Spoilers for Batman Incorporated.
By now you've probably heard that Damian Wayne, son of Bruce Wayne and heir to the mantle of Robin since 2009, was killed in the climax of Batman Incorporated #8. It was the final blow in a very bad month for Batman, as the conclusion to the Death of the Family storyline in Scott Snyder's Batman created a major rift between him and the rest of his allies. If it wasn't for the ever-growing menagerie of Bat-pets in the Batcave, Batman would be totally alone by now.
Grant Morrison on Why Damian Had to Die
If we've learned anything from stories like A Lonely Place of Dying, it's that Batman doesn't do so well without a sidekick to keep him grounded. He's going to need a new Robin. But can anyone fill the shoes of the late, great Damian Wayne? We've picked out a handful of DC heroes who may fit the job description. Surprisingly enough, most of them are female. Read through our list of candidates and vote in our poll for the character you want to see become the new Robin.
Who She Is: If any one character seems positioned to take over as Batman's new sidekick, it's Harper Row. Harper has played a small but recurring role in Scott Snyder's Batman over the past 18 months. She has a talent for fixing things and tends to spend her time in Gotham's sewers tinkering with the electrical grid. That left her conveniently placed to assist Batman when he escaped the Court of Owls' labyrinth. Since then, she's continued trying to assist the Caped Crusader in any way possible, despite his repeated orders for her to leave him alone.
If Harper were to become Robin, she would bring back an element of Jason Todd's working class sidekick. Harper lives in the Narrows. Her mother is dead, her father is imprisoned, and she and her brother face constant bullying from neighborhood kids. While her rough childhood has given her a hefty chip on her shoulder, it's also instilled in her a desire for justice. As Ra's al Ghul would say " I know the rage that drives you. That impossible anger strangling the grief, until the memory of your loved ones is just poison in your veins." If a thirst for vengeance is a prerequisite for the Batman family, she's good to go.
But while Harper has the drive, intelligence, and enthusiasm, she doesn't exactly have the physical training to keep up with Batman and go toe to toe with his more dangerous enemies. But that never stopped the like-minded Carrie Kelly from donning the tights in The Dark Knight Returns, and that seemed to work out pretty well for her.
The Odds: 10:1 - Even before Damian's death, it was clear Snyder had plans for Harper Row. After reading Batman #18, it seems all but certain that she'll be the next teen hero to don the mantle of Robin.
Who He Is: Tim Drake served as Robin in the comics longer than anyone but Dick Grayson. For any readers who grew up during the '90s, Tim is still the Robin. But that was before the New 52. While Tim still served as Batman's sidekick for a year in this new continuity, it's been revealed that he never actually took the Robin name. Instead, he's been calling himself Red Robin from the start. And these days he's set out on his own to serve in the Teen Titans.
Teen Titans #0 revealed a new take on Tim's origin. Among other things, it showed that his parents were forced into witness protection to protect them from the Penguin and that "Tim Drake" is a false name he was forced to adopt. We can't help but feel that DC has bigger plans for the Tim Drake/Bruce Wayne relationship in the near future. Bringing Tim back into the fold as Robin might be the easiest way to push that conflict forward. It would also restore a more traditional version of the Dynamic Duo, where Batman is partnered with an older, more experienced teenage Robin rather than a 10-year-old boy. And with Barbara Gordon back in action as Batgirl, having Tim back in the Batcave would provide Batman with a resident tech genius again.
The Odds: 2:5 - Tim becoming Robin (for real this time) isn't out of the question if DC wants to restore a more traditional Dynamic Duo. But we don't see it as the most likely outcome.
Who She Is: Ellie (surname unknown) is a minor character who has played a recurring role in Grant Morrison's Batman run. She once worked as an underage prostitute in the seedier portions of Gotham. When Batman was nearly killed in his first clash with the Second Ghost of Batman, Ellie and her partners were on hand to drive him to one of his hidden safehouses. Ellie has appeared several more times since then, with Batman keeping a watchful eye over her and giving her a job with Wayne Enterprises.
