DamiRae

DamiRae is the het ship between Damian Wayne and Rachel Roth from DC Comics fandom.

Justice League vs Teen Titans
Damian meets Rachel when his actions got him added to the Teen Titans, in hopes that they'll help him understand the true meaning of team work and to form bonds with those who are close to his young age. However, when he is introduced to the Titans, he is initially cold, rude, and dismissive of them and their abilities. This includes Raven, whom he arrogantly calls “Witch Girl”. While the other Titans are wary and condescending of their new teammate because of his hostility and arrogance, Raven, due to her empathetic powers, is able to sense Damian’s inner sadness. This gives her some insight into Damian’s true character.

Damian’s arrogance later gets him into a fight with Blue Beetle, in which he is critically injured and half of his face is burned. Using her healing powers, Raven is able to save his life but unintentionally shares parts of their respective pasts together. Later that night, Damian attempts to thank Raven for saving his life while she is meditating, though his attempts are half-hearted at best. Damian expresses his discomfort with Raven having looked into his mind, for which Raven states that it was uncomfortable for her too since she, as an empath, felt it more than saw it and has been trying to shake it off ever since. Damian and Raven’s conversation becomes more heated when she insults Damian’s grandfather Ra’s Al Ghul, whom she labels a demon, for which she knows her demons. This causes Damian to reveal that he saw parts of her mind as well, including visions about her demon father Trigon. When he continues to inquire about the creature, Raven feels insulted that Damian is meddling in her privacy and angrily tells him to stay away from her before entering a portal she conjures. This causes Damian to develop a strong untrusting and suspecting view of Raven and desire to learn more about her past. Damian found it odd that he couldn't find much on Rachel, even though Kory does explain a bit about her and how the Titans is a safe place for people like them.

In order to help Damian become friendlier with the the other Titans, Starfire decides to take them the next night to a local amusement park. While the other Titans enjoy themselves playing games, Damian and Raven both seem to be rather displaced and awkward, due to their respective anti-social and introverted attitudes. This causes them to spend most of the trip together, giving them time to bond. While sitting on a Ferris wheel together, Damian and Raven show their first indication of developing feelings for each other. While sitting alone together on it, they briefly starring at each other for a second with their eyes wide before quickly looking away with shy looks on their faces. In this moment, the two heroes may have very well developed a small crush on each other. As they continue to spend time at the park, they continue to open up to each other, even laughing and playing together, which is totally out of character for either of them. Then, after Damian wins a prize from one of the park stands, he gives it to a little girl he noticed was watching him. This causes Raven to smile at him, seemingly happy that Damian was socially adapting and seeing him as someone she could connect too.

Sometime after they finish playing the park’s games, Damian decides to sit alone by himself to contemplate this new experience. He is soon joined by Raven however, who offers him some cotton-candy. Though Damian still remains aggressive towards others, Raven reveals to him that when she looked inside him earlier, she found out that though he is insufferable, he possesses a kind of generous soul. This leaves Damian shocked, as not even he knew this about himself.

Eventually, after the Titans defeat Trigon’s demon emissaries (Raven’s paternal halfbrothers) and listen to Raven’s tragic origins, she attempts to leave the team, in order to protect them from her father who seeks to kidnap then use her as a means of traveling to Earth. Damian however, is the first to oppose her choice and declares that home is with the people who care about you. This shows that Damian has truly come to care about Raven’s wellbeing, now considers her a friend, and is not at all bothered about her being a demon hybrid. Raven is also touched by Damian’s kind words of support. When the Justice League arrives to take Raven, Damian is the first to oppose this and is even willing to fight his own father to defend her. He also protects her after the League is possessed by the Corruptors. When the demons threaten his and Starfire’s lives, Raven instantly agrees to come with them in exchange for sparring them. This shows that Raven truly cares about Damian’s wellbeing as well. After the Titans rescue Raven, the sickly girl (in her demonic form) is helped by Damian whom she leans and holds onto in a very comforting way.

