10 Things You Never Knew About Dick Grayson - CBR

Dick Grayson debuted in Detective Comics #38, created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson, and quickly became just as popular as his dynamic partner, Batman. Eighty years later, through multiple secret identities and important roles in the DC Comics universe, the original Robin remains an endearing character and an essential part of Batman lore.

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Most fans know the highlights of Dick Grayson's life and career, from forming the Teen Titans, to ditching his Robin suit in favor of the Nightwing costume, to continuing the Batman legacy with Damian Wayne's Robin. However, there are some more obscure, mundane facts about the original Boy Wonder that some fans may be unaware of.

Updated on September 16, 2022 by Cole Kennedy: Dick Grayson was the original Robin and one of the first superheroes ever created. With each passing year, details about the famous sidekick's life and career become a little more obscure, and even more facts are added to the character's lore.

10 Dick Grayson's Age As Robin Fluctuates Between Reboots

How old was Dick Grayson when he originally became Robin? This answer actually varies depending on which comic book era fans look at. When he first became Robin in Detective Comics #38 in 1940, Dick was eight years old, the same age Bruce Wayne usually is when he watched his parents' murders.

After various reboots and retcons, Dick is depicted a little older. In post-Final Crisis comics, he's depicted as 12 years old when he first became the Boy Wonder, while the New 52 depicted Dick as 15. In the DC Rebirth era, the timeline corrects Dick as being roughly eight years old again when he became Robin.

9 Superman Gave Him The Nightwing Name

Dick Grayson didn't invent the Nightwing name when he left Batman's side and wanted to make a name for himself. Instead, Superman actually provided the heroic name for Dick Grayson.

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In Nightwing: Year One by Chuck Dixon, Scott Beatty, Scott McDaniel, and Andy Owens, Batman fires Dick as his sidekick after a mission goes awry. Dick approaches Superman for advice, so Supes tells Dick a tale about a Kryptonian who fought for justice despite being an outcast. In hopes of proving something to his family and to others, he fought crime. That Kryptonian's name was Nightwing and Dick liked it enough to adopt it for himself.

8 Superman Was The Original Nightwing

Superman gave Dick Grayson his new superhero alias in Nightwing: Year One, referencing Superman #158 by Edmond Hamilton, Curt Swan, and George Klein. The arc in question saw Superman and Jimmy Olsen landed on the planet Kandor, the former without his powers. To survive the law of the land, they became the law.

They created new superhero identities for themselves during their stay: Jimmy Olsen became Flamebird while Superman became Nightwing. They were eventually rescued by Batman and Robin, but a young Dick Grayson may have liked the name Nightwing enough for it to stick with him years after the fact.

7 Nightwing Eliminated Superpowers In The New Order

Image via DC Comics

Nightwing was a very different character in the alternate universe of Nightwing: The New Order. The DC multiverse story, created by Kyle Higgins, Trevor McCarthy, Dean White, and Clayton Cowles, sees Dick Grayson eliminate all superpowers in the world, depowering heroes and villains alike after their power levels grow beyond control.

The miniseries only lasted six issues, so some fans may have missed it. The series offered a stark departure from the Dick Grayson longtime fans know and love. However, when Dick learns that his child possesses superpowers, he faces a dilemma that sparks the book's main conflict.

6 Dick Grayson Speaks Multiple Languages

For a boy who was born and raised in a circus, Dick Grayson is a little more well-versed in the languages of multiple countries than readers would expect. Perhaps touring the country in Haly's Circus introduced the young hero to different cultures.

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Because he comes from a Romany background, Dick speaks that language fluently, as he also does English. Dick also speaks fluent Spanish, French, Russian, Swahili, Cantonese, Mandarin, and Tamaranean; the language of his popular romantic partner, Starfire. Dick put this skill to good use as a secret agent of Spyral in the New 52.

5 Dick Created The Para-Cape As The New Batman

The Para-Cape refers to the cape Batman wears which allows him to glide across the sky from building to building without the dependency of a grapple gun. The cape has become a staple of Batman lore and for multiple Batman costumes, but was only introduced during the late 2000's. Batman famously uses this technology throughout The Dark Knight trilogy.

The first time that fans saw a Para-Cape was in the Final Crisis comic, where, in a world where Bruce Wayne is presumed dead, Dick Grayson takes up the cowl for himself. After becoming Batman, he introduced some new gadgets, one of which was the Para-Cape.

4 Dick Served As A Blüdhaven Police Officer

In Chuck Dixon's Nightwing miniseries from 1996, Dick Grayson traveled to Blüdhaven to kick off his heroic career away from Batman's looming shadow. Nightwing helped the city while the sun went down, but Dick felt he could serve the city 24/7.

In hopes of defending the city in both his crime fighting and mild-mannered lives, Dick Grayson became a police officer for the Blüdhaven Police Department. At the time, Dick didn't have the resources of Wayne Enterprises to make a difference, so he decided to serve justice on two fronts. In modern Nightwing comics, Dick has the resources of a large company.

3 Dick Grayson Owns Haly's Circus

Haly's Circus is the place where Dick Grayson was born and raised during his pre-Robin days when he and his parents performed as The Flying Graysons. Their troupe came to a premature end when his parents were murdered at that same circus. Readers presumed that Dick turned his back completely on the circus in favor of fighting crime, but that was not quite the case.

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Years later, after Mr. Haly decided to sell the property, Dick bought the circus as a co-owner. He keeps the business operating from afar, ensuring that his parents' legacy lives on, mimicking Bruce's dedication to Wayne Enterprises to honor his own parents' legacies.

2 Nightwing Trained Deathstroke's Daughter

Ever since the two first crossed paths in the comic books, Dick Grayson and Deathstroke have always been depicted as arch-rivals. Ironically, Dick actually trained Deathstroke's daughter in combat, complicating their antagonistic relationship even further.

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Deathstroke decided to sick his equally-skilled daughter Rose after Dick. Nightwing sparked Rose's heroic nature and instilled her with a truer moral compass. Nightwing trained Rose and created a powerful ally who even joined the Teen Titans following the events of the "One Year Later" storyline.

1 Nightwing Has A Dog Named Bitewing

Tom Taylor's Nightwing run is one of the best comic book runs of the last decade. Dick Grayson is such a fun, relatable character and Taylor accentuates his best qualities. After returning to Blüdhaven, Dick uses every resource at his disposal to heal the city he's called home for years. While on patrol, Nightwing rescues a three-legged puppy.

He names the puppy Haley, most likely honoring Haly's circus, but the dog quickly receives the heroic name of Bitewing. Bitewing has since become the lovable mascot of the series, even joining Nightwing, Batgirl and Robin on several adventures.

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