Warning: Spoilers for Robin #12!
Batman’s son, has an evil side that has just manifested a costume that’s as ridiculous as it is appropriate. Damian trying to come to with a side of himself that’s far darker than his current outlook on life is a tough thing to reconcile, and this costumed apparition isn’t afraid to exploit that fact.
Shown in the newest issue of Robin’s ongoing series, Robin #12, by Joshua Williamson and Roger Cruz, takes place after the harrowing events of a deadly tournament set up by Damian’s grandmother, Mother Soul. Using all kinds of magic to rig the game as well as reviving the literal demon of the al Ghul lineage, Mother Soul undoubtedly affected every contestant in the tournament deeply, but none more so than her grandson.
Returning to Gotham with a vial of Lazarus resin initially intended to be used to resurrect the Bat-Family patriarch of Alfred Pennyworth, Damian is beset by a hallucination of himself who immediately pinpoints some negative thoughts and emotions hidden deep within his mind. Going on to easily deduce that this vision has appeared due to the lingering effects of Mother Soul’s mystical meddling, Damian confronts this inherently evil part of himself who seems to have taken his cues from an already established — and already sort of ridiculous — past costume of Damian's that leans into the more demonic look his inner-self is currently feeling like.
Telling Damian that he’s the manifestation of “Everything everyone says about you,” this evil Robin lists off specificities about Damian that help explain why this returning costume’s more over-the-top, more demonic, and more pointed look is a ridiculously perfect fit for this mental image. Saying that Damian is a “risk,” a “killer,” a “monster,” a “sniveling brat,” a “mistake,” a “burden,” and more, the reasons for why this version of Robin is haunting Damian begin to get a bit more clear. And with the harsh realities of the hallucination working hand-in-hand with the sillier flourishes of this more evil look, Damian Wayne is understandably having a hard time coping with what he sees before him.
More or less a design lifted directly from a short-lived costume Damian wore before his experiences on Lazarus Island, this particular costume is all about its appropriately designed demon-esque flourishes. Acting as a dark foil to Robin’s progressively more positive attitude as he continues to suss out who he truly is as a person and a hero, this costume’s return may be a bit on the nose as it's a getup that draws more attention to Damian’s more evil tendencies, but is still something that effectively conveys what he’s struggling with throughout this issue and beyond.
So while this look is technically one that fans have seen before, the fact that it’s been repurposed to represent Damian’s evil side makes the design appropriately ridiculous in the best way possible. Damian Wayne is still figuring out what he wants as Robin, and for now, that comes in the form of cutting out the little costumed voice in his head dressed as a version of himself he no longer wants to be.
