Summary
- Nightwing’s worst fear is killing Batman, as he believes he is capable of surpassing and defeating the Dark Knight.
- Nightwing would use Bane’s tactics of not giving Batman a chance to react or recover in order to kill him.
- Nightwing’s deep subconscious acknowledges that he is the one hero who could potentially put Batman down for good.
Warning! Contains Spoilers For Knight Terrors: Nightwing #2!Batman isn’t always the easiest person to get along with, and his relationship with his children, like Nightwing, can be strained at the best of times. But it probably doesn’t help the relationship that not only does Nightwing believe he can kill Batman, he knows exactly how he’d do it.
The DC Universe has recently been plunged into an unending nightmare by the power of Insomnia, a brand-new villain with control over the Nightmare Realm. While Insomnia searches for the Nightmare Stone, he has trapped villains and heroes in their worst nightmares. For some characters, like Joker, this is as simple as living a mundane life. But other characters, like Nightwing, are trapped in a horrifying version of Arkham Asylum, locked up after having murdered Batman. Nightwing doesn’t remember doing this at first, but over time, his memories seem to come back, and Nightwing not only accepts he’d be capable of beating Bruce in a fight, he knows exactly how he’d do it. This plan was seen in Knight Terrors: Nightwing #2 by Becky Cloonan, Michael W. Conrad, Daniele Di Nicuolo, and Adriano Lucas.
Nightwing’s Worst Fear Is Killing Batman
Batman has taken in a ton of people over the years and trained each of them to be better versions of the Dark Knight. Accordingly, Dick Grayson is just as skilled, but also beloved and almost universally trusted by every hero, and even some villains. This is a stark contrast to Batman’s reputation, with even members of the Justice League not trusting him much. This is a clear example of an area Dick surpasses Batman in, but it’s not the only area, as it’s been shown that Nightwing is a better fighter than Batman too (though just barely.) It’s not all that surprising; Batman trained Nightwing and taught him everything he knows, but Nightwing was also tutored by other heroes, from Superman to the Teen Titans. Nightwing’s nightmare shows that unlike some other figures in Batman’s life, he doesn’t fear Bruce – his greatest fear is actually surpassing and killing the Dark Knight. Dick’s acceptance of this dream-like world shows that deep down, he believes it’s possible.
Nightwing Uses Bane’s Tactics to Kill Batman
Nightwing knows that one of Batman’s biggest strengths is his ability to prepare and control the fight. That’s why when Nightwing killed Batman in this nightmare world, he admits he did it by not giving Batman a moment to react or recover. This makes sense as Nightwing’s acrobat background means speed and agility are areas where he has an advantage over Batman. Interestingly, these are also the tactics Bane used when he famously ‘broke the bat.’ Bane freed the occupants of Arkham Asylum and turned them on Batman before their fight, wearing him down with a constant gauntlet of combat. While Nightwing believes he could win this fight by himself, he uses the same logic, and truthfully this tactic would work with his fellow heroes in the place of Gotham’s villains: in a situation where Nightwing asked for back-up to stop Bruce, Dick Grayson is far more beloved and trusted by the majority of DC’s heroes, and could likely unite them to exhaust Batman’s energy and contingency plans.
Batman is one of the most legendary heroes in comic books, but he is still just a man and is beatable. Having trained a young acrobat in everything he knows, Batman has created the one hero who could put him down for good – and deep in his subconscious, Nightwing knows it.
Knight Terrors: Nightwing #2 is on sale now from DC Comics!