A/N: I was recently asked for my take on Damians character arc in the DCAMU. I would of tried to make a video about it but honestly, I don't know how so I guess I'll just write it out. Now this is in regards to the DCAMU Damian. I know other versions of him exist in comics, tv shows, and video games, but this is mostly about the version of him from the new 52 movies. I think this version of Damian should be the definitive version. I hope you like my analysis.
So I've always loved the DC animated movies ever since I was a kid. Justice league crisis on two earths, Batman Superman apocalypse, Justice league Doom, Batman under the Red hood where the movies that really got me into DC's animated stuff. From there I watched Justice league unlimited, Teen Titans, and Young justice and just fell in love with anything they put out. This brings us to Son Of Batman. In this movie I already hated Damian because my first introduction to him was the Injustice video game where he murdered Dick Grayson. So I wasn't really giving him a fair chance coming into these movies. Son of Batman wasn't the best movie as it nerfed Deathstroke terribly and made him a joke of his formal self, but it had some important tidbits for Damians future development.
This is Damian at his worst. Bruce in the comics had been stated in saying "whatever they did to him, it broke him." I never understood how people saw Damian as a spoiled prince. Entitled...yes, but not spoiled. He thinks he deserves these things because he's been conditioned mentally to believe blood is what determines status and character. Take into consideration the years of ruthless training and terrible abuse he's suffered and you have an arrogant sociopath that is Damian Wayne. All of this happens by time he's only ten years old. He's only a child who's suffered a great deal and doesn't even realize it.
Now as we all know Ra's would eventually die from wounds given to him by Deathstroke and Talia takes Damian to meet Bruce and that's where he begins his journey to redemption
We start off with Damian meeting his father in Son of Batman. Bruce, while initially being skeptical of whether or not Damian was actually his still decided to take him in. I honestly don't know how the worlds greatest detective was skeptical this kid was his son. I mean a blind man could see the resemblance between these two. Anyways, we don't get to see it, but there's a conversation between Bruce and Alfred in the comics that's really interesting. Alfred states that Bruce more than anything, needs to be a father to Damian and not just Batman. I love this, because Bruce had always been Batman to everyone first. Always the hero and very rarely the man. If Damian was going to turn out for the better then Bruce had to make an actual attempt at fatherhood. It was understandable because Dick already had a father that he loved and cherished before passing, so while Bruce considered Dick his son he knew he couldn't invade on the position of Dicks actual father. However, with Damian he could really make an attempt to be a father.
While there are some moments for Damian in this movie, the only two that really stand out is where he becomes Robin and of course when he spares Deathstroke despite him killing Damians grandfather embracing his fathers side of his heritage. Now at the end of the movie Talia let's Damian stay with Bruce for reasons I don't really understand.
This brings us to Batman vs Robin based on the comic, Batman and the court of owls. The story changes to put Bruce and Damian at odds with eachother. Now we get the scene at the beginnings here Damian takes off on his own to face the doll maker and disregarding Bruce's orders. Damian of coarse finds and defeats the doll maker and is struggling with the concept of the famous line "Justice, Not vengeance!" Damian choose to spare doll maker, but he is killed anyway by Talon who is looking to recruit Damian to the court of owls. So now we have a good character and a bad character influencing Damians actions.
Now if you've ever battled some form of addiction or tried to reinvent your self in any way. You'll know that Damian is at the point where he's struggling with a potiental relapse. Talon of coarse represents the bad side of Damians conscious. He coerces Damian with the same ideas that Ra's did. This is very enticing for Damian, as it is essentially him convincing Damian that his old ways were right and makes his struggle to reform that much harder. It's easy for Damian to relate to Talon and even comes to like Talon. So he keeps In contact with the court of owls assasin despite batmans warning.
