Gotham Fam: A Breakdown of the Bat Family Members

Dick Grayson/Nightwing

Dick Grayson was the first Robin, and Batman’s most trusted partner. Dick Grayson grew up in a circus as apart of the acrobatic family called The Flying Graysons. On the day that Haley’s Circus visited Gotham City, Dick’s life would change forever. A Gotham mobster by the name of Tony Zucco attempted to strong army the circus. He demanded that they pay him for “protection and insurance” to which the circus owners refused. Frustrated with their answer, Zucco decided to teach them a lesson by sabotaging the aerial performance later that night. This led to the death of Dick’s parents. Batman, being in attendance as Bruce Wayne, immediately looked at young Grayson as a kindred spirit. He decided to bring Dick into his home as he didn’t want him to grow cold and callus in the system. Eventually Bruce would tell him that he was Batman and offer Dick the chance to make real change as his partner.

This would lead to Dick Grayson creating the moniker of Robin. He and Batman would fight together for six years as the dynamic duo. However, as Grayson would grow he would begin to disagree with some of Batman’s tactics. Dick was much more of an optimistic person that Bruce and that would eventually lead to a rift developing between the two. This would eventually lead Dick to spending more of his time as the leader of the Titans than as Batman’s sidekick. They would go months without speaking, but when they finally did Batman told Grayson that he had been replaced by Jason Todd. This is what forced Dick to give up the identity of Robin and become Nightwing.

As Nightwing, Dick has become his own hero. Some would even suggest that Dick’s relationship with other heroes makes him the most important singular character in the DC universe. Dick has been a member of the Titans, Outsiders, and the Justice League (he has also led those teams at point as well).