One of the more infamous pieces of the Batcave’s decor is a glass display case containing the costume of the fallen Robin, Jason Todd. Depending on which continuity you wish to acknowledge, there may also be a case devoted to the costume of Stephanie Brown, who also died while serving as Robin. Now, another young Robin has joined their ranks: Damian Wayne. The 10-year-old illegitimate biological son of Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul was stabbed through the chest by his own artificially-aged clone (alias “The Heretic”) in Batman, Inc. issue #8 (published February 27, 2013). All over the country, shocked fans looked on in horror as Bruce Wayne’s brave 10-year-old made a hero’s ultimate sacrifice. Shock, however, gave way to sadness and grief as they watched Bruce Wayne scream up at a raining sky while cradling the limp body of his son.

Bat-history has shown that after a Robin’s death, Batman has a tendency to become reckless and extremely violent. After the death of Jason Todd, for example, Batman was so heavily affected that he nearly beat normal street criminals half to death. Had Tim Drake not stepped in and become the third Robin, there is no doubt in my mind that Bruce Wayne would have eventually broken his most important rule: No Killing. Now, if that was how Batman reacted to the death of his adopted son, take a moment and TRY to imagine what kind of  mental torture he’s putting himself through over the death of his biological son.

Although he really didn’t deserve it, Damian Wayne is dead and the franchise needs to move on. For sure, the fans already have. One of the biggest questions that rose from the ashes of Damian’s demise like the metaphorical phoenix was: Who is going to be the next Robin?

The concept of finding the next Robin has thrown the fanbase into a frenzy of wild accusations and semi-plausible hypotheses. Ultimately, however, there are three main possibilities that fans are willing to or already have accepted: Harper Row, Carrie Kelley, and/or a new character.

Harper Row is a teenage girl from Gotham City who is talented in engineering and mechanics who has emancipated herself and her brother, Cullen, from their neglective parents. Fans argue that Row is a shoe-in for Robin because unlike the other five, she has already adopted the “Batman mindset”: As dirty as Gotham has become, it’s still worth saving. Also, she is a prodigy when dealing with electricity and machinery, as shown by her employment with the Gotham City electrical mainframe. Batman has already shown interest in her and has already saved her and her brother from a potentially violent encounter with some older boys, who were harassing Cullen because of his sexual preference.

Although Harper Row has already garnered some attention, another character has also raised an enormous red flag on the subject. In one of the more recent issues, Carrie Kelley, Damian Wayne’s dance instructor, attended a costume party dressed in a Robin costume. This is very significant because Carrie Kelley appears as Robin in Frank Miller’s “The Dark Knight Returns”. Seeing as how Kelley has already been portrayed as Robin, the chances seem to be very high that she will step up to the plate and don the mantle for an actual canonical run.

The third possibility for the future of Robin, which I am more aligned with, involves a very risky decision on the part of DC Comics. Joshua Yehl, the comics editor at IGN, actually summed it up quite well when he was asked about his opinion on the situation:

Yehl: What I think is gonna happen is that Harper Row will become something of a non-Robin. Like, she’s still gonna help Batman, just not as Robin.

JM: You mean like Stephanie Brown’s “Spoiler”?

Yehl: Yes! Like that. What I hope they’re going to do concerning Robin in particular, though, is that they’re going to wait a while until the shock of Damian’s death dissipates. Then, several years later, they’re going to introduce a completely new character and then make a big deal about “The Return of Robin”.

No matter what is being said, however, writer Scott Snyder remains tight-lipped about the fate of Robin’s successor. Until something is actually done, the fans are just going to have to continue to rant, rave, speculate, and suspect.

R.I.P. Damian Wayne