Dick Grayson has been one of DC's most popular characters for over eighty years. In the last four decades, Grayson came into his own and stepped out of the shadow of Batman, taking his place at the forefront of the superheroic community. He moved beyond being a sidekick and became a legend. Nightwing didn't create the mold; he shattered it.

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Nightwing has benefited from DC putting a lot of work into the character. While some of his fellow original DC sidekicks floundered at times, Nightwing has always ridden high. He's become a near-perfect hero and a leader in the DCU.

Comic Cover for Robin's First Appearance

While Dick Grayson hasn't been Batman's sidekick in decades, there's no doubt he's the most well-known. He spent decades as Robin, defining the mantle for everyone that came after him. He's a superstar like few other comic characters, even more, popular than the MCU's most well-known. He also set the trend of the superhero sidekick.

He was the first sidekick, inspiring all the others who came after him. He started a trend in comics that continues to this day, with young superheroes learning the ropes from older ones. Nightwing may not be Robin anymore, but he defined what it meant to be a sidekick.

9 He Has Relationships With All The Major Heroes

Superman Nightwing Jon Kent Guide

Batman is a part of DC's Trinity, one of the three biggest heroes out there. However, saying he has a good relationship with his fellows is completely false. Batman fosters an image of intimidation that he uses with everyone, even the good guys. Nightwing was by Batman's side for years, so he has many of the same relationships that Batman does.

The difference is that everyone loves Nightwing. He's made sure to foster a good relationship with everyone in a way his mentor hasn't. All the big heroes know and respect Nightwing and will always work with him. They trust him in a way they don't trust Batman.

8 He Led A Team Before Batman Did

Robin Kid Flash Aqualad Teen Titans

Dick Grayson was a founder of the Teen Titans, leading his fellow sidekicks in battle against all kinds of threats. This might not seem like a huge deal, but it's easy to forget that Dick Grayson got to lead a team of superheroes before Batman, possibly the most popular superhero of all time, did. Since he was a teenager, Grayson has been a leader in the superhero community.

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Dick Grayson is basically the Superman of the second generation of DC heroes. He's the leader, the one they all look up to. He was leading teams while his mentor was still just another member of the Justice League that Superman told what to do.

7 He Stepped Out Of His Mentor's Shadow Before Any Other Sidekick

Dick Grayson as DC Comics' Nightwing, smiling and saluting in his sharp new costume.

DC has the best legacy heroes in comics and Nightwing has always been the biggest star of them all. He was the leader of the Teen Titans and the New Teen Titans, but he was still Robin, the Teen Wonder, and would always be in Batman's shadow. Eventually, Dick Grayson would decide it was time to put away the Robin costume and move on.

When Deathstroke attacked the team, he debuted his new persona: Nightwing. He was the first DC sidekick to make the move out of his mentor's shadow, becoming his own hero and building his own legend.

6 He's Had Great Costumes

Dick Grayson in his Nightwing costumes

Dick Grayson has created a lot of great legacies in DC history, but his history of amazing costumes can't be denied. From the Robin costume on, Grayson has always looked incredible. Even the Earth-2 Robin costume was great, cementing Dick Grayson as a multiversal fashion icon. All of this went to the next level when he became Nightwing.

His early looks as Nightwing are very much of their time, but they looked great back then. His Nightwing costume reached perfection in the '90s, and since then, everything that came after has been a modification of that design. It's a simple, beautiful design that makes him one of the best-looking DC heroes.

5 He's Been Allowed To Surpass Batman In Many Ways

Battle for the cowl Nightwing Batman DC

Batman is DC's golden boy, and the company will make sure he looks better than any other hero, including Superman. However, one character that has been allowed to be better than Batman, with Batman even admitting it in his comics, is Nightwing. The former sidekick has surpassed his mentor in multiple ways.

DC rarely likes to admit that Batman isn't the best at everything, so allowing Nightwing to be better than him at anything is a big deal for Dick Grayson. It's allowed Nightwing to stand apart from the other members of the Bat-Family and his fellow second-gen heroes.

4 He's Had The Best Relationships In The Bat-Family

Nightwing and Batgirl getting close under spotlights

Nightwing is known as one of DC's biggest ladies' men. He's been established as having the best butt in comics, as befits an acrobat of his skill, and he's been involved in some iconic relationships with Starfire and Batgirl. Even beyond them, he's had great relationships with lots of other superheroes and civilians, with those relationships setting him apart from his fellows in the Bat-Family.

Nightwing's relationships have always been rather well-rounded. It's pretty rare for members of the Bat-Family to have good relationships, with pretty much just Nightwing and Tim Drake having any over the years. Even then, Nightwing's relationships are some of the most iconic in the DC Universe.

3 His '90s Book Was One Of The Best Superhero Books Of That Decade

Nightwing Scott McDaniel

While the '90s get a bad name because of Marvel and Image, that decade was amazing for DC. The publisher concentrated on building a solid writers corps and put out the best superhero books on the market. Nightwing got his first ongoing in the '90s, launched by writer Chuck Dixon and artist Scott McDaniel.

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Dixon and McDaniel built Nightwing into a solo star after decades of being a team player. They moved him to Blüdhaven and gave him his arch-enemy, the second Blockbuster, establishing everything about the character that every creator after them would use in their runs.

2 New Teen Titans Showed Modern Readers Just How Great He Could Be

Dick Grayson's Robin leading the New Teen Titans.

The Teen Titans have produced amazing heroes. The most well-known roster of the group comes from The New Teen Titans, a relaunch of the classic teen team by writer Marv Wolfman and artist/co-plotter George Pèrez. The book became one of the most popular of the 1980s and did loads for every character in the book, especially Dick Grayson.

As outlined above, he became Nightwing during this time and moved beyond his mentor. Fans got to see him as a leader and worked on by one of the most prolific teams in comic history. It was what truly brought him to the next level, setting him on the road to solo stardom.

1 He's At The Top Of The DC Hero Community

Nightwing 93 header

The Trinity is at the tippy top of the superhero community, and even icons like Hal Jordan, Barry Allen, Wally West, and more don't get thought of at the same level as them. Nightwing does, though. He's on the cusp of the Trinity, and DC has no problem showing that. He's the linchpin of the DC Universe, the one who can bring everyone together that isn't a member of the Trinity.

Nightwing is one of the oldest heroes in the DC Universe and is respected by the publisher in a way that few others are. He's been Batman more than once and fit right in with his old friends Superman and Wonder Woman. He's been pushed to the moon by DC for decades now.

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