Dick Grayson

Dick Grayson is the ward[5][6] of Bruce Wayne, better known as the vigilante Batman. Trained by the Dark Knight himself, Grayson eventually became Batman's sidekick, the first Robin. After Grayson outgrew his role as Batman's sidekick, he graduated to the role of Nightwing, donning a new costume, and, later, temporarily worked as Batman himself. However, after his secret identity was exposed, Grayson worked undercover as a spy for Spyral, taking the codename Agent 37, before returning to his role as Nightwing once again.When Dick Grayson was a child, he was an acrobatic prodigy travelling with the world-famous "Haly's Circus" along with his parents John and Mary Grayson. The three performers, known as the Flying Graysons, were one of Haly's most famous acts, a fact that went to Dick Grayson's head. Grayson, becoming rather pompous, began to drive away his closest friends Raymond and Raya.

During a major blackout in Gotham City caused by the Riddler, Grayson, who had decided to see a movie while Haly's Circus was in Gotham, was caught alone in the streets. Working with a couple of other kids, Grayson managed to survive the blackout and return to his family at Haly's camp. From the experience Grayson learned not to take his friends for granted and apologized for treating them so poorly.[7]

Haly's Circus hid a dark secret, having been training assassins for the Court of Owls for decades. Unknown to the young acrobat, Grayson had been selected to become the newest Talon for the Court; being groomed to replace Alton Carver.

Dick Grayson's parents were eventually killed by the mobster Tony Zucco on his mother's birthday,[8] leaving the acrobat an orphan.[8][9] Unable to work as an acrobat anymore, Grayson left the circus, unknowingly escaping his fate of becoming a Talon.

Robin: Boy Wonder Batman Superman World's Finest Vol 1 6 Textless Dick Grayson as Robin

After being transferred to the Wayne Care Center, Bruce Wayne would occasionally check up on Grayson and help him out. While Grayson seemed to be recovering well from the tragedy, he would actually sneak out at night in order to conduct his own investigation into the whereabouts of Tony Zucco. Grayson would encounter Batman at various times, and the Bat helped Grayson with his investigation, empathizing with his similar tragedy.[8][9]

Eventually, Batman brought Grayson to the Batcave and shared his identity as Bruce Wayne. Wayne then offered to help Grayson bring in Tony Zucco,[9][8] a notion that Alfred Pennyworth was reluctant to accept.[8] Grayson accepted Wayne's offer and Wayne began training him over a period of a few months. After initially having trouble accepting a name, he finally settled on Robin, a reference to an adoration his mother had for the bird.[9]

One night, Batman was tracking the Assassin Lady Shiva before the hero was ambushed and bested by her in combat. Donning his costume early, Robin arrived at Batman's position for his first mission in the field but was no match for the assassin, who spared his life and said they'd meet again.[8]

After six months of training, Dick joined Bruce out on patrol for the first time, but after Dick disobeyed Bruce's orders to stay out of harm's way by taking down a thug he was fired. The next day, Dick informed Bruce that Tusk was planning a robbery at the docks that night in hopes of getting a second chance, but after being rejected, Dick decided to go anyway. After taking out some of Tusk's men, he was captured by Tusk himself, fortunately Bruce showed up just in time. Dick then followed Tusk in a helicopter, after a fight ensued, he managed to knock Tusk into the ocean. Bruce then showed up, deciding to take Dick back as his sidekick.[10]

Early in his career, Robin aided Batman in stopping the debuting Scarecrow who was causing Fear Toxin outbreaks across Gotham. The due pursued Scarecrow on an extended mission to bring him to justice. Eventually, Batman came across Mother and The Orphan and their human trafficking operations. Batman decided to keep Mother's crimes a secret from Dick, due to him seeing similarities between him and her child soldiers.[11]

Batman & Robin Eternal Vol 1 16 Textless Batman & Robin stopping Scarecrow

In his second year as Robin, Dick crashed the Batmobile while escaping Firefly. Even though Batman was ultimately pleased with how Dick acted in the field, he was banned from driving the Batmobile.[12]

