Nightwing: Bio, Origin & History
Real Name: Dick Grayson
First Appearance: Tales of the Teen Titans #44 (As Nightwing) (July, 1984)
Powers: Acrobat, Aerialist, Martial Artist, and Detective. Also, utilizes an arsenal of high-tech weaponry and equipment
Affiliation: Justice League of America, Outsiders, Batman Family
Love Interests: Starfire
Enemies: Joker, Catwoman, Penguin, Harley Quinn, and much more
Did You Know: Nightwing is actually the Boy Wonder, Robin.
A Little History
The original Boy Wonder, Nightwing’s story begins back when he was the Batman sidekick known as Robin. First appearing a way back in 1984 inside the pages of Tales of Teen Titans #44, Nightwing began as and remains a fan favorite.
Dick Grayson comes from a family known as the Flying Grayson’s. The Flying Grayson’s were a trapeze act that appeared at the circus. Sadly, due to unpaid monies, the local mob boss had Dick’s parents killed. At this point, Dick is adopted by Batman and trained as his sidekick, Robin.
Ultimately, Dick searches for and finds his those responsible for his parent’s murder. However, upon finding them, he finds himself in a bit of trouble. Luckily, Batman comes to his rescue to save him. At the same time, he also reveals that he is Bruce Wayne.
After years of feeling less than adequate, Robin creates a new supergroup comprised solely of sidekicks known as the Teen Titans. Its members include Kid Flash, Aqualad, Wonder Girl, and Speedy. Almost immediately, he becomes the team’s leader.
Eventually, he realizes that he has not found his place in the world. This realization forces him to leave the mantle of Robin and walks away from the Titans. Unfortunately, even though he was no longer a hero, he was still pursued by Deathstroke, who had been busy hunting down each member of the Titans. This forces Dick to return to his life of crime fighting. He returns to his bedroom and pulls a costume out from underneath his bed.
He recounts that the costume and name were inspired by those who trained, taught, and mentored him the most: Superman and Batman. He further explains that the name Nightwing was used by Superman a long time ago as part of his Kryptonian heritage. Thus, Nightwing was born.
His story is changed slightly after Crisis On Infinite Earths.
In this story, Dick is fired by Batman because he feels that he is not giving it everything he has as Robin. This happens because Dick had found himself very busy studying in college and fulfilling his duties with the Teen Titans.
Uncertain as to what he should do, he turns to his longtime friend, Superman. Superman tells Dick Grayson of a story from Krypton. The story tells of a hero whose story is similar to Dick’s. It shows a man who seeks only justice and has been cast aside by those closest to him. And the man’s name…Nightwing.
