The following contains major spoilers from Nightwing #91, on sale now from DC Comics.
For much of his life, Dick Grayson has been in the shadow of his mentor and adoptive father, Bruce Wayne. As Batman's original Robin, the Boy Wonder was essentially seen as a lighter version of the Caped Crusader even though his athletic skills and fighting style complemented his partner. As Nightwing, however, Grayson has gradually come closer to matching the skill of his teacher, and in at least one area appears to have matched the level of his teacher.
In Nightwing #91(by Tom Taylor, Geraldo Borges and Adriano Lucas) a different side of Grayson is highlighted: his incredibly strategic methodology. After being targeted by an organization of assassins, Grayson makes a series of strategic decisions that prove his planning and scheming to be on par with that of his cowled predecessor. What's more, it seems to set him up as the successor to Batman's strategist role within the Justice League as he coordinates a worldwide offensive against a criminal organization.
Nightwing Turned an Assassin Organization on Its Head
Since Dick Grayson announced his intention to clean up Blüdhaven, he has become the constant subject of assassination attempts. In Nightwing #91, however, Grayson is finally able to figure who is responsible for sending the assassins after him. In this issue, he and his allies track down La Agente Fúnebre, a person who even Batman believes to be a myth.
After tracking down the mastermind, Dick brings her down and clears out her complex with the help of his former Teen Titans teammate Wally West, aka the Flash. The two then uncover La Agente Fúnebre's connections, which Wally immediately moves to disband. Nightwing, however, insists that they not do so. Instead, Grayson suggests using the connections to set up false assassination attempts across the world, setting up the killers to be apprehended by other heroes.
Nightwing's Strategy is Clearly Justice League Level
Naturally, nearly every superpowered person uses some element of strategy to effectively manage their resources. However, using these abilities on such a large scale is generally reserved for the team strategists, and Nightwing's recent actions line up with this. From a small-scale, spur-of-the-moment strategic decision in the previous issue to a wide-ranging one in this issue, Grayson has proven to be a strategist on a level that rivals his mentor.
As the cowl comes up for grabs in coming issues, Nightwing and the Batman of New York will almost certainly come head-to-head. Even though Jace Fox's Batman is certainly a brilliant fighter and strategist, the level of connections and strategy that Nightwing has demonstrated may very well surpass him. Regardless, Nightwing has proven that the knowledge he gained from Bruce Wayne reaches far beyond merely fighting and he has, in fact, adopted one of the Dark Knight's most valuable skills for himself.