At some point, Grayson partnered up and bonded with another teenager Batman had taken under his wing named Barbara Gordon, also known as Batgirl.[13] The pair developed romantic feelings for each other, though they did not engage in an extended relationship.[14]

Teen Titans Batman Superman World's Finest Vol 1 7 Textless Mora Variant Robin and the Teen Titans

Dick eventually went on to join a team on teenage superheroes known as the Teen Titans. The founding group consisted of Robin, Kid Flash, Speedy, Aqualad and Wonder Girl.[15]

At some point, Dick assumed the identity of Red X.[16] Another person would later steal the identity from Dick, the Teen Titans came into conflict with the new Red X multiple times before he disappeared and was presumed dead.[17]

World's Finest At some point, Dick went on a date with Kara Zor-El. Unfortunately, the outing ended in disaster. At first, Kara spent a good deal of time trying to pick out an outfit for the occasion, only to discover when she arrived that Dick had arrived to the date in-costume. She percieved it as showing off that he was going on a date with Superman's cousin; he was unsure that she had a secret identity, and hadn't wanted to assume. Subsequently, she complimented the waiter's eyes, comparing him to Hal Jordan, which Dick percieved as flirting with the waiter. Dick then offered to cover the check, which they both thought came off as bragging about the Wayne fortune.

Later, as Kara was telling Dick about the various kinds of Kryptonite, Dick interrupted, hungry, wondering when their food would arrive; Kara, as an empowered Kryptonian, didn't get hungry, leading to her frustration. Kara, hoping to smooth things over, asked about Dick's life; to which he told of his origin and the tragedy that led to him becoming Robin, leading to yet another awkward turn in the conversation. Subsequently, the date was interrupted by a car accident outside that resulted in a truckload full of bowling balls flying out into the street and an incipient bus crash. They managed to stop the incident, but not before getting soaked by a nearby puddle and covered and dirt. They attempted to resume the date, only for Dick to discover that he'd forgotten to pick up cash, and could not pay with a card without revealing his secret identity. Afterwards, they parted ways.[18]

On His Own Years later, Grayson and his mentor had an argument,[19] resulting in Dick leaving Bruce's side and taking up a new identity as Nightwing- a name that had been inspired by a conversation a young Dick Grayson had with Superman.[20] Nightwing eventually left Gotham, occasionally returning to mentor the next Robin, Red Robin[21] and further train Batgirl.[22] At some point he moved to Bludhaven, where he bought an apartment building[23] and joined the Bludhaven Police Department for a period.[4]

At some point during his time as Robin, Dick was confronted by Deathstroke, the world's deadliest assassin. Deathstroke made Dick an offer: guide Deathstroke's daughter Rose down the right path, so she doesn't follow in the footsteps of her father. In exchange, Deathstroke would stop trying to kill Dick and the rest of the Teen Titans. Dick accepted Slade's offer and began training Rose soon afterwards as Nightwing.[24]

When Batman was apparently killed by Darkseid in one altercation, Grayson accepted the role as Batman for Bruce's sake and took Bruce's newly discovered son Damian on as his Robin.[25] They would form a close bond while working with each other, fighting against the likes of Professor Pyg, the Joker and Dr. Hurt,[26] until Bruce returned and retook the mantle.[27]

New 52 Traps and Trapezes Main article: Nightwing: Traps and Trapezes

Nightwing Vol 3 1 Textless Dick Grayson as Nightwing

Dick returned to his identity as Nightwing, leaving Bruce Wayne to be the Batman once more. After his return, Haly's Circus came to Gotham for the first time since Grayson's parents were murdered. In his civilian identity, Grayson was attacked by an assassin named Saiko who insisted that Grayson was the fiercest killer in Gotham.[28] Saiko tortured C.C. Haly for information on Nightwing's secret identity, and the old man died in Grayson's arms after telling the former Flying Grayson that the circus holds a terrible secret.[29] Dick inherited the deed to the circus from Haly and soon began a relationship with his childhood friend, acrobat Raya Vestri.

