Batman and Damian Wayne. Framed as a potential villain from the start, Robin had quite the redemptive arc - but one dark universe revealed what Damian would have looked like if he had sided with his grandfather, Ra's, instead.

There's a future where this is possible - a dark future glimpsed in Dark Nights: Death Metal - The Last 52: War of the Multiverses #1. In a story starring the Teen Titans, "Falling Through the Cracks" by Che Grayson, Pop Mhan, Chris Sotomayor, and Troy Peteri, the Dark Multiverse is warring against the DC Multiverse, and the Teen Titans meet their match: a twisted, evil version of them as if seen through a nightmare mirror.

While evil versions of mainstream characters are nothing new to the DC Universe, this story shows a universe where Damian Wayne's Robin becomes a full assassin in service of the demon's head and kills his own father, Batman.

Robin Was Trained From Birth to Kill the Batman

Damian Wayne Is an Assassin First and a Hero Second

This Robin wasn't just another orphan picked up and cared for by Bruce Wayne. When Grant Morrison, with Andy Kubert, introduced Damian Wayne to modern continuity in their Batman run, Damian was already a young boy, a child who Bruce didn't know existed. After being birthed as a test tube baby, Damian Wayne was trained from birth to become a deadly assassin the likes of which the League of Assassins had never before seen. The problem came when his mother, Talia, dropped Damian into the hands of his father, making Batman's new Robin a deadly assassin.

Robin was still only a child during all these killings, and in a twisted way, he is a reflection of Batman's childhood experience.

In Robin: Son of Batman #1 by Patrick Gleason, Mick Gray, John Kalisz, and Tom Napolitano, Robin is seen enacting a series of assassinations every day for a full year. Robin was still only a child during all these killings, and in a twisted way, he is a reflection of Batman's childhood experience: both are surrounded by death and suffering and desensitized to murder - but only one of them is the murderer.

The Dark Multiverse Teen Titans Reveal a Nightmarish Vision of Robin

Dark Raven Shows a Universe Where Damian Wayne Kills Batman

This dark Robin is a vision of Batman gone too far. Batman himself once pledged to take over for Ra's al Ghul to become the Demon's Head, the only man Ra's trusted to do so. The second would be the Detective's son, Robin. In this way, this dark version of Robin has finally completed his destiny, all by following in his grandfather's footsteps. This is a Dark Multiverse indeed, where a child killer never gets a chance for redemption.

Damian's struggle with evil makes him the most interesting Robin. In fact, Damian Wayne's struggle with killing makes him a lot more like his father, Batman, than any of the other Robins. Batman has a no-kill rule precisely because he wants to kill. Superman has no such rule - he just doesn't kill. In this regard, Robin is so much more like Batman than any other Bat-Family member. They understand each other deeply in that they want to enact their dark justice using methods no one else is comfortable with in order to help the world. For Batman, this need comes from trauma; Robin just didn't know any other way.

Robin Decides Which Legacy He Wants to Follow

Pages from Batman vs. Robin #1 by Mark Waid, Mahmud Asrar, Jordie Bellaire, and Steve Wands

Robin was once resistant to Batman's methods and teaching. Eventually, he started to learn from him. Batman's no-kill rule was pushed to its limits with an assassin for a son. Very early in their relationship, Robin's preferred weapon was a katana, which he used to dispatch their foes and lop off their heads, at his own father's terror. It was almost as if Batman was shown a grisly vision of his own failure. Even in glimpses of Damian Wayne as a future Batman, it is a world on fire, a world of murder.

Thanks to Batman, Damian was able to stop being an assassin and be a child again - a son.

But time and again, Batman showed Damian what having a true father meant. Even after Robin's death, Batman fought to resurrect him solely for love; the only resurrection that Ra's would enact would be because he wouldn't want to lose a good soldier. After too many battles between the two, Batman has vowed to never fight his son again. It is this very love that saved Damian. Thanks to Batman, he was able to stop being an assassin and be a child again - a son.

Batman Is a Greater Father Figure Than Ra's Al Ghul

from Batman and Robin #13 by Joshua Williamson, Juan Ferreyra, and Steve Wands

Damian Wayne's debut in the comics was antagonistic and, ultimately, a plot device to test the Dark Knight. Now, they are one of the best father and son duos in comics. Damian Wayne has stood by Batman because Bruce Wayne loves him as a son and not for succeeding in any tests. In turn, Robin has made Batman an even better man, and the legacy they have created is better than any assassin's legacy.

Dark Nights: Death Metal - The Last 52: War of the Multiverses #1 is available now from DC Comics.

• Robin

• Damian Wayne