Ellie's most significant appearance so far was in Batman Incorporated #8. She was working in Wayne Tower when Damian had his fateful battle with the Heretic. Morrison made a point of inserting her into several key scenes, showing her being protected by Red Robin and even pointedly inserting her in the background of the final page. That's not to mention the fact that one of Ellie's coworkers referred to her by the nickname "Ellie-bird."
All of this seems to point to the idea that Morrison is positioning Ellie as a candidate to replace Damian. And if it were solely up to him, perhaps she would. But no other writers have made use of the character so far. And aside from the general streets smarts that come from working as a prostitute in the meanest city in the DCU, Ellie doesn't seem to have any particular talents that would make her an ideal Robin.
The Odds: 1:5 - Morrison may have more planned for Ellie before the end of his run, but we don't foresee anything happening beyond that.
Who She Is: If you've attended any of DC's New 52-themed convention panels, you must know who Stephanie Brown is by now. Stephanie enjoyed a robust superhero career in the years leading up to the New 52. She first appeared on the Gotham scene as Spoiler. She briefly replaced Tim Drake as Robin, reverted to her Spoiler role, and was seemingly murdered by Black Mask. But she resurfaced again as the new Batgirl. Bryan Q. Miller's Batgirl series explored her latest transformation and her growing bond with Barbara Gordon. Her final appearance was in Batman Incorporated: Leviathan Strikes, where she infiltrated a girl's boarding school at the behest of Batman.
Stephanie earned a modest but very rabid fanbase in that time. Those fans have been understandably upset that Stephanie has yet to put in an appearance in the New 52. At the very least, we know she was never Robin in this new continuity, but there's no evidence to suggest she exists at all anymore. To add insult to injury, Miller attempted to insert Stephanie as Nightwing in Smallville: Season 11, but was obligated to change her to Barbara Gordon.
Despite repeated fan questions, Dan DiDio and other DC representatives have been fairly mum on whether fans can expect Stephanie to make her New 52 debut anytime soon. Some have chosen to read between the lines and believe that DC is merely saving the character for a major story in the future. If that's true, then restoring her position as Robin would certainly qualify. But the lack of build-up to her return coupled with the obvious clues involving Harper Row leads us to believe that this is nothing more than wishful thinking.
The Odds: 1:10 - We don't see any waffles in Stephanie's immediate future.
Who She Is: As the daughter of two of the world's greatest warriors (David Cain and Lady Shiva), Cassandra Cain was pretty much destined to become either a superhero or villain. Luckily, she chose the side of good and became the first heroine to don the mantle of Batgirl after Barbara Gordon was shot and paralyzed. But though one of the most skilled fighters in the world, Cass struggled for years because of a childhood deprived of human contact and traditional education. Though nearly mute in her initial appearances, she eventually came out of her shell. In her most recent appearances, Cass traded the Batgirl mantle for the new identity Black Bat and became the designated Batman Inc. representative for Hong Kong.
Stephanie Brown isn't the only former Batgirl to get the short shrift in the New 52. Cass has yet to appear in any of the Batman books. Nor is it clear whether she was ever Batgirl or exists at all. Given that Lady Shiva is now portrayed as being the same age as Dick Grayson, it's pretty much impossible for her to have a teenage daughter. Then again, Cyclops has a son who's roughly twice his age, so...
As with Stephanie, now might be the ideal time to bring her back into the fold in a major way by making her the new Robin. Cass certainly has the skills, as she's the only candidate on this list who could probably best Batman in a one-on-one duel. But like Stephanie, there's been no build-up to a possible return and no reason to believe anything will change in the foreseeable future. The other problem is that Cass lacks the intimate connection to Batman some of the other candidates have. She'd be a logical choice to become Robin, but not necessarily the most interesting one.
The Odds: 1:20 - We're not betting on Cass breaking her retirement just yet.
