The Best Batman Character of the 2010s Wouldn’t Have Happened Without Changing Canon (DC Should Do It Again)

I don’t think I’m being out of line when I say that Batman’s son, Damian Wayne, is arguably the best character to come out of DC Comics in the 2010s. What other character came out around the same time that not only rocked Batman’s world, but ended up becoming one of the longest-serving DCU legacy characters in recent history? And you know what’s wild? Damian might not have even existed if it weren’t for a story that wasn’t even true DC Comics canon to begin with.

Sure, the Damian we all know and love was introduced in Grant Morrison’s lauded Batman epic. But an out-of-continuity story from the late ’80s first toyed with the idea of Batman and Talia al Ghul conceiving a child. Years later, Damian emerged in the proper DCU canon and ended up becoming a true fan-favorite for Batman fans everywhere. Given the popularity found, there’s an argument to be made for DC taking other elements of non-canon stories and adding them to the main continuity.

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Damian Wayne Was Inspired by a Non-Canon DC Story

Nearly two decades before Damian was introduced in the iconic “Batman and Son” arc, the graphic novel Batman: Son of the Demon by Mike W. Barr and Jerry Bingham had the Dark Knight bring a new life into this world with Talia al Ghul. In this story, Bruce and Talia begin a romance that eventually leads to Talia becoming pregnant. However, Talia lies about miscarrying to Batman, only to give birth to their child in secret and give the boy up for adoption.

While this story was never canon, the idea of Batman and Talia having a child together was experimented with in other out-of-continuity stories, such as Batman: Brotherhood of the Bat and Kingdom Come. But it wasn’t until 2006 that DC brought Damian into true continuity. His origin was slightly changed, and he was instead made the result of an encounter where Talia may or may not have drugged Bruce to sire a child with him. But all the same, Damian was a true part of continuity, and he’s been fighting with the Bat-Family for close to two decades now.

It’s wild to think that if no one ever picked up that element from Son of the Demon, we might not have ever had Damian (I mean, I’d hate it, he’s my favorite Robin!). There’s something to be said about taking a look at non-canon stories and asking if there are parts of them that could work in the main universe. Obviously, nothing as shocking as DC vs. Vampires or Injustice. But the multiverse is filled with non-canon stories that could inspire some more interesting change for the Prime DCU.

Non-Canon Comics Should Be Used to Inspire Bold New DC Stories

Now I’m not talking about doing things like reinventing Clark Kent’s past so he grew up in Russia, like in Superman: Red Son. But there are tons of great ideas in various Elseworlds stories that have never been utilized in the years since. Like Cythonna, a vengeful Kryptonian ice god that challenges the Man of Steel in Superman: The Last God. She only appeared in that one story, but come on, you can’t tell me that a talented writer can’t do anything with a goddess that holds a grudge against Superman.

That’s not to say that creators should only take from out-of-continuity stories. But when you look at how much of an impact Damian has had in the last two decades, you’ve got to appreciate Morrison looking outside the box of what the main continuity said and deciding, ‘You know what? This is a really cool idea, let’s make it happen.’ It’s easy for the main universe to get comfortable with the status quo, but non-canon stories break the mold, and honestly, that’s what fans really want to see.

While comic book fans can be a fickle bunch, out-of-continuity stories can serve as a good bellwether for the kinds of directions they’d like to see. Obviously, people took to the idea of Batman and Talia having a kid, so why not branch out and see what other non-canon elements would work? I’m not saying it would 100% lead to a similar reception as Batman’s son, but I think DC Comics may be surprised by what kinds of non-canon elements fans would respond to if they were brought to the main universe.

What non-canon story element do you think could make a big wave in the Prime DCU? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!