Alias: Nightwing, formerly Robin
Nicknames: Grayson, Wingster, Robbie, Rookie, Former Boy Wonder, Hunk Wonder, Twenty-Something Wonder, World's Second Greatest Detective, Short Pants
Occupation: Police officer, vigilante, former bartender
Base of Operations: Bludhaven, sometimes Gotham City or Titans Tower
Affiliations: Bat-Family, Leader/Member of several incarnations of the Titans including the current one.
Marital Status: Single
Height: 5' 10" Weight: 175 lbs.
Eyes: Blue (�clear blue�) Hair: Black
When Dick Grayson was born of March 21st, the first day of spring, his mother nicknamed him her "Little Robin." Little did she know what impact this would hold, and how prophetic this chance title would be in her son's life.
Little Dicky grew up as part of his family's acrobatic troupe, the "Flying Graysons", with the Haly Circus. His father, John Grayson was a full-blooded gypsy who was only serious when "flying" - which was doing trapeze work. Dick's mother, on the other
Dick joined the act at a very young age, having been trained in acrobatics almost from birth. By the age of 8, he had already surpassed the greatest acrobats on the planet, putting him into consideration as one of the greatest acrobats ever. His most famous stunt was the quadruple flip, Dick being the youngest person ever to master the difficult trick.
When Dick was nine years old, Haly's Circus went on tour in Gotham City. One night before the perfomances, Dick overheard "Boss� Anthony Zucco, a well-known and feared crime-lord, threaten the performers unless the circus's owner paid extortion money. The owner refused. That night, after Dick had finished his routine and stepped onto the platform, allowing his parents to perform, he watched in horror as the wires snapped and his parents fell to their deaths. For a long time Dick would feel responsible because he didn't warn his parents in time.
When Dick managed to learn of this, he vowed to avenge his parents' death. Bruce saw much of himself in the young lad, and allowed Dick to stay with him at Wayne Manor, eventually adopting him and becoming his legal guardian. But Bruce did not reveal his alter-ego to his charge right away. Shortly after taking Dick in, the boy - frustrated with the lack of closure about his parents' deaths and the waning attention of his new guardian - snuck out of the house to solve the crime on his own, determined to track down Zucco.
Dick ended up confronting one of Zucco's goons and would have ben killed had Batman not appeared at that moment to save him. With Batman's help, Zucco was captured, but he died in an ambulance before he could be taken to the police station. Although Dick hated what Zucco had done, he lamented his passing, not
Over the next six months Dick worked long, painful hours with Bruce, training in all kinds of martial arts, other physical skills, and detective work, while Alfred tutored him with regular school work, as well as extra studies in forensics, criminology and police sciences. His natural athletic ability and sharp mind made him an eager pupil for Bruce Wayne. Shortly before his eleventh birthday, Dick had to pass a final test called "The Gauntlet", during which Dick had to elude the Dark Knight on the streets of Gotham for one night - from sundown to sunset - without any outside help. Dick succeeded, simultaneously bringing Gotham gangster Joe Minette to justice. Dick took to the streets as Batman's full-fledged partner in crimefighting, Robin, the Boy Wonder.
Dick enjoyed his first year as Robin, regarding the job as an adventure until a confrontation with Two Face served as a rude awakening for the young hero. Two-Face had captured the new District Attorney and Batman, and had each suspended from a hangman's noose in a 'double gallows death-trap'. Robin, in trying to save the D.A., used a batarang to
But it was not all bad - Robin was having plenty other adventures that turned out well, became good friends with Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) and was on his way to transforming into a hero in his own right.
Shortly after graduating high school, in one of the Dynamic Duo's numerous encounters with the Joker, Robin was severely wounded after a shot in the shoulder. Though not fatal, the injury was an omen, a forewarning of what might happen. So Batman took away the Robin costume as it was his to take, he claimed. Dick would no longer be Robin, and Batman chose to terminate their partnership. The angry, confused young man misconstrued what was actually concern and love on Bruce Wayne�s part for his ward - this led to a misunderstanding and a bitter fall-out between the two men. Furious, hurt, eighteen year old Dick Grayson left Wayne Manor promptly and attended Hudson University.
