Nightwing

Richard John "Dick" Grayson is the adopted son of Bruce Wayne, better known as the vigilante Batman. Trained by the Dark Knight himself, Grayson eventually became Batman's sidekick, the first Robin. After Grayson outgrew his role as Batman's sidekick, he graduated to the role of Nightwing, donning a new costume, and, later, temporarily worked as Batman himself. However, after the Crime Syndicate exposed his secret identity to the world, Grayson agreed to take up a new identity and work undercover for Batman within the villainous spy agency known as Spyral as Agent 37 before returning to his role as Nightwing once again. Following the disappearance of Bruce Wayne, he succeeded his mentor to become Batman with Damian Wayne as his Robin. Bruce's return allowed them to both wear the mantle for a short while, although Grayson has since then returned to his identity as Nightwing yet again.

Early Life
When Dick Grayson was a child, he was an acrobatic prodigy travelling with the world-famous "Haly's Circus" along with his parents John and Mary Grayson. The three performers, known as the Flying Graysons, were one of Haly's most famous acts, a fact that went to Dick Grayson's head. Grayson, becoming rather pompous, began to drive away his closest friends Raymond and Raya.

During a major blackout in Gotham City caused by the Riddler, Grayson, who had decided to see a movie while Haly's Circus was in Gotham, was caught alone in the streets. Working with a couple of other kids, Grayson managed to survive the blackout and return to his family at Haly's camp. From the experience Grayson learned not to take his friends for granted and apologized for treating them so poorly.

When Dick was nine, while on tour in Gotham City, he overheard Tony Zucco, a well-known and feared crime-lord, threaten the performers unless the circus's owner paid extortion money. The owner refused, and that night Dick watched in horror as his parents' high wire snapped, sending his parents hurtling to their deaths, all while many of Gotham's elite watched on. Young Dick felt responsible, because he didn't warn his parents in time.

Robin: The Boy Wonder
Shortly after the tragedy, Dick was placed in an uncaring juvenile services system, on the grounds that social services were full. He got beaten up by a number of the inmates, and he was later sent to a Catholic orphanage. Bruce Wayne rescued Dick by adopting him as his ward, because the boy did not want to replace his deceased father with the billionaire. Frustrated by the lack of attention from his new guardian and the mystery still surrounding his parents' death, Dick sneaked out of Wayne Manor one evening to solve the crime on his own - only to stumble into Batman, who was also investigating the murder. When Dick returned to the circus, he was confronted by Zucco's business associate, Eddie Skeevers who nearly killed Grayson, but Dick was saved thanks to Batman's intervention. After waking up in the Batcave, he is shocked to learn that Bruce is really the Batman. They succeed in revealing Zucco's complicity, but he supposedly dies of a heart attack before his arrest. Seeing a reflection of himself in Dick; that he could temper compassion with a thirst for justice, Batman made the young orphan the offer of a lifetime; the chance to become his crime-fighting partner. Dick chose the name Robin, and his training began. Dick's first mission alongside the Dark Knight involved battling The Hangman in Gotham's sewers, and then Two-Face and the rest of Batman's Rogues Gallery at the Batcave. They swore an oath late that night that they would fight together against crime and corruption, never swerving from the path of righteousness. Batman had realized for the first time that he did not have to be alone in his crusade.

Robin's origin had a typological connection to Batman's in that both witnessed the crime-related deaths of their parents, creating an urge to battle the criminal underworld. This provided a bond and understanding between the two.

Bruce taught Dick fighting techniques and detective skills for a grueling 6 months. Finally, Dick had to pass a final test - "the Gauntlet". Dick had to elude the Dark Knight on the streets of Gotham for one night - from sunset to sunrise - 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 crime-fighting: 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 cut the rope of the noose. It worked, but Robin didn't account for Dent's obsession with the number two -- it was a two-fold trap, and the floor gave way, dropping the D.A. into the water, where the man drowned. Robin was unable to prevent his death, and received a beating at the hands of Two-Face. A beating witnessed by Batman, still tied up on the platform trying to free himself. Eventually, Batman was able to free himself and apprehend Two-Face. This event, however, scarred the young crime-fighter, and haunts him even today. Rather than see Dick be further endangered, Batman "fires" his partner, sidelining the Boy Wonder for a time.

Teen Titans
The formation of the Teen Titans mainly happened due to the sidekick's mentors making them feel lesser of themselves, which they quickly knew wasn't right about them. Dick, along with Wally West (Kid Flash), and Garth (Aqualad) teamed-up; later on, Donna Troy (Wonder Girl) joined the team along with Roy Harper (Speedy), Cyborg and Starfire.

Together, they cured the heroes of their mind control; later, their mentors (Batman, Flash, Aquaman, and Wonder Woman) supported the idea of the teens becoming a heroic group, the Teen Titans! Dick became the leader of this team.

At some point during his time as Robin, Dick was confronted by Deathstroke, the world's deadliest assassin. Deathstroke made Dick an offer: guide Deathstroke's daughter Rose down the right path, so she doesn't follow in the footsteps of her father. In exchange, Deathstroke would stop trying to kill Dick and the rest of the Teen Titans. Dick accepted Slade's offer and began training Rose.

Eventually, the team would disband when they grew older.

New Teen Titans and Independence
Dick continued his adventures with Batman, but Robin started to take on solo missions as well, and found himself to be a capable crime-fighter in his own right. Shortly afterward, the mysterious Raven summoned Dick Grayson, and several other young heroes, to form a new group of Titans. Robin again resumed leadership, and moved out of the shadow of the Batman. Dick rediscovered his self-worth among the Teen Titans and he also found love in Starfire, a beautiful alien who joined the team shortly afterwards. Dick handed over leadership of the Titans to Wonder Girl.

