Nightwing was initially a sidekick, however his first attempt at taking up his personal protege solely empowered a violent killer, explaining his principally solo profession.
Nightwing represents one thing particular in the case of legacy inside the DC Universe. The unique Robin and the seminal sidekick inside all superhero fiction, he additionally made strides for these like him when he took on the mantle of Nightwing. Since then, he is been hesitant to tackle a sidekick of his personal, although one hard-edged vigilante broke that development within the bloodiest method doable.
Nite-Wing was the epitome of ’90s grit and grimness, with the younger man’s penchant for violence not conserving him from believing that he was one of many “good guys.” In some ways, he was a darkish reflection of Dick Grayson/Nightwing, and never simply in his corrupted identify. This is how Nightwing’s first foray in taking a youthful “hero” underneath his wing resulted in utter brutality.
Nite-Wing Was the Edgy ’90s Sidekick of Dick Grayson
Created by Chuck Dixon and Scott McDaniel, Nite-Wing debuted in Nightwing #8 in 1997. Then, he was nonetheless recognized by his “civilian identify” of Tad. A supposed orphan who had shortened his begrudging nickname of Tadpole (as a result of his small dimension), Tad had made his bones on the imply streets of Bludhaven. Falling by means of the cracks of the corrupt metropolis’s damaged system, he would fend for himself the one method he knew how — along with his personal two fists. All through his wayward youth, he attained a distorted sense of morality, with the thrills he obtained from operating the streets and beating up unhealthy guys to persuade himself that he wasn’t certainly one of them. This worldview was closely paying homage to the violent nature of many ’90s antiheroes within the Dark Age.
His use of the identify Nite-Wing is definitely unrelated to Dick Grayson, with former hero Tarantula convincing him to observe in his footsteps as a street-level vigilante by means of the tales of his previous adventures. Utilizing this as inspiration, to not point out his obvious liking of a late-night rooster wing restaurant, he grew to become the violent Nite-Wing. Sadly, his first run-in with a gang noticed him mercilessly shot, with the actual Nightwing having to guard him.
Nite-Wing would later be educated by Dick Grayson, who did not notice the imply streak his protégé had. He would use these new expertise to strike at anybody in his method, leading to killing an undercover cop. Nightwing was compelled to show the boy in for his crimes, with Nite-Wing so amoral that he believed regaling the authorities along with his exploits on the streets would exonerate him. This did not occur, in fact, with the incarcerated Tad swearing vengeance in opposition to Nightwing.
Nightwing Has Been Selective About Sidekicks Since Nite-Wing
Ever because the incident with Tad, Nightwing has principally remained a solo hero when working in Bludhaven. Maybe a part of his reasoning is that he gave a killer like Nite-Wing the instruments he wanted to additional inflict terror upon others, no matter their crimes. Making this worse was the truth that Tad so closely resembled Dick Grayson in his backstory (or no less than the one which readers have been first given). Tad was an orphan like Grayson, although he did not have the protection internet of being adopted by a wealthy billionaire like Bruce Wayne. Given the circumstances of Bludhaven, it is no shock that such a child would develop as much as develop into what Tad was.
Sarcastically, Nightwing these days has a way more constructive influence on youthful heroes, as seen in his relationship with Superman’s son, Jon Kent. He impressed and influenced Jon when the latter was a boy, and Jon regarded as much as him the identical method that many idolized his father. Thus, when Jon grew to become a superhero himself, he had one other constructive position mannequin to base his actions on. With Jon, Nightwing modeled kindness and compassion, particularly within the face of adversity. With Nite-Wing, nonetheless, he primarily taught the younger killer easy methods to throw an excellent higher punch, one thing which resulted in untold violence.