When the Titans journey to Trigon’s domain, Damian is confronted by a demon who take the form of his grandfather. The demon attempts to turn Damian against Raven and have him kill her, and though he is conflicted about disobeying (what he believes to be) his grandfather, he nonetheless refuses to kill her. This could very well mean, that he chose her over his own grandfather, whom he loved more than anyone. After Trigon’s defeat, Raven contemplates staying in his dimension in order to ensure he does not escape from the new prison she has placed him in. However, out of all the Titans, it is Damian who dissuades her from this course and convinces her to stay with them. This shows that he truly values her as a friend and did not want her to be alone by herself anymore. At the end of the movie Damian and Raven are seen smiling and enjoying pizza together.

Teen Titans: Judas Contract
While they have little interaction in the second film, the scenes they do share together imply that Damian and Raven are becoming closer to each other. The two show effective teamwork with each other in battle, particularly during the the Titans’ attack on the H.I.V.E cult’s base. Later after their teammate Terra suffers a nightmare, causing her powers to trigger an earthquake, Raven attempts to use her powers to calm her but Terra awakens before she can. Damian asks Raven if she was able to see anything inside Terra’s mind which causes Raven to berate him for asking, stating that such personal things about their teammates are none of their business. This shows that Raven is not afraid to criticize Damian, despite his attitude issues. Also, on Damian’s part, he does not talk back to Raven and seems to accept her criticism of him, something he rarely does around others. This shows that he truly respects Raven and hears what she has to say.

Later, while Starfire and Nightwing train the Titans in sparring, Raven jokes to Damian about their teachers’ relationship. Her joking in this scene is noticeably less dry and much more genuine and lighthearted than her usual demeanor and jokes. This implies that Raven feels comfortable around Damian and has formed a close friendship with him.

At the end of the movie, Damian is sitting alone on the roof of Titans Tower contemplating the death of his arch-nemesis Deathstroke, somewhat crestfallen as he reflects on his tragic past. Raven then appears, presumably to cheer him up. Hiding it beneath her cloak, Rachel reveals a present for Damian; a puppy. Though initially a little confused, Damian takes the puppy naming him Titus and raises/trains him as his pet. The reason she gave him Titus was to help Damian with his emotional and social development and to ease the pain he still carried deep inside. This shows that Raven truly cares about Damian’s feelings and his growth of character. Damian, in turn, is grateful to Raven for this, causing their bond to grow.

Justice League Dark: Apokolips War
By the time of the movie, Robin and Raven, now both 16, have been teammates for four years now. During these four years, their friendship and trust in each other has grown so strong that by the start of the film, they have at last fallen in love with each other. Not only have the two bonded over their respective introverted natures and tragic familial pasts, but also because both showed the other how to truly form friendships and bonds with others and enjoy them. Both however, are too shy to admit their feelings causing them to believe that neither of them reciprocates the other’s feelings. Despite this, it becomes evident that they deeply care about one another.

When the Justice League prepares to launch an invasion on Apokolipis, in response to its ruler Darkseid’s attempted conquests of Earth, the Titans listen in as Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, explain their attack plan. During the meeting Trigon, who is still trapped in Raven’s forehead-crystal, once again attempts to break free which causes Raven some mental pain. Robin notices this and asks her what’s wrong, with obvious concern in his voice. Not wanting to worry him, Raven says it’s nothing putting his fears to a temporary rest. The Justice League’s attack fails however, and Darkseid has most of the League either killed or captured, including Damian’s father Batman. A few days after their defeat, Darkseid sends his Paradooms (Parademons upgraded with Kryptonian DNA) to attack Earth. The Titans are easily defeated, with only Robin, Raven, and Superboy surviving. Though they survive, Robin and Raven are devastated over the deaths of their teammates, whom they both viewed as family.

What’s worse, after the massacre Trigon becomes stronger and attempts to break free from his daughter’s crystal. Though she manages to keep him contained, Trigon threatens to kill Damian once he learnt that Rachel has feelings for him. Trigon knows that if Damian, the person Raven loves more than anything, were to perish then Raven will be mentally broken thus allowing himself to escape from his prison. Thus she felt the need to distance herself away from him in order to protect Damian from her father; while not telling him her reasons for doing so. Before they parted ways, Damian had made plans to take leadership to the League of Assassins and asked Rachel to join him as his right-hand due to the feelings he has for her, but didn't tell Rachel that particular reason out of fear she would not return his love. Rachel's own feelings for Damian had her turn his offer down so she can keep Trigon from hurting him through her. Though he was saddened by her refusal, Damian, accepted her decision and departed on with Titus, the now full grown dog she gave him, to lead the League. This shows Damian’s maturity, as instead of reacting violently or angrily as he would have during his first years as Robin, he instead humbly accepted her refusal. This also shows that he wants Rachel to be happy, regardless of his craving to have her at his side, even if that means they have to be apart. Before he left her however, he promised her that he would not use the Lazarus Pits to resurrect his stepbrother Nightwing (Dick Grayson), who was killed right in front of Damian by a Paradoom. Despite this, he later broke his promise out of grief, and though he succeeding in resurrecting Nightwing, he was left in a feral state and had to be caged up, much to Damian’s despair.