At the age of 19 and after six years of being Robin, Dick was shot in the shoulder by the Joker, and this prompted Batman to end his sidekick career for good. As a result, Dick moved out of Wayne Manor and attended college at Hudson University, but dropped after the first semester. Meanwhile, Dick continued working with the Teen Titans, but his identity as Robin was no longer fit for him and he soon adopted a new Identity.

Nightwing
Uncertain what to do, he turned to someone he knew would understand: Superman. Very briefly, Dick had considered giving up the whole crime-fighting gig, but he couldn't imagine his life any other way; but if he couldn't be Robin, who would he be? Superman had the answer. Long ago on Krypton, a man was cast out by his family - just as Dick had been. He dreamed of a world ruled by justice, and set out to protect the helpless of Krypton. His true identity was never revealed. He was known only as Nightwing.

The Post-Crisis version of Grayson had him become the first and only Nightwing, with his costume partially inspired by his father, who at one time wore a circus costume that was a variant of colleague Boston Brand's Deadman costume.

When all his teammates were captured by Deathstroke the Terminator, and delivered to the HIVE, Dick assumed a new identity of Nightwing and helped to free them, with the help of new ally (and future Titan), Jericho.

Nightwing had finally moved out of the shadow of the Bat, and would lead the Titans through some hard times. Dick endured brainwashing at the hands of Brother Blood, his relationship with Starfire would suffer due to her marriage of state, he would be deeply affected by the fact that Batman trained a new Robin (Jason Todd) only for him to be seemingly killed at the hands of the Joker.

A Lonely Place of Dying
Bruce and Dick remained at odds with each other, never fully sorting out their strained relationship. After leaving the New Titans, Dick was searched out by Tim Drake, a long-time fan of the Dynamic Duo, who wanted Dick to return as Robin. Dick refused, but he noticed Batman's need for a partner. Although Nightwing assisted Batman in capturing Two-Face, they both required assistance from Tim Drake, who adopted the Robin identity in order to help them. After weeks of persuading and proving his potential, Dick then returned to the Batman to plead Tim's case, with help from Alfred. Due to their arguments and the realization that the Batman needs a Robin, Tim Drake became the third Boy Wonder.

Titans Hunt
Soon after, various members of the Titans were abducted by the Wildebeest Society. This event shook up the team in a big way. The group entered into tumultuous times, where members came and went, longtime friends were maimed or destroyed, although Dick persevered through it all, and remained the heart and center of the team.

But his relationship with Starfire became strained, and problems in Gotham demanded Dick's attention. Impulsively, Dick proposed marriage to Starfire. The two almost wed, but the ceremony was interrupted by Raven, now reborn as an evil avatar of her father, Trigon. Her brutal attack on Starfire triggered changes in Dick and Kory's relationship. Starfire was implanted with a demon "seed" which causes her to leave Earth and go on a spiritual Journey. The two grew apart, and Starfire eventually returned to her home planet of Tamaran.

Knightfall
Eventually, Nightwing learned that Bruce was taken down by Bane and that he had chosen a total unknown called Jean-Paul Valley in his place as Batman. While Nightwing didn't agree with the decision, he trusted Bruce's judgement.

Unfortunately, months later, that judgement call proved to be wrong and a recovered Bruce Wayne summoned Nightwing to Gotham City, to help him take down Jean-Paul, who had gone rogue while wearing the mantle of the bat. While Bruce trained to regain his lost skills, Nightwing and Robin teamed-up to find Jean-Paul. The two of them went to the Batcave and placed surveillance equipment to monitor all of Jean-Paul's activities. After this, they were shocked to see Jean-Paul acting as a madman, talking to himself alone in the Cave. They decided to tell Bruce about Jean-Paul, but when they found Bruce, they witnessed how he apparently killed one of his opponents as part of Shiva's training. However, they soon learned that it was all a ruse to deceive Shiva and Nightwing joined Robin to prepare the Batcave for Bruce's final comeback.

Robin and Nightwing joined Batman on his final confrontation with Jean-Paul, but they were sidetracked by the bodyguards of Penn Selkirk, who were trying to kill Catwoman. After dealing with them, they witnessed the fight between Bruce and Jean-Paul until Bruce was apparently killed inside an exploding Batmobile and they were confronted by Jean-Paul, whose armor had turned red. Enraged after Bruce's apparent death, Nightwing attacked Jean-Paul and tried his best to defeat him, but his efforts were futile as he was overpowered by the maniac.

Prodigal
Still recovering from his broken back, Bruce asked Dick to substitute for him as Batman for a time; Dick accepted. During this time, Dick was able to confront Two-Face and lay some demons to rest. He also established a wonderful partnership with Tim. 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.

Ties That Bind
Nightwing travels to London to convince Alfred to come back to work for them, and they foil a military coup together. Shortly afterward, Dick decides to retire from crimefighting since his brief stint as Batman made him realize he does not want to be Bruce. He gives his costume to Bruce and tells him to get rid of it. His attitude changes when he learns that Prince Balsik of Kravia might have been responsible for the murder of his parents. Harold Allnut makes Dick a new improved Nightwing suit. In Kravia he helps overthrow the trannical Balsik and also learns that his parents witnessed an assassination shortly before their Deaths. Balsik sends the assassin Goode Ole Bernie to kill Dick, but Dick beats him. Ultimately Dick learns that Balsik was not responsible for the death of his parents, but the experience makes him remember how important being a hero is to him. He reconciles with Bruce, saying Bruce and Alfred are the best family he could have hoped for, and returns to his role as Nightwing permanently.

