why was Dick graduated from Robin to Nightwing?

[CTTT]

I'm curious what prompted the decision for Dick Grayson to give up the Robin identity to become Nightwing? Were readers tired of him being Robin at that time? And was it Marv Wolfman that came up with the idea or was it it someone over the Bat books?

[Gaius]

I think I recall the Bat writers wanted to use Robin again but Wolfman didn't want to give up Dick.

[Drako]

Marv Wolfman: It was fairly simple, actually. I got a call that (DC) really would like Robin back in Batman, and they wanted Robin to be younger. Again, because Batman really needed a partner. The nice thing was that Teen Titans—which I was still on at the time—was way outselling Batman and I really wanted Dick Grayson and I really loved the character.

We had aged him, we had made him a real leader, we had done a whole bunch of things with him, and I didn’t want to give up Dick Grayson. And it suddenly struck me — I don’t even know what happened because it was unprecedented in comics — I said, “Why don’t I keep Dick Grayson and you create a new Robin and make that a big to-do in Batman … while we have Nightwing.”

We’d already been having long stories about Dick Grayson breaking up with Batman, not being part of the Batman thing, so it fit perfectly that he would want to change. Also, he hated those stupid green shorts. (Laughter) Just utterly… It’s so cold in Gotham in the winter and Batman’s totally dressed in armor.

So (they) thought that was a great idea and they went off and created, with Gerry Conway, I think it was, Jason Todd, and I got to play with Dick Grayson and finally make him his own person.

It was something we had been leading to, but we never expected we’d have permission to remove him from the Batman continuity whatsoever and this gave us a chance to actually fulfill the story that we had been working towards. George’s artwork was playing him at about 21. I was writing him about the same age. … And that’s pretty much how it happened.

https://13thdimension.com/behind-the...-of-nightwing/

[Konja7]

https://13thdimension.com/behind-the...-of-nightwing/

Yeah. I read it was New Teen Titans popularity what allows Wolfman to mantain Dick (although he needs to become Nightwing).

If this call happen some years later, Wolfman couldn't have stopped Dick from coming back to Batman editorial (since New Teen Titans lost its popularity.

[Flash Gordon]

Yeah. I read it was New Teen Titans popularity what allows Wolfman to mantain Dick (although he needs to become Nightwing).

If this call happen some years later, Wolfman couldn't have stopped him from coming back to Batman editorial (since New Teen Titans lost its popularity.

It's a shame they didn't just take him back. Sharing the character wouldn't have been hard, just a slightly older Dynamic Duo.

Instead now we have a conga line of Robins watering down the IP.

[Konja7]

It's a shame they didn't just take him back. Sharing the character wouldn't have been hard, just a slightly older Dynamic Duo.

Instead now we have a conga line of Robins watering down the IP.

They probably want a younger Robin, because they really want a mentor-student relationship for Batman.

Dick in his NTT's age doesn't work for this.

Not to mention that the fear that Batman is too old existed even at that time.

[bat39]

Basically, the Batman and the New Teen Titans teams both wanted Robin. So the compromise was that the Batman franchise would get Robin, while NTT would get to keep the character of Dick Grayson.

That's probably the reason why the original Jason Todd was basically a rebooted Dick Grayson. Same circus origin, virtually identical look, same personality as Golden Age Dick. It was basically a way to turn back the clock on the Dynamic Duo to 1940. But after COIE, the focus of the Batman franchise went from reinventing the Golden Age to inventing a new grittier Modern Age...so Jason's was rebooted to become a relatively darker character.

[Digifiend]

They probably want a younger Robin, because they really want a mentor-student relationship for Batman.

Dick in his NTT's age doesn't work for this.

Not to mention that the fear that Batman is too old existed even at that time.

And bear in mind it took them three goes to get the new Robin right. Pre-Crisis Jason was basically a duplicate of Dick and derided for that. Post-Crisis they gave him a new origin, but he clearly wasn't popular as a public vote resulted in him getting killed off! Jay only became popular when they resurrected him as Red Hood a couple of decades later. And then they introduced Tim, who was popular enough to get his own long running solo book.

[Restingvoice]

Basically, the Batman and the New Teen Titans teams both wanted Robin. So the compromise was that the Batman franchise would get Robin, while NTT would get to keep the character of Dick Grayson.

