10 Hated Comic Book Characters Who Were Killed Off

While the youngest member of the Batfamily is beloved by the majority of comic readers now, that was very much not the case when he was first properly introduced in Batman #656.

The key issue is that Damian had spent most of his childhood raised by his mother, the villainous Talia Al Ghul, who instilled in him both the idea that he was better than everyone else as the son of the Batman, and that he was worth nothing unless he was the absolute best at everything. This toxic combination made a child that was equal parts a fighting machine and snark dispenser, especially when it came to his own father.

But unlike many other disliked characters, Damian was purposefully made so you'd initially dislike him, because it would have been profoundly unrealistic for a child raised by supervillains to be entirely well adjusted off the bat. Instead, we watch Damian slowly grow and allow himself to trust his newfound family - right until he dies trying to protect them in Batman Incorporated, breaking our hearts, as he was on the cusp of changing fan opinion about him.

Mercifully, Damian was revived down the line, allowing him to blossom into the character we all know and love today.