Flying Grayson’s as FBI Agents?

[DGraysonWorldsGreatestSpy]

On the CBR main page there is a article that discusses a failed attempt to create a Batman Radio show in 1,943. Much like the 1st Batman movie changed Alfred from fat to slim Dick Grayson’s parents would have been retconned into FBI agents killed by Nazi spies. Personally I think this retcon would have added to the story of Robin and created more flexibility adapting Robin especially when for the TDK movie series. The Haly’s Circus could have been there cover infiltrating the Court Of Owls in this reality. What does anyone think.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

That would also work in an Earth one style story. The ideal Titans Earth One to me would have been to see how the original 5 titans woukd have turned out without their mentors in their lives. So making Dick's parents FBI agents infiltrating Haly circus woukd have helped there.

[nonsense man]

Like this idea but if the circus traveled world wide would it have been better if they were also given arresting power by interpol as well

[Frontier]

It sounds too much like the retcon for Peter Parker's parents by making them spies.

I mean, I think you could do a story where the Flying Graysons end up helping the FBI or police on a case, but I don't think they should be involved in law enforcement to a large degree before Dick becomes Robin.

[DGraysonWorldsGreatestSpy]

True but the circus is not what it used to be ...

[gregpersons]

On the CBR main page there is a article that discusses a failed attempt to create a Batman Radio show in 1,943. Much like the 1st Batman movie changed Alfred from fat to slim Dick Grayson’s parents would have been retconned into FBI agents killed by Nazi spies. Personally I think this retcon would have added to the story of Robin and created more flexibility adapting Robin especially when for the TDK movie series. The Haly’s Circus could have been there cover infiltrating the Court Of Owls in this reality. What does anyone think.

I'm into it.

The Court of Owls being tied to Nightwing is my favorite aspect of that concept. In the Robin 75th Anniversary book, there's a 40s/50s era story where Dick, uh, grows into a man-size, like the movie Big, but it's temporary. He doesn't fit into the Robin costume so he becomes Owl-Man. It's weird. But! It's fun that it ends up being retconned foreshadowing, similar to what Morrison did with Robin Dies At Dawn or Birth of the Demon.

I also liked the versions of John and Mary in the Raptor backstory, and the Gotham TV show. They are potentially interesting characters, for sure! They just have so rarely been explored. But come to think of it, for all the times we've seen Thomas and Martha in backstories, we still don't know them at all. They could also have been spies, for all we know. Maybe the whole thing is "A Series of Unfortunate Events" with bat costumes. I will say that I prefer the Telltale version of Thomas & Martha the most. It makes sense, and it's a more interesting twist, if Bruce discovers that Thomas was actually part of Gotham's corruption. It makes perfect sense, story-wise and thematically. I wish it were canon in the regular DCU rather than the saintly versions of Thomas and Martha. Parents can be disappointing; that's part of growing up. Makes sense for how we've seen fatherhood portrayed by Batman himself.

"The parents were actually spies" is kind of a worn trope in these types of stories; Spider-Man, as mentioned, and other Marvel heroes have tried versions of this twist. BUT - I think it works really well for Dick Grayson and The Flying Graysons, especially since Dick is also now a former Spyral spy as well as a former Bludhaven cop.

Nightwing, in my mind, is very much like Ethan Hunt in the Mission Impossible movies, and so, tying in "spy" to his backstory works really well, I think. Dick Grayson begins as "The Boy Wonder" - he's a wunderkind, he's exceptional for his age. It makes sense to me that his parents might've been more than "just" acrobats, but he didn't know. Being a manhunter is in Dick's blood.

EDIT – More I think about it, if Bruce discovers Thomas & Martha were corrupt and Dick discovers John & Mary were secret super-spies, it's a fun riff on their dynamic.

Bruce might've known that Dick's parents were secret spies, and in such a retcon, he would reveal this to Dick. He takes him in because Dick was supposed to die, too. Bruce saves him, but also, is kind of recruiting him, like a less bleak version of Miller's All Star. Bruce's motivations are always complex; but Dick has always been more pure.