That's probably the reason why the original Jason Todd was basically a rebooted Dick Grayson. Same circus origin, virtually identical look, same personality as Golden Age Dick. It was basically a way to turn back the clock on the Dynamic Duo to 1940. But after COIE, the focus of the Batman franchise went from reinventing the Golden Age to inventing a new grittier Modern Age...so Jason's was rebooted to become a relatively darker character.

That would explain Circus Jason, yes

[Restingvoice]

Basically, the Batman and the New Teen Titans teams both wanted Robin. So the compromise was that the Batman franchise would get Robin, while NTT would get to keep the character of Dick Grayson.

That's probably the reason why the original Jason Todd was basically a rebooted Dick Grayson. Same circus origin, virtually identical look, same personality as Golden Age Dick. It was basically a way to turn back the clock on the Dynamic Duo to 1940. But after COIE, the focus of the Batman franchise went from reinventing the Golden Age to inventing a new grittier Modern Age...so Jason's was rebooted to become a relatively darker character.

That would explain Circus Jason, yes

[Riv86672]

Sounds like a series of fortunate events, even including the initial misfires w. Jason as they wound up leading to his becoming Red Hood. Me I’m glad Batman didn’t get his Dick back. Wolfman and Perez put too much work into growing Dick to have have go back.

[Flash Gordon]

They probably want a younger Robin, because they really want a mentor-student relationship for Batman.

Dick in his NTT's age doesn't work for this.

Not to mention that the fear that Batman is too old existed even at that time.

You're right on about their logic. 21 is not too old to still be under the tutelage of The Batman though. I mean nobody is on Batman's level. Dick maturing into more of a Watson to Bruce's Holmes, a partnership/brotherhood rather than father/son relationship- would have been a natural progression I think.

They could have eventually grown past their falling out and reestablished the terms of their duo, which would be a more healthy route for 2 ultra heroic men.

[Badou]

It's a shame they didn't just take him back. Sharing the character wouldn't have been hard, just a slightly older Dynamic Duo.

Instead now we have a conga line of Robins watering down the IP.

This is sort of my feelings as well. Although while maybe it limited Dick's character in the long run characters like Tim and eventually Jason benefited greatly from it. So as a Grayson fan I might be a little disappointed in it, but I think DC is happy with how things eventually turned out.

But it does feel like we have hit that breaking point of oversaturation of Robins or Robin-like characters in the Batman franchise, haha.

[AmiMizuno]

I don't know with the way things have been with Batman in the passing years. Everyone is in a sense a robin. They would have just kept de-aging him. If we look at other characters throughout the years like Donna or Cassie. Are in adrift. Dick would have only gone so far. Why not turn him into Nightwing? There are limits on Batgirls and other Batam.No more Robins. But Dc would never let that happen. Like you said he limits his character. We have seen this to be true. Wally becoming flash helped his character but now what is he doing? He stops him as a character. He would just be in the same place. . Nightwing became his own man and if he becomes Robin it just becomes a limitation. They wouldn't have changed his relationship with how Batman and Robin have always been. It would be away older until post-crisis. Then what keeps holding him as a character? I mean Tim is just there now.

[Flash Gordon]

I don't know with the way things have been with Batman in the passing years. Everyone is in a sense a robin. They would have just kept de-aging him. If we look at other characters throughout the years like Donna or Cassie. Are in adrift. Dick would have only gone so far. Why not turn him into Nightwing? There are limits on Batgirls and other Batam.No more Robins. But Dc would never let that happen. Like you said he limits his character. We have seen this to be true. Wally becoming flash helped his character but now what is he doing? He stops him as a character. He would just be in the same place. . Nightwing became his own man and if he becomes Robin it just becomes a limitation. They wouldn't have changed his relationship with how Batman and Robin have always been. It would be away older until post-crisis. Then what keeps holding him as a character? I mean Tim is just there now.

It's only a limit because of the way things have panned out.

Had Dick always been Robin and grew with that ICONIC identity, he'd have been fine. "Robin" is his identity, not an internship to graduate from.

His costume would have been updated over the years, maybe to something even similar to the Nightwing design. He'd be his own man as Robin.