Dick Grayson

### Relatives

John Grayson (biological father; deceased), Mary Grayson (biological mother; deceased), Bruce Wayne (legal guardian/adoptive father), Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Damian Wayne(adoptive brothers), Cassandra Cain and Helena Wayne (adoptive sisters), Alfred Pennyworth (surrogate grandfather), Leslie Thompkins (surrogate grandmother), Selina Kyle (stepmother via ward-dom/adoption), Barbara Gordon (fiancee)

### Friends & Allies

Wally West (best friend), Bette Kane (best friend), Titans, Victor Stone, Justice League, Barbara Gordon (best friend/fiancee), Outsiders, Bat-Family

### Affiliation

Haly's Circus (formerly), Bat-Family / Batman Inc (currently), Teen Titans (formerly; founding member), Titans (currently; founding member), Outsiders (currently; part-time commander),

## Biological Information

### Place of Birth

Unknown (due to Haly's Circus moving so much)

### Education

High School Diploma (Gotham Academy)

Law License (Unknown School)

### Marital Status

Engaged (Barbara Gordon; fiancee), Exes (Koriand'r, ex-girlfriend), Kissed (Bette Kane, once; mutual decision that they were better off as friends)

### Residence

Dixon Apartments, Apt #30, 1940 Wolfman Road, Bludhaven, NJ (formerly; as a solo hero),

Old Gotham Clocktower, Gotham City, New Jersey (currently)

## Biography

### Early Life: 1990-2001

Dick Grayson was born on the first day of spring in 1990 to Haly's Circus acrobats, John and Mary Grayson, known professionally as the Flying Graysons. While Dick was taking his first nap, a red-chested bird--a robin--perched on the window sill; Mary from that point on always called Dick her "little robin". One of Dick's earliest memories was of being sat on a training trapeze by his mother and pushed into the arms of his father. From that moment on, the thrill of flying never left Dick and he trained for the remainder of his childhood to become an acrobat. When Dick was nine, he became a member of the Flying Graysons act in the circus.

When Dick was eleven, Haly's Circus visited Gotham City to perform as part of the "Elect Dent" fundraiser. Just before the Flying Graysons' act was set to begin, a new crime boss in Gotham--Tony Zucco--threatened the owner of the circus, Mister C.C. Haly, for protection money for the circus's stay in Gotham. Haly refused; this exchange was overheard by Dick, and when the Graysons' act was getting started, the high wire broke, and John and Mary Grayson fell to their deaths.

Almost immediately after the tragedy, Dick was placed in Juvenile Services because according to records, Social Services was full at the time. Dick only spent a week or two with the inmates before he was moved to an orphanage; but while he was with juvenile services, the inmates bullied and beat him up.

Once he was moved to an orphanage, it didn't take long before Dick was adopted as the ward of a certain popular, charming, late-20s-something billionaire playboy....

### Adopted by a Billionaire: Late 2001-Early 2002

By all public reports, the relationship between Bruce Wayne and his new ward was rocky at best at first. Dick felt that Bruce was trying to replace his father, while Bruce felt that Alfred had convinced him to do something that Bruce wasn't ready for. One night, Dick overheard Bruce arguing with Alfred about him, and Dick ran away, but was found and returned to Wayne Manor by Alfred. Despite Bruce and Dick's rocky relationship, Dick did make a friend and confidant at Gotham Academy, a beautiful blonde girl a little older than Dick by the name of Bette Kane.

Despite this friendship, Dick soon became desperate to find his parents' killer. This led him to steal a classic 1976 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 from the Manor's garage and take it for a joyride into Gotham, in hopes of finding his parents' killer. Realizing his young ward had run away once again, Bruce suited up as Batman and drove the Batmobile after him. Finding Dick and somehow convincing him to get into the Batmobile, Batman asked Dick why he had run away; Dick hesitanted to say, but told Batman he was looking for his parents' killer. Batman said he could help Dick do this, but first he would have to trust him, and Bruce removed the cowl and revealed his secret to his young ward...

Dick's young mind had taken Bruce's promise to mean that he would be trained to become the "Dark Squire" to Batman's Dark Knight, however, much to his chagrin, Bruce made it clear that that was not what he had meant. But after a solid month of Dick's begging and a conversation with Alfred about Dick's obvious drive for justice, Bruce finally cracked and agreed to train Dick to be his crime-fighting partner...

And so, after nearly a year of grueling training, Dick was almost ready to take his place as a kid crimefighter... before Bruce would let Dick suit up though, he felt first he should fullfill his side of the deal: help Dick find his parents' killer...

