Summary
Warning! Spoilers ahead for Batman #148!There’s a newRobinin town and he’s got everything to be Damian Wayne’s greatest nemesis yet. Batman’s ultimate contingencyZur-En-Arrh is out to ridthe world of crime for good, but even this twisted Dark Knight can’t do it alone.
While the rest of the Bat-Family tried to figure out what had happened to the real Bruce Wayne, Damian joined Zur-En-Arrh, believing the impostor to be his father. But once Batman’s son realized the truth, Zur-En-Arrh revealed he had a new Boy Wonder already lined up, and this dark Robin could become the greatest opponent Damian Wayne has ever known.
Zur-En-Arrh Cloned Batman to Create His New Robin
InBatman #148by Chip Zdarsky, Jorge Jiménez, Tomeu Morey, and Clayton Cowles, Damian has been taken hostage byZur-En-Arrh and his new Robin. The new Boy Wonder brags about how he and Zur-En-Arrh are going to clean up Gotham, unaware that Damian has been communicating to the Bat-Family via Morse code through the electronics in his costume. Zur-En-Arrh zaps Damian to short-circuit the electronics and keep Robin from fighting back.Zur-En-Arrh leaves his Robin behind to watch Damianwhile the new Batman tests his latest invention.
Tim takes one look at the new Boy Wonder and comes to a frightening realization…
Outside of Blackgate Penitentiary, the Bat-Family is on a mission to rescue Damian and stop Zur-En-Arrh for good. Red Hood and Nightwing go with Batman while Robin Tim Drake heads off to find Damian. He breaks into the study Damian is being held in before Tim is suddenly attacked by Zur-En-Arrh’s Robin. Tim takes one look at the new Boy Wonder and comes to a frightening realization:Zur-En-Arrh has cloned Bruce to create the new Robin. Bruce’s clone viciously attacks Tim as the restrained Damian watches.
As the two Boys Wonder fight, Zur-En-Arrh’s Robin tries to sway Tim to join him, saying Zur-En-Arrh just wants to end crime. Tim refuses and appeals to Bruce’s spirit within the clone as Damian slowly begins to undo his bindings. Damian frees himself and the two Robins fight their twisted doppelganger in tandem. Tim knocks Batman’s clone unconscious with a kick to the face. Tim and Damian rib one anotheras the elder Robin cuffs Zur-En-Arrh’s sidekick.
Why Zur-En-Arrh Made His Own Robin
Batman’s backup personality re-emerged after a long absence to deal with Batman’s robotic contingency Failsafe after Bruce was framed for murdering the Penguin. Unbeknownst to Batman, the framing was part of a plot by the Joker to have Zur-En-Arrh take over Batman’s body for good. Joker nearly got his wish, because once Failsafe was dealt with, Zur-En-Arrh began working towards a plan to eliminate crime in all its forms. Over time,Zur-En-Arrh slowly weakened Batman’s resolveto try and take over his body.
Joker’s role in helping Zur-En-Arrh emerge was revealed inBatman #146 (2024)!
Zur-En-Arrh failed but managed to transfer his consciousness to the Failsafe robot. After locking Batman away, Zur-En-Arrh replaced Bruce and Gotham’s Dark Knight. He brutally apprehended them and locked them away in Blackgate as the Bat-Family had no clue what was going on. The only person Zur-En-Arrh could bring over to his side was Damian, who the false Caped Crusader managed to convince he was actually Bruce Wayne’s consciousness living in the Failsafe body. Once Damian was on his side,the new Batman kicked his plans into high gear.
Aware that he couldn’t do it alone, Zur-En-Arrh acquired a legion of Amazon robots. After Damian discovered the androids, he finally realized that the Batman he’d been following was a charlatan all along. Unfortunately, Zur-En-Arrh had prepared for this eventuality and easily restrained Damian. As it turned out, Zur-En-Arrh didn’t need Damian to be his sidekick as the false Batman already had a Boy Wonder in mind. Damian was shocked to discover thatZur-En-Arrh had somehow acquired a ‘Robin of Zur-En-Arrh’to assist him in his mission.
Zur-En-Arrh’s Robin is a Dark Reflection of Damian Wayne
This development is as interesting as it is unsettling. At some point, Zur-En-Arrh took a bit of Bruce’s genetic material and made a clone of him in secret. The idea of Zur-En-Arrh having a Robin was introduced as far back asBatman #127, but it was never indicated how he’d make one short of forcefully partitioning a young person’s mind to create one. But nowthere’s a Robin in the DC Universe that has all of Batman’s training and skills, but not his moral compass.
…the new Robin embodies many of Damian’s negative qualities such as his tendency towards violence.
What’s fascinating is how much Zur-En-Arrh’s Robin resembles Damian Wayne when he was first introduced. Aside from the obvious shared genetics, the new Robin is aggressive, a ruthless fighter, and has a narrow, uncompromising version of justice. Damian was quite the same way when he came to the Bat-Family so many years ago, only he grew out of it. Depending on what the Bat-Family does with this new Robin,he could serve as an interesting recurring foil to Damian Wayne in later adventures.
Damian’s been around for nearly two decades, but villains that are strictly ‘his’ are surprisingly sparse. Zur-En-Arrh’s Robin presents an interesting opportunity to change that. Perhaps Bruce’s clone sees himself as Bruce’s true heir and wants to eliminate Damian to assume his proper role. Beyond a mere rivalry though, the new Robin embodies many of Damian’s negative qualities such as his tendency towards violence. Future confrontations with Zur-En-Arrh’s Boy Wondercould remind Robin of just how far he’s come in his personal development.
Robin’s ‘Brother’ is a Perfect Opportunity DC Shouldn’t Pass Up
While the ramifications of Bruce having a clone are pretty perturbing, the new Robin could develop an interesting dynamic with his half-clone brother, Damian Wayne. Just like Damian was created by the League of Assassins as a weapon of war, this new Robin was created to fight for Zur-En-Arrh. There’s a lot of potential here as the Bat-Family grapples with the reality of Bruce’s clone, but no one is more suited to confront Zur-En-Arrh’s Robin than Damian. Hopefully, DC will capitalize on this development and bring back the new Boy Wonder as a recurring antagonist forRobin.