Though she refused his offer in leading the League together, Raven, in truth, was deeply hurt by what she had to do to keep him safe. The loss of her teammates, the threat of her father’s escape, and her inability to be with Damian eventually took its toll on Rachel, emotional, physically, and mentally, leading her to attempt suicide just to end all the pain she was feeling. She nearly succeeded in ending her own life had it not been for Superman (who was returned to Earth after Darkseid striped him of his powers with liquid-Kryptonite). This shows how much Rachel yearns to be by Damian’s side and that how great the pain of not being with him is for her. For the next two years Raven joined Superman, who became her father-figure, in leading what remained of Earth’s heroes in order to combat Darkseid’s occupation. All the while, she longed to return to Damian and hoping to one day be with him again and fight by his side against Darkseid.

Superman grants Raven's wish when he and John Constantine decide to seek Damian's help, despite knowing that Damian blames him for the failed attack on Apokolipis and Darkseid’s conquest of Earth. When Raven teleports them to Damian’s location, the League Assassins Headqaurters in the Himalayas, the assassins immediately attack them. Raven, whose health has deteriorated due to Trigon’s constant attempts to escape, is nearly killed by one of the assassins until Damian arrives and orders the fighting to stop. It is hinted that the only reason he did so was because he saw Raven was about to be killed. When Raven lays eyes upon Damian for the first time in two years, she is visibly awestruck at how handsome and mature he has become. She is so struck by his new appearance that she is practically speechless, only able to muster a shy “high”. When Damian notices that Superman is among them, he furiously draws his sword intending to kill him. Raven pleads with him to listen until, to Damian’s horror, she begins to collapse due to her illness. She faints right in front of him, but Damian gently catches and holds her in his arms before worryingly asking her companions about what’s wrong with her. This shows that his concern for her is greater than whatever hatred he holds for Superman. Reluctantly deciding to hear Superman out, Damian decides to spare his life, for the time being. He then gently scoops the sickly Raven in his arms and carries her into the League’s base and brings her to rest in a small room.

Inside, Raven squirms and moans in pain as she rests on her bed, as she mentally communicates with Trigon inside crystal atop her forehead. Though she manages to hold the restraints keeping her evil father imprisoned, she is visibly struggling to hold them together. Realizing she is at her limits, Trigon once again threatens Damian’s life if she doesn’t release him, something she is visibly terrified of. Meanwhile Damian asks Constantine if there is any way to cure Raven of her sickness. Constantine tells him the only way is to remove Trigon from her, which they cannot do since it will free him and allow him to destroy the world (or what is left of kt). Seeing her in pain and unable to do anything about it, saddens Damian, so much so that he breaks his stern demeanour with a look of a concern and despair as he continues to watch her suffer.

Damian then gently wakes her up and asks if she was able to get any rest. Though weary, Raven claims to have gotten enough. Damian then helps her by extending his and elegantly helping her to her feat. He takes her and Superman to the cell containing the revived and feral Nightwing, hoping to show them the cost of the war Superman started. Raven is disappointed in Damian for breaking his promise, but immediately after hearing Damian despair after losing his stepbrother, begins to sympathize with his decision. While Damian is initially uninterested in helping them defeat Darkseid, it is Raven who convinces him to join them, in the hopes that he can get through to Batman whom Darkseid has brainwashed into being his chief-servant. Though he still has misgivings about the plan Damian dons his Robin suit and takes his trusted aid Lady Shiva and joins the resistance.

