Warning: contains spoilers for Robin #2!

While Nightwing may be one of Batman's most trusted allies, and the Red Hood a proficient killer, Robin's latest mission to investigate the League of Lazarus requires things neither can bring to the table. Dick Grayson and Jason Todd are capable fighters and extremely driven individuals, but the challenges posed by the League of Lazarus are practically tailor-made for Damian Wayne’s skills and sensibilities, and his bloodthirsty nature means he's capable of saving the day where the first Robin couldn't.

In Robin #2 by Joshua Williamson and Gleb Melnikov, Robin has been resuscitated after being brutally killed by Flatline in the previous issue. After getting his bearings and talking to Ravager, Robin finally learns the rules of the Lazarus League; mainly that all fights are to the death, and dead contestants will be promptly revived by the island’s properties. Fighters get 3 deaths before their souls are trapped on the island and they are disqualified from the tournament. Damian learns that the prize at stake is supposed immortality, before engaging in a killing spree and taking down several of the tournament’s contestants. After satisfying his bloodlust, Damian returns to his true purpose on the island, and begins investigating what is going on behind the scenes and why Bruce and Talia hid the tournament from him.

Related: Robin is Falling in Love With the Girl Who Murdered Him

All members of the Bat-family are capable fighters, but only two of them are true killers: Jason Todd (Red Hood) and Damian Wayne. Since killing is the only way to win fights, and ultimately progress through the Lazarus Tournament, Damian and Jason would probably be the only two members of the family willing to go through with it. But while Jason is a capable hand-to-hand fighter, this tournament has brought together the best physical combatants in the world, and he’s ultimately much more comfortable in a firefight. As the tournament seems to have banned the use of firearms, Jason would have to rely on his fists and blades, a skill where Robin presently overtakes him. During his killing spree, Damian utilizes knives and swords to great effect to cut down a large group of fighters, something Red Hood would likely struggle with.

Robin Lazarus Tournament

Nightwing, on the other hand, absolutely has the close-quarters-combat chops necessary to get far in the Lazarus Tournament, but being a true follower of Batman’s creed inhibits his ability to go for killing blows, even against enemies who can be brought back to life. Robin has that killer instinct, and has often had to wrangle with it on a deep, personal level. During Patrick Gleason and Peter Tomasi’s Batman and Robin run, Damian frequently found himself struggling with the urge to kill instilled by his mother, and at one point even killed a villain who knew Batman’s secret identity, Morgan Ducard (aka NoBody). Damian isn't just able to kill without hesitation in a way Dick Grayson can't, but is driven to take lives as his first resort. While noble, Nightwing's respect for human life would stop him staying in the tournament long enough to carry out the investigation into the League of Lazarus Damian begins later in the issue.

While Batman has trained his myriad allies well, and all of them are capable hand-to-hand fighters, none but Damian were trained from birth to be the world's greatest assassin. Nightwing constantly proves himself proficient at hand-to-hand combat, and Red Hood is happy to gun down his enemies, but the Lazarus Tournament demands an urge to kill Dick Grayson can’t summon and a mastery of combat just out of reach of Jason Todd. Robin, on the other hand, has both, and this tournament will allow him to stop holding back like never before, all while facilitating his true objective of investigating the League of Lazarus' secrets.

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