Geoff Johns Explains Why Titans' Robin Isn't Nightwing

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Geoff Johns Explains Why Titans' Robin Isn't Nightwing - Yet

By Sam Stone

Published Nov 2, 2018

Titans executive producer and writer Geoff Johns reveals there was talk to have Dick Grayson start as Nightwing on Titans before keeping him as Robin.

As the star and most recognizable character on DC Universe's Titans series, Dick Grayson appears on the live-action show as Robin, the Boy Wonder, despite his falling out with Batman before the events of the series premiere.

In the comics, Grayson went on to adopt to Nightwing persona after parting ways with his mentor while the series has him retain her alter ego as Robin after the split. Executive producer and writer Geoff Johns reveals there were talks to potentially have Grayson begin the series as Nightwing instead and provides the rationale for having him continue to fight crime as Robin despite ending his association acrimoniously with Batman.

"We talked a lot about starting Dick Grayson as Nightwing," admitted Johns in an interview with DC Comics' official blog. "We all got to a point where we're going to miss and hop over what I think is a really interesting period of Dick Grayson's life where he left Batman and he was struggling to find a new identity and who he was."

At the start of the series, Grayson is relatively unsure of himself out of the shadow of his mentor with his colleagues describing him as difficult to work with and possessing anger issues. Johns indicated that as Grayson's live without Batman stabilizes, he may adopt the Nightwing persona.

"We took a sliver of the comics that dealt with Dick Grayson post-Batman a little bit and amplified that even more, exploring what that period for Dick Grayson was really like," Johns continued. "Nightwing is such a stable, confident, emotionally-balanced character; he's Dick Grayson when he's found his place in the world. We wanted to build up to him becoming Nightwing."

Now streaming on DC Universe, Titans stars Brenton Thwaites as Robin, Anna Diop as Starfire, Teagan Croft as Raven, Ryan Potter as Beast Boy, Alan Ritchson as Hawk, and Minka Kelly as Dove. A new episode premieres every Friday on the premium streaming service.