Character Profiles - Heroes - Nightwing
Alter Ego: Richard (Dick) John Grayson
Occupation: Crime Fighter
Marital Status: Single
Known Relatives: John Grayson (father, deceased), Mary Loyd Grayson (mother, deceased); Bruce Wayne (adoptive father), Jason Todd (adoptive brother)
Group Affiliations: Batman Family, Outsiders, Titans, JLA, The Society
Base of Operations: New york, Formly BlÜdhaven
Height: 5ft 10in"
Weight: 175 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Black
First Appearance: As Robin, DETECTIVE COMICS #29 (July, 1939); as Nightwing, TALES OF THE NEW TEEN TITANS #44 (February, 1984)
Created By: As Robin: Bob Kane, Bill Finger, Jerry Robinson. As Nightwing: Marv Wolfman, George Perez
Following the reboot of the DC Universe in Crisis on Infinite Earths, Grayson was for a time regarded as the one and only Nightwing there had ever been, as the classic version of Kandor was no longer held to have ever existed, and although in Post-Crisis continuity Grayson's Nightwing costume was partially inspired by his father (who at one time wore circus performer garments that were a variant of colleague Boston Brand's Deadman attire), the Kryptonian origins of Nightwing would be later partially restored.
Nightwing: Secret Files & Origins #1 and Nightwing: Year One tells the full Post-Crisis version of how Dick Grayson gave up his identity as Robin and was inspired by Superman's tales of an ancient Kryptonian hero named Nightwing. This tale retroactively erases the notion that Superman and Jimmy Olsen or anyone else before Grayson and Bette Kane ever held the titles of Nightwing and Flamebird, except for the birds and the legendary figures named after them. In this story, Dick, uncertain to what to do with his new-found independence, turned to someone he knew would understand: Superman. Briefly, Grayson had considered giving up fighting crime; but he couldn't imagine his life any other way. Asked what Dick should be, if he could not be Robin, Superman told a tale of long ago on Krypton, about a man who was cast out of his family, just like Dick had been. He dreamed of a world ruled by justice, and set out to protect the helpless. His true identity was never revealed; he was known only as Nightwing. Dick then decided to honor the legendary Kryptonian by renaming himself Nightwing. The direct association between Superman and the role of Nightwing was restored in 2001's The Man of Steel #111, wherein Superman and Lois Lane travel to the Kryptonian past to assume the names of Nightwing and Flamebird themselves.
In an adventure in which all of his Titans teammates were captured by Deathstroke the Terminator, and delivered to the H.I.V.E., Dick revealed his new identity of Nightwing and helped to free them with the help of Jericho. Nightwing had finally moved out of the shadow of the Bat, and would lead the Titans through some hard times. He endured brainwashing at the hands of Brother Blood, his relationship with Starfire would suffer due to her marriage of state, he would be deeply affected by the fact that Batman trained a new Robin (Jason Todd) only for him to be killed at the hands of the Joker (See also: Batman: A Death in the Family).
Feeling hurt and betrayed, Bruce and Dick would remain at odds with each other, never fully sorting out their strained relationship. While serving with the New Titans, he was searched out by an older Tim Drake, who had only one goal on his mind, for Nightwing to return to Robin. It was Dick's refusal to return to the role that started Tim down the road toward becoming the new Robin. After weeks of persuading and proving his potential, Grayson then returned to the Batman to plead Tim's case, with help from Alfred. Due to their arguments and the realization that the Batman needs a Robin, Tim Drake becomes the third Boy Wonder.
Various members of the Titans were abducted by a rogue Jericho and the Wildebeest Society. This adventure affected the team immensely. The group entered into tumultuous times, where members came and went, longtime friends were maimed or destroyed; although Dick persevered through it all, and remained the heart and center of the team. After these events, Nightwing adopted his second costume.
However, his relationship with Starfire became strained, and problems in Gotham demanded Nightwing's attention. Impulsively, he proposed marriage to her. The two wed, but the ceremony was interrupted by Raven, now reborn as an evil avatar of her father, Trigon. Her brutal attack on Starfire triggered changes in Dick and Kory's relationship. She was implanted with a demon "seed" which caused her to leave Earth and go on a spiritual journey.
Meanwhile, in Gotham, Bruce Wayne had left the mantle of Batman to the unstable Jean Paul Valley (Azrael). Dick intervened with new Robin Tim Drake, and when Bruce returned to Gotham, he brought Valley down and reassumed the mantle of Batman. When Grayson returned to the Titans, he found there to be changes. The government interceded, placing Arsenal, the former Speedy, as leader of the team. Nightwing stepped aside and left the Titans, concentrating on problems in Gotham City.
Still recovering from his broken back, Bruce asked Dick to substitute for him as Batman for a time. He accepted. During this time, Dick was able to confront Two-Face and lay some demons to rest. He also established a wonderful partnership with Tim. Bruce eventually returned to Gotham to reclaim his role as Batman. For the first time in a long time, Bruce and Dick began to heal their strained relationship. Bruce's respect for Grayson was at last obvious.