Bruce of coarse is the good side of Damian conscious. We have a scene at the beginning of the movie where Bruce and Damian are actually getting along and watching a movie. It is immediately barred with a scene where Bruce is keeping Damian imprisoned in the house and has him under surveillance. This makes sense as Damian is escaping on his own to fight crime and Bruce still doesn't trust him, but I still don't like it. I think this is detrimental towards Damians progression. Anyways Bruce catches Damian trying to escape and Damian gets angry with him. Bruce tried to disarm him with kindness, but is once again met with spite. This is important because later on we see this method of approach with another character. Anyways Damian is becoming more and more resentful towards Bruce for his lack of faith in Damian, and also because Damian is starting to become self conscious. He wants to be the person Bruce wants him to be, but doesn't think he can be it. This is a common trait with addicts towards their supporters. Damian feels pitied by someone he looks up to and his ego is trying to protect itself by being callous towards him.
Damian would eventually go on to betray his father in favor of Talon. This is him relapsing from his reformation. He turns on the people who want to help him in favor of someone's who's telling him is wrong doings are right and it's the other people who are the problem. That's usually what other addicts or people with disorders tell their peers when they don't feel what they're doing is wrong even though it is. This is of coarse detrimental to both people in obvious ways.
Later on Bruce finds the court of owls, but had traveled through a tunnel that was flooded with fear gas.
Now we see a vision of Bruce's greatest fear, and you guessed it, it's Damian. This has been stated in the comics as well that Damian is not only Bruce's greatest fear, but his greatest source of hope. This is because Damians journey to becoming a good person inspires hope in Bruce that anybody can do it. There's a scene in the DC Metal comic where Bruce and Clark has to enter the great forge and the only way to do it is to have true hope and when Clark asks what his greatest hope is. Bruce simply replies "Damian." However with that hope comes fear. Fear that he'll lose the battle for Damians soul and he'll turn into an unfathomable evil. He realizes that he has to have faith in Damian. He has to have trust in him when his instincts tell him not to.
Now Talon would come to introduce Damian as his new protege to the court of owl. When Damian reveals his identity one of the members recognizes him from earlier on in the movie as Bruce's ward and surmised Bruce Wayne must be Batman. Damian instinctively lies to protect Bruce. This is a big part of Damians character. He has shitty judgement, but he always acts instinctively to protect his loved ones which means at heart he is a good person.
So the court of owls imprisons Damian and launches a full assault on Wayne Manor. They fight off the coming wave of Talons monstrosities and it ends in a duel between Bruce and Talon. Now after all the shit Talons done the things Bruce is most upset about is him hurting Damian. This shows that even though Damian betrayed him, he still loves his son.
Bruce is winning the fight until Talon gets a lucky blow and impales Batman with his arm blade. Talon then goes on to repeatedly beat and stab Bruce until Damian shows up to fight him. Damian gets the upper hand and Talon ultimately commits suicide by shoving the blade Damian was holding into his own throat. It appears that Bruce might think that Damian actually killed Talon of his own accord, but Bruce is able to piece together what really happens. Then we see Damian ultimately come back to his father with a huge hug and Bruce tells Damian that he's proud of him.
This is a big moment for Damian as he realizes that he is not his own person. He's been told who to be by everyone else and doesn't really know who he is. He decided to leave and Bruce tells him of a monestary that helps people who are lost which is where we see Damian in his first scene in the next film. Dick and Bruce are talking at the end of Batman vs Robin and Bruce says that they all need to have faith and not try to control who Damian is or becomes. This is the biggest difference in Bruce and Ra's philosophies as Ra's and Talia felt Damian was a weapon needed to be meticulously crafted and tinkered with. Which is why Ra's and Talia isolated him and kept him dependent. They essentially controlled his environment and who he'd become. Bruce knows that Damian is a person and will have to make his own decisions and mistakes if he's going to learn from them and grow as a person.
Next we skip to Batman Bad Blood. The biggest thing here is the evolution of Dick and Damians relationship. They've stopped fighting so much and begin working together and actually tease one another from time to time like real brothers. There really is not much else except for one scene that really stuck with me since I first saw it.
