Dick Grayson: Robin, Nightwing, Agent of Spyral Appreciation 2018

[Konja7]

I think this discussion about the direction for Nightwing mention some good points:

The Batman office is a "safe" place for Dick, since he won't be send to the limbo (even if he is mistreated). However, Dick can't grow in the Batman office, because he will be only a "sidekick" for Batman.

However, even if Dick left Batman office, DC won't allow Dick to be part of the Justice League (since they don't want Batman to grow old), so he can't grow outside of Batman office either. Dick might even be at risk leaving Batman office.


I don't think this will change when the higher ups retire, because the new higher ups will still want to protect Batman from old age.

The only time Dick was allowed to grow was outside of Batman office as Nightwing in New Teen Titans. However, this grow was allowed due to the extremely popularity of Teen Titans at that time.

So, Dick will probably need an extremely popular and profitable new direction to be allowed to grow.

[Digifiend]

They could always have multiple JL teams, Batman on one and Nightwing on another. The current Titans book is basically a fourth JL team. Bring a Leaguer doesn't have to mean replacing Bruce.

[Konja7]

They could always have multiple JL teams, Batman on one and Nightwing on another. The current Titans book is basically a fourth JL team. Bring a Leaguer doesn't have to mean replacing Bruce.

In fact, DC consider the Titans as a Teen Titans comic.

I would like Nightwing in another JL team. It can help the character.

The problem is they don't want Dick to grow independent, since DC feel this will make Batman to grow old.

[SiegePerilous02]

To those wanting Dick to get out of Bludhaven so that he could be with the greater DCU is naive. Do you think DC will treat Dick as an equal with the greater DCU? You are just asking him to be sidekick to every DC Hero. Bludhaven is a safe place where Dick can have some importance. Yet you want to take that away?

He basically still is a sidekick to Batman while he is in the Bat-Office. No matter how much they try to push the "The first Robin is his own man now" narrative, it doesn't amount to much because he's just one more face in a sea of extended Ba-Kids. He's the "nice, charismatic one" in the Robin Boy Band.

Bludhaven is not important. Dick is the only thing of any importance in that city. All his important emotional tethers, the Bat-Family, the Titans, Superman, etc. are not there. It has nothing of value and it's basically a cage that he'd be much better off without.

[The Kid]

I still think that they shouldn't have retconed the Forever Evil twist. The way it happened but Dick having his identity exposed had a lot of potential. Him being a public hero who travels all over the world to fight crime automatically has more potential than basically being in some random city and doing his best Batman/Daredevil impersonation

[Pohzee]

The new Titans show has really helped me reevaluate where I think Dick should be in the DCU. I actually think that the current Titans comic had the right direction in theory.

Dick in the Batverse will always just be another Robin. He will never be shown to be as competent as Batman and no longer carries the importance of Robin. So it’s a dead end for him, which is why so many of us want to see him branch into the larger DCU.

The problem is that Dick doesn’t have a large presence in the DCU. For better or worse, Dick will always be tied with the Titans. So much of his history, development, and popularity is tied to that team. If he’s not with Batman, his place is with the Titans. And as we’ve discussed to death before, being a junior JL does them no favors, nor does trying to ape the Teen Titans. So what should their role be?

I think that it is best served as a place for the adult Titans to train a new generation of heroes. I think that it makes sense both for the team and for Dick specifically. Given that the Titans are inseparable from their status of the Teen Titans and their similarities to the X-Men, it makes good sense to give the Titans a similar mentor ship role in the DCU. And as for Dick, nothing seems more fitting for the first young hero of the DCU to ultimately mentor young heroes of his own.

It gives him a distinct role in the DCU and gives the Titans a purpose. Because as great as the spy stuff was, it wasn’t a natural progression of Dick’s history nor does it seem to be anything DC has plans to pick back up on.

[Starrius]

In fact, DC consider the Titans as a Teen Titans comic.

I would like Nightwing in another JL team. It can help the character.

The problem is they don't want Dick to grow independent, since DC feel this will make Batman to grow old.

they let Batman have a biological son named Damian who is the 4th Robin who has been leading the Teen Titan
how does that not make Batman grow old?

[Jackalope89]

they let Batman have a biological son named Damian who is the 4th Robin who has been leading the Teen Titan
how does that not make Batman grow old?

Well, not "old" past a certain point at least.

[Aahz]

I would like Nightwing in another JL team. It can help the character.

