans together in different comic iterations.) Cassandra Cain and Emiko Queen also share similarities.
Damian is a brutalized, hardened, grounded, effed-up kid that one could argue was put through a ton of child abuse yet nevertheless accomplished more than any person could have by age 10. His mother and grandfather got it in his head to be ruler of the world and be the ultimate assassin. Even worse is he gets caught in the crossfire between Batman and the al-Ghuls, further torturing the poor kid making him a pawn for anyone he perceives as his superior. His brash, insubordination, and self-centeredness (everones’ critique) is him overcompensating over the fact that he wants to make Batman proud yet feels that he’s being held back by Wayne’s methods of justice contrasting to that of the al-Ghuls’ upbringing/prepping of Damian. The kid just doesn’t feel whole and gets little release.
It’s characters like these that really make one wonder what direction they’re going with with so much potential, and plenty of room for growth. Batman 666 and Batman Incorporated Vol. 2 #5 really made him into the intimidating Bat that has quite the questionable sense of morale. Damian represents an ultra-dark side to the world of Batman, a very demonic one that clashes into the uncanny valley where no one knows what’s right or wrong anymore, conflicting ethics, and humanity takes a daring shot at tackling that predicament, whatever the outcome. Damian Wayne is an excellent character.
I actually read the entire Grant Morrison Batman run some years back. Damien was annoying at first, but I think that was intentional so that he could grow as a character throughout the series. And man, you definitely start liking him a lot more, at least while Morrison is writing him. I honestly don’t think I’ve read anything with Damien since then, though I noticed he was back.
I actually like him in the animated movies. I didn’t really care much for the Son of Batman movie (though not because of Damien, just the movie seemed meh to me) but I LOVED Batman vs Robin. And I like him in Justice League vs TT and Judas Contract, though it does feel weird that it’s not another Robin on the team.
Really don’t like him in Rebirth right now, but, he’s okay in Super Sons? but even that’s not that good of an arc to begin with so idk
He’s OK, but my favourite Robin will always be Dick Grayson.
I quite dig Damian, though I absolutely love Super/Sons. I know tonally it’s skews to the “kid” side, but there’s a TV show right there.
I like each Robin for a different reason. I think it’s a great way to show Bruce’s patience and understanding as a father. Also being a teenager makes a good contrast. And the fact that Damian shows growth makes me love the character.
Damian is my second favorite robin after Dick Grayson. What like about Damian is his growth as a character he started out as a violent kid, and work his way to becoming a better person, and with some characters i like that kind of journey it just all depends on how writers execute it. I especially enjoy the dynamics he has with Johnathan Kent.
He’s honestly my favorite Robin. To me, he has the most interesting personality and character arc.
I think he’s great.
Yes, he’s an obnoxious brat; but at the same time it’s amusing.
HHe’s had a LOT of character growth.
I neved liked him in the comic books, but watching the animated films has made me warm to Murder Robin quite a bit.
I think the biggest problem with Damian is that we have not really seen his character change that much. Why is he still so angry? Then again, I guess Batman can’t get over his demons.
To answer the OP, I do like him for some reason. His negativity is entertaining usually.
I like him because he plays amazingly with just about any other character, so he’s always fun in a team-up book. Plus his character arc in Batman & Robin (Morrison’s run) was incredible. I definitely didn’t cry. A lot.
thanks for the insights. great thread from Rigo as well. i’ll try harder… i know tim drake is kind of the earnest one, but actually had the most trauma of anyone in the bat-family. we’ll see what happens next month, but to each their own. prob generalizing too much, but thought Jason Todd was more interesting, although to your point, totally different situation.
I’d say yes but supersons only works so well because Damian is awesome. Also injustice Damian is really cool too!
I think Damian’s great. I just like the idea of superheroes having super kids, though. Maybe I’m just a sucker for Super Sons and Jon Kent, though.
He is my second favorite Robin, right behind Jason.
Much more interesting than Tim.
Tomasi’s new 52 batman and robin made me fall in love with damian. He went from brat to a complex character and is very interesting in the way that he isnt just one note like he seems to have reverted back to since rebirth. That book set him up as less of a brat and more of a younger brother and son fighting his own past to prove his worth…plus the best bit of Damian is seeing how loyal he is to his brothers and dad while not wanting anyone to know. One of the best moments of the last 5 some years was when he tells Dick that they were the best batman and robin right before… Go read batman inc #8
I like the little Demon myself. He’s my second favorite Robin behind Jason Todd who was Robin when I started buying my own comics.
I like Damian a lot. I think bratty characters are hard to write. It’s easy to make a reader hate them too much. But, overall I think he’s been handled well in the books I’ve seen him in. He’s an abrasive character, sure. But I think abrasive characters are good to have around, especially when they have other characters to play off of. I’m not sure how much I’d like a solo Damian book, for instance. But seeing him play off Superboy or in group books can be a lot of fun.