DC Comics has many very popular characters whose popularity has turned them into pop culture icons. Dick Grayson is one of those characters. The onetime Robin debuted in 1940 and has since been one of DC's most popular characters, eventually coming into his own as Nightwing.
Over the years, Nightwing's proven to be a favorite among fans, constantly starring in his own series for decades now. Since the Infinite Frontier reboot, Nightwing's stature in the DC Universe has definitely risen to places it hasn't been before. Given the reputation he's earned among readers and his fellow heroes alike, one can argue that Nightwing's become DC's main character.
10 Nightwing Is The Most Relatable DC Character
Dick Grayson was introduced as Robin for one reason: to be the reader insert. Comics in the Golden Age were mostly read by children, so introducing Robin gave those kids the illusion that they could hang out with Batman. Entire generations of readers got to live vicariously through Dick Grayson, and this helped them relate to him.
Even as Dick Grayson aged up in the comics, which took decades, he stayed relatable. He was the Everyman character, but that came from more than his lack of his powers. Nightwing was a kind-hearted, hardworking person. He's funny and charming. He stayed a reader insert all of these years because of how human he remained in a world of superhumans.
9 Everyone Respects Nightwing
There's a hierarchy in the DC Universe and it starts with the Trinity. Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman are the pinnacle, but directly below them is Nightwing. However, the Trinity respect and listen to Nightwing as if he was the fourth member of their little group. They've watched him grow up and become a hero they can be proud of.
Nightwing's way less intimidating than the Trinity, which makes the other heroes feel like they can speak to him. He's an S-tier hero who's happy to help anyone and offer advice. He's Superman without the powers, which is a big deal in the DC Universe, and the readers can feel it when they read his adventures.
8 Fans Can Chart Nightwing's Growth Better Than Any Other DC Hero
It took a long time for Nightwing to become an adult, but it's also the most interesting case of evolution in DC Comics. Readers got characters like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the other Golden Age greats fully formed. It was the same with the Silver Age replacements. Nightwing proved different because he started as a kid and grew over the years.
While most fans haven't been able to chart Nightwing's growth in real time, he's grown a lot as a character even in the last forty years. Fans can pick up The New Teen Titans: The Judas Contract, Nightwing: Blüdhaven, Nightwing: Renegade, Grayson, and more and quickly see just how much he's grown.
7 Nightwing Was Batman For A Couple Of Years
Dick Grayson's tenure as Batman was very important to him as a character. He not only trained Damian Wayne as Robin, transforming him into a hero, but he also proved he had what it took on the big stage. Dick Grayson had finally graduated, even leading his own incarnation of the Justice League.
It's been about a decade since Grayson was Batman, but it's still a major part of his character. Seeing as how Batman is DC's golden goose at the moment, the only way the publisher would consider any character to be its main character is if they're Batman related. Nightwing is more than Batman related, so that works in his favor.
6 Nightwing Trained The Next Generation Of Heroes In Titans Academy
Titans Academy was an interesting experiment in DC's ongoing saga of trying to fix the damage done to the Teen Titans by the New 52. It placed a new generation of heroes under the tutelage of members of the New Teen Titans. Front and center was Nightwing, as he'd always been the undisputed leader of the younger generations of heroes.
The Teen Titans have produced amazing heroes. Of these, Nightwing is the most accomplished, so putting him in charge was another show of trust. It was also another step towards legitimizing Nightwing as a bigger player in the DC Universe.
5 Nightwing's Series Gets All The Guest Stars
Nightwing has long been the linchpin of the DC Universe, and the current run of Nightwing has gone a long way towards proving that. A great example of that has been the cameos. Both Supermen, Flash, Batman, and the New Teen Titans have all made appearances in his book in non-crossover event issues.
Likewise, Barbara Gordon is a supporting member of Nightwing's cast, and members of the Bat-Family appeared in his Fear State crossover issue. This is actually pretty rare in modern DC Comics. Most superhero guest stars are of a lower stature or happen in a miniseries or crossover. DC allowing characters to just show up in Nightwing shows how important the character is.
4 Nightwing's Inheritance From Alfred Helped Him Become The Batman Of Blüdhaven
Alfred's death sent shock waves through the Bat-Family. Following this tragic event, Nightwing inherited billions of dollars from the man who was like a father to him. This changed Nightwing's way of doing things forever, as Dick Grayson was now the wealthiest man in Blüdhaven.
Nightwing had always been the city's defender, but with the inheritance, he began doing things he could never do before. He set up charities, created a neighborhood for the poor, and became a savior of the city. Nightwing became a hero like his mentor, proving that he truly was Batman's successor.
3 Superman Had Nightwing Mentor Jon Kent
Jon Kent's run as Superman has proven the young man has chops, but his father knew he would need some guidance. That's where Nightwing came in. Dick Grayson and Superman always had an amazing relationship, and there's no one the Man of Steel trusted to watch over his son more than Nightwing.
Making Nightwing a mentor for the next Superman was another show of just how important he'd become to the DC Universe. This is another level from being the head teacher at Titans Academy. Nightwing mentoring the son of the biggest hero in the DC Universe is massive.
2 Nightwing Has One Of The Few Remaining Ongoing Series At DC
DC as a publisher right now isn't releasing many ongoing series, instead focusing on miniseries and one-shots. All the usual subjects have ongoing series: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Harley Quinn — and Nightwing. Not only that, but it has an A-list creative team of writer Tom Taylor and artist Bruno Redondo. Nightwing is consistently amazing and keeps getting better.
Nightwing is a top title at DC and has an impressive push behind it. That's not always the case with a non-Batman book at DC in its current state, and it says everything about the character's current position at the publisher.
1 Nightwing Received The Most Spotlight In Dark Crisis On Infinite Earths
Dark Crisis On Infinite Earths is DC's big 2022 crossover. The story found the world without a Justice League, meaning the younger heroes had to step up. So far, that's been Jon Kent and Nightwing. Kent tried to form a new Justice League and Nightwing defended his students from Deathstroke's onslaught.
Of the two, Nightwing has received the most character highlights and the most spotlight overall. He's even on the cover of the last issue. Putting Nightwing front and center for DC's biggest story of the year reveals how much of an impact he makes on everyone around him.