I don't think that it would really help him, the other JL team have in the last years never been particular popular or successfull. These have since the start of the new never lasted for even just two years.
Only exception from this was Justice League Dark, but that's not really a team Dick would really fit in.

[Flashback]

they let Batman have a biological son named Damian who is the 4th Robin who has been leading the Teen Titan
how does that not make Batman grow old?

DC crunch all of the robin's entire history and also through Bruce into the Lazarus Pit.

[Godlike13]

The new Titans show has really helped me reevaluate where I think Dick should be in the DCU. I actually think that the current Titans comic had the right direction in theory.

Dick in the Batverse will always just be another Robin. He will never be shown to be as competent as Batman and no longer carries the importance of Robin. So it’s a dead end for him, which is why so many of us want to see him branch into the larger DCU.

The problem is that Dick doesn’t have a large presence in the DCU. For better or worse, Dick will always be tied with the Titans. So much of his history, development, and popularity is tied to that team. If he’s not with Batman, his place is with the Titans. And as we’ve discussed to death before, being a junior JL does them no favors, nor does trying to ape the Teen Titans. So what should their role be?

I think that it is best served as a place for the adult Titans to train a new generation of heroes. I think that it makes sense both for the team and for Dick specifically. Given that the Titans are inseparable from their status of the Teen Titans and their similarities to the X-Men, it makes good sense to give the Titans a similar mentor ship role in the DCU. And as for Dick, nothing seems more fitting for the first young hero of the DCU to ultimately mentor young heroes of his own.

It gives him a distinct role in the DCU and gives the Titans a purpose. Because as great as the spy stuff was, it wasn’t a natural progression of Dick’s history nor does it seem to be anything DC has plans to pick back up on.

This just double downs on Dick being a supporting player. Not just to the older generations but to younger generations too then. He is still suppose to be a young hero himself. Reducing him to the junior instructor of the next generation would be demeaning, and basically just gives up on him or his potential.

[Konja7]

they let Batman have a biological son named Damian who is the 4th Robin who has been leading the Teen Titan
how does that not make Batman grow old?

Well, Flashpoint has reduced the time of all Robins.

Also, Morrison doesn't expect Damian to survive when he creates him. The character becomes pretty popular, so he returned.


I suspect that the only reason why Dick wasn't Robin after Flashpoint is because the popularity of other Robins (and may protect the story of Batman).

I mean Dick was mantained after the Reboot (unlike the rest his generation), because his popularity. However, that wouldn't protect him of a big retcon on his story (I mean when DC has shown problem to destroy his past).

[dropkickjake]

This just double downs on Dick being a supporting player. Not just to the older generations but to younger generations too then. He is still suppose to be a young hero himself. Reducing him to the junior instructor of the next generation would be demeaning, and basically just gives up on him or his potential.

Not necessarily. If he was leading and mentoring young heroes who aren't sidekicks themselves. Bringing in some non-sidekicks is part of what helped NTT so many years ago.

I don't think its the only way to go with him but I don't think it would be bad for him if done correctly.

[byrd156]

The new Titans show has really helped me reevaluate where I think Dick should be in the DCU. I actually think that the current Titans comic had the right direction in theory.

Dick in the Batverse will always just be another Robin. He will never be shown to be as competent as Batman and no longer carries the importance of Robin. So it’s a dead end for him, which is why so many of us want to see him branch into the larger DCU.

The problem is that Dick doesn’t have a large presence in the DCU. For better or worse, Dick will always be tied with the Titans. So much of his history, development, and popularity is tied to that team. If he’s not with Batman, his place is with the Titans. And as we’ve discussed to death before, being a junior JL does them no favors, nor does trying to ape the Teen Titans. So what should their role be?

I think that it is best served as a place for the adult Titans to train a new generation of heroes. I think that it makes sense both for the team and for Dick specifically. Given that the Titans are inseparable from their status of the Teen Titans and their similarities to the X-Men, it makes good sense to give the Titans a similar mentor ship role in the DCU. And as for Dick, nothing seems more fitting for the first young hero of the DCU to ultimately mentor young heroes of his own.

It gives him a distinct role in the DCU and gives the Titans a purpose. Because as great as the spy stuff was, it wasn’t a natural progression of Dick’s history nor does it seem to be anything DC has plans to pick back up on.

That's basically the Devin Grayson Titans series I keep talking about.

[Jackalope89]

Dick may have overreacted just a tad...