Contagion
Batman calls in Nightwing when the Apocalypse Virus breaks out in Gotham. He teams up with Huntress and Robin to stop rioters from burning down Babylon Towers. When Robin is revealed to have been infected, Nightwing carries him to the Batcave's medical facilities. They resign themselves to Gotham dying when nothing works, but Azrael figures out a cure and saves everyone. Batman and Nightwing leave Robin to deal with the remaining looters once he's finally cured.

They later realize that the virus was never cured, only mutated into a dormant state. Nightwing accompanies Batman and Robin to look for a cure in Sudan during Legacy. Ra's al Ghul is revealed to be responsible, and they fight through an army of assassins to reach him. Nightwing holds his own in a sword-fight against Ra's, but he loses and Ra's Escapes. Nightwing and Robin travel to Paris, where they team up with Henri Ducard to stop Ra's from releasing his plague into the Louvre. While Batman destroys the plague in Gotham, Nightwing pursues Ra's with Robin and Huntress. They catch up to his boat The Shrike, and Ra's prepares to execute Grayson. Robin finds the cure, then rescues them as the boat explodes.

A Knight in Bludhaven
Investigating a crime in nearby Bludhaven, Nightwing saw that the city was just as bad, if not worse, than Gotham. With no one to protect Blüdhaven, and a need to forge his own path as a hero, Nightwing decided to relocate there.

This was the beginning of a long, uphill battle for Dick Grayson. He fought many victorious battles in Blüdhaven as its protector, and certainly made it a safer place, but he never won the war. The city, and his losses, took their toll on Nightwing, leading him to eventually adopt a grimmer outlook on being a hero.

Graduation Day
The Titans and Young Justice are approached by a corporation named Optitron who want to achieve a massive tax write-off by completely funding them, but Nightwing angrily dismisses the idea as "selling out." They're also attacked by an android named Indigo who hospitalizes a third of both teams, although Cyborg insists that she is not hostile. In the aftermath, Nightwing broods in the hospital over his failures as a leader. The Indigo android continues her rampage and accidentally releases a broken Superman Robot from S.T.A.R. Labs who murders Omen when they try to approach it. Nightwing coordinates the team to fight this robot, but they're badly beaten and Indigo doesn't defeat it until after it's already slain Donna Troy. Following her funeral, Nightwing angrily tells Arsenal that he can't see another friend die and he's disbanding the Titans.

Outsiders
Three months after Graduation Day, Arsenal approaches Nightwing with the idea of rebuilding a team that they're not emotionally attached to. This team of new recruits includes Grace Choi, Indigo, Jade, Metamorpho and Thunder operating out of a bomb shelter under Brooklyn. Their first mission is an invasion of super-intelligent gorillas led by Gorilla Grodd in Manhattan. This is revealed to be a ruse engineered by the Joker to kidnap and torture President Luthor, although they stop him before he can kill the President. In the aftermath, Nightwing explains to Batman that he's tired of being a reactionary hero and wishes to make his team proactive hunters as the new Outsiders.

War Games
After the incident in which Nightwing contributed to the death of Blockbuster, a great gang war broke out in Gotham, forcing Nightwing to return and help Batman. However, Tarantula followed him to Gotham and Nightwing was set responsible for her actions. Tarantula's presence caused Nightwing's relation with Barbara to have some troubles.

Nightwing was summoned at the Louis E. Memorial High School, where a shootout between several gangs was taking place. Nightwing infiltrated the building along with Batman and Batgirl and they eliminated all the thugs who were holding students hostages. Nightwing was exposed to the public eye when Batman carried out of the school the seemingly dead body of Darla Aquista.

A few days later, Nightwing was contacted by Batman and sent to deal with a situation on a nightclub. There, he came across Robin, who was looking for Nightwing to ask him a piece of advice. Nightwing's guilty conscience over Blockbuster's death kicked in and caused Nightwing to collapse in the middle of the battle until Robin rescued him. After recovering, Nightwing went to Chinatown and stopped a gang battle, right before the massive blackout in Gotham.

Nightwing was among the members of Batman's team outside Robinson Park, when the "War Games" plan was foiled by Black Mask and he had to face several criminals along the GCPD until he was called inside the park to aid Batman. Nightwing races Batgirl to the battlefield and they arrive almost at the same time. After the battle was over, Batman sent Nightwing to the West Side of the city, where he battled Firefly until they were discovered by the police. One of the officers shot Nightwing in the leg and the wound caused him to pass out. Nightwing was located by Alfred and taken to the mobile Batcave, where he healed Nightwing and prevented him from joining the final battle at Oracle's Watchtower.

After a brief recovery, Nightwing joined Batman and they struck against an illegal operation at the docks. The ship was bombed and they chased down the new criminal known as Red Hood until he went inside a warehouse, where Batman and Nightwing were confronted by Amazo. Nightwing was able to hurt Amazo and distract him enough for Batman to deal more damage. In the end they destroyed Amazo and looked for the pieces of him on the Gotham Harbor. After this, they followed the trail of Kryptonite radiation and found Mr. Freeze fighting Red Hood. Nightwing fought Red Hood, but was unable to capture him.

Renegade
Nightwing refuses to join his recently resurrected friend Donna Troy as she journeys to New Cronus with several heroes. He instead adopts a new villainous costume and persona in order to infiltrate Lex Luthor's Secret Society of Super Villains and seemingly attempt to trouble it from the inside. Under Deathstroke's employ, he trained Slade's daughter Rose, the newest Ravager.

Infinite Crisis
Deathstroke betrays Nightwing when Bludhaven is destroyed by the Society. The Society drops the super-villain Chemo on the city, killing 100,000 people. Dick tries to rescue survivors, but is overcome by radiation poisoning, only to be rescued himself by Batman. Nightwing confides that he let Blockbuster die and asks Batman to forgive him. Batman tells him that his forgiveness doesn't matter; Dick has to move beyond Blockbuster's death. Inspired by his mentor, he proposes to Barbara Gordon, who tearfully accepts his proposal with a kiss.

