Spoilers ahead

[Andy Clarke and Cameron Stewart]

In the latest issue, Damian Wayne drops a bombshell: if he can solve the case on his own, he’s done being Robin🤯

And this isn’t just about the case at hand. This ties into earlier conversations with Talia, where Damian told her he was tired of following what the family wanted for him. And even with Bruce, he’s spoken about how he feels like he’s being controlled too much (maybe because Bruce never had anyone to guide him and now he’s overcompensating). Damian, in his rebellious brilliance, even mentioned that maybe—just maybe—he’d rather follow in his grandfather’s footsteps and become a doctor. 🩺

But we all know that Damian Wayne is never going to follow a conventional path, especially not one that involves stethoscopes and white coats. He’s far too driven, too relentless. Even if he succeeds in solving the case solo, he’s bound to stay in the world of superheroes—even if it’s on his own terms.

I’ll admit, though, I kind of wish we could see a new Wayne—not a superhero, but as a philanthropist who isn’t out saving Gotham every night. A Wayne who focuses on his family’s legacy without the mask, becoming a symbol of hope without the night-fight. 🌙

At the same time (and on the contrary), I would love to see a vegan Batman 🥑 (if in the future they decide to retire Bruce and Damian inherits), which would absolutely rock the foundations of the Batman mythos, especially considering how many still see him as the epitome of conservative American values. Batman has always been a symbol for marginalized groups, often ahead of his time in representing the "woke" movement. What if Bruce forced them to challenge those social constructs? It would be very interesting on a comic/book level and a social level.

I mean… the whole sex-affective thing can be "ignored" as "it's trendy", but has anyone read the comics and not fully understood AND RESPECTED Damian's entire vegan arc? What if Damian is Batman now? Being vegan is a central part of him, and Batman is a big guy, not some smart-aleck Lisa Simpson (the only other vegan reference of such reach inside and outside the US). Seriously, that would be very curious (and would open the can of worms as to why Clark keeps eating meat 😤 WHEN HE DOESN'T NEED TO EAT).

Still, I digress. Damian’s departure from Robin has a much deeper significance for Bruce. This isn’t the first time he’s heard a Robin tell him they want to go their own way. Dick Grayson did the same years ago, and that was a painful blow for Bruce, even more than he lets on. When Dick left, Bruce had to confront the truth: his greatest creation, his son, no longer needed him as a mentor. 😔

The way Damian wants to carve out his future—free from Bruce's overbearing influence, and potentially even choosing a path that has nothing to do with Gotham or the cape—is as much a sign of growth as it is rebellion. He’s finally coming into his own, and it’s going to be a painful process for Bruce 😔. And it's curious that he takes this chapter as Dick did, since he was built as Robin under Dick's wing, not Bruce's. This brings Damian and Dick (our double D) closer together compared to the other two Robins, who didn't abandon the mantle, but rather, the Robin mantle was taken from them (from Jason by his death and from Tim by Bruce's replacement with Dick and then the arrival of Damian).

Damian's journey isn't just about the Robin mantle. It’s about self-identity and finding a place where he can define his legacy without living in the shadows of the Bat. Can Bruce let him go? Has he learned from his history with Dick? 🤔

What do you think? Is Damian ready to leave the Bat behind? Is it bravado???

But, most importantly: will DC dare to leave Batman without Robin for a long period? Will a new Robin appear? Will we see the re-emergence of Tim (a character totally forgotten by the publisher)? And, most importantly, is this in some way the prelude to the resurrection of Alfred?

I don't normally make hard statements like this. I typically hate it when somebody makes hard statements like this, but hear me out.

