"The Young and the Restless" is an American CBS soap opera which debuted on March 26, 1973. This is a list of its characters that debuted or will debut in 2025, in order of first appearance. Damian King (Nathan Owens), the older long-lost half-brother of Nate Hastings (Sean Dominic), made his first appearance on January 8. 
Damian King.
Damian King, played by Nathan Owens, made his first appearance on January 8. Owens' casting was announced on December 12, 2024. Owens' role in a "mysterious" new role was initially kept secret, with "The Young and the Restless" promising that the arrival of Owens' character would create "plenty of excitement and intrigue" for other characters. Following the announcement of his casting, Owens wrote on Instagram that he was excited to join the cast and encouraged viewers to "Tune in if you're up for the twist and turns". Owens had previously portrayed Cameron Davis on another soap opera, "Days of Our Lives", and believed that he now had more experience and was hence better prepared to work in a soap opera again. Owens did not reveal who he would be playing but teased that he would be a "a very mysterious guy" who "plays a very delicate role in this scenario". The actor further revealed that his character "holds his cards close to the vest and he keeps things tight. I like diving into the mysterious world my character has. I very much enjoy this character and the depth that he can bring to the show". Owens had previously worked with his co-start Eileen Davidson (Ashley Abbott) on "Days of Our Lives" and was looking forward to seeing her on set again. Owens had also previously worked with Melissa Ordway, who portrays Ashley's daughter Abby Newman. Owens felt welcomed by the cast and crew when he joined the soap opera and believed that everyone was kind, inviting and warm, and commented on how one of the makeup artists walked him to where he needed to go when he arrived on set. Owens added, "That's what really stood out to me, the warmth from everybody. The folks that I got to work with on day one were amazing". 
Owens' role was eventually revealed to be Damian King, the secret son of established characters Amy Lewis (Valarie Pettiford) and Nathan Hastings (Nathan Purdee/ Randy Brooks/ Adam Lazarre-White) and the older long-lost half-brother of Nate Hastings (Sean Dominic). The character had been reference onscreen multiple times since Amy had returned to the soap in 2024. Prior to the reveal, there had been "high speculation" from critics and fans that Owens would be portraying Damian. In the storyline, Amy reveals to Nate that she gave birth to Nathan's child after an affair with him, but she had never told Nathan that she was pregnant and Damian grew up believing that Amy's new husband was his father, and he struggled with his death. Nate is shocked by Amy's revelations and Amy reveals that she is dying of leukaemia, which Damian does not know about, and she asks Nate to help track him down as she does not know his whereabouts as he went into a "tailspin" after the death of her husband. Amy also asks Nate to mentor and look after Damian when she dies. Damian and Nate eventually meet in Los Angeles. Owens praised Dominic for being welcoming on his first day.
Prior to the character's debut, Sloane Stephanie from "TV Insider" called the role "enigmatic". Candace Young from "Soaps She Knows" predicted that Nate and Damian's relationship would be similar to that of previous characters Neil Winters (Kristoff St. John) and his half-brother Malcolm Winters (Shemar Moore), with Young calling Damian the "new Malcolm". She characterised Damian as the "troubled sibling and a wanderer with no known address" who had not made an effort to stay in touch with his family. Her colleagues, Amy Mistretta and Richard Simms, called the reveal of Amy and Nathan's secret child a "shocking development" and had previously speculated that Owens' role would be Damian. They also called Damian a "sexy newcomer" and questioned which character would catch his eye. Terrell Smith from "What to Watch" had speculated prior to the character's debut that Amy was contacting Nate to ask for an organ donation for her son.
References.
 ;templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" / ;