Batman then entrusts Nightwing to alert other heroes about the danger that the Crisis poses. Dick flies to Titans Tower, but the only hero who answers his call is Superboy (Conner Kent). Together, they locate and attack Alexander Luthor's tower, the center of the Crisis, only to be repelled by Superboy-Prime. Prime is ready to kill Nightwing when Conner intervenes, sacrificing himself to destroy the tower, ending the destruction of the Universe.

Saved by the Justice Society, Nightwing recovers with Barbara at his side. As soon as he's able to walk again, Batman asks him to join him and Robin in retracing Bruce's original journey in becoming the Dark Knight. While Nightwing is hesitant, due to his engagement with Barbara, she encourages him to go and returns his engagement ring so he can make an honest decision for himself. Barbara feels that it is important he re-discover himself, and until he does, they're not yet ready to be married. They part on good terms, though before he departs, Dick leaves her an envelope containing a photograph of them as Robin and Batgirl, along with the engagement ring on a chain and a note promising he'll come back to her one day.

52
As his journey with Batman and Robin began, Nightwing found himself with Robin trying to capture criminals associated with Intergang and they travelled across Europe, taking them Down. After a while, Nightwing returned to Gotham, following Intergang's trail. He worked with the new Batwoman and Renee Montoya to stop Intergang from destroying Gotham, shutting off dozens of fire spewing devices spread across the city.

Brothers in Blood
One year later, Dick Grayson returned to New York City (his previous home base with the Teen Titans) in order to find out who had been masquerading as Nightwing. The murderous impostor turned out to be the former Robin, Jason Todd. Grayson lead the Outsiders once again, operating undercover and globally.

Love and War
Nightwing followed an armored thief named Raptor, who he suspected was responsible for a series of murders. Later, Raptor himself was murdered in a manner similar to the other victims by an unseen contract killer, who proceeded to bury Grayson alive. Nightwing freed himself, but wondered about the relationship between his experience and a mysterious voice who told him that he was "supposed to be dead". Nightwing was having trouble finding things to keep him busy during the day due to the cast on his right arm. Incapacitated from his injuries, he tried without luck to find jobs and continued to research into the mysterious assassin.

At one point, Dick agreed to attend a party for Bruce Wayne and their relationship seemed to flourish. Bruce praised Dick for his success on the Raptor case, and also mentioned to look into the Landman Building which hosted ex-Lexcorp scientists; most likely those who worked on the Raptor project. Dick had also continued to keep a close brotherly relationship with Tim Drake, and helped him deal with his many losses during the past year.

After dealing with the Raptor issue, New York City was plagued by a villainous duo called Bride and Groom. Nightwing begins pursuit of these two after some grisly murders, including that of the Lorens family (close friends of his after the Raptor incident). Dick grew obsessed with finding them, not knowing how far he was willing to go to take them down. Eventually, he formed a makeshift team with some "villains" to find them. They located them, and after killing some of his "team", Nightwing chased them to a cave, where Bride began a cave-in and the two were trapped there.

Old Friends
Some time later, Nightwing disassociated himself from the Outsiders, turning the responsibility of leadership over to his old mentor Batman. He then reunited with his alma mater the Titans after learning about a vicious attack wrought against Cyborg's impromptu Titans East trainees. Along with Beast Boy, Cyborg, Donna Troy, Flash, Raven, Arsenal and Starfire, Dick discovered that the perpetrator behind this attack was the spawn of one of the Titans' deadliest villains – Trigon.

Batman R.I.P.
Nightwing and Robin put away the Wonderland Gang and after this, Batman warned them about Hush's Return. A few days later, Nightwing and Robin were summoned to the Batcave to confront Hush and put an end to his evil scheme.

Shotly after, Nightwing was attacked by a couple of henchmen disguised as Roman warriors, but he defeated them easily. Robin contacted him and told him about the Club of Villains and they arranged a meeting. However, Nightwing was attacked by Scorpiana and after she captured him, he was taken to Arkham Asylum, where Guy Dax locked him away. Soon, Nightwing was drugged and moved to an operation table by Scorpiana in order to be lobotomized by Dax. Nightwing recovered just in time to stop Dax and Scorpiana from hurting him and to aid Batman fight the Black Glove in Arkham Asylum. Nightwing retrieved the cape and cowl from Arkham's rooftop after Batman's apparent Death.

Unable to find Batman, Nightwing returned to the city, where he unleashed his frustration on some street criminals. Upon his return to the Batcave, Nightwing learned of Batgirl's plan to create a new team to replace Batman and he didn't like the idea at all.

Nightwing returned to New York, where he was contacted by Two-Face, who asked Nightwing to save Carol Bermingham and keep her safe from an unknown threat. Nightwing rescued Carol, but he was badly injured. After recovering, Nightwing took Carol to one of Batman's safehouses and he went to the Batcave seeking Alfred's medical attention. Alfred healed Nightwing from his wounds and after a brief recovery, Nightwing went back to Carol and took her to one of his safe places in New York, but the place was soon attacked by all of Batman's greatest enemies. Nightwing realized that it was all an illusion created by Scarecrow's Fear Toxin as Alfred informed him earlier. Nightwing fought his deepest fears and managed to overcome the illusions, just to find that Two-Face was behind it all. Nightwing failed to save Carol from Two-Face and the villain escaped. After a few days, Nightwing saved New York from Two-Face's ultimate plan to destroy half of the city of Manhattan.

