Warning: Spoilers for Detective Comics #1091Batman’stime as Gotham’s most formidable vigilante could be nearing its end, with none other thanRobingearing up to replace him. Bruce Wayne’s decades-long tenure as Batman has started to wear on him as the effects of aging make themselves known. Meanwhile, Robin is more adept on the field than ever, as Batman himself has just revealed the shocking way that his sidekick can outclass him.
Along with the news thatDetective Comics#1090 by Tom Taylor and Mikel Janín is going back to print, DC has releasedan early preview ofDetective Comics#1091, and it offers a first look atBatman and Robin’s next thrilling fight. Robin infiltrates a moving vehicle and takes out criminals with astonishing ease, and Batman can’t help but compare himself to the Boy Wonder.
While watching Robin fight, Batman acknowledges his own weakness, as he admits that"Damian makes it look effortless. And I remember when it was effortless for me, too.“Batman has finally admitted that his age is a shortcoming in battle, and moreover, it’s a shortcoming that Damian doesn’t have due to his youth. Therefore, Robin has the potential to surpass Batman much sooner than anticipated.
Robin’s Youth Gives Him a Key Advantage Over Batman
Damian Wayne Will Soon Replace Batman as Gotham’s Strongest Vigilante
Robin has been Batman’s sidekickin DC lore since the original’s conception in 1940, thus being lesser in contrast to the Dark Knight. Though each character to inherit the mantle has evolved under his tutelage, it’s been assumed that Batman overpowers them due to his more extensive combat experience. However, Batman’s deduction unveils that Robin’s inexperience can be an advantage in its own right.Robin may not have Batman’s brute strength yet, buthis youth enables him to fight without worrying about the effects on his body.Batman, on the other hand, now has to account for such drawbacks.
Robin Lore Changes Forever, as DC Retcons His Original Costume After 84 Years
Robin’s classic costume just got a massive upgrade, one that reinvents a staple of his costume, debunking a long-held criticism about Batman.
Batman’s vigilantism has caught up to him at last, with his age hindering him more and more in recent years. InDetective Comics#1090,Batman’s age becomes a weaknessas he’s unable to keep up with a young criminal he’s chasing. This results in the boy being killed before he can reach him.Batman is getting too old to pull off the feats that once came naturally to him, whereas Robin grows more skilled with each passing year as he learns from Batman. It’s only a matter of time before the student overtakes the master - unless Batman can turn back the clock.
Detective Comics#1090 Second Printing Cover by Mikel Janín
To most, growing old is an inevitable fate, but Batman might have found a way to circumvent the limitations of mortality. A familiar face from his past, Scarlett Martha Scott,offers Batman a cure for his age problem. She’s cultivateda youth serum known as Sangraal that can reverse the effects of aging, and Bruce has been given the chance to partake in it.
In this new preview, it looks like Batman is considering this opportunity now that Robin has shown him what he used to be and what he could be again. There are undoubtedly risks to taking a youth serum like this, but ifBatmandoesn’t wantRobinto surpass him, it may be the only chance he has to fix his combat disadvantage.
Robin
Batman
One of DC’s most iconic heroes, Batman is the vigilante superhero persona of billionaire Bruce Wayne. Forged by tragedy with the death of his parents, Bruce dedicated his life to becoming the world’s leading martial artist, detective, and tactician. Recruiting an entire family of allies and sidekicks, Bruce wages war on evil as the dark knight of his hometown, Gotham City.
