Warning! Spoilers ahead for Robin #8
In the latest issue of DC Comics' Robin, Damian Wayne is about to enter a massively defining moment that will decide his future. Having been estranged from Batman for several issues, Damian has left his father to sort out a personal identity crisis. Spurned on by his failure to save the Bat-Family's butler Alfred who was killed by Bane, Damian is determined to face his inner demons and darkness, and as such he's found himself involved in a tournament of lethal fighters run by the mysterious League of Lazarus.
In DC's Robin from writer Joshua Williamson and artist Gleb Melnikov, Damian Wayne found his way to Lazarus Island, entering a tournament featuring the greatest fighters in the DC Universe who were all competing to the death, hoping to achieve what they believe will be immortality. With the power of the Lazarus Pits having seeped into the foundation of the island itself, each fighter can die twice and become resurrected before a third and final permanent death. While the League of Lazarus has ulterior motives for the champion, which Damian is determined to uncover, his final battle with the secret son of the Green Arrow Hawke sees the former Robin revealing his personal motivations for fighting in the tournament.
Having been born and bred to inherit the power of his grandfather Ra's Al Ghul as leader of the League of Assassins, it's no secret that Damian Wayne has had one of the darkest childhoods of Batman's wards. Under the guidance of his father, Damian has worked hard to temper the brutality and killer instinct he was trained since birth to unleash. However, that battle has been harder due to the guilt he feels from Alfred's death. Damian says as much in the new Robin #8 claiming that the Lazarus Tournament is his punishment that will help decide where he'll go once the dust settles.
Clearly, this is a critical moment in Damian Wayne's life. Furthermore, there's no telling what he might become by the end of the tournament. While DC Comics' Future State titles have revealed what's in store for many of the DC Universe's heroes and villains in the near future, Damian has never been featured in any of them. As such, Robin's future has never been more uncertain than it is right now.
It seems as though the outcome of the Lazarus Tournament will be a massive turning point which could very well set the trajectory for Damian Wayne's future. Will he recommit himself to being Robin and rejoin Batman and the rest of the Bat-Family in future issues, or will he resign himself to his darkness and remain on his own as something else entirely? Fans will just have to wait and see as DC's Robin continues.