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Nightwing

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Nightwing
Variant cover art of Nightwing (April 2026 vol.4) #137 from DC Comics
Art by David Nakayama.
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceSuperman #158 (January 1963)
Created bySuperman:
Edmond Hamilton
Curt Swan
Dick Grayson:
Marv Wolfman
George Pérez
In-story information
Alter egoClark Kent / Kal-El
Richard Grayson
Christopher Kent
Kara Zor-L / Karen Starr
Van-Zee
Cheyenne Freemont
Brycee Moran
List

Nightwing is a codename used by multiple characters appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Since its debut in Superman #158 (January 1963), the codename has been tied to both Superman and Batman comic book titles and characters. Originally, the usage of the codename originated from Superman acting as a vigilante in Kandor, naming himself after an alien bird species from Krypton.[1] The name would also become associated with a relative of Superman in Kandor, Van-Zee. Paralleling Batman and Robin, Nightwing is commonly associated with a sidekick, Flamebird.

Since Tales of the Teen Titans #44 (1984), the name has instead been primarily associated with Dick Grayson; when asserting his independence from Batman as a superhero and a young adult, the character is told the story of a legendary Kryptonian vigilante by Superman who was similarly disowned but used his talents to help others. Inspired by the story, Grayson adopts the codename for himself. The name is also adopted by Chris Kent (also known as Lor-Zod) in association with a protector god Nightwing created by chief god Rao. Several other characters also utilize the name alternately, including Power Girl in a Kandor-related storyline and Jason Todd in one storyline impersonating Grayson. Other versions of Nightwing have also appeared in non-canonical and alternate universe stories, including in other media.

As Nightwing, in 2013, Dick Grayson's version placed 5th on IGN's Top 25 Heroes of DC Comics[2] and Grayson as Nightwing was ranked the #1 Sexiest Male Character in Comics by ComicsAlliance in 2013.[3]

Fictional character biography

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Clark Kent / Kal-El

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Superman as Nightwing. From Superman #158 (1963). Art by Curt Swan.

The Nightwing identity first appeared in ''Superman'' #158 (1963), in which Superman assumes the name while operating as a vigilante in Kandor. In Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #69 (June 1963), "The Dynamic Duo of Kandor" introduces Nightwing's dog Nighthound. In "The Feud Between Batman and Superman" in World's Finest #143 (August 1964), Batman and Robin themselves visit Kandor with Superman and Olsen and the two Dynamic Duos team up.

Post-Crisis, in 2001's Superman: The Man of Steel #111, Superman and Lois Lane travel to a version of Krypton later revealed to have been created by the villainous Brainiac 13 and based on Jor-El's favorite period in Kryptonian history.[4] Labeled as criminals, Superman and Lois become fugitives, adopting the Nightwing and Flamebird identities to survive, just as had Superman and Olsen in Superman (vol. 2) #158.[5]

Richard "Dick" Grayson

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Dick Grayson first adopts the Nightwing identity in ''Tales of the Teen Titans'' #44 (1984), following his decision to retire as Robin. The new persona allows him to continue crimefighting while establishing a distinct heroic identity. He frequently collaborates with other heroes and eventually receives his own solo series in 1995. Following Bruce Wayne's apparent death, Grayson temporarily assumes the role of Batman before returning to his Nightwing persona. Nightwing's costume is designed for agility and stealth, incorporating lightweight armor and a utility belt with essential gadgets. His primary weapons are twin escrima sticks made of a high-durability polymer, which can be used for both offense and defense. In some versions, these sticks can link to form a staff or function as grappling tools. His suit often includes smoke pellets, throwing discs, tracking devices, and other tools tailored to infiltration and acrobatic combat.

Christopher "Chris" Kent

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The son of General Zod and his lieutenant and lover, Ursa, Lor-Zod was conceived and born in the Phantom Zone, granting him a mutated genetic structure and corporeal form in the Phantom Zone. Used to spearhead an invasion by Zod, he instead forged a strong bond with Superman and Lois Lane, who renamed him "Christopher" and would gain a new life on Earth from the hardships caused by his biological parents. After an accelerated growth spurt, he first adopted the Nightwing codename as a costume vigilante in New Krypton (Kandor) but became more significant following his bonding with the Kryptonian deity of the same name, possessing his powers over shadows and awareness.[6]

Other versions

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  • Several characters would impersonate Dick Grayson's persona as Nightwing:
    • Terry McGinnis briefly moonlights as Nightwing in Batman Beyond #4, after Detective Ben Singleton claims to know Dick Grayson's past as Nightwing, which turns into a media fiasco.[7]
    • Jason Todd briefly impersonated Nightwing, wearing Dick's costume and killing in New York City which led to a police manhunt against Nightwing.[7]
    • Batman once adopted the suit and name while Dick Grayson left Blüdhaven to cure his fear of heights.[8]
  • In the DC Comics Tangent Comics series, "Nightwing" is a secret government organization which appears throughout the series. Headed by Marcus Moore and Francis "Black Lightning" Powell, who act to protect the US and also conceal the true nature of Atom's involvement in the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Kryptonian vigilantes