This is after Damian is injured in a battle. While conversating with Alfred who is providing medical attention, he tells him that these injuries arent that bad and he's been hurt worse sparing with Ra's. Now I've actually practiced in various fighting disciplines. Boxing, wrestling, MMA and the point of sparing is to sharpen your skills, fighting an opponent at a slower pace so you don't injure them. Your essentially fighting, but at like 20 to 30 percent of your full ability so you don't hurt the other person. This implies that Ra's would get angry during sparing and intentionally hurt Damian as an result. Along with this, Damian says in the injustice video games that Talia made him grasp hot coals as a child. Yah, pretty messed up shit.
Damian would come to resent Talia after she orderes a brainwashed Batman to execute him. Talia would seemingly die and Bruce and Damian share a hug mourning their loss.
Now we get into the really Juicy stuff!
After Damian goes AWOL and neutralizes a villain against Batman's orders. Bruce sends Damian to live with the Titans to learn the importance of teamwork. While he is still being a little asshole and fights Blue beetle after an arguement. Beetle nearly kills him with a blast and Raven heals him which in a stroke of luck, let's them peer into eachothers memories. This is by far the luckiest break Damian gets as far as character development. This is huge because, he's gets to see Ravens past without her opening up to her about it. Note, that earlier in the movie when they first meet, Ravens states that Damian is sad. Which is true for all lonely people. Bruce, Damian, Jason are all alone mostly by choice and deep down they are all sad and depressed.
This brings us to the scene in the woods where Damian confronts Raven about her prying into his memories. Raven insinuated that what she expierenced from Damians memories was traumatizing "stating I didn't see it as much as felt it, and I've been trying to shake it off ever since." She also draws correlation between Ra's and Trigon. Both are ancient power obsessed tyrants that lead cults who worship them. Both had heirs conceived through questionable means specifically for their missions to conquer the earth.
Drawing this correlation between Trigon and Ra's is important because Damian still idolized Ra's at this point in his life. Referring to him as a "great man" and saying that they were going to rule the world together. Making a connection to someone that Damian knows is inherently evil and someone who he refused to believe is evil will help him realize that Ra's was the demon everyone told him he was.
We get a little cheeky glimpse that Damian and Raven are attracted to eachother.Not much, but it's still important to add something like this to develop a relationship.
Then we see Damian and Raven actually having fun at eachothers expense. Damian has been known for teasing Dick, mainly because they have a brotherly relationship, and also because he relates to Dick on the grounds of them both being Robin and existing in Bruce's shadow. He actually relates to Raven knowing that they have very similar past and feels comfortable around her to where it feels natural for him to tease her playfully, and not as an insult.
Damian then buys a toy sword with the tickets he wins and hands it to a little girl. This scene calls back to the point I made earlier where Damian instinctively protects Bruce. When given opportunities and acting without thinking, Damian almost always is kind and does the noble thing.
This is one of the most important scenes in Damians development. Ravens tried to make a joke with him and when he doesn't laugh, she feels that Damian thinks she's criticizing him. She then apologizes and Damian flew into a defense mode thinking she is looking down on him for not laughing. Damian states "if you knew me then you'd know not to waste your time." This is what Damian does when someone tries to get close to him. He acts callously towards them, not because he hates them, but because he doesn't know how to interact with people. His whole self image is dependent on him thinking he's the perfect human. Damians afraid that acknowledging he's not adequate at social interaction will slowly dissolve this image he's built for himself. Then Raven does something that circles back to a statement I made earlier about Bruce. Instead of engaging aggressively with him, she simply disarms him with empathy.
Raven says "I guess neither of our lives have been funny, but I'll tell you something not even you know about yourself. You may be insufferable, but deep down you are a kind and generous soul." Referring to the scene where Damian handed the little girl his toy sword. When Bruce, Dick, and even Starfire tried to be compassionate with him, he turned them away because he felt he was being pitied. Damian doesn't turn Raven away because me knows that she has seen his past and has felt his feelings. He knows that they are cut from the same cloth and she can truly understand him appose to others who he thinks will only pity him. Ravens on her own journey to redemption after getting Azarath decimated. Raven much like Damian wanted Trigons affection and praise. She did bad things for him, but only to be shunned.
