Dick Grayson

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Dick Grayson
Dick Grayson, as he appeared on a variant cover of Nightwing #107 (October 2023). Art by Dan Mora.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	As Robin: Detective Comics #38 (April 1940) As Nightwing: Tales of the Teen Titans #44 (July 1984) As Batman: Robin #0 (October 1994) As Target: Nightwing: The Target #1 (September 2001) As Agent 37: Grayson #1 (July 2014)
Created by	Bill Finger (writer) Bob Kane (artist) Jerry Robinson (illustrator)
In-story information
Full name	Richard John "Dick" Grayson
Species	Human
Team affiliations	Justice League Teen Titans Outsiders Batman Incorporated Batman Family Spyral[1] Justice League Task Force
Partnerships	Bruce Wayne Lance Bruner Barbara Gordon Donna Troy Damian Wayne Koriand'r Roy Harper Helena Bertinelli Tim Drake Wally West Jesse Chambers Kara Zor-El Rose Wilson Joseph Wilson
Notable aliases	Robin Nightwing Batman Target Agent 37 Renegade Red Robin Talon Deadman Aerial Avenger The Boy Wonder Ric Grayson[2]
Abilities	Peak human physical and mental condition Genius-level intellect Expert strategist, tactician, and field commander Expert detective Expert acrobat, gymnast, and aerialist Expert martial artist, hand-to-hand combatant, and stick fighter Utilizes various high-tech equipment and weapons (similar to Batman's)

Richard "Dick" Grayson is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Batman, Teen Titans and Justice League. Created by writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane, he first appeared in Detective Comics #38 in April 1940 as the original and most popular incarnation of Robin, Batman's crime-fighting partner. He is also the oldest child of Bruce Wayne, Batman's alter ego, being the first child to be adopted by Batman. In Tales of the Teen Titans #44 (July 1984), the character, after becoming a young adult, retires his role as Robin and assumes the superhero persona of Nightwing (created by Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez). Grayson has donned the cape and cowl to replace Bruce Wayne as Batman. His most notable spell as Batman followed Bruce Wayne's supposed death in Final Crisis, and sees Grayson adopt Damian Wayne, Bruce's biological son and his adoptive younger brother, as his Robin.

The youngest in a family of acrobats known as the "Flying Graysons", Grayson witnesses a mafia boss named Tony Zucco kill his parents to extort money from the circus that employed them. After the tragic murder, Bruce Wayne takes Grayson in as his legal ward and trains him to become his crime-fighting partner Robin, The Boy Wonder. He is written by many authors as the first son of Batman.^[3] As well as being Batman's crime-fighting partner, Grayson has a history of working closely with former Batgirl Barbara Gordon and would establish himself as the leader of the Teen Titans, DC's first team of teenage superheroes. As a young man, he retires as Robin and takes on his own superhero identity, becoming "Nightwing". As Nightwing, he continues to lead the Teen Titans, the Titans, and later, the Outsiders. In the second volume of his eponymous series (1996–2009), he becomes the protector of Blüdhaven, Gotham's economically troubled neighboring city and the locale the character is most closely associated with. He has also been depicted as a protector of Gotham City and New York City, both of which he continues to return to over the years.

Grayson has also taken on the identity of "Batman" on a few occasions. In the aftermath of Batman: Knightfall, he was not offered the role of Batman while Wayne was recovering from a broken back because he felt that Nightwing was a hero in his own right and not Batman's understudy, but after the events of the Zero Hour miniseries later that year, Grayson temporarily fills in as Batman, beginning in Robin (Vol. 2) #0 (1994) and extending throughout the Batman: Prodigal storyline in 1995. Grayson again assumes the mantle following the events of "Batman R.I.P." (2008) and Final Crisis (2008–2009), when Bruce Wayne is presumed dead. As Batman, he moves back to Gotham City and takes on Damian Wayne, who becomes the fifth Robin, as his crime-fighting partner. He also becomes the leader of the Justice League, joined by longtime teammate Donna Troy. Following Wayne's return, both men simultaneously maintain the Batman identity.

In 2011, Grayson returned to the Nightwing identity with DC's New 52 publishing event. In 2014, he abandons the Nightwing identity to serve as Agent 37, Batman's mole in the nefarious spy organization Spyral. He returns to being Nightwing as part of the DC Rebirth relaunch in 2016.

Dick Grayson has appeared as Robin in several other media adaptations: the 1943 serial played by Douglas Croft, the 1949 serial played by Johnny Duncan, the 1966–1968 live action Batman television series and its motion picture portrayed by Burt Ward, and played by Chris O'Donnell in the 1995 film Batman Forever and its 1997 sequel, Batman & Robin. Dick Grayson appeared in the Titans television series for the DC Universe streaming service and HBO Max played by Brenton Thwaites. Loren Lester voiced the character Robin in Batman: The Animated Series and later as Nightwing's first screen adaptation in The New Batman Adventures, Jesse McCartney voices Grayson as both Robin and Nightwing in Young Justice: The Animated Series, Sean Maher voices Nightwing in the DC Animated Movie Universe, and Michael Cera voices an overly cheerful Grayson as Robin in The Lego Batman Movie. In May 2011, IGN ranked Dick Grayson No. 11 on their list of the "Top 100 Super Heroes of All Time".^[4] In 2013, ComicsAlliance ranked Grayson as Nightwing as No. 1 on its list of the "50 Sexiest Male Characters in Comics".^[5]