Richard Grayson's Soulmate

[yohyoi]

No one because DiDio is gonna kill him to give angst to his love interests.

[Rac7d*]

No one because DiDio is gonna kill him to give angst to his love interests.

but star's in space right now?

[yohyoi]

DiDio finds a way...

[byrd156]

No one because DiDio is gonna kill him to give angst to his love interests.

He'll just kill him, there's no way he though that far ahead about how the death would effect others.

[Starrius]

Clearly you're not feeling the idea. And that's cool, no worries over a difference of opinion. But I feel like you're creating problems with the concept that aren't really there. These hurdles, when they're there at all, aren't insurmountable. At least as far as I can see.

We're not talking about a sidekick who's going to be by Nightwing's side on every adventure. We're talking about a love interest who's going to be playing a supporting role and usually involved only at the end of the adventure, once all the punching is done. This isn't a co-star, this is a supporting cast member; she won't be around all the time. This woman, Karen or Jesse or whoever, is going to have her own foes, her own city to protect (or some kind of major responsibilities), and her own problems. We can assume that, when the narrative needs her to be, this woman will be too busy to fix all of Dick's problems for him. And all you need is a monologue box saying "she's busy doing hero stuff" to explain her absence. On the other hand, writing team ups is easy to do on the occasion you want to, and it opens Nightwing up to a few different genres, providing more versatility to the property. This woman and Dick will (presumably) trust each other enough to let each other do their jobs, knowing that they have a lifeline to call if they need one. The fear of this hero up-ending the balance of Gotham isn't a concern if the relationship is built on mutual respect and trust.

Bruce's best friend is a god-like alien who visits Gotham on a regular basis, but trusts and respects Bruce enough not to meddle without being asked. Why would we expect any less (or more, I guess?) from a new love interest for Nightwing?

As far as how this could impact Bludhaven.....does that actually matter? What, exactly, is Bludhaven these days? The old, starving whaling town? The love child of Chicago and Vegas, fat on casinos? The middle ground between Gotham and Metropolis (basically Suicide Slum)? It's not the nuclear wasteland full of Kirby creations again, is it? There's very little status quo with Bludhaven for a super powered love interest to unbalance. It'd just be, at most, a new take on a city that has no consistency beyond its name and Nightwing's presence. And who's to say this woman would even live in Gotham/Bludhaven? She might just visit for some Netflix and chill. Who's trying to rush this relationship into room mate territory?

But you're right. It won't happen. A new long term love interest of any kind is unlikely to happen, and DC is likely to continue pushing Babs and Dick without really committing, to the detriment of both characters. Because DC is making mistakes with Nightwing. Now, I'm not saying that my suggestion here would be successful, and I'm not saying I know more than the professionals do. But DC *is* dropping the ball here. They're already failing to realize this IP's value. The only thing my humble suggestion could do is fail a little harder.

I agree with your points
that could work with Kory though
she has her own thing to do and she doesn't have to be with Dick all the time
she's a very powerful superhero and doesn't need him when she goes on missions ,adventures, and fighting the bad people
she can go off and do her thing while Dick does his thing
they can team up occasionally
they can do comic crossovers
they can support each other at times

[Starrius]

As of the end of pre new52 and now Babs is who Dicks settling with not Kory. There's no argument that will convince me that a new superpowered love interest will not work, except for everything that happens with the bat office and Dick lately. Anything could happen if you allow it. Bruce and his issues will keep Dick single forever, and nothing says getting out of the bat shadow like being humiliated time and time again for his sake and having another bat as your "one true love".

yeah....with that "one true love" being heavily retconned at the expense of Kory that his been his love interest from 1980 to 1994 and is now made out to be bad alien slut that got in Barbara's way of being with Dick

[Starrius]

Dixon's Nightwing and Grayson's Titans run were incredible for the character. The early 90s weren't great to him but I really think he was one of the best parts of the 90s.