It is later revealed that Nightwing actually managed to save Carol and faked her funeral to trick Two-Face. Nightwing made sure that Two-Face was locked in Arkham Asylum and after a brief encounter with the Justice League, he went back to New York, where Deborah informed him that she was moving out of the city, ending their relationship. Dick then decided to perform what he called "the great leap" and he ascended to the stratosphere and dived back to Earth, breaking several world records. Aftewards, Dick enjoyed a nice movie evening at Wayne Manor with Alfred and Tim, but always missing Bruce's presence.

While mourning Batman's disappearance, Nightwing was contacted by Ra's al Ghul. Nightwing travelled across the world to meet him and after learning of Bruce's death, Ra's started a sword fight which Nightwing won, without killing his opponent.

Nightwing was forced to return to Gotham when Two-Face reappeared in the city and someone scarred Millicent Mayne's face. However, Nightwing didn't find Two-Face and instead, was knocked unconscious by Gracchus and left to die in a burning building. After being rescued by a pizza delivery boy, Nightwing reflects on his mistakes and learns from them. Nightwing then learns about Mayne's fate and he located the woman in order to capture Gracchus and his thugs.

Nightwing finally decided to move back to Gotham definitively and after rebuilding the Batcave, he resumed his crime-fighting career, to honor Bruce's memory. Shortly after, Dick met Barbara for her birthday and as a present, he took her on a plane ride and together they skydived, which made Barbara really happy.

Shortly after, Nightwing witnessed Robin's victory over Lady Shiva and he was responsible for taking her to prison. Later, Nightwing and Robin were contacted by Catwoman and she informed them that she had captured Hush, who was impersonating Bruce Wayne. Nightwing and Robin travelled to Vietnam and retrieved the villain, taking him back to Gotham and locking him in a secure cell at the top of Wayne Tower.

Battle for the Cowl
In the wake of Bruce Wayne's disappearance, Gotham was thrown into chaos by Black Mask who destroyed Arkham and took control of its inmates using microchips. Nightwing rallied Batman's Network to stop the gang violence, but in the midst of the increasing violence, a new Azrael appeared and Nightwing became aware of his presence. When Azrael broke into the Batcave, Nightwing confronted him and they started a sword fight. Nightwing defeated Azrael and returned him to his apartment, where he placed the Suit of Sorrows and the swords attached to a note allowing him to work in Gotham and later he informed this decision to Talia. Refusing to take the mantle of the bat, Nightwing learned of the destruction of Arkham and during his investigation, he saved Damian from a certain death, but in the end they were confronted by Jason Todd, who had started wearing his own crooked version of a batsuit. Grayson fought Todd, but Damian was shot in the chest and Nightwing took him to the Batcave, where he finally realized that he was the only man fit to wear the cape and cowl. However, he learned too late that Tim had taken one of the batsuits from the cave and went to fight Jason, by himself. Secret Six members Bane, Catman and Rag Doll in a Robin costume showed up to help out in Batman's honor, but Nightwing banished them for murdering terrorists. Later, Nightwing organized The Network to go after Black Mask while he tracked down Jason. After a long battle against Jason, Nightwing managed to defeat him, claiming back the mantle of the bat and Dick became Batman with Damian Wayne at his side as Robin.

Batman Reborn
At Bruce Wayne's private funeral, Dick announces that they cannot allow Batman to die and his legend must continue. Alfred Pennyworth helps him build a new Bat-Bunker so he can make the identity of Batman his own, and Dick begins his career by taking down Scarecrow.

He makes an immediate impression as a more media-friendly Batman who allows crime scenes to be recorded so his convictions stick. When he goes after the Penguin, Black Mask intervenes by sending Clayface and Lyle Blanco as hitmen. Two-Face breaks into the Batcave using a teleporter and tries to confront Batman as an impostor, but Dick convinces him otherwise. His first mission with Damian Wayne as Robin involves Professor Pyg and the Circus of Strange, who they stop from spreading drug addiction like a virus and turning people into Dollotrons. They continue to struggle with Hush posing as Bruce Wayne, and begin keeping him under constant guard to stop him from damaging the Wayne Foundation. Firefly betrays Black Mask to satisfy his pyromania and Zsasz uses the Broker to construct a gladiatorial abattoir.

Tim Drake believes that Bruce is still alive, and leaves Gotham as Red Robin to look for clues in Europe when Dick won't support him. They test the mettle of Stephanie Brown as the new Batgirl when they're attacked by Roulette. He also observes Batwoman taking down the Religion of Crime, although he allows her to operate independently. The Riddler gains his respect when they work together on a case involving Conundrum. In an encounter with Booster Gold, he's briefly erased from history by the Black Beetle and then restored. Aqualad visits him for advice on how to handle Atlantis after losing his mentor Aquaman. His new identity is also shown to affect Starfire, who still has romantic feelings for him. When Vigilante arrives in Gotham, they fight and then arrive at a mutual understanding. In his first team-up with Azrael and the Question, Robin is kidnapped and they go after a religious cult named La Saligia.

Life after Death
Black Mask remains cornered by the National Guard in Devil's Square with his mind-controlled False Faces, but he plans to threaten the city with experimental toxins using his Ministry of Science including Doctor Death, Fright, Hugo Strange and the Reaper. Mario Falcone returns to Gotham after many years and tries to take organized crime back for the Roman Empire, although Batman eventually burns his estate down. The Penguin hires a young thief named Kittihawk who plagues Batman, although she eventually becomes Catwoman's sidekick and takes the name Catgirl. Eventually Batman is forced to lead a frontal assault on Devil's Square using the Network, and he exposes Black Mask as Roman Sionis, the person who was responsible for the death of his parents so that he could take over the family business.

