Warning: Spoilers for Ultimate Batman #1.Damian Wayne Robin has a number of distinctive qualities that set it apart from the rest Batman‘s buddies, the most notable of which is his catchphrase. His trademark “tt” it’s the quickest way to make him stand out in a crowd of Robins, and the origins of the new Boy Wonder’s vocal tic have been revealed. Robin’s catchphrase has new roots in Batman’s history, forever changing Damian’s place in the Wayne family.
Ultimate Batman Issue 1, written by Scott Snyder and illustrated by Nick Dragotta, gives Bruce Wayne a creative overhaul as his origin story is rewritten for the new Ultimate Universe. In this subversive look at Batman continuity, it is revealed that Martha Wayne is still alive. On top of that, when Bruce meets her in front of their apartment, she makes a sound that only Damian Wayne usually makes.
It is implied that Absolute Damian Wayne’s tick came from Marthameaning that it was a trait he secretly inherited from Batman’s family all along.
Ultimate Batman #1 – Written by Scott Snyder; Art by Nick Dragotta, Frank Martin and Clayton Cowles
In the eighteen years since his introduction, Robin’s signature tongue click has become one of his most noticeable features. It’s a relatively common sound in the broad sense, but Damian’s repeated use of it makes it an undeniable element of his character, as iconic to him as his father’s sound. “I am Batman” catchphrase. “tt” the sound is intended to indicate irritation or judgment, which suits Damian’s personality as a no-nonsense Robin who wants to get straight to the point. Now, however, another member of the Wayne family has made the sound his own.
Connected
Robin probably borrowed his catchphrase from Martha Wayne, Batman’s mother. This change in DC history defines how Robin fits into the Wayne family after he had trouble navigating his paternal half of his line. Because Bruce’s parents died when he was young, Damian never had the honor of meeting Thomas and Martha Wayne, and is therefore cut off from the Batman family. This demonstrates that Even though Robin never met his grandparents, they are still part of himas did the relatives he met on his mother’s side.
DC Continuity’s main version of Robin was raised by his mother – the Ultimate Universe changes that
Ultimate Batman #1 – Available now from DC Comics
The side of his family that Robin is most familiar with is his mother’s, Talia al Ghul’s. As the grandson of Ra’s al Ghul, the Demon King, Damian was raised alongside the League of Assassins and was taught from a young age to fight with the intent to kill. For the first ten years of his life, the Al Ghul were the only family Damian had ever known – one of the paradigms that Ultimate Batman will apparently be looking to shake up history, one of many game-changing changes to the Caped Crusader’s history.
Talia’s love and Ra’s influence permeate Damian’s story in the main DC Universe. IN Boy Wonder #4 – Junie Bah, Chris O’Halloran and Aditya Bidikar – It is shown that Talia decided that she did not want her son to lead the life that her father wanted for him and made the heartbreaking choice of giving him to Batman. That sacrifice led to Damian becoming Robin and navigating the familiar continuity of a part of his family he hadn’t previously known—but as the new origin of his catchphrase shows, it’s nothing unusual. Absolute Universe.
The Ultimate Batman is an opportunity to explore a whole new dynamic of Batman and Robin.
Revisiting the origin of the word “TT” – the first step
Batman didn’t get off on the best terms with Damian when Talia first left their son in his care in Batman #656 by Grant Morrison and Andy Kubert. Robin’s initial hostility towards his father drove a wedge between them, and despite Batman’s best efforts to mend his relationship with his son, they could not agree on anything. However, over the years the two grew closer, fighting crime together as Batman and Robin. Now they are a dynamic duo in their own right, with Bruce becoming the father Damian always needed and his latest connection to the Batman family confirms this.
While it is the Batman and Robin dynamic that will develop in Absolute Universe yet to be determined, Martha Wayne’s use of “tt” V Ultimate Batman Number 1 makes it clear that the show has an opportunity to take a completely different look at its partnership. Reinventing Damian’s classic catchphrase and changing the story to make it go back to his paternal grandmother cements him in Batman origin and proves that Robin is a true member of both halves of his family tree.
Ultimate Batman No. 1 available now from DC Comics.