Dick Grayson has had a lifetime of training as Robin the Boy Wonder under DC Comics' best fighter and tactician, Batman. As Nightwing, his skills have only continued to improve as both a fighter and a team leader, and he has become one of the most respected heroes in the DC universe.
But how does Nightwing match up outside of the DC Universe? While there are a number of extremely powerful Marvel heroes who would probably wipe the floor with the non-powered Nightwing, today we are going to focus on more likely matchups within his ability class as we take a look at which Marvel heroes Nightwing would be able to take out, and which ones would kick him back to Gotham.
10 CAN DEFEAT: HAWKEYE
None of these matchups are to slight the characters in any way, as Hawkeye is not only an expert marksman but has had years of training as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and with his respective Avengers like Captain America, one of the Marvel Universe's best scrappers.
However, Nightwing is no stranger to archery-themed villains and has worked closely alongside heroic archers like Green Arrow and Speedy/Arsenal/Red Arrow. Nightwing's gadgets and Hawkeye's trick arrows all but cancel each other out, with Nightwing taking the win due to sheer combat experience.
9 COULDN'T: IRON FIST
Danny Rand may not be known as the top martial artist in the Marvel Universe, but he's not only near the top, but he has the ability to channel his Chi into the powerful art known as the Iron Fist. He has proved time and time again that he is capable of taking down most combatants as well as larger mystical threats as well.
While Nightwing is an expert combatant, he is not considered the best martial artist in the Bat-family, but often makes up for his lack of finesse with his increased agility and acrobatics. Unfortunately, Iron Fist would be able to match him shot for shot in a fight and take the win with his overpowered finisher, the Iron Fist.
8 CAN DEFEAT: DAREDEVIL
Matt Murdock is a highly trained ninja with enhanced senses and balance that compensate for his lack of sight. As the costumed hero Daredevil, he fights crime with his modified billy club, which would match up well with Nightwing's escrima sticks.
The two heroes would make for fairly even-matched combatants, with both sharing similar fighting styles, weapons, and tactics. However, Daredevil's usual go-to of exploiting his opponent's vision wouldn't work as well with Nightwing, who is used to working in the dark. And on the flip side, skilled detective Nightwing could figure out Dardevil's weakness and exploit it easily with a sonic Batarang, taking the win for the Dark Knights.
7 COULDN'T: SPIDER-MAN
Spider-Man has the proportionate abilities of a spider, which makes him much more powerful, fast, and agile than Nightwing. While normally this isn't a problem for Dick Grayson, who has taken on superhuman threats since he was a child.
However, Peter Parker's enhanced agility coupled with his Spider-Sense more than makes up for Nightwing's combat training, and if he didn't take him out with a controlled super-powered punch than Spidey could easily web up Nightwing long enough to deliver a knock-out flick to the head.
6 CAN DEFEAT: PUNISHER
Frank Castle may be the scariest thing the Mob has ever seen in the Marvel Universe, but when it comes to guys with guns, Nightwing is an expert. He's been fighting gangsters and hitman since he was a kid in his underoos, so bullets he can handle without much trouble.
Of course, the Punisher is a brilliant combat tactician and grizzled war vet, so this would be a bloody knock-down fight once each of their respective toys were removed from play. Punisher's moral code may allow him to go for the more violent attacks in battle, but Nightwing's moral determination and agility would win him this fight in close quarters combat.
5 COULDN'T: CYCLOPS
We've discussed that Nightwing is a skilled tactician that has helped him lead a number of successful teams over the years. However, in a battle of tactics and strategy with the X-Men's leader Cyclops, Nightwing might find himself in a learning situation.
Not only could Cyclops take the win with a well-thought-out battle-strategy, but his powerful optic blasts also outdo any of Dick's gadgets. Mix that with Cyclops' proven determination and willingness to do anything to accomplish his goals, and Nightwing's finished before he can even get close enough to outfight Scott Summers.
4 CAN DEFEAT: LUKE CAGE
Much like Nightwing, Luke Cage is a defender of his city and community. The super-strong bulletproof Avenger may usually be considered a ground-level hero, he has also worked alongside the best of the best to save the world.
Cage definitely overpowers Nightwing in this battle if he gets his hands on him, however, Dick's years of experience against powerhouses like Bane and Killer Croc have given him experience against tanks like Cage. Nightwing dodges around Cage long enough to figure out his weakness (even bulletproof heroes need to breathe) and gas him out of the fight.
3 COULDN'T: WOLVERINE
The mutant berserker known as Wolverine is the best he is at what he does, and what he does isn't very nice. However, he's also a samurai with a code of honor that has lived for decades to acquire a number of skill sets and training.
Not only is it likely that Wolverine would be able to outfight Nightwing in an honorable battle among heroes, but it's equally as likely that Logan could be pushed into a berserker rage and win the fight with claws instead. Even if Nightwing could get the upper hand on Wolverine, Logan's healing factor keeps him coming back until Nightwing can't throw another punch.
2 CAN DEFEAT: MOON KNIGHT
Moon Knight is often referred to as Marvel's take on the Batman, which makes his matchup with Nightwing a little too perfect. And as similar to Batman that Moon Knight might be in some ways, his extreme differences in character and fighting ability would give Nightwing the advantage.
In essence, Moon Knight is a highly trained mercenary with detrimental supernatural ties and mental illness. While he might rate as Marvel's Batman, Nightwing would prove he doesn't even rate as Marvel's Robin by taking him out with all-around better combat, gadgets, and training.
1 COULDN'T: DEADPOOL
Much like Nightwing's battle with Wolverine, Deadpool's healing factor would prove to be a big problem for Nightwing to deal with. Even though Dick isn't known for his killing strikes, Deadpool's pain tolerance alone would limit Nightwing's non-lethal defenses and hinder him during the battle.
Even without Deadpool's healing factor, he is a highly trained assassin who is also incredibly unpredictable in battle. And while Dick may have kicked off the art of distracting your opponents with banter as Robin, Deadpool has mastered the art. And considering Deadpool's fourth wall abilities, he'd probably even take out Nightwing with a crowbar or push him off a trapeze, just to add insult to injury.