WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Shadow War: Alpha, now on sale from DC Comics
Batman’s role in the Shadow War initially seemed to be primarily as a detective trying to get to the bottom of a major conflict. But now, it seems like his own family drama is about to become a central aspect of the storyline.
Bruce Wayne’s cruel comment to Damian about Alfred’s death in Shadow War: Alpha #1 by Joshua Williamson, Viktor Bogdanovic, Daniel Henriques, Mike Spicer, and Troy Peteri might be his worst parenting mistake yet — and may have doomed his relationship with his son at the worst time possible.
Batman’s complicated history as a parent hasn’t always worked out for him or for the young people he takes under his wing. Stepping into a parental role with orphans like Dick Grayson and many of the other sidekicks he’s had over the years, Batman’s noble intentions are often complicated by his high expectations and a low tolerance for anything less. This has helped spur on some seriously tricky moments between Batman and his partners. All of this has only been amplified by Damian, Bruce’s son with Talia al Ghul. Although the pair had their rough patches early on, they’d seemed to settle into a nice place before the events of “City of Bane.” But after the death of Alfred Pennyworth — a death Damian blames on himself — Damian has increasingly become distant with his family, even decrying the role of Robin.
Things got even worse in Shadow War: Alpha. While attempting to turn himself in to the authorities and actually offer change to the world, Ra’s al Ghul was assassinated by a masked assailant wearing Deathstroke’s armor. Before Batman could capture the killer, they deployed an incendiary device that landed on Ra’s and destroyed his body — seemingly preventing anyone from reviving him with the Lazarus Pits. Damian’s attempts to save him failed thanks to Batman, who was able to rescue his son before the explosion. Attempting to help his son deal with the pain and trauma, Bruce embraced Damian in a massive hug that could have fixed things but when Damian angrily noted he’d lost two grandfathers, Bruce remarked that he would have saved Alfred.
It’s apparent immediately how much damage that off-the-cuff remark does to the pair. Damian stormed off, promising to bring down Deathstroke and even potentially kill him. Bruce was aware of what he just said and tried to immediately apologize, but it was too late. He may have irrevocably damaged his relationship with his son. Alfred’s death and the memory of him have become a major motivator for Damian recently, with the young man’s attempts to deal with his lingering guilt playing a major role in the Robin solo series. This guilt has been an obvious element in the Bat-Family, with others (like Barabra Gordon) calling Bruce out in the past for not helping Damian better cope with his feelings of guilt.
Bruce’s words came at the worst time, too. Not only is the Bat-Family getting dragged into the chaos of the Shadow War without their full numbers — and Damian likely becoming a serious wildcard in the conflict instead of a dependable ally — it comes ahead of Batman’s expected death as a part of the build-up to Dark Crisis. Coming at a time when Damian has become so ostracized from Batman, it’s possible that this will leave Damian even more adrift in the world. This could potentially more vulnerable to his mother’s villainous influence. Batman’s inability to hold back his criticisms may have done more than damage to his bond with his son, it also may have set the stage for Damian to truly become the heir to the demon that so many people have feared him to be.
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