Batman Introduces A Twisted New Robin

Chip Zdarsky’s Batman run has led to some pretty wild new developments for The Dark Knight – and Batman #147 is no exception. 

(SPOILERS) “Dark Prisons Part Three” sees Bruce Wayne on the run and all alone, with his Batman mantle having been usurped by his militant alternate persona, the Batman of Zur En Arrh. Zur built himself an unstoppable android body called Failsafe and downloaded his persona from Bruce’s mind into the robot, convincing the world he is the “failsafe” backup plan of a now-dead Bruce Wayne. 

In Batman #147, Zur’s plan gets complicated when Bruce escapes from the secret prison his alternate persona has built. Zur also has to contend with Amanda Waller, who sends a strike team to Wayne Manor to take him out. Damian Wayne handles Waller’s forces, still under the belief that his father is inside the robot. 

However, Zur tips his hand after revealing to Damian that he’s building an army of Amazo androids, and downloading personas for Batman variants from across the multiverse into them. Damian quickly deduces that it couldn’t be Bruce’s consciousness and must be variants of Zur; Damian rebels against Zur, only to find out that his heel turn was predicted, and planned for. 

Zur snares Damian in some coils and reveals that he already has a countermeasure in place: a Robin that he creates himself. 

We only get the brief reveal of this new Robin (Robin of Zur En Arrh?), but it’s easy to presume that it is some kind of android made to look like Damian – or maybe a composite of the former Robins (Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake). The new Robin carries a glaive and has a sinister look in his eye like he won’t be afraid to use it. 

The Batman of Zur En Arrh is defined as being the more efficient and focused version of a Batman, one that’s been distilled from any of the “Bruce Wayne” personas. Zdarsky creates an interesting parallel in Batman #147, wherein both Bruce and Zur come to respective revelations that the ‘dark loner Batman’ way of doing things is insufficient, and allies are necessary. But while Bruce is headed toward a lighter place (including a return to a classic color scheme), Zur’s Robin seems to hint the renegade persona is spiraling down into a darker abyss. 

Batman #147 is on sale at DC.