Dixon crapped on Dick/Kory to prop up Dick/Barbara
following Nightwing writers did too
they degraded Dick/Kory into lust for the sake of boosting Dick/Barbara as true love
they disrespected Dick/Kory,its fans,writers

heck Peter and Mary Jane are together
but there haven't been any writers have Peter say that Mary Jane is the only woman that he ever loved and make his relationship with Gwen seem like lust
like Nightwing writers have Dick say that Barbara is the only woman that he ever loved and make his relationship with Kory seem like lust

oh yeah..Sins Past story is garbage and don't consider canon

[Starrius]

I wouldn't be against something like that, if they played it right. I just want DC to finally let the Dick-Babs and Dick-Kori ships sink and move everyone on to something new. We need a new normal, I'm not terribly concerned about what shape that actually takes (though obviously I have my own ideas).

a lot of us don't want our ships to sink

there are lot of fans (including me) that want Dick and Kory back together, especially after the Teen Titans cartoon show and animated movies and now the live action television series
there are lot of fans that want Dick and Barbara back together


so what if its been a long time

Mary Jane was married to Peter for 20 years and they were broken up
heck...she was supporting character in Iron man, working for Tony Stark for a a couple of years
Peter/Mary Jane still had a lot of fans that wanted them to get back together even after long time being apart
many fans didn't like the new love interests like Carlie
now, Mary Jane is back to being Peter's love interest after 11 years of being apart from him

[Ascended]

I agree with your points
that could work with Kory though

It could. And between her and Babs, I am Team Starfire all the way, all day every day. However.....(see below)

a lot of us don't want our ships to sink

Of course not. None of us do. However, in Nightwing's case there's no winning. The fandom seems relatively evenly split between Babs and Kori, and one side "winning" dashes the hopes of the other and will leave a bad taste in their mouths. It seems a better option to me to bring in someone new rather than pick a winner in the Babs-Kori feud that'll only anger half the people reading. A new love interest might not be what anyone wants, but I think people would swallow it easier than seeing the "other woman" (ie., Babs or Kori) get back with Dick.

We might not want to see a new love interest, but if the "other woman" gets back with Dick, that'll just leave us bitter. Better the fans are annoyed at the new girl on Dick's arm rather than annoyed at the old girlfriend back on his arm and also bitter about it. Or so it seems to me.

[nhienphan2808]

yeah....with that "one true love" being heavily retconned at the expense of Kory that his been his love interest from 1980 to 1994 and is now made out to be bad alien slut that got in Barbara's way of being with Dick

Everyone says Dickkory is Dick settling with Kory and Babs is his "mature" love, i think other wise. Nightwing lately acts more immature than NTT era Robin, and Babs is too close too Bruce, Dickbabs is actually the most convenient "settling with" lazy pairing ever that was just pushed because DC didnt know how to write them anymore. It doesnt push writers to let either grow bigger than a bat character (even Kory got into something bigger than Titans) and it's barely written well without either or both being a bit out of character. they hurt each other's spotlight and functionality rather than help it the way more real iconic pairs like batcat or clois do. It relies on retcons and babs being this plain nerd and Dick being the jock to work, while Babs is actually more Batman-like than Bruce and Dick is much more intense than a jock who always is too invasive to her, so of course they messed up and broke up. I can just FEEL the try-hard from dc whenever they are on the same page. Even in Corvergenge, Babs had this huge plan that she doesnt let Dick in with, that just made her sound like Bruce and hardly soulmate material for me. They both look miserable and unsure to"settle" with that marriage. Whereas as exlovers, Dickkory still clicks with each other so naturally. ("i know you heart. A mask can't change that.")

that being said, a love interest isnt necessary your soulmate and Dick has no one. As of right before Flashpoint, im glad he grew away from both and was single.

[Oberon]

I hated them doing that to Pete and MJ's relationship, but you point out the difference with Marvel and DC:

This happened to Dick and Babs and Kory because DC reboots its universes and alters the original story.

Sure, the status quo changed for Spidy, MJ and others due to Mephisto's powers, but that is in-story and we knew or hoped or *always* knew, that Pete and MJ would probably get back to each other.