Batman and Robin meet a foreign crime-fighter Oberon Sexton who begins assisting them. Jason Todd returns as Red Hood with a new sidekick named Scarlet and begins violently executing criminals. Red Hood attracts the attention of the Penitente Cartel and their top-level enforcer El Flamingo, who nearly kills them before Batman has Todd Arrested. While Arkham is incarcerated, Batman visits him for help in one of Black Mask's homicides but Arkham's schizophrenia is too far gone and he is still evil. Batman and Robin assist Azrael when investigation into the Religion of Crime uncovers new leads in the death of his siblings Gwendolyn and Marion. When Humpty Dumpty finds the corpses of children in the river, it leads them to Zsasz's gladiator ring which Robin and Abuse take down from the inside.

Blackest Night
Zombies rise in Gotham when power rings turn the dead into agents of the Black Lantern Corps. The reanimated corpses of Abbatoir, Blockbuster, Deacon Blackfire, KGBeast, King Snake, Magpie, the Trigger Twins and the Ventriloquist lay siege to GCPD Headquarters. Batman, Red Robin and Robin ally with Deadman and Etrigan during this crisis. Dick is forced to confront his resurrected parents John and Mary Grayson trying to kill him, but the heroes survive by freezing themselves.

Eventually Dick decides to reanimate the corpse of Bruce Wayne in a Lazarus Pit, traveling to London where he fights King Coal and the Religion of Crime with Batwoman, Knight and Squire. This goes horribly wrong when it's revealed that the corpse was not Bruce Wayne, but an insane clone made in the Evil Factory during Final Crisis. They stop the clone from killing Alfred and Damian with the help of Colonel Kane, and Dick acknowledges that Bruce Wayne must really be alive somewhere.

Justice League
In the aftermath of Blackest Night, Donna Troy and Hal Jordan rebuild the Justice League inviting Batman into their membership including The Atom, Congorilla, Cyborg, Doctor Light, Green Arrow, Guardian, Mon-El and Starfire.

The Return of Bruce Wayne
Grayson and Damian made an excellent job as Batman and Robin and as such, they attracted the unwanted attention of Vicki Vale, and Dick was forced to turn her attention away. However, this only caused her to focus her attention even more, which was bad for Batman and Robin as a new vigilante appeared in Gotham; a man only known as the Insider. Upon his return to the present, Bruce Wayne has turned the concept of "Batman" into a global operation known as "Batman Incorporated", after revealing to the press he has been "funding" Batman all these years. Dick has retained the Batman identity despite Bruce's return to the mantle. He continues to operate as Gotham City's primary defender with Damian Wayne continuing as his Robin. He has also joined the current incarnation of the JLA.

The Black Mirror
When several murders are committed with old super-villain weapons, Dick begins pursuing a villain known as the Dealer. He infiltrates the Dealer's headquarters Mirror House and finds a dark cult, although he's quickly discovered and drugged. Escaping through violent hallucinations, he returns and takes the Dealer's plane down when he tries to leave Gotham.

James Gordon, Jr. returns to Gotham after many years and is rejected by his family as a psychopath, although he requests a recommendation from Dick to work with Leslie Thompkins. Commissioner Gordon suspects that his son is a murderer, and hunts down old leads with Batman's help.

Tony Zucco's daughter Sonia Zucco is targeted by super-villains, and Dick agrees to help her as she's become a legitimate businesswoman. This leads him to a weapons dealer named Roadrunner who tries to kill him in a car-crusher. The real culprit is a pirate named Tiger Shark who gets away because Sonia manipulated Batman into dealing with her other enemies. Dick meets with James Jr. and gives him a good recommendation, although it's revealed that James is still torturing People.

The Commissioner discovers his son plans to drug a nutrition facility and turn thousands of infants into future psychopaths, while the Joker escapes simultaneously. Dick goes after the Joker when Barbara Eileen is attacked with toxin, but the Joker only wants to fight his own Batman and insists he didn't commit the Assault. James Jr. finally kidnaps Oracle to murder her, and Dick rescues her at the last moment but it's left unclear whether or not he was able to save the nutrition facility.

Night of the Owls
When the Court of Owls initiated an attack on Gotham, sending their Talon assassins to take out high ranking people in the city, Nightwing went to save Mayor Sebastian Hady and came face-to-face with a Talon. Using lethal force on the undead zombie Talon, Nightwing stabbed him across the eye with his escrima stick, slowing the assassin's ability to heal. However, another Talon named William Cobb, who Batman had revealed to Nightwing was Dick's revived great-grandfather, attacked Nightwing and stabbed him in the chest. Nightwing then tricked Cobb into Gotham's train tunnels, where the hero was able to freeze him with a liquid nitrogen tub.

Following the event, Dick decided to keep Haly's Circus in Gotham and planned to invest in turning an abandoned amusement park into their new location using his own Money. He worked with Sonia Zucco, the daughter of his parents' killer Tony Zucco, into getting a loan for this plan by investing his entire trust fund into the project.

Death of the Family
A year after his disappearance, the Joker resurfaced in Gotham City wearing the dismembered skin of his face as a mask, and prepared to eliminate all of Batman's allies.

While at his circus, Dick was mauled by his performers who had been exposed to Joker Venom. After being overwhelmed by them, Grayson passed out and was dragged to an underground cave by the Joker himself, who was setting up for his confrontation with the Bat. There in the cave, all of Batman's allies, beaten and gagged by the clown, were forced to take part in a makeshift feast scenario for Batman, where Joker told Batman he had cut off the entire Bat-Family's faces and put them on ice. He also urged Batman to kill his allies, arguing that his true family is the villains he fights. Escaping from his captivity, Batman attempted to catch the Joker, but the madman fell off a cliff to his apparent death before he could be caught.

After being freed and having their wounds tended to, Nightwing and the rest of the family refused to meet at Wayne Manor, finding this last interaction with the Joker had put a wedge in their relationships.

