Damian Wayne turns into his dreaded Batman 666 self in the latest issue of Future State: Gotham, and he has an unlikely former member of the Justice League to thank for this transformation -- Zauriel the angel.

In issue #13 of the series, Zauriel reveals that, after Damian learned of his father's apparent death in the dystopian alternate reality of Future State: Gotham, the young Robin dove into magic and mysticism. Trapped outside of Gotham City when the Magistrate police force took over, Damian was cut off from other members of the Bat-Family and turned to Zauriel for spiritual guidance.

RELATED: Arkham Tower Is Proof That the Magistrate Isn't Done Yet

Close

Eventually, Damian summoned Zauriel on Lazarus Island and bound him to a circle, demanding to know all information pertaining to his father. After the exhausted angel finally explained that Bruce Wayne was nowhere to be found in Heaven, Damian forced him to open a portal to Hell, where he was trapped for many years. Now, Damian is returning to Gotham as an adult who is "ready to bring damnation to the Magistrate for what they've done," according to the final page reveal of the issue.

Zauriel, one of the many guardian angels of the DC Universe's version of Heaven, debuted in 1997's JLA #6 and was created by Grant Morrison, Mark Millar and Howard Porter. Known for his flaming sword and mild resemblance to Hawkman -- to the point of Aquaman calling the character "Katar" during their first meeting, referencing Hawkman's true name of Katar Hol -- Zauriel appeared throughout Morrison's run on JLA. He was also a member of Shadowpact, the magic-based team of heroes that served as a precursor of sorts to the Justice League Dark. Since DC's 2011 New 52 reboot, Zauriel has only appeared sporadically, notably in the "Trinity War" and "Forever Evil" storylines of 2013 and 2014.

RELATED: Nightwing Might Start a Second Battle for the Cowl

Damian Wayne's Batman 666 first appeared in 2007's Batman #666, which was also written by Morrison and featured artwork by Andy Kubert. The issue focused on an adult Damian Wayne who had seemingly sold his soul to the Devil for immortality and supernatural abilities.

Aside from showcasing Zauriel and an adult Damian, Future State: Gotham #13 also features the return of Bruce Wayne, who was presumably killed in a massive explosion in the conclusion of the two-part series Future State: Dark Detective, which went on sale in 2021 and set up the plot threads and characters that Future State: Gotham has elaborated upon.

Future State: Gotham #13 is on sale now from DC.

Source: DC