Of coarse Raven would betray him and come to earth while yearning for a home. Leaving Trigon trapped in a crystal that he would eventually escape. I think this is what Damian comes to admire about Raven. The fact that she knew that what Trigon was doing was evil and she stood up to him without having to be taught by others to do it. Her standing up to Trigon on her own is something I think Damian envied greatly. She had the strength the confront her abuser and stopped him from doing further acts of evil.
We get to the fight scene between the justice league and the titans. Damian is captured by flash and only when flash threatenes Damians life to Raven. Only then does Raven surrender and decide to go with them. The movie goes on, The titans wrestle Superman from Trigons control and then they take Raven to hell to once again attempt to trap Trigon. There he is faced with an old face.
Ra's asks Damian to kill Raven in order to restore him back to life. Raven is weak from her spell being interrupted and is unable to defend herself. Damian hesitates because Raven has showed faith in him, empathized with him, and they even had fun together. She is the first person Damians ever related to, who's ever understood him and his struggles with good and evil. She even risked eternal servitude for a person she despised to save his life. Make no mistake, Damian wanted Ra's to live, but he never felt a connection like he did with Raven and he didn't want to give that up. I think in this moment Damian had the chance to prove himself. He had the opportunity to face his abuser and when confronted with the decision, and chose to do what Raven did.
Damian refused Ra's and ultimately decapitated him in their battle. This meant Damian finally had began coming to terms with his childhood. He began to understand that Ra's wasn't the man he thought he was, and the fact that Ra's was connected to Trigon helped him grasp it. Ra's was truly a demon it just took Damian literally seeing him as a demon to fully understand it.
After Raven imprisons Trigon once again. She opts to stay in hell and watch him to make sure he doesn't escape, but Damian ask her to come back and quoting a line from Robert Frost. "This is not your home. Home is the place where you have to go there, and they have to take you in." The movie ends with the Justice League thanking the Titans and we get a moment where Damian and Raven smile at each other; solidifying their bond.
In Judas contract we don't get many scenes with Damian or Raven and even less of the two together, but what we do get is meaningful. Now there is an article on tumblr talking about this interactions but I'll spell them out here too, but if you're curious about the article. Then just google "Damian and Raven, big interactions" on google and the tumblr post should be the first link.
First off Damian is a lot more compassionate in this movie. Like almost an entirely different person at times. There isn't much till about the midway point through the movie. A scene where Dick and Damian are conversating normally and actually getting along. Damian congratulates Dick on his cohabitation with Starfire and even compliments Starfire stating "She's proved herself to be a decent leader."
Keep in mind, last movie he was in, Damian said she was "just an alien with no where to go."
For the most part Damian compliments his teammates and even tolerated their more annoying antics. Such as the case when Garfield lands on Damians face as a bug and Damian doesn't really react to it. When Terra nearly brings down the tower during a nightmare Raven tries to calm her mind and Terra lashes out telling all of the Titans to get out and rejects Ravens help. Damian asks Raven what she saw and Raven says it's none of his business. Damian was already suspicious of Terra and I think he's already gone to Dick and Starfire with these suspicions but was rejected because he had no evidence.
Damian insist Raven tell him what she saw saying that everything that goes on in the tower is all of their business. Raven gives him this look which to me is saying. "Look I get your concern, but don't expect me divulge information I got from other people's minds. I didn't tell anybody about yours so don't expect me to tell you about Terras." Damian seems to respect her wish and doesn't pursue it any further till an accident later on.
We get a little scene with Raven once again jokes with Damian seemingly being the lighter side of their relationship. Wow never thought I'd see the day Raven would try to try to humor somebody. After Dick loses to Starfire in a sparing match Raven says "Guess we know who's taking out the trash at the new place." Referring to Starfire presumably being the head of the household in their cohabitation. Anyways while Damian doesn't laugh at her joke he doesn't scold her for it either. This means that he's more comfortable with her and doesn't mind her attempts at humor or is no longer provoked by her trying to bond with him.
Now a little bat after that interaction we get a scene where Terra loses control of her powers and completely freaks out. After she gets ahold of herself again, the team goes foward trying to comfort her.
