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

[JasonTodd428]

Except the rule was pretty clear. When Earth 2 started, it was for solely Earth 2 characters. Jay Garrick and Alan Scott would exist there, but Hal Jordan and Barry Allen wouldn't. Kendra would live there, but she wouldn't meet Kata Hol - because he wasn't an Earth 2 character here.

It was a pretty good way of launching the comic as "A Different World" rather than just a parallel of the main one. Clearly, the "rule" was relaxed before the end of Robinson's run.

Yes, it was pretty clear they were wanting Earth 2 solely for "Justice Society" characters. I never said that it wasn't the intention here only that a person new to comics might see "Flash" and "Green Lantern" and lump them in with the Prime Earth versions of the same without caring that there were different people under the masks or that they were on separate world's for that matter. That is why I felt having a hard and fast rule about no duplicates between the two worlds was unnecessary even from the start. Robinson was going to great lengths to make sure Earth 2 was a bit more than just a parallel world to the main one, going so far as to kill off the Trinity even in order to differentiate the two. I don't believe this rule was needed to make that distinction clear at all not to mention with the appearance of characters from "Earth 3" keeping to that rule makes little sense.

[Dzetoun]

Except the rule was pretty clear. When Earth 2 started, it was for solely Earth 2 characters. Jay Garrick and Alan Scott would exist there, but Hal Jordan and Barry Allen wouldn't. Kendra would live there, but she wouldn't meet Kata Hol - because he wasn't an Earth 2 character here.

It was a pretty good way of launching the comic as "A Different World" rather than just a parallel of the main one. Clearly, the "rule" was relaxed before the end of Robinson's run.

Yes. I suppose it would have been impossible to maintain, any way you cut it. After all, you had the Big Three, and you are talking about a parallel world, much as they try to work around the fact. Still, it didn't last long. Which brings us back to the original point of how Dick Grayson will appear. I am thinking, given what we have seen, that he will be different than his Prime Earth version, but younger? Older? Super powered? There are any number of ways they could go.

[dropkickjake]

Yes. I suppose it would have been impossible to maintain, any way you cut it. After all, you had the Big Three, and you are talking about a parallel world, much as they try to work around the fact. Still, it didn't last long. Which brings us back to the original point of how Dick Grayson will appear. I am thinking, given what we have seen, that he will be different than his Prime Earth version, but younger? Older? Super powered? There are any number of ways they could go.

I don't think he will be super powered, as they mention him "on the streets surviving," or something to that effect. I am assuming his age will be drastically changed to help differentiate him from Earth Prime. This means he'll either be like 40, probably with some gray hairs (for a visual indicator of age) or he'll be a child/young teen. I think I'm hoping for a younger, freshly orphaned Flying Grayson getting by in the midst of chaos thanks to his winning personality, kind heart, and ability to bond people together.

I somehow doubt that Earth 2 Dick will make it to Prime Earth alive in any case though. That'd be too "confusing," for us feeble minded fans.

[Dzetoun]

I don't think he will be super powered, as they mention him "on the streets surviving," or something to that effect. I am assuming his age will be drastically changed to help differentiate him from Earth Prime. This means he'll either be like 40, probably with some gray hairs (for a visual indicator of age) or he'll be a child/young teen. I think I'm hoping for a younger, freshly orphaned Flying Grayson getting by in the midst of chaos thanks to his winning personality, kind heart, and ability to bond people together.

I somehow doubt that Earth 2 Dick will make it to Prime Earth alive in any case though. That'd be too "confusing," for us feeble minded fans.

I really can't imagine that the Earth 2 population is going to end up permanently on Prime Earth as we see in Futures End. Since we all know something is going to happen to prevent that future, it seems likely that the destruction of Earth 2 will be either avoided or undone. I agree that a younger Grayson has more interesting possibilities. He might end up as Thomas Wayne's Robin, for instance, although I doubt Thomas will survive the upcoming weekly. He might also wind up partnered with Helena Wayne, which should it be a stable thing would set up an interesting parallel. You would have a Dick Grayson on each Earth paired/partnered with a version of Huntress.