Who She Is: America has Batman and Robin, and England has the Knight and Squire. These two heroes were inspired by their allies across the pond to suit up and defend their homeland from a cast of colorful rogues. The duo have appeared multiple times throughout Grant Morrison's run, culminating in Knight's death at the hands of the Heretic in Batman Incorporated #7.
Beryl is now a Squire without a Knight just as Bruce is a Batman without a Robin. Why not kill two birds with one stone? We could see that leading to a fun dynamic that recalls the more innocent days of Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson. That scenario seemed possible up until Batman Incorporated #9 hit the stands a few days ago. There, readers saw an emotionally devastated Beryl don the mantle of Knight and take on aboriginal hero Dark Ranger as her new partner. In the end, she followed in the footsteps of her late partner, Cyril, who also transitioned from Squire to Knight after the death of his father, Percy.
Making Beryl be the new Robin would also create a more practical problem for DC's writers. She has a heavy English accent that we imagine many American writers would struggle with. There's a reason why so few Americans have written Hellblazer over the years, and it's the same reason why Beryl's various appearances have tended to be written by UK scribes like Morrison and Paul Cornell.
The Odds: 1:50 - At this point we don't see Beryl making a permanent move to Gotham City.
Who she is: Tatsu Yamashiro is a samurai warrior with a unique twist -- she believes her sword houses the soul of her murdered husband. While she has frequently been an ally of Batman, her true goal as a costumed hero is to uncover the identities of his killers and claim her vengeance. Prior to the New 52, she was a regular member of the Batman-sponsored team The Outsiders. Sine the relaunch, she's taken Batgirl's regular spot in the Birds of Prey and recently joined Amanda Waller's Justice League of America.
With such a busy schedule, does Tatsu actually have time to serve as Batman's sidekick? Moreover, would she actually want the job? The answer to both questions is probably no. The only reason Katana might be a possibility is because of the upcoming animated series Beware the Batman. That producers of that series are making a concerted effort to use characters who haven't appeared in previous Batman cartoons. As a result, Katana, not Robin, will be Batman's sidekick.
The likelihood that DC will re-position Katana as a Batman sidekick simply because of this animated series is pretty slim. Unlike Marvel, DC has never shown much desire to create synergy between its comics and other multimedia projects. They had no problem letting Grant Morrison "kill" Bruce Wayne the same year that The Dark Knight hit theaters. Shifting Tatsu from Katana to Robin would only serve to derail her new role in Geoff Johns' JLA.
The Odds: 1:100 - We'd be as surprised as anyone if this actually happened.
Who He Is: Yes, you read that correctly. The replacement for Damian Wayne could end up being Damian Wayne. Consider the fact that Damian's grandfather is Ra's al Ghul, a man who has managed to stay alive for centuries through judicious of the Lazarus Pits. The al Ghul family already resurrected one dead Robin using the Pits. What's to stop them from doing it again? There's also the fact that Damian is a test tube baby who could easily be cloned by his mother. The Heretic is an adult clone of Damian. Might there be other Damians growing in a vat in some remote Leviathan base?
We also have to wonder if the Damian we've been following for the past two years is the same one that first appeared in Morrison's comics. Consider that Damian disappeared from the pages of Batman and Robin for several issues because of a spinal injury. Talia returned him to Wayne Manor after supposedly growing him a new spine. But what if she delivered a cloned Damian, knowing full well that her master plan would eventually force her to kill him? The real Damian might still be out there, perhaps unaware that his father returned and has been waging an international war against his mother.
Morrison has been pretty clear about the fact that he intends for Damian to stay dead. And he will be addressing the Lazarus Pit issue soon. But he could still be misdirecting readers. And even if he doesn't bring Damian back in some form by the end of his Batman Incorporated run, the door is wide open for another writer to put the young Robin back into play. Despite the massive media hype DC placed on the death of Damian Wayne, we wouldn't be at all surprised to see him return to life. Would it be any different than when Marvel hyped the deaths of Captain America and the Human Torch?
The Odds: 1:2 - Don't be surprised to see Damian back in action once the mourning period is over.
Jesse is a writer for various IGN channels. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.
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