WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Nightwing #72, by Dan Jurgens, Ronan Cliquet, Nick Filardi and AndWorld Design, on sale now.

Frank Miller, Klaus Janson and Lynn Varley's iconic miniseries The Dark Knight Returns is a classic story that depicts a future where an aging Batman returns to costumed crime-fighting after having retired from the world of super-heroics. The series famously featured grittier takes on superheroes and villains from around the DC Universe in roles that brought darkness back to Batman. And now, some of that world's ideas beginning to be played out in the mainstream DC Universe, particularly in the events leading up to the "Joker War" event scheduled to begin in next month's Bat-Family titles.

Because of his decades fighting alongside the Dark Knight, Dick Grayson has been targeted by a few of Batman's foes recently, a fact that came into painful focus when Nightwing was shot in the head by the KGBeast in Tom King and Tony S. Daniel's Batman #55. Grayson survived, but he was not the same. He suffered from amnesia and memory loss and started calling himself  "Ric Grayson" as he had scant memories of his life as Nightwing but wished to live a peaceful life instead of that of a costumed vigilante. Unfortunately, the Joker had other ideas, which came to fruition in Nightwing #72.

Related: Nightwing Raises the Grim Specter of The Killing Joke

Nightwing Joker War

With the help of a memory crystal, the deranged villain hypnotized Grayson, creating an entirely new persona for the former Boy Wonder, a fact that didn't go unnoticed by the people around him. When he is confronted by Batgirl, things go from bad to worse when Joker's new girlfriend Punchline steps in. After Batgirl is beaten by Punchline, Grayson says that he wants to kill her, before smearing her blood across his lips in a sadistic reinvention of the Joker's iconic grin.

This imagery draws back to one depicted by Miller and Varley in their 2002 follow-up to his original classic. In The Dark Knight Strikes Again, Dick Grayson is seen masquerading as the Joker, who was killed during a confrontation with Batman in the original series. Dick has been genetically altered to now possess a healing factor and has become murderously insane and vindictive after losing his position as Robin. Most notably, Grayson wears smeared blood on his face that frightfully mimics the Joker's grin in a way eerily similar to that seen in Nightwing.

Related: Harley Quinn & Punchline's Fight Just Took a BRUTAL Turn

Dick Grayson Joker Dark Knight Strikes Again

This is not the first time that the mainstream DC Universe has alluded to possibly moving toward the future world masterminded by Miller. Lately, it has appeared as though Batman himself has started possibly losing his edge, particularly after the death of his adoptive father Alfred. There are obvious pieces of information that Batman has missed, and Deathstroke recently managed to catch him unaware, immobilizing the Bat by slicing his sword clear through his leg while the Joker robbed him of the Wayne Family fortune.

When Batman came out of retirement in The Dark Knight Returns, he had clearly lost a few steps. He was unable to climb a rope as easily as he once could, nor was he initially able to defeat a villain in hand to hand combat. Miller painted a picture of a Dark Knight who had lost a few steps but still rose to the challenge when his city needed him. Hopefully, the mainstream version of Batman will be able to do the same while saving his first partner from the grim fate he suffered in the world of Dark Knight Returns.

Next: Batman: Is the Dark Knight Finally Losing His Edge?

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