While this is happening Damian and Raven exchange a glance and it looks like Damian is saying "see why I'm suspicious of her." and Raven is acknowledging his concern. Then we get a scene where Damian and Raven talk to Dick and Starfire together. Damian feeling more confident with someone else backing up his claim. Damian and Raven now In agreement tell Dick and Starfire that Terra might be up to something. Damian, unhappy with Dick and Starfire ignoring him and Ravens concerns goes to spy on Terra by himself. Damian actually tries to empathize with Terra and relate to her. He comforts Terra letting her now that him and the rest of the team is there for her if they need her. This is by far the biggest step so far with his progression. Much like Raven did for him, he's putting faith in someone who he finds worthy of sympathy, even though she was callous towards him and his friends.
Damian had gotten over his reclusiveness to interact socially, and him willing to spend more time with others, him opening up to other people helped him become a kinder, gentler person. Now there's a scene I don't think gets discussed enough when talking about Damian character. I couldn't find a picture of it but the scene shows Damian nearly escaping his restraints and Terra reapplies them before Damian can get free. Even after Terra betrayed him Damian tried to reason with her.
Terra treats him the same way he used to treat others. Lashing out at those who try to relate or understand him. Damian tells Terra that Slade doesn't care about her. She responds by saying that Damian doesn't know anything about her or about him. Damian then says "let me guess, he kept you isolated. Dependent. Told you everyone was your enemy. Trained you ruthlessly, and promised you exactly what you wanted. Believe me, I know." This is Damian finally acknowledging Ra's was using him, and was maintaining an abusive relationship with him. I think over this time Damian had realized what a relationship was suppose to be like. Bruce loved him, and even cherished him without expecting anything from Damian. Bruce didn't want Damian to become Batman, he wanted Damian to be his own man. He sent Damian to the Titans so he could learn what the world was like. That even though people had weaknesses, they were strong to, and that the only people who were enemies are the people who you made enemies out of. Damian had started to put faith in his friends, and even in people he really didn't know later on.
Now we get the puppy scene at the end of Judas Contract. While this scene his happening you can hear Beast Boys dialogue over it. It starts off with Damian holding Deathstroke's mask presuming the famed mercenary is dead. Damian had finally gotten closure for Ra's murder and is letting go of Ra's memory. Unsure of where to go next Raven walks up besides him and gifts him a Great Dane named Titus. Garfield says during this scene "We help eachother grow, become better people." This line is no more appearant than with these two characters. Raven gifts Damian a puppy for what I can only imagine is to have him get something that is dependent on him. That gives him unconditional love and no matter who or what he becomes, will always stand by his side. Raven is putting faith in Damian that he'll become a better person and actually make an attempt to be a good owner to Titus and he does. Almost every movie Damian makes a cameo in after this you can see Titus with him.
We have this scene from Death of Superman where Damian comforts Bruce after Superman dies. This is because Damian knows what it's like to lose a teammate and friend. He knows how his father grieves losses and makes it known that he's there for him. Also getting a little cameo from Titus.
After that we get another cameo of Famian and Titus from Batman Hush where Damian scolds Bruce for becoming romantically involved with Selina Kyle (catwoman). Damian goes on to say that Bruce makes poor choices in woman. Including his own mother. He then tells Bruce to wear protection and to cover his drink as to not be drugged again. At least he's come to realize his mother wasn't a good person. This also means Damian is protective over Bruce and doesn't want him to get his heart broken. I would of wanted to see more of Damian in this movie but this scene is gold so I won't complain.
We don't hear anymore from Damian until Apokalips war and if you haven't watched it then I suggest you go buy it and watch it right now.
We get a scene at the beginning of the movie where Raven flinched from Trigon threatening her and Damian asks Raven what's wrong and she plays it off. After that the invasion happens and everything goes to shit. Most of the Justice League and Titans are killed and Darksied exterminates most life on earth. Then we don't see him till 2 years later when he's presumably an adult and is head of the league of shadows. Raven, Clark, John Constantine, and Etrigan show up to the temple and are immediately ambushed by assassins. Damian only calls for a cease to the fighting once one of his assassins are fixing to hurt Raven. Damian and Raven are reclusive are first after not seeing eachother for 2 years. Damian goes to attack Clark because he blames Superman for the death of his family and friends, but stops when he sees Raven collapse.
