Warning! Spoilers for DCeased: Dead Planet #2 by Tom Taylor, Trevor Hairsine, Gigi Baldissini, Rain Beredo, and Saida Temofonte! below!

A central theme of DCeased is legacy, as the next generation of heroes are forced to assume the mantle and responsibilities of their mentors as their world succumbs to the unprecedented spread of the Anti-Life virus. One of these individuals was Damian Wayne, the former Robin who accepted the role of Batman as per his father's dying wish. During the five years between DCeased and its sequel Dead Planet, Damian has been Batman as part of the Justice League on Earth-2 while on the quarantined Earth, the Red Hood is among the surviving heroes as a member of the Shadowpact who have been relocating and protecting the living from the Anti-Living. In Dead Planet #2, Damian reunites with Jason Todd and Cassandra Cain after all this time and not only does Jason comment on how much Damian's grown, he also approves of Bruce's choice to make him the next Batman.

Their history needs little to no introduction. Jason Todd was the second Robin following Dick Grayson and Damian Wayne was the fifth Robin following Stephanie Brown. After his death and resurrection, Jason was reinvented as the Red Hood and Damian has remained Robin to both Dick Grayson and his father, Bruce Wayne. Both Jason and Damian have assumed Batman-like identities in other story-lines, Jason in 2009's Battle the Cowl and Damian in Batman #666. In DCeased, an alternate DC universe, Damian becomes Batman as per his father's last request. With most of the Bat-Family infected or dead, its most likely Jason was assumed dead when the DCeased: Unkillables series revealed he was alive. Along with Cassandra Cain and Jim Gordon, Jason was among the survivors left on Earth who made it to Poison Ivy's sanctuary within an overwhelmed Gotham City.

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In Dead Planet #2, the returning Justice League find sanctuary in Gotham to deal with their wounded and losses following their recent encounter with the still-infected Wonder Woman. As their damaged ship touches ground, Damian reunites with Jason and Cassandra who all can't believe each other is alive. When they both can't help notice Damian is now Batman, Cassandra is of course a woman of few words but its unclear if Jason has a problem with Bruce's choice of a successor. Damian appears hesitant as if he's preparing for a flight from the famously hot-tempered Red Hood, but five years and the end of the world can change a person. Acknowledging that Bruce was far from perfect with his decisions, the now-older and wiser Jason shows his approval in a surprising and unexpected way: he hugs the man he once knew as a boy.

Who should inherit the title of Batman has been a hotly debated subject for years with many fans throwing all sorts of names and reasons to back up their choice. As we've seen, Damian is a different kind of Batman than his father was but that's the kind of world DCeased is, one untethered by the constraints of modern continuity but grounded by the horror of his constant apocalyptic nightmare. While it may have been interesting to see Jason and Damian fight over the right to be Batman, as others have done in the past or other universes, writer Tom Taylor wants to keep it both realistic and unexpected and he achieves that with one of the most simple and yet touching moments in the issue. Although this Bat-Family reunion could end up turning bittersweet by the end of the story, Jason's approval should give Damian some extra strength as Batman during the rough times that are sure to lie ahead.

DCeased: Dead Planet #2 is available now from DC Comics.

 

NEXT: DCeased: Dead Planet Sets The Stage For DC's EARTH WAR