For so long as they’ve shared the panel collectively, Batman and Nightwing have often been introduced as having a father-son relationship.
When he first made his comedian debut as Robin, Dick Grayson was Batman’s Boy Wonder, his trusty sidekick able to leap into motion at a second’s discover. These father-son parallels appear all of the extra obvious when contemplating that their relationship started when Batman legally adopted the boy following the homicide of Dick’s dad and mom, fairly actually changing into his surrogate father. Even when Dick went on to develop into his personal man as Nightwing, he nonetheless discovered himself leaning on the older, wiser Batman for steering in excessive occasions of hardships, very similar to a son would a father at any age. It is all of the extra apropos to see Dick basically comply with in his adopted father’s footsteps when the unique Batman is presumed lifeless after Remaining Crisis. After successful a Battle for the Cowl, Dick Grayson formally turns into the brand new Batman.
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Feeling obligated to his seemingly deceased mentor, Dick jumps on the alternative to attempt to revive Bruce Wayne in a Lazarus Pit, going into Batman & Robin #7 by Grant Morrison and Cameron Stewart. When questioned by Batwoman, Dick explains himself, in addition to why he is the brand new Batman, by speaking about his relationship with Bruce. Curiously sufficient, he does not confer with him as a father determine, however as a substitute as a “brother” and “greatest pal.” The concept of Dick and Bruce being surrogate brothers relatively than father and son places their relationship in a completely new context. For higher or worse, Dick viewing Batman as extra of a brother drastically adjustments their dynamic, in addition to re-contextualize earlier interpretations of their bond.
Batman is Nightwing’s Surrogate Brother, Not Father
As an illustration, Batman fires Dick as his Robin when he is almost killed by The Joker within the line of responsibility approach again in Batman #408 by Max Allan Collins, Chris Warner, and Mike DeCarlo. Bruce lets him go, not feeling snug placing his ward in hurt’s approach anymore. This initially looks like a involved guardian making an attempt to guard their baby in their very own difficult approach. Dick even appears to obtain this as such, livid that Batman views him as a toddler. Nevertheless, in now viewing this via a extra brotherly lens, readers can see how Batman firing Dick as Robin hits completely different when Dick is being rejected not by somebody he seems as much as, however as a substitute by an equal. Nightwing is not checked out as a toddler simply by the person who raised him, however in his eyes being belittled by somebody who he reveres as a colleague, which is perhaps much more gut-punching for him.
By changing into Batman, Dick is not metaphorically or actually getting into his father’s sneakers as a lot as he is promoted to a captain’s position when his co-captain has fallen. Batman and Nightwing being figurative brothers, companions in crime-fighting so to talk, forces audiences to view their previous and futures in a brand new gentle that in some ways brings the 2 even nearer than they had been earlier than.