Notice how tenderly yet protectively he embraces Raven. There's a quote that says "absence makes the heart grow fonder, but it sure makes the rest of you feel lonely." Raven, even though not seeing Damian for two years still feels safe in his embrace. Damian allows Clark and the rest to enter his temple so he can let Raven sleep. Raven has a nightmare where Trigon threatens to kill Damian if she doesn't release him. This means that Trigon knows Raven loves Damian and uses him as leverage, because he knows she doesn't care what happens to her. Note: You can actually see Titus in this scene as well.
Damian asks John if there's a way he can help Raven and John says the only way for her to recover is for them to get Trigon out. Damian while being unkind to Superman because of him being directly responsible for his families death, is very tender and loving towards Raven. He expresses genuine concern for her well being and often jumps to her side when she's in trouble.
We are then showed this scene where the Titans are killed. Damian shows Clark and Raven what befell Nightwing after the Justice Leagues failed invasion of Apokalips. Dick Grayson was killed and Damian is so distraught by Dicks death at the hands of a paradoom, that he takes his body across the world to the league of assassins to revive him using the Lazarus pit. It goes awry and Nightwing comes back insane. Raven scolds Damian for using the Lazarus pit after he promised her he wouldn't. Damian says "he was my brother, I had to take the chance. It just didn't work." This is probably the most developed we've ever seen Dick and Damians relationship. Damian loved Dick so dearly that he returned to the league of assassins to revive him. Clark asks Damian to help them in their mission to cripple darkseids army and to shake batman from the tyrants control. Damian while initially relunxtant, agrees because he believes it's his soul duty to save his father.
They teleport with the help of Ravens magic to Stryker island where Lois Lane is with the suicide squad. Raven becomes nauseated from teleporting and throws up. Damian almost immediately offers his support, assisting Raven with walking inside. Moments later Raven is again shown to be bothered by Trigon. Damian asks Harley where they could rest and Harley says "is that what you kids are calling it nowadays?" The implications of that question are obvious. Damian helps Raven to the infirmary. They sit down on the bed together and Raven feels ashamed with how she appears to Damian saying "you probably think I'm weak."
Damian replied with "Raven, you're one of the strongest people I know." Damian wasn't just saying this to stop Raven from self loathing. He genuinely meant this and I honestly don't think the line really conveys how much Damian admires Ravens strength and character. Damian then asks Raven how she ended up with Clark. Raven tells Damian that after he left she was alone. The combination of Trigon in her head, her friends dying, and Damian leaving was too much to bear and she attempted suicide. Clark stopped her and they've been partners ever since.
Now we get the big moment between the two. Raven apologizes for not leaving with him when he offered. Damian takes off his mask to show Raven his sincerity in his upcoming statement. Damian then confessed his feelings towards Raven saying "when I asked you to join me in leading the league of assassins, I wasn't doing it because you're a good fighter. I....I had feelings for you." Damian confesses that when he initially asked Raven to go with him, he lied and didn't tell her how he really felt. Notice how he hesitated before saying he had feelings. He closes his eyes and says it, and then looks away. He's afraid Raven would not reciprocate his feelings. This is the most human interaction I've ever seen Damian have. He lets her know how he feels, but doesn't put her into a position where she's forced to lie to spare his feelings. Damian loves Raven and for so long was afraid to share his feelings. He was afraid to be vulnerable with someone, because most of his life he was told that intimacy was weakness. Damian lays his feeling bare for Raven, having faith that she will feel the same. Damian then says "if you didn't, then you made the right choice." This means that if she didn't feel the same then she was right for rejecting him. This seems to really bother Damian as he's trying to already accept the fact that Raven wouldn't want him since she already rejected him once. Raven admits to Damian that she does feel the same and the reason she rejected him was because her father wanted to kill him. She says she couldn't risk losing Damian after everything's they've suffered. Damian then reaches for Ravens hand sharing his affection and the two look intensively into each others eyes with smiles.