The circus announced they would be doing a memorial show on the anniversary of the night Grayson's parents were murdered, and, during the show, Saiko detonated an explosive inside the tent.[30] While fighting the assassin, Nightwing discovered Saiko's secret identity - Raymond McCreary, a childhood friend of his, who had also been using Dick's girlfriend Raya as an accomplice. Saiko plummeted to his death in his battle with Nightwing, who was unable to save him, and Raya turned herself in, seeing that her plan to destroy Haly's had failed.[31]

Night of the Owls Main article: Night of the Owls

Nightwing Vol 3 9 Textless Nightwing fighting his great-grandfather

When the Court of Owls initiated an attack on Gotham, sending their Talon assassins to take-out high-ranking people in the city, Nightwing went to save Mayor Sebastian Hady and came face-to-face with a Talon. Using lethal force on the undead zombie Talon, Nightwing stabbed him across the eye with his escrima stick, slowing the assassin's ability to heal. However, another Talon named William Cobb, who Batman had revealed to Nightwing was Dick's revived great-grandfather, attacked Nightwing and stabbed him in the chest. Nightwing then tricked Cobb into Gotham's train tunnels, where the hero was able to freeze him with a liquid nitrogen tub.[32]

Following the event, Dick decided to keep Haly's Circus in Gotham and planned to invest in turning an abandoned amusement park into their new location using his own money.[33] He worked with Sonia Branch, the daughter of his parents' killer Tony Zucco, into getting a loan for this plan by investing his entire trust fund into the project.[34]

Death of the Family Main article: Death of the Family

Nightwing Vol 3 15 Textless Nightwing vs. the Joker

A year after his disappearance, the Joker resurfaced in Gotham City wearing the dismembered skin of his face as a mask and prepared to eliminate all of Batman's allies.

While at his circus, Dick was mauled by his performers who had been exposed to Joker Venom. After being overwhelmed by them, Grayson passed out and was dragged to an underground cave by the Joker himself, who was setting up for his confrontation with the Bat. There in the cave, all of Batman's allies, beaten and gagged by the clown, were forced to take part in a makeshift feast scenario for Batman, where Joker told Batman he had cut off the entire Bat-Family's faces and put them on ice. He also urged Batman to kill his allies, arguing that his true family is the villains he fights. Escaping from his captivity, Batman attempted to catch the Joker, but the madman fell off a cliff to his apparent death before he could be caught.

After being freed and having their wounds tended to, Nightwing and the rest of the family refused to meet at Wayne Manor, finding this last interaction with the Joker had put a wedge in their relationships.

Second City In the aftermath of Joker's personal attack, which had resulted in the total destruction of Dick's circus and all of his funds, as well as the death of his former sidekick Damian, Grayson sought a fresh start in Chicago after discovering that Tony Zucco, his parents' killer, was alive and living there.

Setting up in his new city, Grayson found himself having to elude Chicago law enforcement due to their strict no tolerance policy on vigilante-related actions. Trying to find a lead on Zucco's location, Grayson reluctantly enlisted the help of Chicago's newest super-villain, The Prankster. However, Grayson ended up battling the Prankster and his forces as they launched a siege on Chicago.[35] With the city on lockdown, Grayson was then forced to reluctantly team up with Zucco, the man he was searching for, to take down the Prankster.[36] In the aftermath of the attack and his interaction with Nightwing, Tony Zucco turned himself to the police.[37]

Despite Grayson leaving Gotham, he didn't seem to be able to escape its villains and, during his time in Chicago, fought both the Mad Hatter[38] and Zsasz before deciding to return home.[39]