Batman is avenging his parents deaths and making up for their crimes; Robin/Nightwing was born to be the worlds greatest hero, trained by the worlds greatest dark knight detective.

[Deffinition]

really dont like it, I dont know why they have to retcon everyones parents to be something special, just make them acrobats, its fine and serves its purpose

[Timber Wolf-By-Night]

I really don't care for it. It sounds like trying too hard to make them more special than they need to be. They were Dick's parents, they raised him in the circus, and then they died. They don't need to be "expanded" to some bigger role. And frankly, I'm not remotely interested in any stories that depend on them being FBI or spies or whatever. They have an important, if small, role in Dick's origins. That's all I need from them.

[Frontier]

I really don't care for it. It sounds like trying too hard to make them more special than they need to be. They were Dick's parents, they raised him in the circus, and then they died. They don't need to be "expanded" to some bigger role. And frankly, I'm not remotely interested in any stories that depend on them being FBI or spies or whatever. They have an important, if small, role in Dick's origins. That's all I need from them.

I wouldn't mind more exploring into what John and Mary's history to some degree, like how Seeley expanded on Mary's background, but I don't think it should go too far or be that exaggerated of a backstory.

[Flash Gordon]

Honestly the circus thing doesn't work anymore, so some kind of change would be neat.

[Frontier]

Honestly the circus thing doesn't work anymore, so some kind of change would be neat.

I know circuses are going out of business but I just don't know if anything could really replace the iconography and importance of it to Dick's origin.

[DGraysonWorldsGreatestSpy]

I know circuses are going out of business but I just don't know if anything could really replace the iconography and importance of it to Dick's origin.

If I ever got to write Batman & Robin Bruce Wayne would be 23 Y/O young Detective under the guise of Shorty Morgan to Slam Bradley 65 Y/O Great Detective who calls him Shorty Because He is 6'7 to Bruce 6'2. Bruce has had great personal trainers and went on several secret retreats to add to his skill but still went to Gotham University and working for Slam Bradley is a way to break into being a World Detective without drawing attention to him being Bruce Wayne. He has been under Slam Bradley for 6 years and to push hims self further he wants to travel to "The World Behind The Light" and this is where he encounters the League Of Shadows and in 2 years of a Realm where more time is allotted relative to Earth like 1 Yr = 3-5 as it is not exact. In those two years he is transformed into from Pulpy Golden Age Type Detective to the man who would become Batman. In his travels he leaves the League to operate with Alfred and trusted associates and these realms include Skartaris, Pytharia, Myrra, Gemworld and one day comes across The Flying's Grayson Traveling Circus who have broken away from Haly's Circus on Main Earth to hide from the Court Of Owls. The Zucco Family have been trying to create a secret trade network to push themselves ahead of all rivals mobs, The Flying Grayson's become a target to use as a smuggling network. Since John and Mary Grayson doesn't seem like a good idea to turn into FBI agents you could simply have them as the initial leads on getting the Zucco Family and Batman gets involved when Dicks parents are murdered and ultimately Batman takes down the Zucco Family under the guise of Matches Malone a traveler of the hidden world from Gotham City and the FBI takes Zucco Family to jail. Matches Malone adopts Dick Grayson upon return to Gotham and Batman and Robin perched on from there. Its a Rough idea but the goal is to allow the Circus to have a Legitimate reason to exist in its form in this current day since many of these dimension on Earth live a medival lifestyle just more science-magic and also return to Gotham and its own world of problems. A Billionaire adopting a Circus Kid from a hidden world that is just now being re-discoverd would make sense as opposed to a Billionaire going to a modern day trapeze act.

[gregpersons]

I know circuses are going out of business but I just don't know if anything could really replace the iconography and importance of it to Dick's origin.

Cirque de Solei.

[WonderNight]

I know circuses are going out of business but I just don't know if anything could really replace the iconography and importance of it to Dick's origin.

Just have the graysons come from the modern day circus a.k.a the WWE.

[Flash Gordon]

Just have one of Dick's parents be random people and they both get killed, leaving Dick orphaned. They don't have to be overly exceptional since Dick being taken in by Bruce Wayne is where his story truly begins.