It’s official, the Legion of Super-Heroes will have a new member come January, Batman’s own son and smart-mouthed sidekick Damian Wayne. Joining his fellow young super-friend Jonathan Kent (Superman’s son) the Boy Wonder will be joining the team of heroes from the 31st century in Legion of Super-Heroes #3 in January 2020.
More or less retconned from existence in DC’s New 52 universe, the team made a comeback in September courtesy of Brian Michael Bendis and Ryan Sook. Bendis first reintroduced the team to DC canon in Superman #15, where they recruited Superboy to join the Legion. Their current roster includes characters that fans of the CW series Supergirl will be familiar with such as Brainiac 5, Dream Girl, Mon-El, and Saturn Girl.
DC’s January solicit promises that Legion of Super-Heroes #3 will “plant seeds and ideas that will blast out across the DC Universe for months to come.” In this latest issue, Damian is seemingly recruited by the Legionnaires to assist them on a secret mission to the first man-made planet—Planet Gotham. Building a whole planet based off of America’s most crime infected city was probably a bad idea, and judging by the cover, most of the Legionnaires believe making Damian a member of the team was a worse idea. The only member who seems remotely happy about Robin being recruited is his buddy Superboy, while the rest seem to be in a mix of shock, annoyance, or mild displeasure. It’s hard to blame them, considering Damian was trained by assassins and graphic violence tends to follow him around like a lost puppy.
You knew there was no way Jon Kent was going to leave his best friend behind! Welcome to the future, Damian Wayne! (This is such a terrible idea!) Also, meet the new Legionnaires as they head to a secret undercover mission on the first man-made planet: Planet Gotham. Every page of this new DC epic plants seeds and ideas that will blast out across the DC Universe for months to come! All this, and Monster Boy is on the loose!
This wouldn’t be the first time Batman and Superman’s boys have teamed up. The World’s Finest offspring have appeared in many books together including the recent issue of Superman #16, where Jonathan Kent returns from his journey in space—but 5 years older. The two clearly had a lot of catching up to do since they last starred in their own team up book Super Sons. Arguably, Robin and Superboy make for better “frenemies” than their super-dads.
While it isn’t often that members of the Bat-family venture off into space, Damian Wayne is in good hands with seasoned comic book writer Brian Michael Bendis behind the wheel. Bendis has made a career out of writing compelling team books such as All NewX-Men and New Avengers. His ability to perfectly juggle multiple characters and plots simultaneously is a rare talent in the comic book industry. And with such a huge cast of colorful characters, Batman’s son Damian will fit in with the Legion of Super-Heroes just fine.