The following article contains spoilers from Future State: Gotham #16, on sale now.

Nightwing goes on the offensive against the Bat Family in Future State: Gotham #16 while using a dangerously large dosage of the performance-boosting drug brane to elevate his abilities.

Dick's battle against Red Hood, Tim Drake, and his other allies reaches an apex in the issue as the Bat-Family duel on a rooftop. After Tim tells Dick that his reliance on brane is turning him into a monster, Nightwing activates a panel on his Batsuit and injects himself with an elevated load of the drug. In an instant, he transforms into a seemingly superhuman being who easily knocks down his comrades. When Barbara Gordon asks him what he has become, Dick only mutters: "What I needed to be."

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Dick Grayson's reliance on brane kicked off in Future State: Gotham #13 when the former Boy Wonder built a system in his suit to automatically dose himself. The drug has given Dick psychic visions and convinced him that becoming Batman is the only way to save Gotham City, but it has also shown signs of hampering his emotions and even cutting off his ability to feel love.

Which Bat-Family Member Will Win in DC's Future State?

Future State: Gotham's current story arc features five individuals dressed as Batman in a war against each other -- Bruce Wayne, Damian Wayne, Jace Fox, Nightwing, and Hush, who has altered his face to appear like Bruce. Aside from Nightwing's tumultuous transformation, Issue #16 also featured Damian Wayne -- who has turned into the deadly Batman 666 and been manipulated by Hush -- undergoing a breakdown and threatening to kill all other wearers of the Batman cowl.

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Bruce Wayne, long assumed dead after the events of the 2021 limited series Future State: Dark Detective, arrives with Talia al Ghul at the last moment to try to talk his son down, but between Damian's anger and Nightwing's increased reliance on brane, the original Dark Knight has his work cut out for him when it comes to sorting out his sidekicks.

Set in a possible dystopian future spinning out of DC's Future State event from early 2021, Future State: Gotham explores a world where Bruce Wayne is presumed dead and the Magistrate, a shady technology and paramilitary company, has taken over Gotham City.

Written by Dennis Culver, illustrated by Geoffo and lettered by Troy Peteri, Future State: Gotham #16 is on sale now from DC.