This article contains spoilers for The Flash #786It's all hands on deck for the Flash Family in The Flash #786 as the speedsters team up with all manner of heroes, including Batman's edgy son, Damian Wayne. As expected, Damian doesn't take well to new heroes and holds a certain disdain for the all the new kids on the block. While not exactly quick to trust, Robin's attitude once again finds a target in the ever adorable Irey West, the daughter of Wally West, the current Flash.
Once again, his attitude is his downfall as he finds out very quickly that Irey is not so easy a target as many others he's encountered. It's hard to be the youngest in the Wayne family, but Damian's approach to making friends has been nothing short of disastrous. So, with her own sassy attitude to combat his, Irey is exactly what the Robin needs to get on the right track for team-ups.
Never facing the reason behind his views, Damian is finally confronted with the question of why he acts in the way he does in The Flash #786 by Jeremy Adams, Amancay Nahuelpan, Jeromy Cox, Pete Pantazis, and Justin Birch. In a hilarious, but necessary jab at the Robin, Irey tells him, "mean people are mean because they are trying to make up for not feeling as good as everyone else," in response to him referring to her as "Flash Baby." Clearly affected by her words, Damian storms off in a huff of annoyance, but she brings up a good point. Having grown up with parents in two separate worlds, it's hard for Damian to find out who he is beyond that. With Batman wanting him to follow in his footsteps and his grandfather, Ra's al Ghul wanting Talia and Damian to follow in his, the ever-growing conflict is enough to make any kid insecure.
Irey West Balances Out Damian Wayne's Rudeness.
Damian's adventures with his friends led him on his first ever journey of self-discovery, where he was faced with a challenge all on his own. But even that story had some involvement from Talia and Batman starting in Robin by Joshua Williamson, Gleb Melnikov, and Troy Peteri. The weight of these two worlds forced him to grow up too quickly and from there he developed an attitude that would even bother Superman. Of course, Damian wasn't completely without friends, he made them through the triumphs and defeats they all went through together, however, his views have always been a little skewed. It was only when a new teammate stepped forward that he was shown what he was really like.
Irey West's sass is the perfect way to combat Damian's rudeness, and perhaps she is the teammate and friend he truly needs to work with. She provides a challenge for Damian that would humble him in a way that forces him to reflect on how he's been acting. Not only limiting herself to calling out his rudeness once in The Flash #786, she takes it upon herself to call him out a second time after she helps him take out a foe. This forces him to realize he can't just take things on by himself all the time, and sometimes a bit of help from a friend goes a long way. So he shouldn't be rude to those who are helping him.
Perhaps this reality check will help Damian in the long run, but Irey West has definitely proved she's not afraid to say what people need to hear. In this case, Robin's attitude problem is called into question, and the young hero may finally accept this sassy speedster as a proper teammate. Stuck in the shadow of Batman, Damian's growth has been a long time coming, and the Flash's daughter is exactly what he needs to push himself out.
The Flash #786 is available now from DC Comics.