Raven teleports them to Stryker’s Island in Metropolis, but continually using her powers causes her to grow sicker and vomits, much to Robin’s concern. Placing her around his shoulder and holding her, Robin helps Raven walk inside the prison, a kind gesture that makes her smile. After they get inside, Trigon’s mental attacks on Raven cause Robin to become increasing concerned. He asks the leader of the Suicide Squad, Harley Quinn, for a place to rest. Quinn becomes instantly aware of of his feelings for her and proceeds to tease him about it, much to his angry but silent embarrassment. Cheetah shows them to the nursing office to give them a moment alone. As she closes the door, Cheetah gives a knowing smile to the two of them, fully aware of the romance between them.

With a moment to themselves, Raven takes off her hood and despairs over how Damian must see her as week due to her failing health and how she can only barely keep him imprisoned. Damian holds no such view however, remarking that she is one of the strongest people he has ever met. Changing the subject, he inquires how she ended up with Superman. Raven explains to him how she attempted suicide and it was Superman who stopped her. This causes Damian to suffer tremendous guilt for leaving her, blaming himself for her attempted suicide. After explaining her story Raven apologizes for not going with him to lead the League of Assassins like he had asked. Removing his mask, Damian finally confesses his feelings to Raven, leaving her stunned that he returns her affections. He then tells her if she did not have the same for him then she made the right decision, fully expecting her to reject him. Instead, Raven urgently tells him that it wasn’t the case at all, thereby confessing her own feelings for him. She reveals to him that Trigon seeks to kill him in order to break free of his prison and after loosing all their friends, she didn’t want to take the chance of losing him too. This causes Raven to despair further, knowing that Damian was suffering because of her decision to stay away and that she never told him why especially when he loved her. Damian is left stunned that Raven truly does return his affections, having been fully convinced he was unworthy of her love. Damian then proceeds to comfort her; holding her hand in a tight but affectionate manner. with their confessions now complete the two young heroes smile and happily stare into each other’s eyes. After 6 years of knowing one another and fighting by each other’s side, Rachel and Damian’s friendship has now fully transcended into true and pure love.

Robin and Raven spend most of the rest of the mission on Earth close together. When Damian expresses frustration with the plan, Raven immediately attempts to calm him down, being the only person capable of soothing his attitude. During the fighting at Lexcorp Tower, Raven is saddened when Damian’s right hand from the League of Assassins, Lady Shiva, is gunned down by an enemy soldier. When Lex Luther arrives in an automated battle suit, Damian attempts to defeat him. His efforts do little good however, as Luther eletrocuted and then throws Damian into a stone pillar. This infuriates Raven, who in her anger, partially transforms into her half-demon form and nearly kills Luther for hurting her beloved. She surely would have had it not been for Superman, who, despite no longer unwilling to kill his enemies, knows that doing so will only increase Trigon’s hold on her. Before they transport to Apokolipis, Raven, in secret, asks Constantine to kill her with a sacred dagger, should Trigon break free from the crystal. She keeps this secret from others, especially Damian knowing full-well that he would try to stop her.

On Apokolipis, the two fight alongside each other against Darkseid’s forces and traps. However, Raven’s powers start to decline as her health worsens. When her powers are about to give out, right when they are cornered by Darkseid’s traps, she is forced to resort to power lended to her by Trigon. This saves their lives just in the nick of time, though Raven is seemingly injured. When a concerned Robin checks on her, Raven is briefly possessed by Trigon, who angrily threatens his life, still intent on killing him to ensure his freedom. When Raven regains control, she awkwardly states that was her “dad” talking.

Soon the heroes are confronted by both Darkseid and the brainwashed Batman. When Batman denounces Damian as a burden rather than a son, he is overcome with anger, so much so that he even ignores Raven’s please not listen. Though Robin succeeds in freeing his father from Darkseid’s mind control, the evil warlord blasts the young hero with his omega beams and fatally injuring him. Raven can only watch in horror and despair as the one she loves more than anything is burned alive. Believing that Damian is dead, Raven’s grief and horror is so great that it causes Trigon’s bonds to break and frees him from his prison. During the fight between Trigon and Darkseid, Damian spends his finally moments with his father and reconciling with him at last. With his final breath, he begs Batman to save Raven, showing that in the end she was the person he loved more than anything or anyone else.

