The following article contains spoilers from DC vs. Vampires: All Out War #1, on sale now.
Azrael's introduction and resurrection in the new vampire world order brought an update to the status quo with it. In DC vs. Vampires: All Out War #1 (Alex Paknadel, Matthew Rosenbery, Pasquale Qualano, Nicola Righi, and Troy Peteri), he referred to Nightwing as "the Gray Sun," a new name for the vampire king. This new title, however, has ties to Dick Grayson's family history. It is eerily similar to a term bestowed upon his grandfather, setting the Graysons on the path to the Court of Owls.
In the present sense, the term Gray Sun refers to Nightwing darkening the skies and may even have some other hidden meaning as yet revealed. However, in Gotham's past, nearly a century ago, Dick Grayson's great-grandfather, William Cobb, bestowed the title of "Gray Son of Gotham" onto his newborn child. Cobb, a Talon in the Court of Owls, intended the same for his son.
The term Gray Son originates from William's troubled past. Having been poor most of his life and working as a circus performer, William found a chance for happiness in Amelia Crowne, the daughter of a member of Gotham's elite. The two fell in love and intended to marry. However, Amelia's father intervened, deeming William unworthy of his daughter. The couple became pregnant anyway, but Amelia's father separated the two, denying William the chance to be a father and forcing Amelia into an arranged marriage.
This coincided with the beginning of William's tenure as the Court's latest Talon. Not wishing to let Amelia's family raise his son, he snuck into their house in the middle of the night and absconded with the child. Handing him off to Haly's Circus, he demanded that they prepare the child to follow in his footsteps and become "the Gray Son of Gotham," a mix of two worlds that seem intent on staying separate.
Now though, the name has taken on a new meaning. Still, some of the original intention remains. Nightwing has become a monster, one who left his humanity behind. He couldn't be further from what his great-grandfather intended. However, one can also argue that, like his grandfather, Nightwing fulfills the promise of binding two worlds together. He has brought vampires out of hiding and into the public. There were catastrophic consequences for this, but it still changed the world.
It seems unlikely, though, that Gray Sun intends to level the playing field. Instead, he has become focused solely on the survival of his species and, as such, is more than happy to tear down humanity once was to get what he wants. Like his great-grandfather, he cruelly and ruthlessly eliminates any potential threats. Still, he has also become the very thing William despised so much about the world. Grayson is now a tyrant, lording his power and privilege over all without concern for anyone in his way.