When Chuck Dixon launched Nightwing in 1996, it rapidly turned clear that he had a purpose in thoughts for creating a romance. The beforehand platonic relationship between Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon quickly turned a romantic one. After Dixon left Nightwing and Birds of Prey, future writers continued to push the connection.
Sadly, the connection between Dick and Barbara would not simply be explored within the current. It was additionally topic to a wide range of retcons, every designed to rewrite the historical past of the 2 characters and switch them into some form of grand love affair. Nevertheless, the fixed retcons, ignorance of the characters’ histories, and disrespect paid to different characters make Dick/Babs Nightwing’s worst relationship.
10 To Painting Babs As The Love Of Dick’s Life, They Make Dick Into A Cheater
The start pages of Nightwing Annual #2 (2007) depict Dick confessing how head over heels in love he’s with Barbara. The remainder of the e-book is a whole retcon of their histories collectively, proving they are not simply in love within the current, however have been for the reason that days after they had been Batgirl and Robin.
The e-book additionally depicts Dick displaying up the night time earlier than he is speculated to marry Starfire and spending the night time with Babs. Not solely does he cheat on Kory, however Dick additionally offers Babs an invite to his wedding ceremony after they spend the night time collectively. This annual utterly destroys Dick’s integrity, all to construct a story of how head over heels in love he is speculated to be with Babs.
9 Barbara Is De-aged And Her Historical past Erased So She Can Be Paired With Dick
Earlier than Dick and Babs had been written as soulmates, Barbara had been Batgirl, a Congresswoman, and a librarian. She’d additionally led the Birds of Prey and had labored with Amanda Waller. Barbara initially mentioned of Dick, a person seven years youthful than herself, that, “He is too younger” and, “My thoughts is barely on Batman.”
However after they change into a pair, Dick Grayson is meant to be in his early twenties. So, to be good for Dick, Babs is de-aged, the questionable age hole between them is erased, and lots of of her accomplishments are faraway from her historical past. She’s now not the older lady she needs to be, and her characterization and historical past are sacrificed for a retconned love story.
8 Black Girls Have Repeatedly Been Used As Place Holders And Disregarded To Assist Dick And Babs
Working deeply undercover for the spy group, Spyral, Dick begins to type a relationship with Helena Bertinelli, who’s a Black lady. The 2 break up after the story states that Babs is the one lady Dick has ever liked.
After Dick is shot within the head and now not Nightwing, he falls in love with Bea Bennet, a sort, beneficiant, and supportive Black group activist. The story forces Bea to compete with Babs in a love triangle for Dick’s affection. Bea is rapidly discarded when Nightwing makes a triumphant return as a result of the “finest” model of Nightwing decides up to now Babs once more. The usage of Black ladies as easy placeholders and lesser love pursuits for the “good” white love curiosity is problematic at finest.
7 Writers Preserve Retconning Kory As Somebody Dick Did not Really Love
Within the unique run of the New Teen Titans, Dick is head over heels in love with Koriand’r. They’re deeply dedicated to 1 one other and their need to get married is an actual one – interrupted solely by exploding monks and demonic possessions.
Writers equivalent to Chuck Dixon and Devin Grayson have tried to make Dick and Kory’s relationship much less vital and suggest that Dick’s relationship had solely ever been a bodily one. Tearing down each a well-loved character like Kory to prop up a retconned relationship reveals the weak spot of Dick and Babs.
6 The Dick/Babs Relationship Retains Exhibiting Up In Locations It Would not Belong
There isn’t any cause for the Dick/Babs relationship to indicate up in Teen Titans-related media. But, reveals equivalent to Young Justice and Titans hold forcing Barbara into Dick’s life as a love curiosity throughout a time he needs to be in a relationship with another person.
Even trendy tales which have Dick and Babs collectively emphasize their relationship at inappropriate instances. Throughout DC vs. Vampires, Barry Allen – the daddy determine of one in every of Dick’s closest pals – has died and the Justice League is infested with vampires, but Dick and Babs nonetheless have time to flirt like youngsters. It makes them appear to be cold-hearted and incompetent heroes.
5 Barbara’s Fixed Jealousy Compromises Her Heroism
As Barbara places collectively the Birds of Prey for the primary time, she considers Starfire. When she decides to not embody Starfire, the one cause Babs offers for not together with Starfire is as a result of she’s Dick Grayson’s ex-fiancée.
On one other event, Babs contacts the Titans and has no drawback speaking to Victor Stone, however when Starfire asks a query, Babs hangs up on her – out of jealousy. Purposefully excluding some of the highly effective heroes within the DCU out of jealousy places a adverse mark on Oracle’s heroism.
4 Barbara Does Not Respect Dick’s Boundaries
The earliest problems with Chuck Dixon’s Nightwing and Birds of Prey have Barbara continuously watching Dick on “the Grayson cam.” The Grayson cam is a sequence of cameras that Babs has put in in Dick’s residence with a purpose to spy on him. The textual content makes it clear that she has the “Grayson cam” as a result of she enjoys watching him in scantily clad apparel. She does this with out his permission.
More moderen comics even have her ignoring his boundaries, whether or not it is one thing so simple as naming his canine or one thing as vital as calling within the Titans to do his job. The fixed overriding of Dick’s company and decision-making could be indicators of abuse in the event that they had been actual individuals in an actual relationship.
3 The Relationship Has Ableist Parts
When Dick and Babs break up in Nightwing (1996) #86, it is as a result of Barbara cannot deal with Dick speaking about their outdated days as Batgirl and Robin. It is utterly tied up in her emotions about being in a wheelchair and now not with the ability to be the Batgirl she as soon as was.
When Tom Taylor as soon as once more places Dick and Babs collectively throughout his run, Babs is now not disabled. Conveniently, the 2 of them are additionally out of the blue freed from any relationship issues. Primarily, the one “impediment” of their relationship appears to have been the truth that Babs was in a wheelchair – a storyline that is doubtlessly offensive to those that loved the illustration Oracle introduced them.
2 Dick/Babs Makes Nightwing Too Insular To The Batfamily
The New Teen Titans is among the most profitable comedian e-book runs DC has ever had. The New Teen Titans allowed Nightwing to be a personality who bridged the hole between the Bat Universe and the remainder of the DC Universe.
When Dick is with Babs, he is now not flying the universe with an alien princess and having kids along with her. Wally West, Roy Harper, and Donna Troy are now not written to be his finest pals – as an alternative, it is out of the blue Barbara Gordon. A Nightwing with such an insular character is merely a rewrite of Batman, which ruins Nightwing’s potential.
1 Babs Is Half Of His Adoptive Household And Wears His Father’s Image On Her Chest
Within the unique canon, Babs was 25 when Dick was 18. Within the retconned model of the trendy canon, they develop up collectively and Barbara is a part of the “Bat-Household.” She can also be a part of the Wayne Household Adventures, and every single day, she wears the image of Dick’s adoptive father on her chest.
At finest, it is uncomfortable to see two members of the identical “household” relationship. DC is unlikely to publish a comic book with Jason Todd relationship Dick Grayson as a result of they’re a part of the identical household. But, Babs can also be part of that household, which is meant to be acceptable.