Batman and Robin are an iconic duo, arguably the most popular mentor/sidekick partnership in comic book history. There have now been multiple Robins in DC Comics, and the original is a major DC hero in his own right as Nightwing. Even though Batman and Nightwing are no longer connected, they remain close allies.
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While Nightwing has a working relationship with Batman, the two men are not even located in the same town anymore, and they only reconnect when major villains arrive and the Bat-Family need to team up once again. While they have not always been on the same page, Nightwing is one of the only people Batman trusts fully and he will always be there for his former mentor.
Dick Grayson Was NotA Teen When He Became Robin
It is known that Dick Grayson was very young when Batman took him under his wing and made him the first Robin. In most cases, it seemed that Robin was a teenager when his parents died, and that is how it was mostly depicted in theBatman movies. However, that is not the case in the comics.
In most origin stories for Batman and Robin, Dick Grayson was very young, somewhere between 8 and 10 when he was taken in by Batman and took on the role of Robin.
Batman Didn't Adopt Dick Grayson At First
It is usually said that Bruce Wayne adopted Dick Grayson after the child's parents died. However, that is not what happened. As the comics revealed, a judge said that Bruce was not allowed to adopt a child since he was an unmarried bachelor. However, he was able to take legal guardianship of the child.
Bruce then turned Dick into a superhero in Robin and the two began fighting crime together. If anything, Batman proved he was not fit as he allowed Dick to run away and try to get revenge for his parents' deaths, and Batman had to get there to save him before it was too late.
Dick Was The First DC Comics Sidekick
The idea of a superhero sidekick started with Batman and Robin. Robin was the first sidekick in DC Comics, introduced in 1940 in Detective Comics #38. The entire idea was to bring in a young hero to help sell Batman comics to younger fans as well, giving them a more relatable hero.
Over time, more sidekicks arrived, including Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, and Speedy. This eventually led to the creation of the Teen Titans, a group initially consisting of all sidekicks, with the original serving as the team leader.
Dick Became Nightwing To Get Out Of Batman's Shadow
Robin helped for the Teen Titans with fellow DC sidekicks and eventually helped turn that group into something bigger. In the 1980s, the New Teen Titans formed and Robin remained the team leader for a new generation of teenage heroes. Soon, he decided to put Batman completely behind him.
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Dick became Nightwing while working with the New Teen Titans. He wanted to become his own man and by doing so, he finally escaped the shadow of the Caped Crusader. This also allowed new teens to take overthe role of Robin while Nightwing moved on to his own adventures.
Nightwing Became Batman When Bruce Wayne Died
InFinal Crisis, the DC heroes had to battle Darkseid and the intergalactic villain almost won,conquering Earth and it taking all of the world's most powerful superheroes to finally stop him. In the end, Superman and Batman faced off with Darkseid and it was Batman who killed him, but sacrificed himself to do so.
While Batman wasn't really dead, and was just lost in time, the world still needed a Batman. Dick took over the role, using what Batman taught him. With Damian Wayne as his sidekick, the two went on to become arguably a better Batman and Robin than even the original.
Batman's Son Trusts Nightwing More Than His Dad
When Damian Wayne first appeared in Batman comics, he was not willing to follow his father's orders. He knew that his dad was right and his former teachers with the League of Assassins were in the wrong, but there was still something that pushed him into acts of violence.
However, when Bruce seemingly died and Nightwing became Batman, things started to change. Damian seemed to respect Dick more than he did his own father. Under Dick's teaching and tutelage, he grew more than he ever did with Bruce and Nightwing helped make Damian a better Robin than Batman did.
Batman and Nightwing Do Not Protect The Same Town
When Batman returned to the land of the living, Dick returned to being Nightwing. For many years, Batman and Nightwing were part of Gotham City, protecting the city from all evil. However, as part of his attempts to escape the shadow of Batman, Dick left Gotham City.
While Batman serves as Gotham City's protector, Nightwing became the protector of Bludhaven, one of DC's most wholesome heroes. Dick also took a job as a police officer in Bludhaven, but Nightwing would still return to Gotham City when Batman needed his help.
The Court Of Owls Tried To Turn Nightwing Against Batman
In the DC New 52, Batman met some of his most dangerous villains. This was a group known as the Court of Owls. What was scary was that this group had been around for over a century, ruling Gotham City from the shadows. They also used assassins known as Talons, and one of their Talons was Dick Grayson's great-grandfather.
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William Cobb had lived far longer than his normal life expectation thanks to Electrum, which made him practically immortal. The Court of Owls had big plans for Nightwing, and they set out to bring him in as a new Talon, but he always chose to remain a hero.
Nightwing Is Now Richer Than Batman
Bruce Wayne was one of the wealthiest people in the DC Universe. However, he lost control of his company and he ended up losing almost everything. This left Batman needing to rely on his brains and skills to keep fighting crime without any if his riches.
What is ironic is that when Alfred died, it turned out he was also a billionaire, never spending his money and investing it wisely. He then left his wealth to Dick Grayson, making Nightwing a billionaire at the same time that his mentor Batman lost everything.
Nightwing Believes He Can Help People Better Than Batman Has
Nightwing has always been very different from Batman. While Batman trusts almost no one and lives in darkness, Nightwing has always been optimistic and sees the good in the world around him. In Bludhaven, Dick noticed how large the homeless community there was and decided he could be better than Batman.
Batman was extremely wealthy and used his money to create new weapons and vehicles that allowed him to fight crime. He used his money to help spread the fear of the Batman to protect thepeople. Dick used his wealth to help the homeless, his goal to protect the streets by helping the people rise above.
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