At Batman´s request, Dick journeys to this former whaling town-turned-industrial center to ferret out the true culprit behind murders linked to Gotham City gangster Black Mask. Instead, he finds a city racked by police corruption and in the grips of organized crime consolidated by Roland Desmond, the gargantuan genius Blockbuster. With a defenseless city to call his own, Nightwing decides to remain in Blüdhaven until Blockbuster´s cartel is broken. He took a job as a bartender to keep his ear to the ground and worked closely with Barbara Gordon, the former Batgirl, now the information broker known as Oracle) in an effort to clean up the crime-ridden town.
Blockbuster places a sizable contract on Nightwing´s head shortly thereafter, while Grayson begins plying unscrupulous Blüdhaven Police Inspector Dudley Soames for information on the kingpin´s dealings.
After Nightwing settled in Blüdhaven, a galactic threat came to earth, reuniting former members of the Titans together to save their former member, Victor Stone (Cyborg), and prevent him from putting the earth in jeopardy. They came into conflict with their mentors and friends in the Justice League, but were eventually able to come to a truce and save Cyborg while preserving the safety of the planet. After this adventure, the group decided to re-form, with Nightwing returning to the role of leader.
Meanwhile, Dick had joined the Blüdhaven Police Department force in efforts to rid the city of its corruption from the inside. On the personal side, Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon's once flirtatious Robin-Batgirl relationship threatened to blossom into something more. When Gotham was quarantined from the rest of the United States and became a virtual No Man's Land, Nightwing was sent to secure Blackgate Prison. Exhausted and injured from his experience at the prison, Dick recuperated at Barbara's clock tower, and the two grew even closer. Finally expressing their feelings for each other, Dick and Barbara entered into a romantic relationship.
For several years, Nightwing led various incarnations of the Titans and became the most respected former sidekick in the DC Universe. He was even chosen by a believed-dead Batman to lead the Justice League when it once appeared that the Leaguers had died in battle.
When a rogue Superman android killed Lilith and Donna Troy (Troia), it tore apart both Young Justice and the Titans. At Troia's funeral, Dick declared to Arsenal that he was tired of seeing friends die and he disbanded the team. The Titans were officially over. A few months later, Arsenal persuaded the reluctant Nightwing to join a new pro-active crime-fighting team: the Outsiders, a new group that would hunt villains, acting as co-workers rather than an extended family. He reluctantly accepted.
Meanwhile, Blockbuster's vengeance campaign escalated as he wrongfully blamed Nightwing for the death of his mother. Now knowing his secret identity, the criminal kingpin bombed Dick Grayson's apartment complex, killing most of its residents. Still shocked, Nightwing enlisted the help of Blüdhaven's newest vigilante: the amoral female Tarantula (Catalina Flores). Dick's relationship with Barbara also dissolved after she grew increasingly concerned about how far the driven hero had been pushing himself.
Blockbuster had beaten down Grayson both physically and emotionally. When an exhausted Nightwing confronted Blockbuster, he was at his lowest ebb. He threatened Dick with killing all the people that he cared about, even the strangers who approached him in the street. The timely arrival of Tarantula turned the tide; she shot Blockbuster dead at point blank range as Nightwing didn't want to stop her when he could. Suffering a panic attack, Dick fled to the rooftop, where he broke down, begging for Bruce's forgiveness. Catalina offered him a shoulder (and the rest of her body) to cry on. Nightwing's inaction has became a source of tremendous guilt for the young hero. But Blockbuster's demise ended his stranglehold over Blüdhaven once and for all.
After the War Games (a conflict between the gangs of Gotham City), Nightwing captured Tarantula and took her to confess their parts in Blockbuster´s murder.
Even when he has destroyed the police corruption and removed the greater part of organized crime from this city, it seems that Nightwing has left the role of Blüdhaven vigilante for good, with Robin and Batgirl as his new replacements.
Homeless, Grayson moved to New York, where the Outsiders were located. While he was the leader of the team, he refused to have any other kind of relation with his teammates (except for his friend Arsenal). Many began to worry about Nightwing's attitude, when he only was frustrated of "sending friends to their deaths". After a confrontation with the Fearsome Five, where Thunder was nearly killed, Nightwing received all the blame for "not caring about his team". Furious, Arsenal told Nightwing that he had become like Batman: an emotionless loner. They finally came to blows, but were soon separated by Jade, who was elected as the new leader. However, knowing that she wasn't the one who was calling the shots, Jade requested Starfire to join the team in the hopes that she would temper Nightwing. After an event in which "insiders" threatened both the Outsiders and the newest incarnation of Teen Titans, Dick deemed that the teams had gotten "too personal" and quit.
As of the current events surrounding the Infinite Crisis storyline, Nightwing adopted a new villainous persona of Renegade in order to infiltrate Lex Luthor's Society of Super Villains. He began training Deathstroke's daughter Rose, the newest Ravager. Under Dick's guidance, she came to understand the mission of "heroes". Slade, who had suspected Grayson's true allegiances from the beginning, considered killing him but thought it would alienate Rose. The two men came to a deal: Grayson would stay away from Rose and Deathstroke would keep the Society´s hands away from Blüdhaven.