Forever Evil Main article: Forever Evil

Dick Grayson New 52 0001 Nightwing's identity is exposed

Shortly after the Crime Syndicate came to Earth and supposedly killed the Justice League, Nightwing was captured by the invaders on his way back to Gotham and had his identity revealed to the world in order to threaten the hero community even further.[40]

After a failed escape attempt, Grayson agreed to help Owlman betray the Syndicate,[41] but their plan was never set into motion as the Crime Syndicate put Dick in a trap called the Murder Machine - a bomb that would only disengage if Grayson's heart stopped beating. Later Batman, Catwoman and Lex Luthor were able to rescue him when Luthor stopped Grayson's heart for a few seconds in order to successfully both disarm the bomb and keep him alive.[42] With Dick now free, the group defeated the Syndicate and returned the Justice League to power.

Spyral Main article: Grayson Vol 1

Grayson Vol 1 2 Textless Selfie Variant Dick Grayson, Agent of Spyral

In the wake of the collapse of the Crime Syndicate, Batman gave his former apprentice a new mission: infiltrate the organization known as Spyral as a double agent. Batman told Dick that the risks of taking the mission meant that he could not let his identity be known to anyone, especially those close to him. Grayson reluctantly accepted the mission. Setting out into the world, Dick began taking down various terrorist plots, including those involving the group called the Fist of Cain. His actions successfully attracted the attention of Spyral, who sent Helena Bertinelli, the agent known as Matron, out to recruit him. He was eventually enlisted into Spyral by the organization's mysterious leader, Mister Minos.[21]

After being teamed up with Helena, Grayson was ordered to find the different Organs of the Paragon Project. Through their search they encountered Midnighter on more than one occasion, who was also searching for the Paragon Project and tried to hinder Spyral's successes.[43] When the mission to retrieve the Stomach brought them to Leicester they encountered a former T.H.E.Y. agent, Dr. Poppy Ashemore, who had stolen the Stomach from the British Government. Though Grayson was against negotiating with Ashemore, Helena as the senior agent employed Ashemore as a new Spyral doctor.[44] Through the missions Dick came into contact with other agents of Spyral and delved deeper into the organization, all the while keeping in mind that he was undercover.[45][43] Grayson later found out about the Nanite Robots that Spyral had been developing, which forced even Bruce to admit that the mission could be more dangerous than they had previously thought.[46]

On their mission to retrieve the last Organ, Helena and Dick encountered the Fist of Cain again.[47] After initial problems and disagreements, Midnighter allied with them and together they were able to prevent the terrorist attack the Fist of Cain had planned and retrieve the final Organ.[48] The reason the hunt for the Paragon Organs was important was finally revealed when Mr. Minos betrayed Spyral. Grayson and Tiger were able to destroy Paragon and Mr. Minos was killed by Helena in the aftermath.[49]

Endgame Main article: Batman: Endgame

When the Joker returned to terrorize Gotham in an endgame plot against Batman, Grayson briefly left Spyral and returned to Gotham in order to aid Batman. To deceive both the Joker and Batman's allies, Grayson donned a copy of Bruce's cowl and led the attack on the Joker in the heart of the city. When the Joker removed Batman's mask expecting to reveal Bruce's secret identity to everyone else, he instead found Dick Grayson.[50]

Grayson left Gotham before the revelation of Batman's death and was not immediately made aware of the new Batman that had since arisen.[51]

Nemesis Grayson returned to his duties as Agent 37 and was sent on a mission to retrieve a Kryptonian amulet from a Spanish duchess with his new partner Tiger, AKA Agent 1. After they obtained it Grayson was contacted by Helena. She suspected Agent 1 was a traitor who had murdered numerous agents from other espionage groups. Grayson left his partner behind to get the amulet away safely.[51] At his drop point he encountered Lex Luthor, who told him that LexCorp had been involved with Spyral since the beginning. Losing his trust in Helena, he searched for Tiger[52] and was able to save him from the real traitor. During the fight it became obvious to Grayson that Spyral knew even more than he thought and he was now fully convinced that it was time to go back to Gotham.[53]