It was easy enough to put Tony Zucco behind bars-- in Dick's words, "for a criminal who didn't want to be caught, he left one heck of a paper trail".--While out in the streets helping Batman, Dick wore a makeshift, armored vest and pants along with a domino mask to conceal his identity. At this point, Bruce asked Dick if he truly wanted to be Batman's partner; Dick answered with a resoundingly "yes", stating that even though he would be able to sleep easier and find peace with his parents' death now that their killer had been served justice, there was the possibility of it happening to someone else and if Dick could help prevent that, he would in whatever he could.

### Robin, The Boy Wonder: 2002-2008

Dick came up with the design for his uniform, and Harold Allnut was in charge of making it an actuality. Bruce and Alfred were opposed to Dick's approach at first, but Dick insisted that the suit would be highly manveurable and allow to make full use of his acrobatic training as well as allow him to jump into the fray first, which would allow Batman to use the shadows in a perfect tactical strategy. Bruce and Alfred came around after that, but insisted that the suit be armored, particularly the red tunic. Dick agreed. Upon the costume's completion, Bruce pointed out that the costume was too colorful for Dick to be called 'Batboy'. Dick told Bruce he wouldn't be called 'Batboy' but instead, he would be called 'Robin' in memory of his mother's nickname for him. Bruce was initially reluctant to let Dick use the name but was chastized by Alfred into letting Dick try the name out.

With a persona picked out and a completed costume, the final step was for Dick to take an oath swearing to fight crime and corruption and never take a life. This was done quickly, and at last, Dick was ready to take his place as the Dark Knight's partner...

Batman and Robin worked together for a short time, solving cases and encountering several masked villains. Not that much after Robin had made his official debut, Batman and Robin had their first encounter with Batgirl.

#### Confrontation with The Bat

After nearly six years of being Robin, the Dynamic Duo's partnership finally reached its boiling point. Bruce confronted Dick about why he had been spending so much time with the Teen Titans and away from Gotham. Bruce said that Dick had taken an oath to protect the people of Gotham and that's where he was needed more, rather than with the Titans. Dick said he had taken that oath to protect people wherever it was needed, not just Gothamites. Bruce insisted Dick leave the Titans and make Robin a Gotham-only hero/vigilante. Dick refused, saying that he wasn't Bruce's personal soldier that he could control, and that he wasn't a kid anymore. This argument marked the end of the original Dynamic Duo, as Dick quit being Robin and punched Bruce in the face when the older man refused to let him the Cave. Dick then promptly packed his bags and moved out.

### Nightwing Begins: Fall 2008

Dick moved into a dorm at Hudson University, and tried to focus on living a normal life for once, taking a break from the Titans as a result. This didn't last long though, as Dick felt lost without crime-fighting and decided to take a weekend trip to Smallville, Kansas, to visit the Man of Steel. Clark told Dick an old Kryptonian folk tale about a hero cast out from his family who sought justice and to protect those who could not protect themselves. Clark said that the hero was only known by his pseudonym: Nightwing. Clark's story rejuvenated Dick and returned him to crime-fighting, this time under the name of Nightwing.

#### Return to the Teen Titans and the Dissolution of the Team

As Nightwing, Dick returned to the Teen Titans. And together, the team went on a couple more successful missions. The team gained a new member in Terra during this time. But alas, things were not meant to be as while on a mission investigating a mine, the team came under attack by an assassin known later as Deathstroke and his squad. During the fight, the structural integrity of the mine was compromised, and Terra used her powers to try to stabilize it. Deathstroke ran her through with his sword, forcing the Titans to retreat and leave Terra's body behind. Dick blamed himself for Terra's death and was unable (and he would later say unwanting) to hold the Teen Titans together, resulting in the team's dissolution.

### Nightwing of New York: Winter 2008-Early 2009

Shortly after the complete dissolution of the Teen Titans, Alfred contacted Dick and informed him that Barbara Gordon had woken up from her coma and would like to see him. Reluctant to go back to Gotham as he was still upset with Bruce, but wanting to see Barbara for the first time in two months, he decided to visit at a time when Bruce would not be at the hospital. Whether it was his joy to see Barbara awake and alive, or his visit with Babs itself, but that same night, Dick made an unexpected trip to Wayne Manor, where he and Bruce talked it out and Bruce telling Dick how proud he was of the young man he was becoming and that Dick had been right, he had gone overboard with the whole Robin thing. This conversation put the original Dynamic Duo back on speaking terms.

After helping Barbara get started with her therapy, Dick returned to Hudson University in New York and continued his studies while juggling being Nightwing. Nightwing would frequently work with his best friend from the Titans, Wally West aka Kid Flash, as the two attended Hudson University together and were in close proximity of each other.