In Infinite Crisis #4, Deathstroke betrayed Nightwing when Blüdhaven was destroyed by the Society. They dropped the supervillain Chemo on the city, killing 100,000 people. Dick tried to rescue survivors but was overcome by radiation poisoning, only to be rescued himself by Batman. Nightwing confided that he let Blockbuster die and Batman told him that he has to move beyond that. Inspired by his former mentor, he proposed to Barbara Gordon, who accepted with a kiss.
Batman has entrusted Nightwing with the mission to alert other heroes about the danger posed in the Infinite Crisis. Dick flew to Titans Tower but unfortunately, nearly all of his fellow heroes were preoccupied by the backlash caused by the Crisis, and the only hero who answered his call was Superboy (Conner Kent), who had recently been given what looks to be a Crystal which will help the pair locate and hopefully defeat Alexander Luthor.
One year later, Dick Grayson returns to New York City (his previous homebase with the Teen Titans) in order to find out who has been masquerading as Nightwing. The murderous impostor turns out to be the former Robin, Jason Todd. Grayson leads the Outsiders once again, operating undercover and globally.
Nightwing follows an armored thief named Raptor, who he suspects is responsible for series of murders. Later, Raptor himself is murdered in a manner similar to the other victims by an unseen contract killer, who proceeds to bury Grayson alive. Nightwing frees himself, wondering the relation between his experience and a mysterious voice who tells him that he is "supposed to be dead". Nightwing is having trouble finding things to keep him busy during the day due to the cast on his right arm. Incapacitated from his injuries, he tries without luck to find jobs and continues to research into the mysterious assassin.
At one point Dick agrees to attend a party for Bruce Wayne and their relationship seems to flourish. Bruce praises Dick for his success on the Raptor case, and also mentions to look into the Landman Building which hosted ex-Lexcorp scientists; most likely those who worked on the Raptor project. Dick has also continues to keep a close brotherly relationship with Tim Drake, and helps Tim deal with the his many losses during the last year.
After dealing with the Raptor issue, NYC is plagued by a villainous duo called Bride and Groom. Nightwing begins pursuit of these two after some grisly murders, including that of the Lorens family (close friends of his after the Raptor incident). Dick began to get obsessed with finding them, not knowing how far he was willing to go to take them down. Eventually, he formed a makeshift team with some "villains" to find them. They located them, and after killing some of his "team" Nightwing chased them to a cave, where Bride began a cave in and the two are currently trapped there.
Nightwing, along with a group of former Titans, are summoned again by Raven to aid the current group of Teen Titans battle against Deathstroke, who was targeting the latest team in order to get at his children, Ravager and the resurrected Jericho. Nightwing and the other former Titans continue to work with the current team soon after the battle with Deathstroke so as to investigate the recent murder of Duela Dent.
When the Outsiders are targeted by Checkmate, Nightwing agrees that his team will work with the organization, so long as their actions in Africa are not used against them in the future. The mission however does not go as well as intended, resulting in Nightwing, the Black Queen and Captain Boomerang being arrested. Later, Batman is called in by Mister Terrific who then rescues Nightwing and the others. Afterwards, Nightwing admits to Batman, they while he accepts that he is an excellent leader, he is not suited to lead a team like the Outsiders, and offers the leadership position to Batman.
Batman accepts the position, however he feels that the team needs to be remade, in order to accomplish the sorts of missions that he intends them to undertake. As such he holds a series of try outs for the team. The first audition involves Nightwing and Captain Boomerang who are sent to a space station under attack by Chemo. During the mission, a confrontation erupts between Nightwing and Boomerang, who has grown tired of fighting for redemption from people like Batman and Nightwing, and quits the team after throwing Nightwing into a shuttle heading for Earth. Afterwards, Nightwing furious confronts Batman. Batman does not deny his actions, and states that this is the sort of thing that the new Outsiders will have to deal with. At this, Nightwing resigns completely from the Outsiders, in which Batman feels is best, judging Nightwing too good for that sort of life.
SKILLS
Nightwing's detective and martial arts skills are second to Batman's, making him one of the greatest crime fighters alive. He is a master of a half dozen martial arts disciplines with an emphasis in Aikido and Jeet Kune Do, and was rigorously trained by Batman in everything from escape artistry to criminology, fencing, stealth, disguise, and numerous other combat/non-combat disciplines.
Nightwing is a prodigious natural athlete, possessing a peak human level of agility/acrobatic skills, and is the only person on Earth who can do the quadruple somersault (formerly one of three, the other two being his parents). Having had the finest education, he speaks with fluency in English, French, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, Mandarin and Cantonese, and has some knowledge of Romany. He is also a brilliant and experienced strategist with superlative leadership skills, having served as leader to the Teen Titans, the Outsiders, and even the Justice League.
Learn More About Dick Grayson as Robin
Parts of this bio came from Wikipedia
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