Now I want to point out that despite the world ending and having spent two years with the league of assassins that Damian actually doesn't kill anyone through the entire length of the movie. Look closely, he always wounds and bruises his opponents, but never kills them. Damian actually spends a great amount of effort into not killing, showing that he's actually reformed and hasn't relapsed back into the killer his father feared so much. A few more scenes here and there, mainly of Raven losing her shit when Damian is hurt and nearly killing whoever threatened Damian.
Then we get to the fight on Apokalips where Raven destroys the lasers and nearly loses control of Trigon. Raven threatens to kill Damian in Ravens voice, however, Raven is able to reign Trigon back in after seeing Damian was afraid of her. Damian is still concerned for her neverless.
The next big scene is Damian confronting his father and Bruce insulting his son. Bruce says "you dare call me father. Your mother drugged me to conceive you, goaded me into raising you, and broke me mentally. Now that lord Darkseid has opened my eyes I see that you were never my son, only a burden!" Ouch. A fight ensues between the two and Bruce tells Damian that he's always held back against him and it really shows because Bruce beats Damians ass in a flagrant fashion. Like it's really bad and Bruce is inches away from killing Damian and he has a flashback where he sees Damian as himself and himself as the man who murdered his parents. Bruce then disobeyes darkseids command to kill Damian and throws a sword, puncturing Darkseids eye.
Darkseid shoots an omega beam at Batman for betraying him and once again Damian acts instinctively to protect his father. Despite everything Batman had done to him. Calling him a rape child, disowning him, and beating the crap out of him, Damian still didn't hesitate to lay down his life to protect his father. He intercepts the beams with his own body all but killing him. Raven seeing the person she loved most brutally murdered, loses control of Trigon who possesses Superman's body. A fight between Demon Superman and Darkseid ensues. How badass was that fight, huh? Anyways meanwhile Damian and Bruce are saying their final goodbyes. Damian thanks Bruce for accepting him and showing him a better way. This means Damian has finally accepted that Bruce's methods were right. He then goes on to ask Bruce to save everyone and uses his dying breathe to ask his father to protect Raven. So Damian now had not only one, but two people who's life mattered to him more than his own. Damian then dies in his fathers arms.
Raven then gets her turn to say goodbye. She sheds a tear and tells Damian that she loves him and gives him one final hug.
Having been freed from Trigons control, and finally embracing love. Raven then becomes white Raven. Her most powerful self and uses her new found power to resurrect Damian. She lets go of the hug to see Damian looks normal. Damian is perplexed saying "you brought me back." And Raven then quotes him saying "I had to take the chance."
Damian then goes back with Raven over to the rest of the group where Bruce hugs him. Bruce goes to apologize for what he said and did earlier, but Damian stops him saying "No need to be overly emotional father, it wasn't your fault." Despite what Bruce said being extremely personal, and even targeted to offend him. Damian knows that Bruce truly didnt feel that way, and even if he did Damian was secure enough in himself that it didn't bother him as much as it would have earlier on in his life. For so long Damians self image was so fragile that any kind of negative interaction would cause him to lash out and become defensive. Damian had become his own man and knew his father respected him for it. He didn't let what Bruce said bother him and forgives him for it.
They would eventually win the battle on Apokalips, but only at the cost of mutually assured destruction. Constantine then asks Flash to reset the timeline. While initially hesitant, Flash eventually obliges. Flash takes off into the horizon and a mass expansion of white begins encompassing everything. Everyone watches as the flashpoint slowly erases everything. Raven and Damian look into eachothers eyes and they accept their fate....with a kiss. These two characters finally embraced love and became the best versions of themselves. It might of been a goodbye, but only for now. Years from now I hope us Damirae fans look at this kiss as an introduction into other media for this ship to develop. This is by far the best version of Damian and Raven helped him become his best self. Raven also developed tremendously. I think the possibilities for this ship is endless and they can become a top tier comic book couple. Let me know what you guys think in the comments, and thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.