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| “ | You had everything! A mother and a father's love. While I had nothing. And you never appreciated it. You're just some arrogant little &$£&#! And people still loved you! | „ |
| ~ Respawn explaining his envy towards Robin. |
Respawn is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe, appearing as a major antagonist in the 2021 comic series Robin and the 2022 comic crossover event Shadow War.
Respawn was a clone created by the international terrorist Ra's al Ghul using the spliced DNA of Talia al Ghul and Deathstroke, therefore making him the genetic half-brother of Robin. Tortured from birth by his creator, Respawn swore to enact vengeance upon Ra's al Ghul and Robin due to the latter having the life he never did.
Respawn was created by Joshua Williamson and designed by Gleb Melnikov, and first appeared in Robin #1 in April, 2021.
Appearance[]
Respawn's physical appearance was a culmination of traits from his genetic mother Talia al Ghul and his genetic father Slade Wilson. In addition to his metahuman physiology, Respawn also inherited his father's bright-green eyes and unnatural white hair. Other factors such as his tanned skin, lean physique, and facial features were all inherited from his mother's side. As noted by Slade Wilson, Respawn bore almost uncanny resemblance to his maternal half-brother Damian Wayne to the point that Deathstroke initially mistook him for Robin.
History[]
The boy later known as "Respawn" was artificially created by international terrorist Ra's al Ghul, the founder and leader of the ancient and enigmatic League of Assassins. al Ghul used the DNA of his own daughter, Talia al Ghul, and the metahuman mercenary Slade Wilson (Deathstroke) as the genetic template for Respawn. He was created to serve as an ad hoc organ donor to Talia's young son Damian Wayne, who frequently suffered grievous injuries during training. Because of the healing factor he inherited from Deathstroke, Respawn's organs would replenish themselves after surgery to be harvested anew.
Over the years, as he lived in the shadows and withstood Ra's al Ghul's brutal experiments, Respawn grew a deep resentment for his "brother" Damian based around jealousy. Eventually, Damian Wayne abandoned his grandfather's legacy and moved to Gotham where he became Robin, the crimefighting partner of his father Bruce Wayne (Batman). In the wake of Damian leaving, Ra's al Ghul's torture of Respawn became even more gruelling. In due course, however, Ra's al Ghul stopped visiting Respawn and the child was left all alone in his confinement.
After some time, Respawn was able to escape from his chains and flee his imprisonment by chewing his own arm off. After escaping, Respawn decided that he wanted to be with his genetic father Deathstroke. He eventually found a hideout containing the equipment used by Deathstroke's deceased son Grant Wilson and began training for the day when he would finally meet his father. Donning Grant's costume, the boy who was created and tortured by Ra's al Ghul became the enigmatic martial artist Respawn.
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