Second City
In the aftermath of Joker's personal attack, which had resulted in the total destruction of Dick's circus and all of his funds, as well as the death of his former sidekick Damian, Grayson sought a fresh start in Chicago after discovering that Tony Zucco, his parents' killer, was alive and living there.

Setting up in his new city, Grayson found himself having to elude Chicago law enforcement due to their strict no tolerance policy on vigilante-related actions. Trying to find a lead on Zucco's location, Grayson reluctantly enlisted the help of Chicago's newest super-villain, The Prankster. However, Grayson ended up battling the Prankster and his forces as they launched a siege on Chicago. With the city on lockdown, Grayson was then forced to reluctantly team up with Zucco, the man he was searching for, to take down the Prankster. In the aftermath of the attack and his interaction with Nightwing, Tony Zucco turned himself to the police.

Despite Grayson leaving Gotham, he didn't seem to be able to escape its villains and, during his time in Chicago, fought both the Mad Hatter and Zsasz before deciding to return home.

Forever Evil
Shortly after the Crime Syndicate came to Earth and supposedly killed the Justice League, Nightwing was captured by the invaders on his way back to Gotham and had his identity revealed to the world in order to threaten the hero community even further.

After a failed escape attempt, Grayson agreed to help Owlman betray the Syndicate, but their plan was never set into motion as the Crime Syndicate put Dick in a trap called the Murder Machine - a bomb that would only disengage if Grayson's heart stopped beating. Later Batman, Catwoman and Lex Luthor were able to rescue him when Luthor stopped Grayson’s heart for a few seconds in order to successfully both disarm the bomb and keep him alive. With Dick now free, the group defeated the Syndicate and returned the Justice League to power.

Spyral
In the wake of the collapse of the Crime Syndicate, Batman gave his former apprentice a new mission: infiltrate the organization known as Spyral as a double agent. Batman told Dick that the risks of taking the mission meant that he could not let his identity be known to anyone, especially those close to him. Grayson reluctantly accepted the mission. Setting out into the world, Dick began taking down various terrorist plots, including those involving the group called the Fist of Cain. His actions successfully attracted the attention of Spyral, who sent Helena Bertinelli, the agent known as Matron, out to recruit him. He was eventually enlisted into Spyral by the organization's mysterious leader, Mr. Minos.

After being teamed up with Helena, Grayson was ordered to find the different Organs of the Paragon Project. Through their search they encountered Midnighter on more than one occasion, who was also searching for the Paragon Project and tried to hinder Spyral's successes. When the mission to retrieve the Stomach brought them to Leicester they encountered a former T.H.E.Y. agent, Dr. Poppy Ashemore, who had stolen the Stomach from the British Government. Though Grayson was against negotiating with Ashemore, Helena as the senior agent employed Ashemore as a new Spyral doctor. Through the missions Dick came into contact with other agents of Spyral and delved deeper into the organisation, all the while keeping in mind that he was undercover. Grayson later found out about the Nanite Robots that Spyral had been developing, which forced even Bruce to admit that the mission could be more dangerous than they had previously thought.

On their mission to retrieve the last Organ, Helena and Dick encountered the Fist of Cain again. After initial problems and disagreements, Midnighter allied with them and together they were able to prevent the terrorist attack the Fist of Cain had planned and retrieve the final Organ. The reason the hunt for the Paragon Organs was important was finally revealed when Mr. Minos betrayed Spyral. Grayson and Tiger were able to destroy Paragon and Mr. Minos was killed by Helena in the aftermath.

Endgame
During the events of Endgame, the Joker returned to terrorize Gotham and Batman for his ultimate trick. Grayson briefly left Spyral and returned to Gotham in order to aid Batman. To deceive both the Joker and Batman's allies, Grayson donned a copy of Bruce's cowl and led the attack on the Joker in the heart of the city. When the Joker removed Batman's mask expecting to reveal Bruce's secret identity to everyone else, he instead found Dick Grayson. Grayson left Gotham before the revelation of Batman's death, and was not immediately made aware of the new Batman that had since arisen.

Nemesis
Grayson returned to his duties as Agent 37 and was sent on a mission to retrieve a Kryptonian amulet from a Spanish duchess with his new partner Tiger, AKA Agent 1. After they obtained it Grayson was contacted by Helena. She suspected Agent 1 was a traitor who had murdered numerous agents from other espionage groups. Grayson left his partner behind to get the amulet away safely. At his drop point he encountered Lex Luthor, who told him that LexCorp had been involved with Spyral since the beginning. Losing his trust in Helena, he searched for Tiger and was able to save him from the real traitor. During the fight it became obvious to Grayson that Spyral knew even more than he thought and he was now fully convinced that it was time to go back to Gotham.

Nightwing Once More
After successfully completing his mission with Spyral, Dick returned to Gotham and to his superhero identity as Nightwing. The Parliament of Owls attempted to blackmail Dick into becoming a member of the Parliament, by planting a bomb in the head of Damian Wayne. Dick managed to neutralize the bomb with a device given to him by Midnighter. Even with the bomb neutralized, Dick remained part of the Parliament, attempting to take them down from the inside. Shortly after his new membership began, Dick was assigned a partner, an assassin named Raptor, who believed Dick needed a new mentor.

The Titans
After Wally West escaped from being trapped in the Speed Force and began looking for the Titans, Dick was the first Titan to be found by Wally. Dick didn't know or recognize him until Wally electrocuted him, "shocking" his memories back to life.

The Lazarus Contract
After both the Flash and Kid Flash were kidnapped by Deathstroke, Nightwing along with the Titans and Teen Titans attempted to find the two Wallys. During this time, Dick kept his history with Deathstroke and the deal they had made a secret.