Dick was only at the univeristy for a semester before dropping out, and found solace in the comfort of his Titan friends who had been regrouped by the mysteriosu Raven to form the New Teen Titans along with several other heroes. As a founding member and their leader, Robin was starting to move out of the shadow of the Batman, realizing at that point that he had grown up. Dick rediscovered his self-worth among the Teen Titans. He also fell in love with teammate Koriand'r
Grayson began considering giving up the superhero gig. He realized he couldn't be Robin anymore because that persona would constantly be linked to "Batman and". Dick also realized that crimefighting was a part of him, a part of him he couldn't desert. Having no idea what to do, Dick handed over leadership of the Titans to Wonder Girl and turned to someone he knew would understand: Superman, who had long been Dick's hero.
Superman gave Dick just the answer he wanted.
Superman: This reminds me of a story--
Dick Grayson: From Kansas?
Superman: Krypton.
Dick Grayson: Cool.
Superman: There was a man on my homeworld many centuries before my birth who was cast out of his family as you were. He dreamt of justice. He dreamt of helping the weak. He dreamt of showing his family that he was better than they gave him credit for. He used his talents and skills to fight for those who couldnt fight for themselves. He became a legend.
Dick Grayson: And did his family ever realize their mistake?
Superman: Does it matter?
Dick Grayson: I guess not. What was his name?
Superman: No one knew his real name. He was called only-- Nightwing.
Dick Grayson: I like it.
When Tim Drake emerged to become the third Robin. Dick nurtured and supported Tim's desire to become a hero, helping ease him into the role. Grayson also has helped Tim deal with Bruce's distant manner. But while things were (starting) to get better at home in Gotham, times with the Titans grew worse - friends and members were killed in battle, and the team barely survived the damages.
Dick left the Titans for a time to help in Gotham, but when he returned, he was actually kicked out as leader by the government when they put Arsenal at the head of the team. So Dick returned home, where he even became Batman for a time while Bruce recovered from his broken back from his encounter with Bane.
During this period, Grayson was able to confront Two-Face and lay some demons to rest. He also established a wonderful partnership with new Robin, Tim Drake, and when Bruce eventually returned to Gotham to reclaim his role as Batman, for the first time in a long time, Bruce and Dick began to heal their strained relationship. Bruce's respect for Dick was at last obvious.
Soon after, a problem arose in Bludhaven, a whaling city sixty miles south of Gotham. Twenty-one bodies had washed upstream into
It was the return of Victor Stone, AKA Cyborg, that brought Nightwing and the Titans back together again. Returning to earth as the Technis, Victor posed a threat to the whole planet. It took the combined efforts of the Titans, new and old, to bring Vic back to his senses.
Seeing as how well they worked together, the Titans were reformed once more. Looking at keeping the Titans a family, they gathered old and new friends alike, and are now training the next generation of heroes, with Nightwing returning to the role of leader. It's obvious Grayson is happy to be back with his old friends of his youth, Twinkle-Toes, Gill-head, Red and Wonder Chick ( or otherwise more well known as the Flash, Tempest, Arsenal and Troia ). Now Dick divides his time between Bludhaven and his duties as Titans' leader, as well as sometimes retuning to Gotham to help out, so he's got enough to keep his hands are full most of the time.
Dick is his own man now, independently wealthy from a trust fund dating back to his days with Haly's Circus, which he now owns.
Although, it's doubtful that Dick even realizes the effects - or existance - of his charm. Perhaps he knows on some level that he is an exceptionally good-looking man but I doubt he believes that one smile from him could possibly render someone speechless and drooling. Though it does.. frequently.
Of course, it's his people skills that have awarded him strong allies and best friends. The Titans Tower hosts most of them, Roy (Arsenal), Wally (Flash), and Donna (Troia) being the nearest and dearest to him of the team, their friendship dating all the way back to when Dick wore short pants. Dick has established and big brother/little brother relationship with young Tim Drake, and Bruce....almost a father, almost a friend, and they're still trying to rebuild the bridges burned form their crushing falling-out. But their loyalty and devotion to one another will always remain, and they're continuing to work stuff out.
