Dick Grayson aka Nightwing may have been largely brought up by Batman since he became Batman's sidekick Robin but in many ways, he's more approachable and civil than his older mentor. Nightwing usually sees the best in people, sometimes even those who don't deserve it, and his optimistic nature complements Batman's gloomy character well, reminding him that there's still joy in the world.
Nightwing is more likely to find compassion even for villains and it wouldn't be out of the question if he friended some of them or at least fought by their side. If he came over to the Marvel universe, here are 5 villains he would get along with and 5 he most likely couldn't stand.
10 Would Get Along: Black Cat
It's not such a stretch to imagine that Nightwing could easily find himself attracted to Black Cat since he has a soft spot for strong women. He dated Batgirl and Starfire, so Black Cat would fit the type of women he likes. And the feeling could very well be mutual.
Both of them like to operate at night, are agile and athletic, and have a sense of humor that would bring them closer. What's more, Nightwing would most likely understand where Felicia's coming from since she started her journey as a villain in order to avenge her father's death, and Nightwing lost his parents so he knows what it feels like.
9 Couldn't Stand: Kingpin
Nightwing knows corruption painfully well since he grew up in Gotham which is controlled by corrupted people and he fought against such criminals many times in the past. Chances are high that if Nightwing crossed over to the Marvel universe and learned what Kingpin was doing, he'd try his best to stop the criminal lord.
Kingpin rules his empire from the shadows and isn't afraid to kill, threaten, and abuse if it suits his purpose, and that's something Nightwing stands strongly against. It's doubtful if he'd be able to beat Kingpin all on his own but he would definitely try.
8 Would Get Along: Nebula
Let's go over to the MCU for a moment. Nebula's story is complicated in the films and even more so in the comics but what these two versions have in common is their hate for Thanos. In the films, Nebula is determined to bring her adoptive father down, to repay him for all the hurt and anguish he caused her and countless other people.
Nightwing knows very well what it feels like to suffer at the hand of others since he watched his parents die. He and Nebula would bond over their similar experience and would do their best to make sure nobody would ever suffer the same way they did ever again.
7 Couldn't Stand: Purple Man
There are many ways how supervillains can hurt superheroes in the comics, and beating them or even killing them is just one of those ways. They can also beat them down mentally as Purple Man did to Jessica Jones. He has the ability to control the mind and he made Jessica his slave, controlled her every move, and destroyed her life in the process.
If Nightwing found out about the sheer scope of atrocities that Purple Man had committed, he'd not only hate the villain but would also try and come up with a plan on how to stop him so that he wouldn't hurt anyone else.
6 Would Get Along: Venom
Venom is more of an antihero these days, depending on the host who's currently using the symbiote, but he started out as Spider-Man's villain so he deserves a spot on this list. Nightwing has lived in Gotham for years and fought many enemies so something like an alien symbiote would hardly surprise him for long enough to throw him off his guard.
They might not hit it off straight away but as long as Venom controls his worst impulses around Nightwing, they should be fine. There's one friendship that Batman most certainly wouldn't approve of, though, and he'd probably try to ground Nightwing.
5 Couldn't Stand: Doctor Doom
Doctor Doom might be a slightly insane villain but he's also highly intelligent and capable of recognizing someone's potential when he sees them. If he met Nightwing and was impressed by his powers, he might try to recruit Nightwing to work alongside him or serve him, more like... only to find out that Nightwing is less than interested in becoming Doctor Doom's sidekick.
Doctor Doom rules Latveria with an iron fist and Nightwing wouldn't like the fact that he's controlling everyone's lives any more than he would like the man himself. While Nightwing might not be able to defeat Doctor Doom on his own, he wouldn't become his ally either.
4 Would Get Along: Magneto
Under the right circumstances, any two people can join forces, even if one of them is a one-hundred-percent hero (Nightwing) and the other one walks a fine line between being a villain and an antihero (Magneto). Their cooperation would be filled with tension, at least at first.
But just like Nightwing, Magneto's primary goal is to protect his fellow mutants, and Nightwing also wants to protect those closest to him so he would understand where Magneto is coming from. It's not out of the question that they could team up to bring down a bigger mutual enemy if said enemy endangered people dear to them.
3 Couldn't Stand: Red Skull
Red Skull is Captain American's most iconic villain and for a good reason. He's strong, cunning, merciless, and has a whole army at his disposal. He's also an absolutely terrible human being with no regard for human life, as he demonstrated over and over again.
One doesn't even have to know Nightwing all that much to easily guess that the superhero wouldn't like anything to do with Nazism, and Red Skull is the worst when it comes to costumed Nazi villains. Nightwing would despise everything Red Skull and Hydra stand for and there's no doubt that the feeling would be mutual.
2 Would get Along: Elektra
Elektra is another character with an immensely complicated story and attitude towards heroism that has her balancing on the line between right and wrong. She sometimes teamed up with Daredevil and even had a relationship with him but these two also fought, depending on the circumstances.
Deep down, though, Elektra is not a bad person and as Nightwing proved many times before, he has the ability to see the best in people and sometimes helps them to bring it out. He did so with the Huntress, for example, when he believed in her innocence when she was accused of murdering a few people
1 Couldn't Stand: Thanos
As hinted at above, Nightwing can and is willing to forgive those who have killed before, but even his forgiveness and kindness has its limits and he'd most likely reach those limits if faced with the Mad Titan himself, Thanos. Thanos has done a lot of despicable things in the comics, and him trying to erase the half of all life in the universe is just one of many.
If Nightwing formed a friendship with Nebula, she might share her awful experience with her adoptive father with Nightwing which would cause Nightwing to hate Thanos even more and possibly try and find a way how to defeat him.