Batman Inc. #8 *Major Spoilers*

Now before we get to this, I want to clarify once again, there are going to be some SPOILERS ahead, so if you don’t want to know a major plot point in next weeks Batman Incorporated #8 than stop reading right now!

Okay now that we’ve got that out of the way, it looks like even though Scott Snyder didn’t kill anyone off in Death of the Family, Grant Morrison is filling that void with next weeks (2/27/13) Batman Inc. #8 with the death of Damian Wayne. The son of Bruce Wayne and Talia Al Ghul, and the current Robin will be meeting his end in a story line that’s been building for most of Morrison run on the title.

During the transition from old DC continuity to the New 52 the first volume of Batman Inc. came to an end with the One-Shot, Leviathan Strikes! which saw a bounty being placed on Damian by his own mother. While there aren’t any specific details on how the death goes down, I think it’s a safe bet that the bounty may finally catch up to Damian.

Grant Morrison actually spoke with the New York Post and verified the rumors, so we know this isn’t just misguided information or assumptions based on the variant cover (seen below). Morrison said “He saves the world. He does his job as Robin, He dies an absolute hero.” Which seems to fit the story that’s been told between the various books featuring the character. He’s struggled with being a killer as he was raised by his mother, or being the hero like his father. Morrison also goes on to say that the book will deal with Bruce and Talia’s responsibility for the outcome.

That’s the cover that started everyone on the Robin dies path, and well it sorta does say it right there doesn’t it. The cover is a homage to the Alex Ross cover from Batman #676 which was the first part of the Batman R.I.P. story line. I always find it funny when a company does a cover like this, I get that it probably isn’t a big secret they’re going to be killing the character, but still at least give us a little bit of surprise. As it goes with comics, and regardless of what Morrison has said, we won’t know for sure how, when, why or if Damian really dies until the issue comes out. I’m casting my vote for a clever ruse to make everyone think he’s dead, like they did with Bucky over in Marvel during Fear Itself.

Alex Ross Batman RIP Cover

Batman fans know this isn’t the first time a Robin has died, almost 25 years ago DC put out the call to fans to determine the fate of Jason Todd, the second Robin, who ultimately perished at the hands of the Joker. We all know how that played out though as Jason is currently the star of Red Hood and the Outlaws.

In the end, these are comic books, sure you can kill a character, doesn’t mean they’ll stay dead for long. And Batman needs a sidekick the same way The Doctor needs a companion. Not to mention it’s hard to have a book called Batman & Robin without a Robin.

So let us know your thoughts in the comments, how long do you think it’s going to last? Will someone else take up the role as Robin?

Chris talks a bunch on PodQuest each week. He's also been known to write about stuff from time to time. You can Email Chris or follow Chris on Twitter @Just_Cobb or Facebook

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