Dick Grayson

Richard John "Dick" Grayson is a fictional character from the DC Comics universe. He is the original and most well-known Robin, and as an adult goes on to become the hero Nightwing. At different times he has also taken the mantle of Batman. He appears in many different DC media properties related to Batman, Teen Titans, and Young Justice.
==Canon==
===Comics===
Dick Grayson was introduced in Detective Comics #38 in 1940, and has remained a staple of much of the Batman mythos in the 80 years since.
He was born as the son of John and Mary Grayson, a young aerialist couple, and part of the "Flying Graysons". In his introduction story his parents are murdered and in the process of solving the case of their murder becomes Batman's partner as well as the ward of Batman's alter ego Bruce Wayne. Later the character was used with other mentored characters in the Teen Titans title, where Dick as Robin took a leading role. His role as part of the Teen Titans later leads to a split between him and Batman and he goes on to become the hero Nightwing. He was popular enough to get his own ongoing book as Nightwing in 1996.
During the Prodigal Son story line and later during the events of Batman Reborn, when Bruce Wayne was thought to be dead, Dick also took on the costumed identity of his mentor.
===Batman (1966)===
In the three-season TV series and 1966 spin-off feature film, Batman, the Dick Grayson version of Robin was portrayed by Burt Ward. He later provided the voice for animated versions of the character, and the actor's likeness was used in tie-in comics and crossover mini-series.
===Burtonverse===
Dick Grayson first appeared in the 1995's Batman Forever, portrayed by Chris O'Donnell. He takes on the persona of Robin after his parents and older brother was murdered by Two-Face at the annual Gotham Circus. He discovers Bruce Wayne's identity as Batman, he joins Bruce in crime-fighting. O'Donnell reprised the role in the 1997's sequel, Batman & Robin where Robin has grown frustrated with playing second fiddle to Batman and feels held back as his overconfidence causes Batman not to trust him.
===DC Animated Universe / Batman: The Animated Series===
In the 1990s animated series we see Dick's transition from Robin to Nightwing, and Tim Drake becomes the second Robin. Dick is also in a romantic relationship with Barbara Gordon (Batgirl).
===Teen Titans (2003 cartoon)===
Dick is Robin in this series, and he is the leader of the Teen Titans. His main love interest is Starfire, this relationship will later become canonical. 
===The Batman (2004 animated series)===
Dick is a young boy in the series, and features a similar background to the comics in that Dick is adopted by Bruce Wayne. The biggest change in the series is that Barbara Gordon as Batgirl becomes Batman's sidekick first, before Dick becomes Robin.
===Young Justice (2010)===
Dick is Robin at the beginning of the series, and was the leader of the team at one point, but later steps down. After a five year time-skip, Dick has transitioned to the persona of Nightwing, and takes more of a supporting role.
===Titans (2018 TV series)===
===Other===
*Arkhamverse - Nightwing is a supporting character in the Batman: Arkham video game series, and is a playable character in an Arkham Knight DLC.
*Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010) - Dick Grayson, and his Nightwing identity, is featured in the film as a supporting character. He returns with additional scenes in the interactive movie Batman: Death in the Family (2020).
*Harley Quinn: The Animated Series
*Gotham Knights (2022) - Nightwing is one of the playable protagonists of the 2022 video game Gotham Knights.
==Fanon and common tropes in fan works==
*Bruce Wayne: exploring his relationship with his adoptive parent, be it positive or contentious 
*Batfamily: focusing on his interactions with the other members of the extended Batfamily
**Robins: concentrating on his relationship with the other Robins, Jason, Tim, and Damian, often with him taking on a mentoring or protective role, sometimes to the extent of being a doting mother hen. Although, sometimes these roles can become combative, especially as his brothers mature and want to choose their own paths
*Officer Grayson: Fandom loves a sexy man in uniform. Dick joined the police academy in Nightwing 1996 #31. He was a police officer with the Bludhaven Police Department in 1999-2003 comics, until he was sadly fired from his beloved job in 2003's Nightwing #83. He's also a police detective in the 2018 Titans TV series. Fans have used Dick's double-life as a vigilante and a police officer as the premise for many fan works—and many enjoy the "man in uniform" trope showing off Dick as a sexy police officer in fan art. However, some fans have since soured on Dick's role as a police officer, due to a cultural shift in mainstream attitudes about the institution of police in the 2010s and 2020s. 
* Himbo: Though many have enjoyed this trope exaggerated for comedy and parody, over the years some Nightwing fans have expressed frustration that Dick's darker, serious, competent side has been eclipsed.
** Butt: Dick's rear is appreciated. In the Spanish-language fandom, a common fan nickname is "Nalgas" or "Nalgwing".
** The Hawkeye Initiative: Some fans have expressed confusion over the Hawkeye Initiative, claiming that Dick Grayson, canonically the most beautiful human man in the DC Multiverse, already fulfills the purpose of an attractive male character contorting his body in a skin-tight outfit, and would be better fit for such an initiative, instead of Clint "Hawkeye" Barton.