[Agent 37]

I really can't imagine that the Earth 2 population is going to end up permanently on Prime Earth as we see in Futures End. Since we all know something is going to happen to prevent that future, it seems likely that the destruction of Earth 2 will be either avoided or undone. I agree that a younger Grayson has more interesting possibilities. He might end up as Thomas Wayne's Robin, for instance, although I doubt Thomas will survive the upcoming weekly. He might also wind up partnered with Helena Wayne, which should it be a stable thing would set up an interesting parallel. You would have a Dick Grayson on each Earth paired/partnered with a version of Huntress.

I'd like to see a younger Dick Grayson just for the possibilities it opens up, but I wouldn't be surprised if he's older.

Wasn't the earth 2 timeline out of sync with earth 1? I thought I remember hearing earth 2's timeline was sooner than earth 1, ie: superman landed on earth 2 earlier then he did on earth 1. Could be wrong, I have very little knowledge of earth 2 mythos.

Maybe earth 2 Dick Grayson becomes nightwing?

[Hilden B. Lade]

Yes. I suppose it would have been impossible to maintain, any way you cut it. After all, you had the Big Three, and you are talking about a parallel world, much as they try to work around the fact. Still, it didn't last long. Which brings us back to the original point of how Dick Grayson will appear. I am thinking, given what we have seen, that he will be different than his Prime Earth version, but younger? Older? Super powered? There are any number of ways they could go.

If it's a kid or teen Grayson, maybe he can become the new Earth-2 Robin and team up with Huntress or Thomas Wayne's Batman.

[Claude]

Yes. I suppose it would have been impossible to maintain, any way you cut it. After all, you had the Big Three, and you are talking about a parallel world, much as they try to work around the fact. Still, it didn't last long. Which brings us back to the original point of how Dick Grayson will appear. I am thinking, given what we have seen, that he will be different than his Prime Earth version, but younger? Older? Super powered? There are any number of ways they could go.

But for the most part, the big three were dead - the world introduced by them being off the table. It wasn't until the book seemed to lose focus on it's original aims that All New Batman and Evil Superman and Totally Invisible Even Though She Was Meant To Be An Even Bigger Deal Here Wonder Woman bled back in.


As for Dick on Earth 2? I think it depends on how much input Tom Taylor has/had on the plotting of World's End - during his time on the main title there seems to have been a bit of a push not to be "that guy who kills people off in Parallel Worlds", and so Lois is brought back from the dead. Similarly, Dick get's killed off pretty early in "Injustice" to further someone else's story - so I'd imagine Taylor as reluctant to use him as cannon fodder.


I quite like Grown Up Robin as an Earth 2 "thing", and if you wanted to do an "everyman civillian the readers will take to quickly" then bringing in a hero-less Dick Grayson makes sense. But it occurs to me that, more than Prime Earth, Earth 2 is a world where there really is an all-encompassing Spy Agency fighting on the frontlines to protect the world!

Dick as a viewpoint into the World Army, it's Sandmen et al would be a nice bit of worldbuilding that would free up the more Superheroey characters to do more superheroey things.

[Dzetoun]

I'd like to see a younger Dick Grayson just for the possibilities it opens up, but I wouldn't be surprised if he's older.

Wasn't the earth 2 timeline out of sync with earth 1? I thought I remember hearing earth 2's timeline was sooner than earth 1, ie: superman landed on earth 2 earlier then he did on earth 1. Could be wrong, I have very little knowledge of earth 2 mythos.

Maybe earth 2 Dick Grayson becomes nightwing?

