One Robin May Return in Absolute Batman, Series Writer Says

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Published May 14, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT

Jason is an award-winning journalist whose writing career dates back to when he developed the ability to use a crayon. He, most notably, worked previously as a "professional fan," as he likes to call it, at CinemaBlend, for which he wrote about anything and everything under the pop culture umbrella... especially Batman. His passion for the art of cinema began even earlier, stemming from repeat viewings of The Wizard of Oz.
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The debut of the Absolute Robins is one of the most exciting developments in the Absolute Batman storyline so far, but, for some, it feels like the crew is missing a key character or two. Well, one notable Robin may not be absent from this universe for long.

Scott Snyder confirmed that he has an idea to introduce Damian Wayne into the world of Absolute Batman.

The acclaimed writer appeared on the ComicPop Returns YouTube channel to discuss the highly anticipated release of Absolute Batman #20, during which the idea of the main timeline's current Robin joining the mix came up. Snyder, who has previously explained Damian's absence in Absolute Batman, explained his reasoning once more to host Sal Crivelli before offering a tease of his eventual debut in this universe.

So, it appears that readers of Absolute Batman can expect Damian Wayne, a DC character many fans love to hate, to emerge sometime next year. The question that remains is, how?

As Snyder mentions in his ComicPop Returns interview, Damian, who was created by Grant Morrison and first introduced in 2006, is the biological son of Bruce Wayne, whom he conceived with Ra's al Ghul's daughter, Talia. Talia is another character who has yet to make her Absolute Universe debut. Given the fact that Bruce is a working-class 25-year-old who has rarely ventured beyond Gotham City, it would not make much sense for Damian to be included among the Absolute Robins without feeling, as Snyder puts it, "shoehorned in."

However, the Absolute Robins are treated as, essentially, the adoptive children of billionaire playboy Jack Grimm IV, a.k.a., Absolute Joker, who even has his own luxurious manor with a decked-out cave beneath, making him a darker reflection of Bruce's traditional depiction. Thus, it only seems natural to make Absolute Damian the spawn of that immortal demonic beast, if not the son of Bruce and Selina "Catwoman" Kyle instead.

What About Absolute Carrie Kelley In The Absolute Universe?

Another name that Scott Snyder mentions in his interview regarding BatFamily characters whose potential Absolute Universe debuts he finds challenging is Carrie Kelley. The first female Robin was introduced in Frank Miller's Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, which is turning 40 this year, and has since made appearances in the main timeline as wildly different iterations.

So, what is keeping Snyder from dreaming up a new version of, arguably, Batman's all-time greatest sidekick for Absolute Batman? The best explanation he provides for ComicPop Returns is a preference for keeping the Absolute Robins exclusive to characters who have worn the old red, green, and yellow in the main continuity, which does not count The Dark Knight Returns.

It might be interesting to see the self-made teen vigilante reinterpreted as an ally of Absolute Joker as well. Regardless, one would hope that Absolute Carrie Kelley plays a more prominent role in the comic than her iterations outside The Dark Knight timeline, which included being an acting teacher to Damian in The New 52 and a random pedestrian watching an older Bruce Wayne pass away in the DC Rebirth canon.

The five characters Snyder ultimately would choose to be the Absolute Robins are Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown, and Duke Thomas. The young Gothamites, collectively called the Robin Program, are led by Slade "Deathstroke" Wilson, financially backed by Jack Grimm, and equipped with high-tech mech suits to aid them in the hunt for the city's current public enemy Number One: Batman, who was framed for murdering former mayor James Gordon by Absolute Scarecrow, in Absolute Batman #19.

Absolute Batman #20 is now available in comic book stores.