In publication history, you could actually claim Damian "Robin" Wayne as the 6th incarnation of Batman's sidekick Robin (Grayson, Todd, Drake, Brown and Kelley). For the sake of this article and due to the New 52 reboot, we'll stick to Bruce's four sons. Damian entered the Batosphere as the brash, precocious little brat that Batman had fathered with his one-time sociopath lover Talia al Guhl, daughter of ecoterrorist Ra's Al Ghul. Grant Morrison, the author who first introduced young Damian, has a knack for pulling elements from the Silver Age era of Batman and placing them in different areas of his story. An example of this is the reintroduction of Zur-En-Arrh, a planet that was mentioned in Batman #113, and the Birth of the Demon arc in which Morrison's "Batman & Son" is based off of. By the time that Damian is introduced, readers had already been accustomed to the three Robins that were already present. Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, and at that time, the current Tim Drake had previously established their histories as Batman's sidekicks. So why bring in another kid? What makes Damian so special other than the fact that he's Bruce Wayne's actual biological son? It's not that fact that Damian is special so much, it's that he adds to the Bat-mythos. First there's the family tie that binds his father to one of his greatest enemies. And you thought you hated your in-laws. Imagine, not only is your child's mother a complete sociopath, but her father is constantly trying to kill you, and place his soul in your son's body. Not exactly the company you would want over for Thanksgiving dinner. Secondly, there's the relationship between the four boys. Grayson and Damian had the big brother/baby brother relationship that worked very well during their run as Batman & Robin. Tim Drake was the child struggling to find his identity while Jason Todd was the red-headed step child who got beat with a crowbar (No justice for gingers?). Together, they were the sons of Batman, and surprisingly they worked extremely well as a team. A Robin-centric story, though touched on in Peter J. Tomasi's Batman & Robin, but not really fleshed out would be an interesting read. Lastly, the element that Damian added to the mythos of the Robin mantle was that out of all the Robins, the young Wayne constantly showed his eagerness to take up the Bat mantle. Grayson and Drake both ventured out on their own to create their own identities (Nightwing & Red Robin, respectively). Even during Battle of the Cowl, Grayson was reluctant to take Bruce's place. As Grayson's Robin, Damian often told his older brother that he would take up the mantle if the elder wasn't up for the job. The only other Bat member eager for Bathood was Todd, but that was more due to the fact that he was a trigger happy maniac that wanted to deliver his own brand of justice....Bat justice. In Tomasi's Batman & Robin Annual #1 in the New52, we see a Damian who sends his father on a wild goose chase while he enjoys time as the Caped Crusader through Gotham. Ok, so what's the point? How does his death ruin the role of Robin? Well, look at this way; in a strange way, Batman was starting to form an actual family. Sure, at this current time they had a bit of a falling out due to the Joker's "Death of the Family" arc, but he had Alfred, Batgirl as somewhat of a niece, and his four sons (even though Todd was excluded from the family painting). Parts of the Joker arc and the immediate aftermath showed different scenarios of the Robins depending on one another or becoming closer. Hell, even Todd got some tender moments in with Grayson AND Bruce! With Damian's death, we have all of that family mending being brought to a crashing halt. The part that ruins Robin's role is if they replace Damian. Instead of being a member of Batman's family, Robin becomes somewhat of an expendable character that can be replaced after a small grieving period. This is Bruce's biological son for pete's sake! After Todd's death, wouldn't you feel that Batman would do everything in his power not to lose another Robin? At the time of this writing, Batman Inc 9 is only a mere two days away. Morrison's run on the Bat-title only has a handful of issues left. Will we see any retribution for the death of Damian? How will the Bat-family team ups play out in Batman & Robin? Any chances of Ra's al Guhl appearance? Guess we'll have to wait and see, and enjoy the ride.