Warning! Spoilers for From the DC Vault: Death in the Family - Robin Lives! #4!Bruce Wayne can't be Batman forever, and when he finally needs to retire or isn't available for the role, he turns to Nightwing. Dick Grayson has "played" Batman a few different times, but he's never managed to get a Batsuit that really reflects his own sense of style - until now.
Jason Todd's death was a major event that changed the lives of pretty much everyone in the Bat-Family, and recently DC explored what would have happened if Robin had never died at the hands of the Joker. The series concludes with From the DC Vault: Death in the Family - Robin Lives! #4by J.M. DeMatteis, Rick Leonardi, Rico Renzi, and Taylor Esposito, in which Dick Grayson takes over as Batman with a Nightwing-inspired Batsuit.
One of the most significant changes in this timeline was that Bruce Wayne retired from the role of Batman. Unwilling to leave Gotham City without a Batman, Bruce passes the mantle to Dick Grayson, who not only becomes Gotham's newest protector but manages to get an awesome new version of the Batsuit with a Nightwing-like blue base.
Dick Grayson's Batman Gets a Nightwing Twist in His Own Neverending Joker Battle
A Twisted Legacy For Batman's Greatest Heirs
Dick Grayson has taken over for Batman a few times, most notably during the events of the Prodigal event and during the time Batman was presumed dead after Final Crisis by Grant Morrison and J.G. Jones. Both times Dick wasn't really able to make the suit his own, just wearing a classic black and gray outfit, much the same as what Bruce wore during his time under the cowl. While there have been a few suit variations in alternate universes, such as one suit that had a blue bat symbol on it to signify it was Nightwing, he's really gotten to make the suits truly his own in this dark timeline.
There are a few major rules that Batman expects every member of the Bat-Family to live by, and Nightwing just broke a major one to save the world.
Considering that Bruce Wayne fully intends to completely quit the role of Batman in this universe, this gives Nightwing the freedom to customize his Batsuit however he wants. Instead of the drab gray and black that's needed to keep up the appearance of Batman, Dick customizes it with an overall blue color scheme, as well as a fantastic play on the Bat-symbol that attaches to his cape. Not only that, but the "mask" part of the cowl is styled as a bat symbol, mimicking the face mask that Dick wore as Nightwing. It's a beautiful suit and one that truly feels like Dick has made Batman his own identity.
Dick Grayson Finally Has His Own Nightwing-Inspired Batsuit
Dick Finally Made the Batman Identity Completely His
Passing down a mantle is a tricky thing. Often, writers and artists need to balance making sure the person in the costume is visually distinct from their predecessor, but they also still have to look similar enough to be recognizable. Dick acted as Batman for several years in DC's main continuity, and during that time, he was almost indistinguishable from how Bruce looked. While that worked for the main universe, it's nice to see what it would look like if Nightwing fully leaned into becoming Batman.
From the DC Vault: Death in the Family - Robin Lives! #4 is available now from DC Comics.
Nightwing is the superhero moniker taken up by Dick Grayson, upon his aging out of the Robin role and becoming a superhero of his own. Inspired by the original Kryptonian hero of the same name, Grayson has risen to comic book immortality with the identity, earning respect as one of the greatest leaders in the DC Universe.
Created By Edmond Hamilton , Curt Swan , Marv Wolfman , George Perez
Alias Dick Grayson
Alliance Teen Titans, Titans, Outsiders, Justice League, Batman Inc., Birds of Prey, Young Justice
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