tw mention: religion, teen pregnancy, blood transfution. hospital.
Damian Wayne as a doctor. The idea itself is fascinating—Damian interacting with people he cannot control, people who challenge his patience in ways even Gotham’s criminals never could. Parents who think they know more than doctors. Parents who refuse to trust vaccines because of misinformation spread on social media. Parents who prioritize their religious beliefs over their child’s survival. Damian watching, horrified, as so many parents would rather let their child suffer than accept help from modern medicine. He doesn’t understand how any parent could want that.
But Damian does understand children. He treats them with respect, explaining procedures step by step because they deserve to know what’s happening to them. He knows life is complicated, and it only becomes scarier when no one explains things properly. He refuses to patronize them, especially when their own parents insist on shielding them from reality. Damian believes in telling them the truth, ensuring they understand, because fear is easier to manage when you have all the information.
Of course, other doctors don’t always agree with him. It isn’t technically his job to explain every little thing to his young patients, but Damian doesn’t care. He remembers what it’s like to be treated like a child when all you want is to understand the world around you.
And then there are the parents who barely seem to care at all. The ones who neglect their children, who view them as burdens rather than responsibilities. But as long as those kids are under his care, Damian will fight for them. He will protect them, even if their own parents won’t.
He tries to bridge the gap between medicine and religion when necessary. “How do you expect to help your child if you don’t believe in blood transfusions?” he asks, genuinely trying to understand, but it’s difficult for him. Even her mother—Talia al Ghul—acknowledges the power of modern medicine. How is it that these parents cannot?
And then there’s the American healthcare system. It’s broken. Damian knows this—sees it every day. He treats teenage girls with unwanted pregnancies, girls who have no fault in their circumstances, yet their parents stand idly by, expecting the school to have taught them everything about sexual education. As if it wasn’t their responsibility too. He sees it in his colleagues—doctors and nurses burned out, disillusioned, no longer driven by a passion to help but by the need to survive. The system is collapsing, and even with the Wayne Foundation doing everything possible, it’s not enough. It’s not just Gotham—it’s the entire country.
He hears it from a mother who works three jobs just to afford her child’s medication. He sees it in the way insurance companies control medical decisions, calling mid-surgery to deny procedures because they aren’t covered under a patient’s plan. It’s infuriating.
And then there’s the systemic racism. He sees how Black women are dismissed when they express pain during labor. He sees his own colleagues brushing off serious symptoms with a condescending “It’s just a little pain.” But Damian doesn’t let it slide. He steps in, exerts pressure, sometimes even invokes his father’s name—the owner of the hospital. It burns him to do it, but he refuses to stay silent. He knows what it’s like to be judged by his skin tone, to be treated as lesser. The medical system is broken, classist, racist, and resistant to change, run by doctors who have been there for decades and refuse to retire. Damian has seen it all.
And yet, despite the frustration, he doesn’t give up. Some days, he feels like he’s fighting a losing battle. He can’t convince every parent, can’t change every mind. He watches in disbelief as people trust influencers over trained professionals, believing that a green juice will cure diseases instead of actual medicine. Sometimes, he wonders if being a vigilante was easier—or at least less frustrating.
But there is hope. He sees it in the parents who listen, who follow medical advice, who vaccinate their children because they trust science over internet conspiracies. It reminds him that not all is lost. That people can still believe in medicine and in those who practice it.
Damian Wayne is a credit to his family. He fights for his patients, even when the system fails them. He explains things others wouldn’t bother to explain. He ensures that the children under his care feel safe and heard, even in the most terrifying situations.
And yet, the worst patients of all? His own family. Now, he understands why Leslie Thompkins was always exasperated with them. He can’t believe how reckless his brothers are—ignoring recovery instructions, skipping medications, refusing to rest properly. They don’t go to their check-ups unless forced.
Damian may think he’s seen it all, but when it comes to his family, nothing ever prepares him for the chaos. He’ll still take care of them, of course, even if it means graying prematurely. And if they frustrate him too much? He won’t hesitate to hand them another doctor’s business card—just to make a point. But deep down, he’ll always be there for them. Whether they deserve it or not.