*Cereal: Dick is a cereal-powered hug-maniachttps://bigskydreaming.tumblr.com/post/189544907491/what-do-you-think-about-cereal-obsessed-dick-ishttps://eastonia-blog.tumblr.com/post/618347889855545344/whats-wrong-with-fanon-dick-grayson-im-asking]
* Crossovers: Usually only within the larger DC universes, there appears to be only a very small amount of fic that takes place outside of DC, the most common being in the Marvel universe
*Talon: AU in which Dick was kidnapped and conditioned by the Court of Owls, before Batman could intervene.
**https://archiveofourown.org/tags/Dick%20Grayson%20is%20a%20Talon/works
*Apprentice or Renegade - Dick is Deathstroke's apprentice. Based off of the apprentice arc in the 2003 Teen Titans cartoon and the brief Renegade arc in the comics.People know that the whole Dick-was-Slade’s-apprentice thing ONLY happened on the TV show right? Nov 1, 2021 Tumblr
==Romani background==
Briefly mentioned in an obscure 1997 comic story by writer Devin Grayson, Dick's family history was retconned to include some Romani ancestry on his father's side, further elaborated in another storyline penned by Devin Grayson in 2001. In the New 52 timeline, Dick's paternal Grayson family was retconned to be associated with the Court of Owls, while his Romani heritage was later retconned to be from his maternal ancestry. Dick hasn't been indicated to have Romani ancestry in any media adaptations.
Nightwing writer Devin Grayson has been fiercely criticized for mishandling certain aspects of depicting Romani characters and culture, although some fans contend that the outcry directed at her is disproportionately aggressive compared to the criticism directed at Devin's male writer peers. Nightwing writer Tim Seeley has also faced criticism for villainizing Romani characters. Writers Tom Taylor and Tom King have been criticized for 
Fans debate the pros and cons of designating Dick as a Romani character, a character of color, or a "non-white" character. Some believe that Dick's retconned Romani heritage has been meaningless at best, or harmful and offensive at worst. Others believe that as one of the most high-profile Romani-descended characters in Big Two comics media, Dick serves as important representation of an underrepresented minority, and his Romani heritage should be more emphasized.
In transformative fan works, fans have been interested in depictions that explore how Dick would relate to Romani culture and language if it were an integral part of his character, and how his narrative would be influenced by his experiences as a person of color. There has been discourse over the fandom's understanding and portrayal of Romani culture, such as confusing the Romani people and the nation-state of Romania, lack of knowledge about the different cultures and languages within the Romani, disputes over what skin tones are acceptable for depicting a Romani or mixed Romani person, and whether or not a mixed Romani character could count as a white character.
* Tumblr blogger nacht-nightingale's opinion and advice, as a mixed Romani person unfamiliar with DC canon (2016)
* (2016)
* Nightwing: Romani or Gadjo? [Revised Edition] by Not Richard (2022)
* Re: "Do you think it annoys Dick that people forget he's Romanian and not white" by theflyingwonder (2015)
* DC’s Nightwing is Romani by florida.florian (2023)
==Comments==
==Relationships==
===Gen Relationships===
*Dick Grayson & Bruce Wayne
*Dick Grayson & Clark Kent
*Dick Grayson & Alfred Pennyworth
*Dick Grayson & Barbara Gordon
*Dick Grayson & Wally West
*Dick Grayson & Donna Troy 
*Dick Grayson & Roy Harper
*Dick Grayson & Garth
*Fab Five (Teen Titans) - Dick Grayson & Donna Troy & Wally West & Roy Harper & Garth
*Dick Grayson & Jason Todd
*Dick Grayson & Raven
*Dick Grayson & Slade Wilson
*Dick Grayson & Tim Drake
*Dick Grayson & Amy Rohrbach
*Dick Grayson & Damian Wayne
===Pairings===
Dick is one of the Little Black Dress characters who is shipped with many other characters. On the slash side Bruce/Dick, Dick/Tim and Dick/Jason are probably the most common as they are intra-Batfamily pairings, but he's also paired with Roy Harper (aka Speedy and Arsenal), Garth (aka as Aqualad and Tempest), with other (former) Teen Titans, and with other superheroes whom he is friendly with in canon such as Clark Kent (aka Superman), and many others. The character is also popular with het pairings, especially with some of his different canon love interests like Barbara Gordon and Koriand'r, but is also shipped with other female characters.
In the DCAU, he is mainly shipped with Barbara Gordon, his main love interest, however some shipped him with Catwoman.
In the Teen Titans cartoon, Robin mainly shipped with Starfire and Raven. Slade/Robin is a common slash pairing, particularly in darkfic.
In The Batman series, Dick/Babs is a popular pairing.
In the Young Justice (TV series) fandom, Robin/Kid Flash, Robin/Superboy, Robin/Artemis, and Robin/Zatanna (DickZee) are popular.