But the situation with DC is different because of the total changes the reboots have. So that is why currently the story play book can say Kory never really meant as much to Dick as Babs does/always/now.

And, as an older reader, I can remember when Babs and Dick's relationship had its first few hints, pre-COIEs, when 'Barbara' actually was older than Dick, had her own career as a Librarian and then as a Senator or Congresswoman of some sort. But now we have the current. (should I even go into how these reboots affected the original Bat-girl, Flamebird, that is Bette Kane, who should have had a better chance at a relationship of her own with Dick ? )

[WonderNight]

Everyone says Dickkory is Dick settling with Kory and Babs is his "mature" love, i think other wise. Nightwing lately acts more immature than NTT era Robin, and Babs is too close too Bruce, Dickbabs is actually the most convenient "settling with" lazy pairing ever that was just pushed because DC didnt know how to write them anymore. It doesnt push writers to let either grow bigger than a bat character (even Kory got into something bigger than Titans) and it's barely written well without either or both being a bit out of character. they hurt each other's spotlight and functionality rather than help it the way more real iconic pairs like batcat or clois do. It relies on retcons and babs being this plain nerd and Dick being the jock to work, while Babs is actually more Batman-like than Bruce and Dick is much more intense than a jock who always is too invasive to her, so of course they messed up and broke up. I can just FEEL the try-hard from dc whenever they are on the same page. Even in Corvergenge, Babs had this huge plan that she doesnt let Dick in with, that just made her sound like Bruce and hardly soulmate material for me. They both look miserable and unsure to"settle" with that marriage. Whereas as exlovers, Dickkory still clicks with each other so naturally. ("i know you heart. A mask can't change that.")

that being said, a love interest isnt necessary your soulmate and Dick has no one. As of right before Flashpoint, im glad he grew away from both and was single.

yeap, dickbabs will always hurt dicks potential because dc and some fans will see dick as a sidekick and Batman lite, then he can't grow beyond Gotham/bludhaven.

It's funny too, because dick supposed to have left robin to be his own man and became nightwing. A name form a superpowered a while with his superpowered girlfriend with his superpowered friends and teammates but somehow superpowered girlfriend can't fit in Nightwing's world? why? Oh ah because his still under Batman shadow and dickbabs only makes that 10x whose.

[nonsense man]

I like dick better with kory as well but if they do introduce a new love interest I would be okay with it more than if he goes to babs.

[Starrius]

I like dick better with kory as well but if they do introduce a new love interest I would be okay with it more than if he goes to babs.

Yeah

I would like to see Kory with a new love interest that is right for her.
She's a superhero strongly motivated by her hatred of oppression,injustice,unfairness due to 5 or 6 years as a slave and wanting to keep others from going through what she went through.
She went through a lot of physical and emotional pain and still is a good person that wants to help others.
She deserves a man that will treat her right, and Dick is not that right now.
She's too good to just settle for anything less.
I hope the writers treat her with a lot more respect.

I am looking forward to her new adventures in Justice League:Odyssey.
She's off in space to fight slavery.
That's definitely Kory!

[Starrius]

It could. And between her and Babs, I am Team Starfire all the way, all day every day. However.....(see below)



Of course not. None of us do. However, in Nightwing's case there's no winning. The fandom seems relatively evenly split between Babs and Kori, and one side "winning" dashes the hopes of the other and will leave a bad taste in their mouths. It seems a better option to me to bring in someone new rather than pick a winner in the Babs-Kori feud that'll only anger half the people reading. A new love interest might not be what anyone wants, but I think people would swallow it easier than seeing the "other woman" (ie., Babs or Kori) get back with Dick.

We might not want to see a new love interest, but if the "other woman" gets back with Dick, that'll just leave us bitter. Better the fans are annoyed at the new girl on Dick's arm rather than annoyed at the old girlfriend back on his arm and also bitter about it. Or so it seems to me.

I totally agree with all of that.
I did point out that there is a strong split between Dick/Kory fans and Dick/Barbara fans