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Summary
- Dick Grayson, the first Robin, had been planning to become Nightwing since his early days as Batman’s sidekick, showcasing his careful planning and foresight.
- Batman’s decision to adopt Dick and make him Robin was a way to prevent him from getting lost in his own darkness, but eventually Dick needed to step out of Batman’s shadow to become his own hero.
- Dick’s meticulous planning and preparation for his Nightwing identity paid off, making him an iconic and successful hero in the DC Universe.
Almost all the Robins have, at some point, left the nest to create their own identity — including the first Robin to set the trend, Dick Grayson. After Dick moved out from Batman’s shadow, he immediately took on the mantle of Nightwing. While it may seem a little far-fetched that Dick immediately had a new name and outfit ready to go, it turns out he’d been planning this ever since he started as Robin.
Originally, Batman operated completely alone as a dark figure in the night. It was much easier to inspire fear when it was just him running around breaking bones, but being alone is an excellent way to get completely lost in one’s own darkness. That’s why, after seeing Dick Grayson lose his parents to crime, Bruce decided to adopt Dick and offer him the role of Robin. This was the start of the dynamic duo, but all good things have to come to an end. When Dick left Batman’s shadow to become his own hero, he already had an outfit picked out — mostly because he’d been planning it for years.
Dick Grayson Shows Off His First Nightwing Suit
Dick’s first crack at the now-iconic Nightwing suit can be seen in Batman and Robin Annual #2 by Peter J. Tomasi, Patrick Gleason, Doug Mahnke, Christian Alamy, Keith Champagne, Tom Nguyen, Mark Irwin, and Mick Gray. This issue tells the story of Dick’s first night out as Robin and its absolutely disastrous consequences. Dick shows Batman the brand-new suit he put together, and eagle-eyed viewers will notice that Dick’s new costume bears a striking resemblance to the Nightwing outfit he’d come to wear later in his life. But, considering the bright blue colors — and because Batman is a control freak — Bruce immediately shuts down the outfit, demanding Dick go back to the original outfit they had agreed on: the classic Robin suit. While this could be explained as a cute one-off reference, this wasn’t the only time Dick planned out a prototypical Nightwing suit.
In Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #12 by Mark Waid, Emanuela Lupacchino, Norm Rapmund, Wade Von Grawbadger, Tamra Bonvillain, and Steve Wands — a contemporary series set in DC’s Silver Age past — after Robin has a bad date with Supergirl, he returns to the Batcave and demands Bruce let him change his identity and costume. Too embarrassed to ever be seen again, Dick drafts up a new superhero identity, which ends up being a nearly exact copy of Dick’s first Nightwing outfit. This goes to show that Dick had the idea for this suit, even if he didn’t have the name, planned for a very long time and only needed to get out from under Bruce to fully realize the showy costume he truly wanted.
Dick Grayson Drafts the First Nightwing Suit
Nightwing is an iconic and recognizable hero to plenty of non-comic book fans. DC has even named Nightwing as one of the most important heroes in its line-up. Part of this huge popularity could very well be attributed to the fact that Dick had been planning his Nightwing persona for years while still under Batman, and, when he finally got to bring this identity out to the public, it was an immediate massive success thanks to his very careful planning.
Check out Batman and Robin Annual #2 and Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #12, both available now from DC Comics!
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