Invasion of the Dark Multiverse
Batman enlisted Nightwing and other members of the Bat-Family to create a diversion for the Justice League as they were hunting him. Batman was able to continue his investigation into the Dark Multiverse thanks to the family, and accidentally unleashed the Dark Lord Barbatos and his minions on the Multiverse. It was around this time that Nightwing began having visions of Barbatos due to the wound he suffered in his confrontation with Doctor Hurt.

After Barbatos' invasion, Challengers Mountain appeared in the middle of Gotham. Nightwing headed back to Gotham to reclaim his home and to find the source of his visions. The city had fallen under the control of The Batman Who Laughs who was working for Barbatos. The evil Batman had given Cosmic Metallurgy Cards to some of Batman's greatest rogues, which allowed them to warp reality to their whims. Each of the rogues controlled a portion of the city. Nightwing sent Green Arrow to assist the Teen Titans with defeating the Riddler while he headed to Challengers Mountain where he believed the source of his visions were located. While Nightwing was fleeing from one of Mr. Freeze's ice giants he ran into the Gotham Resistance, which was comprised of Robin, Green Arrow, Harley Quinn and Killer Croc. After defeating the ice giant with the help of the Resistance, Nightwing filled them in on his activities in Gotham which led to a confrontation with Freeze himself. After arming themselves with the Parliament of Owls' weaponry, Nightwing and the Resistance were able to defeat Mr. Freeze and head further into the city.

Abilities

 * Acrobatics: Richard Grayson was an acrobatic prodigy as a child, being part of the Flying Graysons act who were well known for conducting incredible acrobatic feats without the use of a net. Dick is so fast and agile that even Wally West is surprised by and praises his speed.
 * Aviation
 * Espionage: As a result of his former status as an agent of Spyral and being taught by Helena Bertinelli, Grayson is proficient in the art of espionage.
 * Firearms: Dick is an expert marksman and is highly skilled in the use of firearms.
 * Genius Level Intellect: Richard Grayson is shown to have a naturally high level of intelligence, though not as high as Batman's. He was also trained by the Dark Knight himself in various fields.
 * Tactical Analysis: Dick is a capable tactician, having been taught by Batman. In addition, he is skilled in reading the body motions of others, allowing him to defeat multiple armed opponents and anticipate an opponent's next move. He was able to notice that Batman always dodges to the left and hits to the right.
 * Disguise: Taught by Alfred Pennyworth in acting, Grayson is proficient in the art of disguise. He was able to pose as the Joker in Arkham Asylum and occasionally poses as Batman whenever Bruce Wayne and Batman need to be sighted at the same time.
 * Escapology
 * Investigation: Trained by the World's Greatest Detective, Batman, Richard is known to be an excellent detective.
 * Leadership
 * Multilingualism: He can speak English, German, Russian, and nine other languages.
 * Physics
 * Tracking
 * Forensic Science: Dick has an advanced degree in forensics.
 * Indomitable Will
 * Intimidation
 * Martial Arts: Before even being formally trained, Richard possessed limited skill in hand-to-hand combat. After being trained rigorously by Batman in martial arts, his skills impressed the likes of Lady Shiva and Midnighter. He has even been able to match his mentor.
 * Eskrima
 * Stick Fighting
 * Peak Human Condition: Through years of extensive and intensive training, Dick has achieved the peak of human perfection both mentally and physically.
 * Seduction
 * Stealth
 * Swordsmanship
 * Throwing: Trained by Batman, Richard is proficient in throwing objects. He has often thrown his escrima sticks to incapacitate his opponents. He has even done the same with the use of a gun. On one occasion Dick was able to make his escrima sticks ricochet 37 times before returning to him.
 * Weaponry: Due to his training with Batman, Richard is well versed in many melee weapons such as staffs, escrima sticks, and bladed weaponry such as swords.

Equipment

 * Nightwing Suit: 
 * Nightwing's current costume is made of a version of the Nomex fire-resistant, triple-weave Kevlar-lined material. It is an excellent protection against damage, and it's also electrically insulated. Instead of a black cape for stealth, the suit is light sensitive, darkening when there is more light in the area. The current costume is a stylized red "wing" across his shoulders and extending to his hands, coloring his two middle fingers, over a black torso and legs. Nightwing's costume is tailored specifically to his unique style of crime-fighting. As such, his costume has fewer body-armor inlays than Batman's, anticipating a decreased need for shock-absorption and an increased capacity for motion ("Move more, get hit less."). A caveat of this configuration can be exploited by capable fighters who are both fast and strong, such as Superman. Should Nightwing need to engage an enemy who is capable of exploiting this weakness, he has supplemental body-armor overlays which he can attach to his gauntlets, his mask, his shoulders, and boots.
 * Batsuit: As Batman, Dick used a more modern, sleeker design of the Batsuit, featuring only two gauntlets and more separated Kevlar plates. It is possible that the suit was just a re-design of the Nightwing suit but fitted with a cape and cowl.
 * Utility Belt: Although seemingly unremarkable in appearance, the utility belt remains as one of Batman's most important tools in fighting crime. Composed of a leather strap and a solid steel buckle, the utility belt houses ten cylinder cartridges, which vertically clip onto the outside of the belt. The buckle itself contains a miniature camera and two-way radio. A secondary compartment behind the length of the belt houses Batman's supply of collapsible batarangs. Each of the ten cylinders contains various tools integral to Batman's war on crime. Through the years, Batman has modified the contents of his belt to accommodate various needs.

Transportation

 * Wingcycle: Nightwing also has his own personalized model of the Batcycle, which he refers to as the "Wingcycle". The Wingcycle is equipped with a passenger sidecar.
 * Batmobile

Weapons

 * Wing Dings/Batarangs
 * Eskrima Sticks