Raven later makes her way to Damian’s body, cradling him in her arms as she mourns. Overcome with grief and despair, she at long last tearfully declares her love for Damian. As she hugs his charred remains, a miracle occurs. With Trigon’s influence from her permanently removed, the Great Spirit of Azarath transforms Raven into a giant glowing bird before restoring her to human form. However her appearance has drastically changed; she has now morphed from her sickly appearance into a beautiful young girl, with light skin, blueish-purple eyes, and a white version of her dark cloths. In addition, the Spirit of Azarath also restores Raven’s healing abilities, allowing her to resurrect the fallen Robin, much to her over-enjoyment. Damian, in turn, is relieved to be returned to life and together again with Raven.

After being restored, Damian is aided to his feat by Raven as she holds onto him protectively while he places his arm around her shoulders for support. When Cyborg (who has been bound to the wall as Apokolipis’s main computer) opens a portal back to Earth, Raven decides to wait a moment before entering. This causes Robin to pause as well, not wishing to leave without her. She tells him to go on, stating that she is right behind him. Though he hesitates to follow through with this, concerned about leaving her, he nonetheless complies and goes through the portal. After bidding a genuine goodbye to her father and vice versa, Raven enters the portal and leaves before the planet is destroyed (thanks to Cyborg who sacrifices himself).

Even though they were finally able to defeat Darkseid, the hardships and memories of the friends they lost made their victory feel more like a lose. The heroes mourn their losses on the shores of Titans Tower’s island. During this mourning, Raven leans her head on Damian’s shoulder, taking comfort in his presence. Damian, in turn, places his arm around her shoulders, doing his best to comfort the one he loves. Seeing no other way to undue the damage done to Earth, which is about to be destroyed because of Darkseid’s Planet Reaper Machines stealing its internal magma, Constantine manages to convince Flash to do another flashpoint, in hopes that it can change the tragic events and outcome. The two young heroes see Flash dash off into the distance and a flash of white light approaches them, to change the current timeline. Before any change can happen and knowing this is the only way to save the world, Damian and Rachel finally share a kiss confirming their true and everlasting love for each other. It is implied that they are still together in the rebirth timeline.

Fanon
The ship became poplar in the DC Animated Movies Universe series, ever since fans noticed the brief signs of sparks flying between them in Justice League vs Teen Titans, along the said film and the second Titans film after it showing that the two have slimier traits, before they confessed their feelings for one another in Justice League Dark: Apokolips War. Raven giving Damian puppy Titus at the end of Teen Titans: Judas Contract had inspired fans to add the said dog in some of their DamiRae fanart. After Flash makes the Flash Port at the end of Apokolips War, DamiRae fans are hoping that the two will still end up together in the new altered timeline.

One of the ship's titles, RobRae, sometimes causes fans to confuse DamiRae with the one that is between Raven and the first Robin, Dick Grayson. Along with there being fans who sometimes rival the two DC ships with one another, since both Robins were members of the Teen Titans and are close with Raven.

After fans saw the scene of Rachel reviving Damian in Apokolips War, they began to compare it to a slimier scene from Disney's Tangled between Rapunzel and Eugene.

Fandom
FANFICTION
 * Damian Wayne/Raven (Teen Titans comic) tag on FanFiction.Net
 * Damian Wayne/Raven (Teen Titans comic) tag on FanFiction.Net
 * Damian Wayne/Raven (Teen Titans comic) tag on FanFiction.Net

DEVIANTART

TUMBLR

Trivia

 * Damian and Raven’s relationship was initially supposed to remain as a sibling-like bond, but by the time of Apokolipis War, the ship had become so popular that the directors of the DC Animated Movies decided to make DamiRae canon.
 * Initially, Damian was very unpopular among DC fans do to his immature, arrogant, and spoiled attitude; so much so that most labeled him as “a brat”. It was this ship however, and the maturity Damian received because of it, that made him one of the most popular characters of the DC Animated Film Series.
 * Rachel was arguably the first real friend Damian ever had, due to his sheltered upbringing and primarily becoming social with only the bat-family. This would also explain the further extent of their relationship. This could also mean that it was actually Rachel that made Damian able to form bonds and friendships with others, further explaining why developed feelings for her.