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  • In pre-Crisis continuity, Van-Zee and Ak-Var assumed the Nightwing and Flamebird identities respectively to fight crime in Kandor; this version is a distant relative of Superman and twin brother of Dik-Zee whom he shares an uncanny resemblance with (with Jor-El, Superman, Van-Zee, and Dik-Zee all sharing a resemblance). Infatuated with Lois Lane, her rejection leads to him search for a woman resembling her in kind, leading him to Midwestern heriess Sylvia DeWitt. With the pair falling in love, they eventually bore twins and settled on Venus, renaming it "Urth".
  • Following Crisis on Infinite Earths, the Nightwing name is associated with an unnamed Kryptonian hero. Several hundred years before the birth of Kal-El, there was a Kryptonian man who was cast out from his family and decided to take on crime as the vigilante Nightwing, whose crimefighting tactics were similar to Batman's. When Superman tells Dick Grayson of this story, Dick takes the name for himself.[9]
  • Power Girl used the Nightwing identity in a Kandor-based storyline.

Kryptonian deity

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Nightwing is a fictional deity based in Kryptonian legends in American comic books published by DC Comics and debuted in Action Comics #886. Created by Rao, he is one of the three siblings tasked as protectors of Krypton, particularly rooting out evil and corruption but is the loneliest of all Rao's children. Only able to be seen by fellow god and brother, Vohc, his elder brother sought to ease him and allow him to be visible seen and introduces him to sister-goddess Flamebird. The pair would possess a strong bond, which secretly made Vohc jealous. After his tribute to Flamebird was destroyed despite his pleas, his next creation would imprison Nightwing himself and Vohc offered an ultimatum of either accepting his love to free Nightwing or to deny it and leave him trapped. With Flamebird unable to do the former, Nightwing is tapped in for thousands of years. Nightwing is eventually freed after Chris was imprisoned by Jax-Ur (the avatar of Vohc) and the deity merges with Chris.[6]

In other media

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Television

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Film

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Live action

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Schumacher Batman films
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Chris O'Donnell portrays Dick Grayson in Batman Forever and Batman & Robin. In Forever, Dick considers "Nightwing" as his alias. In the character's second appearance within the film series, he pursues being a vigilante on his own and wears the Nightwing costume design, though keeping the Robin alias and cape.

DC Extended Universe
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  • Nightwing was considered to appear in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, portrayed by Adam Driver, but was ultimately scrapped.[16][17]
  • Warner Bros. Pictures was developing a Nightwing live-action film centered on the character, set in the DC Extended Universe, with Bill Dubuque writing the script and The Lego Batman Movie director Chris McKay signed on to direct.[18] Discussing why he likes the character and signed on for the project, McKay cited the character's showman personality and background as an entertainer and expressed his excitement for depicting that in the film. He later stated that he wants to introduce a complete adaptation of the character, something that hasn't been done in previous film interpretations of him before. McKay continued to state that the director-driven approach is why he loves Warner Bros., and how the franchise is differentiating itself from other popular shared universes. McKay also confirmed that the film would acknowledge the titular character's past from the source material, including his time as a part of Haly's Circus, and also reaffirmed that the film will be a straightforward action film with minimal use of CGI special effects and grounded realism. Although the script was nearing its final draft, McKay said in 2021 that the project was delayed due to DC having "other priorities", but also reaffirmed his intentions to still make the film. He also said that the film could possibly be reworked to remove its connections to the DCEU continuity.[19][20] In August 2023, Umberto Gonzalez of TheWrap reported that it had been cancelled.[21]

Animation

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Video games

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Miscellaneous

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Rides

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A Nightwing ride is currently in operation at Six Flags New England.