Although Dick has seen many events and experiences that might have left an impression on him, it's nice to see that he's kept that awe and enthusiasm that characterized him in his early years as Robin. He has stayed true to the morales by which he lives, and the personality that defined him as his own person. He is deeply loyal to those he loves and has a devoted determination to protect - no matter what the sacrifice is to himself. And while not forgotten, his parents' tragic death has been neatly filed away; Dick isn't the tortured vigilante, forever haunted by the ghosts of his traumatic youth. He is in love with life too much to let that happen.
First capturing our hearts decked out in red, green and gold, Dick Grayson is a Boy Wonder no longer. Older, wiser, and stronger, this handsome and beloved daredevil has found a place of his own - and we're all better for it.
Nightwing, like the rest of his family, possesses no special powers or meta-abilities like his Titan friends. However, thanks to being trained from birth in acrobatics, and later undergoing rigorous training with Batman, Nightwing is among the top 10 DC martial artists, possibly even the top five. He is a master of at least a half dozen martial arts disciplines with an emphasis on aikido and jeet-kune-do. Nightwing also carries twin escrima fighting sticks in holsters on his back which he uses for close combat. These are footlong, lightweight cylinders made from unbreakble polymer that can be used for offense or defense.
His costume is made of a special weave of Nomex and Kevlar, fire-resistant, bulletproof, and also light-sensitive, growing darker or lighter depending on lighting conditions. Nightwing's mask, held to his face by a substance called "spirit gum", has an electronic transmitter and receiver with "Starlight" night-visaion lenses built in. His mask is also polarized to protect his eyes from sudden flashes of light.
Nightwing's transformable car has a convertable chassis that can disguise it as any similarly sized vehicle like a taxi cab or sports car. It houses a 3.7 McLaren racing engine mated to an automatic transmission with all wheel drive, dual batteries and puncture resistant tires. The car is not only bullet proof but also bullet absorbent, preventing stray ricochets from hitting innocent bystanders.
And of course, we can't forget his mind - Dick is a master detective, called "World's Second Greatest Detective" because of his superior deducting and analytical skills that are nearly as sharp as the Batman's. Nightwing is a formidable strategist and a born leader.
Three words: Dick. Is. Hot. Okay, now that that's out of the way..:)
There's something very beautiful about Dick - he's the quintessential comic-book hero that we think of when we try to imagine just who that hero could be, strong and caring, waiting until the last second to throw out his jump-line. But at the same time, Nightwing has bore the burden so many of us quintessential humans carry.
We all struggle with our identity. We are so often defined by whose company we find ourselves in, our background or heritage, our job, and our social status. And we all struggle to convince others that that is not the end of our existance, that there is more to us.
Dick has constantly been viewed as things like "Bruce Wayne's kid" or "Batman's prot�g�". While the titles are true, and not exactly bad, Nightwing is still more than that. Even though he has redeefined himself, Dick is still fighting for an indepence from the man he loves as a father, but a person whom Dick could never be. Nightwing bears the burden of having to convince those around him that he is not flawless, not perfect, not his mentor, and no longer Robin, yet still the same person he always has been.
Different, yet the same. How can you be both? Well, if anyone's up to the challenge, if anyone's capable of coming out victorious, it's Dick. And that's why I love him and that's why I want to handcuff him to my basement and keep him....though knowing him he'd get out in about a minute fifteen....poo.
Dick likes a combination of music - soothing tunes, rockin' tunes, cruising-on-the hightway tunes, and sing-into-the vacumm-tunes. Bascially, his tastes vary, and he tends to go for the unique quality he finds in bands like The Elms, Casting Crowns, Skillet, Jimmy Eat World, and Jars of Clay, and other artists like Jeremy Camp. But generally, Dick is easy-going enough that he'll listen to most anything.