In the pre-Crisis era, Earth 2 characters were generally older than their Earth 1 counterparts. In the New 52, the ages of the characters seem to be whatever they need to be for the plot. Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and Ma and Pa Kent all seem to be about the same age as they would be on Prime Earth. We don't know how old Prime Earth Thomas Wayne would have been, so it's hard to know with Earth 2 Batman. The Joker was the same age he would be on Prime Earth, but was in suspended animation. Jimmy Olsen is much younger, but was also in suspended animation. So, all told, they could go any way they want with Earth 2 Dick Grayson. As I've said, my guess is that if they plan to use the character after the weekly is over he will be either the same age as Prime Earth Grayson or younger. If he is older I would expect that he would be dead by the close of World's End.

[Badou]

Yeah, there is no way Earth-2 Dick Grayson is going to make it out alive. I don't see him being one of the ones that makes it back to the main Earth with the other ones. Lets just hope that he gets a better death than Injustice and Forever Evil gave him. Something heroic would be great.

Still, Dick Grayson is a character with a lot of history on Earth-2. So it isn't like they are just using him randomly. I think he is going to be the original Earth-2 Robin that retired to have a normal life and go to college and then Helena Wayne took the Robin identity. Since if not then you have to basically come up with a brand new Robin origin story since it isn't like Helena would call herself that randomly. But I don't know. Maybe they will say Helena came up with the identity on her own. I think Levitz's WF book is supposed to touch on how she became Robin when the book shifts its focus to a pre-invasion Earth-2 versions of Batman and Superman.

[byrd156]

Yeah, there is no way Earth-2 Dick Grayson is going to make it out alive. I don't see him being one of the ones that makes it back to the main Earth with the other ones. Lets just hope that he gets a better death than Injustice and Forever Evil gave him. Something heroic would be great.

Still, Dick Grayson is a character with a lot of history on Earth-2. So it isn't like they are just using him randomly. I think he is going to be the original Earth-2 Robin that retired to have a normal life and go to college and then Helena Wayne took the Robin identity. Since if not then you have to basically come up with a brand new Robin origin story since it isn't like Helena would call herself that randomly. But I don't know. Maybe they will say Helena came up with the identity on her own. I think Levitz's WF book is supposed to touch on how she became Robin when the book shifts its focus to a pre-invasion Earth-2 versions of Batman and Superman.

Was Dick Robin at all on Earth-2?

[Dzetoun]

Was Dick Robin at all on Earth-2?

In the pre-Crisis DCU, he was Robin and remained Robin into his adulthood and his career as a lawyer and ambassador. In terms of the New 52, we have no idea. No Robin has been mentioned except Helena. Jimmy Olsen seemed familiar with the concept when he talked about being Thomas Wayne's Robin, but once again we don't know if there was ever any Robin other than Helena, or if Dick Grayson was ever Robin.

[oasis1313]

Maybe with Earth-2 Dick Grayson, Didio can finally scratch that Kill-Grayson Itch that's been tormenting him so long. But I agree with Badou--he ain't gonna survive.

[byrd156]

In the pre-Crisis DCU, he was Robin and remained Robin into his adulthood and his career as a lawyer and ambassador. In terms of the New 52, we have no idea. No Robin has been mentioned except Helena. Jimmy Olsen seemed familiar with the concept when he talked about being Thomas Wayne's Robin, but once again we don't know if there was ever any Robin other than Helena, or if Dick Grayson was ever Robin.

I know that, I meant New 52 Earth-2.

[byrd156]

Maybe with Earth-2 Dick Grayson, Didio can finally scratch that Kill-Grayson Itch that's been tormenting him so long. But I agree with Badou--he ain't gonna survive.

Didio should just write different Earth books so he can keep his Grayson-killing urges in check

[DurararaFTW]

I know that, I meant New 52 Earth-2.

Well World's Finest already had Helena and Supergirl react to the presence of Dick Grayson Robin on Earth Prime and critise the very concept of a some kid not born into crimefighting becoming Robin but who knows if the current writer will remember that.