No prior Batfamily character can be the next Batman. I'll keep it brief and explain why going person by person (obvious headcanon warning)

Dick is definitely a likelier candidate than most. He can cover for Batman if the need ever arises. But I believe that Dick Grayson hates the idea of actually becoming Batman. He can play the role. He was a circus kid and he's got the heart of a theatre kid, he can play the role all day long. But he was the first. He arguably saw Batman at his natural worst. He and Alfred, anyways. I'm going to drop some OP lore to further elaborate. My dad's a pastor. He's a really good pastor. He's a good man, and he may be an ass, but that's because I know him as "dad". For YEARS, people would tell me that I was just like him, and for a long time, I wanted to be him. It's what boys do when their dad is at the very least decent. But, as I got older, I saw the tapestry and saw the flaws. I saw how tired being a pastor made my dad. I saw how much of his life being a pastor was taking up. I would never tell my dad to stop being a pastor, because that's him. That's his calling; and if he was anything else, then he'd be a soulless, husk of a man. But I've seen what being a pastor does to you, and I don't want that. I want to be better than that. Dick Grayson has seen what The Batman does to a person. He's seen Bruce do things that Dick would never do, and the idea of being the next Batman is something that got soured to him. And it definitely doesn't help that that's what a lot of people used to do to him. So yeah, traumadumping aside, Dick would never STAY Batman. Even if he doesn't know it.

I honestly think it's best if Jason stays as far away from the idea of The Batman legacy as possible. Jason's at the best possible spot right now. He's taken his trauma and has turned it into his empowerment. I don't care what Three Jokers says, that's dumb. Joker's an ass, we don't listen to him. ESPECIALLY if he's swapped out his gun for a crowbar and has a no-kill rule, Jason could be Red Hood until he's 90 and it'll be narratively fulfilling.

Tim is one I see get thrown around a lot. However, I believe that The Batman would absolutely DESTROY him and he would be too stubborn to acknowledge it. One common denominator I believe every Robin goes through is the realization of "oh wow, Bruce is not okay" and trying to be better than that. While I do believe that Tim went through that, I also believe that Tim is arrogant enough to believe that he's better than that. Even putting all of the "alternate Tim evil gun toting Batman" futures aside, I think that Tim is obsessive enough as is. Giving him the mantle of The Batman would cause him to obsess even more to be like Bruce thus causing ANOTHER evil gun toting alternate future Batman. Tim is best as Red Robin. An independent agent that can go well with ANY Batman to keep them on the straight and narrow.

Babs is best as Oracle. No I will not be elaborating. If you want her to be Batgirl, then say that she can Batgirl every once and a while but doing it stresses out the microchip in her back.

Steph is best as Spoiler. She backdoored her way into the Batfamily by being competent enough as Spoiler. I honestly wish that she could be like Batwoman and establish herself as Batfamily adjacent and have her own supporting cast and such. If she does have one, then I'm sorry. Cassie is kind of a blind spot.

Sadly, Cassandra Cain, Duke Thomas, and Harper Row are even bigger blindspots of mine. From what I've seen of them, I can't think of any reasons they couldn't be Batman. However, I can't think of any reasons why they especially should be Batman.

Damian Wayne is my personal vote for becoming the next Batman out of everybody pre established. Not for any birthright reasons. That's dumb. Admittedly, DCeased really turned me on to the idea. I think that the idea of Damian being the child raised by Bruce that turned out the best is a really good idea. In retrospect, I guess the idea of birthright is technically why I'm choosing Damian. BUT, understand I'm doing it with the caveat that Damian is fully developed as a person and as a character. That is the END of his arc.

HOWEVER, Terry McGinnis takes the cake for me in terms of Batman successor. This is going off of the idea that he isn't a Bruce clone. I don't know how canon we've made that, but canon is relative, so I'm saying it's not for the sake of argument. Terry is an outsider. He has no baggage with the idea of The Batman. He's just a guy working through some grief with The Batman being used as a vehicle. He doesn't know any of the Bruceisms. He never had to explain to his friends that his dad is crazy and he's sorry he made contingency plans for all of them. Terry McGinnis gets to make Batman his own. And, luckily, he gets to have a fully realized Bruce to guide him along the way. I also think that it opens so much more story potential. It's essentially a soft reboot for The Batman as an idea. Everybody else can be out doing their own thing. But I think this works in the same way that Miguel O'Hara can ALSO be Spider-Man. I believe that every intimate Batfamily member would follow Bruce's footsteps by making Batman an UNHEALTHY obsession. Terry would be different, he'd lead the pack by turning The Batman into something HEALTHY.