Warning! Spoilers for Teen Titans Annual #2 by Robbie Thompson, Eduardo Pansica, and Julio Ferreira below!
Despite being a sidekick, Robin has always been one of DC's most iconic heroes. Part of any Robin's appeal though is their ability to grow up. Heroes like Superman and Batman are locked in place. Robins however have been allowed to go through permanent changes. Dick Grayson becoming Nightwing, Jason Todd's death, and Tim Drake's independence have all come to define their characters and now Damian may have just gone through his first major change. In Teen Titans Annual #2 Damian Wayne just quit from being Robin.
Damian has been going through a rough patch after Bane killed Alfred. Despite being the son of Batman, Damian's experiences with the Dark Knight have led him to believe that Batman doesn't go far enough. To correct this, Damian assembled a new group of Teen Titans to capture and imprison villains who have a habit of breaking out of Arkham Asylum. This plan ended with Damian killing Brother Blood, Red Arrow killing Deathstroke, and the Titans losing faith in their leader. Making matters worse were Damian's attempts to kill KGBeast after the villain tried to assassinate Nightwing. As the Titans try to bring their former leader to justice, Batman shows up to tell Damian that the Teen Titans are over.
As Batman explains all of the mistakes Damian made, the group is attacked by Deathstroke. After the Titans prevent Damian from killing Deathstroke, Damian lashes out at the people around him. Batman attempts to calm his son and refuses to fight him but this only makes Damian angrier. Realizing that he has completely alienated everyone he cares about, Damian rips the Robin emblem off his costume. He tells his father that he will never be seen as an equal as long as he stays in Batman's shadow. The newly freed Damian then walks off into the night as his friends and family watch in shock.
While the recent run of Titans by writer Robbie Thompson has been considered a character assassination against Damian by some, this is ignoring the character's psychological state. In many ways, Damian has regressed and unlearned a lot of lessons but this issue shows exactly why Damian is backsliding. While Damian acts tough, the truth is that he's still dealing with the trauma of watching Bane kill Alfred.
Throughout this issue are constant flashbacks to Damian's time with Alfred. While Bruce Wayne has tried his best to raise Damian, Alfred has often been much more of a parent to Damian than Bruce ever was. Damian's attempt to kill KGBeast is Damian's attempt to take control of his life by punishing the people who hurt his family.
All of this hints toward Damian taking after Jason Todd and becoming an antihero. With the upcoming cancellation of the Teen Titans series, it is unlikely that readers will see Damian's arc resolved in that book. Whether Damian will reclaim his title as Robin or if he's done for good, Teen Titans Annual #2 shows that the former Boy Wonder is walking down a dark path.