*Dick Grayson/Koriand'r (DickKory Robfire)
*Dick Grayson/Barbara Gordon (DickBabs)
*Dick Grayson/Roy Harper (DickRoy)
*Dick Grayson/Wally West (BirdFlash)
*Dick Grayson/Bridget Clancy
*Dick Grayson/Helena Bertinelli
*Dick Grayson/Zatanna Zatara (DickZee, Chalant) 
*Dick Grayson/Tiger King of Kandahar (DickTiger)
==Fan works==
===Fics===
* Oracle & Nightwing by Jody Revenson; inspired many other stories. (Late '90's).
* Shutting Doors by James Walkswithwind, movie based Bruce/Dick (1995).
* Sea & Sky series by 'rith & Dannell Lites; epic first wave Tempest/Nightwing series. Also something of a shared universe, with a large number of associated fanworks by various authors/artists, including a wide range of DC characters. (1999 - 2006).
* Being and Belonging by Te; Tim-centric Tim/Dick. (2004).
* Hanging Work by Cereta; a much recced AU series wherein Dick Grayson was trained by Catwoman instead. (2005).
*Fic recsWBM by thebatmanfiles
* rec list by nightwingmyboi
===Art===
* Nightwing by stereowire
* by Ming Doyle
* robinses by Ming Doyle (showing Robin I-IV)
* Robins by Jbadgr (showing Robin I-V)
* by cassiestephensart (2019)
* by Nightwing1975
* by gabzilla-z
* by sonialiao
* by ravenwritingdesks
* Grayson 75th anniversary by 穀雨
* Nightwing Holiday Kisses by BillWalko
* Dick Grayson Batman - Redraw by TheoDJ
* by 02PNG
*OFFICER GRAYSON PLS by 99centthoughts
*https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/37698866
* by vipadafai
* by NichaSheng
* by android217
* BY stariver00
*Law by ADDICT-Se
*you're under arrest by GhostiestGhost
*Officer Grayson by Night-of-Void
====Example Art Gallery====
File:Comlink44.jpg|Holy Hanna-Barbera! by Bob Miller, cover of Comlink #44, with Batman (1990), this piece referencing the 1960s television version of this character 
File:Night wing by samuraiblack.jpg|night wing by samuraiblack (2012), here as Nightwing, based off his Young Justice costuming
File:Dick - Young Justice.png|Dick - Young Justice by Kiriel-Art (2017), based on appearance in the Young Justice comics
File:Nightwing in Arkham city.jpg|Nightwing in Arkham city by riyancyy777 (2011), inspired by his look from the Arkham City video game
File:Dc comics nightwing blue symbol variant by dark bahamut zero.jpg|DC Comics: Nightwing Blue Symbol Variant by Dark-Bahamut-Zero (2021), featuring his DC Rebirth look
===Cosplay===
*https://www.therpf.com/forums/media/photo-taken-at-c2e2-by-adam-jay.16002/
*https://www.deviantart.com/dreaminpng/art/Officer-Grayson-371519715
===Zines===
*Flight
*Mulletwing Zine https://www.tumblr.com/mulletwingzine
===Vids===
* Grayson Link to creator site
* Nightwing fan trailer
* NIGHTWING : PRODIGAL SON
* So Cold
* Circus
===Meta===
*[Character of the Month Archives] Spotlight #2: Dick Grayson by Kublai__Khan (2017)
* by Bradygirl in Superhero Muses (2007)
* by Wachey in Superhero Muses (2007)
* by beary_good (2021)
*[Video] 3 Common Misconceptions about Dick Grayson (Robin, Nightwing, Renegade - Sometimes Batman) by Xel Writer (2022)
*Dick Grayson metaarchive.today compilation organized by dottie-wan-kenobi, with contributions from several sources
==Archives and fan-related Links==
*Batman comics fan fiction filtered for Richard Grayson on FanFiction.net
*Fanworks tagged Dick Grayson on AO3
*DickGrayson.netArchived from the original (dead link)
*Dick Grayson: Robin/ Nightwing/ Agent 37 Appreciation 2021 on CBR
*Mark Stewart's Nightwing Homepage
===LiveJournal Communities===
* We Love Dick!
===Tumblr===
* northoftheroadArchived
* Dick Grayson DailyArchived
* theflyingwonderArchived
* nightwingology.tumblr.com and https://nightwingology.blogspot.com/
* nightwing-ing-itArchived
* nightwingmyboiArchived
* Thoughts About Dick GraysonArchived from the original (unavailable)
* fyeahdickgraysonArchived
* Who the Fuck is Dick Grayson
===DeviantArt===
* Fanworks tagged Dick Grayson on DeviantArt
* Richardgraysonfans on deviantArt
===Mailing Lists===
* BLUDHAVEN (defunct)
* Nightwing (mailing list) (defunct)
===Fan Clubs===
*Wing-Nuts
==Resources==
*Dick Grayson @ Wikipedia
*TV Tropes
*Dick Grayson @ DC Comics Database
*Dick Grayson @ Batman wikia
==References==
Category:DC Comics Characters
Category:Batman Characters
Category:Teen Titans Characters
Category:Young Justice Characters