References

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  1. ↑ Superman #158 (DC Comics, January 1963), “Superman in Kandor”. Quote: “There are no bats or robins among our Kryptonian birds… But we do have the nightwing and the flamebird!”
  2. ↑ Schedeen, Jesse (2013-11-19). "The Top 25 Heroes of DC Comics". IGN. Retrieved 2014-05-13.
  3. ↑ Wheeler, Andrew (2013-02-14). "ComicsAlliance Presents The 50 Sexiest Male Characters in Comics". ComicsAlliance. Archived from the original on 2015-10-18. Retrieved 2015-07-28.
  4. ↑ Kelly, Joe (w), Ferry, Pascual (p), Smith, Cam (i). "Return to Krypton II, Part Four: Dream's End" Action Comics, no. 793, p. 20 (September 2002). New York: DC Comics.
  5. ↑ Schultz, Mark (w), Mahnke, Doug (p), Nguyen, Tom (i). "Return to Krypton Part Three: The Most Dangerous Kryptonian Game" Superman: The Man of Steel, no. 111 (April 2001). New York: DC Comics.
  6. 1 2 Rucka, Greg; Barrows, Eddy; Jose, Ruy; Reis, Rod; Mazi; Leigh, Rob; Siegel, Jerry; Shuster, Joe (April 2010). Nightwing and Flamebird. Titan Books Limited. ISBN 978-1-84856-666-8.
  7. 1 2 Allan, Scoot (2024-09-05). "Every Character Who Wore Nightwing's Mantle, Ranked". CBR. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  8. ↑ Nightwing (vol. 4) #114-116
  9. ↑ Secret Files and Origins #1 (October 1999)
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 "Nightwing Voices (Batman)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved July 12, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
  11. 1 2 "The World's Finest - the DC Animation Resource".
  12. ↑ Vernon, Brooks (March 14, 2021). "Why Nightwing Was Only In Justice League Unlimited For Three Seconds". ScreenRant. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  13. ↑ Sims, Chris (August 3, 2012). "Ki Hyun Ryu's Nightwing Designs For A Cartoon That Never Was". Comicsalliance.com. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
  14. ↑ Peters, Megan (18 October 2017). "'Titans' Casts Brenton Thwaites As Its Live-Action Dick Grayson".
  15. ↑ Adams, Timothy (March 17, 2022). "Harley Quinn Season 3 Casts What We Do in the Shadows Star Harvey Guillen as Nightwing". DC. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  16. ↑ Chapman, Tom (22 March 2021). "Justice League: Zack Snyder Addresses Adam Driver Nightwing Rumours". CBR.
  17. ↑ Trumbore, Dave (9 November 2013). "Batman vs. Superman Eyes Adam Driver as Nightwing". Collider.
  18. ↑ "Warner Bros. Plotting Live-Action 'Nightwing' Movie With 'Lego Batman Movie' Director (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
  19. ↑ Dumarang, Ana (February 9, 2018). "Nightwing Movie Script Will Be Finished Soon". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on March 6, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  20. ↑ O'Connell, Sean (June 9, 2021). "DC's Nightwing Director Has An Exciting Update Dick Grayson Fans Will Love". CinemaBlend. Archived from the original on June 20, 2021. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  21. ↑ Beach, Nicholas (August 22, 2023). "Another Highly-Anticipated DC Project Officially Dead At Warner Bros". Game Rant. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  22. ↑ Roman, Julian (August 30, 2017). "Batman and Harley Quinn Review: A Campy, Sex-Fueled 90s Nostalgia Trip". MovieWeb. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  23. ↑ Ressler, Karen (February 13, 2018). "Batman Ninja Anime's English Trailer Reveals Dub Cast, Home Video Release". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  24. ↑ Dur, Taimur (April 15, 2019). "Bruce Wayne sells out in exclusive first trailer for LEGO Batman: Family Matters". Syfy. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  25. ↑ Zachary, Brandon (July 25, 2019). "REVIEW: Teen Titans Go Vs. Teen Titans Is A Goofy Love Letter To The Team". CBR. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  26. ↑ Couch, Aaron (July 21, 2021). "DC's 'Injustice' Sets Cast for Animated Movie (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  27. ↑ "LEGO Batman: Character Gallery". Game Informer. No. 186. October 2008. p. 92. Features a two-page gallery of the many heroes and villains who appear in the game with a picture for each character and a descriptive paragraph.
  28. ↑ Yin-Poole, Wesley (October 11, 2011). "Batman Nightwing release, price revealed". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  29. ↑ Shafi, Aadil; Legarie, Destin; Madrigal, Hector (July 9, 2012). "Characters - Injustice Guide". IGN. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  30. ↑ Eisen, Andrew (October 2, 2013). "DC Characters and Objects - Scribblenauts Unmasked Guide". IGN. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  31. ↑ Eisen, Andrew (June 9, 2014). "Characters - LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham Guide". IGN. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  32. ↑ Saed, Sherif (May 7, 2015). "Batman: Arkham Knight voice cast includes Breaking Bad and Twilight Saga actors". VG247. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  33. ↑ Michael, Jon; Veness, John (November 2, 2018). "Characters - LEGO DC Super-Villains Guide". IGN. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  34. ↑ Bishop, Rollin (September 2, 2020). "Gotham Knights Reveals Its Voice Cast". Gaming. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  35. ↑ Rich Sands (June 14, 2012). "Smallville Season 11 Comic Book Welcomes Batman -- and Nightwing!". TV Guide. Archived from the original on June 16, 2012. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
  36. ↑ Johnston, Rich (20 July 2012). "Reading Between The Lines Over Stephanie Brown And DC Comics". Bleeding Cool.
  37. ↑ Smallville Season Eleven: Continuity vol. 1 #4 (March 2015)
  38. ↑ Moure, Dylan (October 19, 2021). "The Death of Nightwing is Still One of DC's Most Controversial". ScreenRant. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  39. ↑ Stone, Sam (October 15, 2021). "Injustice: What Happened to Nightwing After His Death?". CBR. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
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