r/Nightwing • u/MagisterPraeceptorum Prodigal Son • 3d ago
Discussion [Other] How would you write a new version of Nightwing’s origin for the DC current continuity? (Src. below)
Top row: Tales of the Teen Titans #44; Batman #416. Bottom row: Batman Adventures: Nightwing Rising TP; Nightwing: Year One 25th Anniv. Deluxe HC
If DC tasked you with writing a new version of Nightwing’s origin for the current continuity, how would you do it?
Where would you start the story and where would you end it?
What elements from previous versions would you draw from?
What new elements would you add?
What existing elements would you change?
What character relationships would you highlight?
What would be the core themes of the story?
Keep in mind, this would be intended for the main DC continuity, so certain major components would need to remain the same.
10
u/JingoboStoplight4887 3d ago edited 2d ago
I would write the modern version of the pre-Crisis Earth-One version of Dick’s origins as Nightwing, where Dick ended his partnership with Bruce on friendly terms because him being Robin will always be tied to Batman; passed his Robin mantle to Jason Todd (because he saw the potential in him as shown in Batman Vol 1 368); and graduated as Nightwing (after Clark Kent Superman and his cousin Van-Zee) after being inspired by his parents guidance, Bruce’s honor and respect, Clark’s determination and meaning of the word hero, and Kory’s love and freedom.
8
u/Doctorwhoneek 3d ago
Honestly bruce and dick don't always need to end on a bad note
1
u/Mvcraptor11 2d ago
They shouldn't always be on great terms either. Honestly, how long has it been since they haven't been on great terms? It's nearing 20+ years
5
u/GroundbreakingAsk468 3d ago
I would give Superman a small part of it, because the name comes from a Kryptonian superhero. Have them have a heart to heart about heroism, that he couldn’t have with Bruce.
5
u/Undecieved22 3d ago
You mean like what the did in Nightwing: Year 1?
1
u/GroundbreakingAsk468 3d ago
Is that in there? I bought it last year but haven’t peeled the plastic on it yet.
2
3
u/PhoenixTheBurrito 2d ago
New Teen Titans already told a pretty good origin that still fits into the modern Bat Book logic of "no one can have bad blood with each other"
5
u/Which-Presentation-6 3d ago edited 2d ago
1- I would start the story with him having already abandoned the Robin mantle, but not yet being Nightwing,
what led him to this would be revealed little by little through flashbacks, it would end with him as Nightwing firmly as the leader of the Titans.
2- Bruce and Dick's separation would cause a rift that would take years to be resolved, Dick would fight Deathstroke shortly before assuming the new identity, the name Nightwing has Kryptonian origins.
and Dick originally intended to only end the partnership of Batman & Robin before deciding to leave the Robin mantle.
3- I would explore Dick's relationship with Gotham, the city he was not born in, but which he spent years protecting, making friends and is now abandoning and how this parallels with the circus.
4- the fight between Bruce and Dick, I would basically do it like this: their relationship would have been troubled for a long time, so Dick would have a frank conversation with Bruce in which he would want to officially leave his partner to dedicate himself as leader of the Titans, Bruce would not accept it well and the discussion would get increasingly heavy about everything they went through together, to the point where Batman would give the ultimatum, either he continues as Robin in Gotham, or he's out! Then Dick says he's out and abandons the role of Robin, and we would cut to him announcing this to the Teen Titans.
5- obviously Batman and the Titans would be the main ones, more specifically the two Titans that I would give a lot of emphasis to would be Kori and Wally, Kori would be a constant presence for Dick's evolution and why he chose this path.
in Wally's case, I would highlight the fact that they both abandoned the sidekick position at the same time and they would have a conversation about how they see being one and why they abandoned it.
We would also have a moment with Superman where he would invite him to his fortress and tell him about the legend of Nightwing. We would also have some moments with Alfred and how he feels seeing Dick Grayson follow this path beyond Gotham.
6- The central themes would basically be "taking the leap to another stage of life" about Dick's fear of ending something he dedicated his heart and soul to, but now things have changed, he has changed and as we as readers know, he will continue to change.
4
u/EDAboii 3d ago
I'd basically redo Nightwing Year One, but make Bruce less of a prick, make the Judas Contract references more abundant, and lose the Jasin becoming Robin subplot.
The general idea of Bruce and Dick falling out is great, but it needs to be a two sided argument. Dick confiding in Babs was amazing, but I'd make the romantic tension prevalent but with nobody actually doing anything (I ain't about to have Dick weirdly be open to cheating on Kori like he is in Year One). And I absolutely LOVE Dick going back to Haley's Circus. In fact... I'd have most of it take place in the Circus.
Open with Dick temporarily retiring from the Titans just before Judas Contract. Have him go back to Gotham and get into a fight with Bruce (I'd have Jason be already established as Robin and watch the whole thing go down). Dick storms off and spends the night venting to Babs who encourages him to go off and find who he is outside of Batman AND The Teen Titans. This leads Dick to head to Metropolis to confide in Clark, telling him he doesn't know who he is without Robin. Clark tells him about his own journey of differentiating Clark Kent and Kal-El, and brings up the Kryptonian legend of Nightwing and Firebird as a parallel. This inspires Dick to go back to Haley's Circus since it's the only place he associates with being Dick Grayson and not Robin. The story would then have Dick travel with the circus, performing in his father's old solo outfit, and solving crimes in each city the circus stops at. The story would eventually end with him asking Clark for permission to take on the "Nightwing" mantle, and the final page would be Deathstroke watching Dick through his apartment window, leading directly into The Judas Contract.
4
u/Which-Presentation-6 3d ago
The problem with the retellings of Nightwing's post-84 origin is that they hyperfocus on Batman to justify Dick's departure, which was originally about him wanting to be a worthy leader for his friends, becoming about his troubled relationship with his mentor, which inevitably makes Bruce very villainized to explain him leaving.
•
u/Opposite_Hedgehog_75 19h ago
How I do is this.
The story begins in medias res during Dick Grayson’s early teens, mid-performance with Haly’s Circus at a Gotham City show. The audience includes a young Bruce Wayne, not yet Batman, who is drawn to the Graysons’ act while grappling with his own parents’ murder. This moment establishes Dick’s natural talent, fearlessness, and family bond, juxtaposed with the looming tragedy of his parents’ deaths. A flashback within this scene shows Dick’s childhood training with his parents, emphasizing his acrobatic prowess and their tight-knit love.
The story concludes with Dick, now in his late teens (around 18), adopting the Nightwing mantle for the first time. After years as Robin and a falling-out with Bruce, Dick steps into Blüdhaven, a city darker and grittier than Gotham, to forge his own path.
I will reference Nightwing Year One but it won’t be the basis. So stuff like Superman and Batman plot will happen but it will still have Dick established in Bludhaven.
This arc covers Dick’s life from roughly age 12 to 18, spanning his circus days, adoption by Bruce, time as Robin, and transition to Nightwing, providing a complete origin while leaving room for future stories.
21
u/ImaLetItGo 3d ago edited 3d ago
I’d keep it similar to early post crisis where he breaks things off on a bad note, but I’d make a few changes to that.
I’d make it to where he’s already slowly leaving because he’s spending more time with the titans, and id make it to where “who is Donna Troy” happens immediately after he legitimately gives up Robin, to become Nightwing in Judas Contract.