Dick Grayson/Nightwing

Subject Facts

Full Name: Richard "Dick" Grayson
Codename: Nightwing
Age: Mid-to-late-twenties
Gender: Male
Archetype: Vigilante
Aliases: Robin, Batman, and Renegade
Marital Status: Single
Affiliation: Outsiders/Titans/Justice League

Subject Attributes

Meta-Human Abilities: 

N/A

Standard Abilities:

Master Acrobat - Born and raised in the circus, Dick Grayson became an expert acrobat before the age of six. As such, he can flip, tumble, dive, and glide at an exceptional degree making him an almost impossible target to hit or pursue. Dick is also one of the few people on the planet who can complete a quadruple flip. 

Computer Hacking - Dick has been trained by Bruce Wayne and Lucius Fox to be able to slip in and out of high security computer systems without being noticed, though he does not have the same level of competency as Oracle or Red Robin. 

Master of Disguise - Under the tutelage of noted thespian Alfred Pennyworth, Dick learned at a young age how to alter his appearance with make-up, body posture, and changing the pitch and tone of his voice to fool others. In addition to that training, Dick's exposure to the circus taught him how to hustle and gab with others without letting his true intentions known. 

Escapology - The life of a sidekick is difficult sometimes and, as such, Dick got used to being captured and kidnapped a lot. In another joint training between the escape artists at the circus and the training from Bruce Wayne, Dick knows how to pick locks, break out of zip-ties and handcuffs, and loosen ropes. He also has trained himself to hold his breath for up to fifteen minutes (though competitive deep sea divers can hold their's for longer). 

Genius Level Intelligence - While not on the level of Bruce Wayne, Lex Luthor, or Oracle, Dick Grayson's intelligence is considered at a genius level. Dick is gifted engineer and inventor in the realm of electronics and auto-mechanics. Additionally, he is gifted in the fields of criminology, forensic science, and investigation after years of training and practice with Bruce Wayne during his time as Robin. 

Hand to Hand Combat - Dick has mastered multiple forms of martial arts including Eskrima, Capoeira, Muay Thai, Jujitsu, Aikido, Boxing, Taekwondo, Karate, Sambo, Ninjitsu, Savate, Stick Fighting, Kung Fu, and Judo. 

Indomitable Will - Much like his mentor, Dick has a never-say-die attitude that helps push him to do things beyond the realm of possibility. Whether that's win a fight he has no chance of winning, escape a trap by the skin of his teeth, or merely just survive something that he has no business surviving. Once Dick sets his mind to something he can't be beat. 

Intimidation - Despite being more of an optimist and cheerful person than Bruce, Dick has learned through years of practice the art of intimidation. Whether it is with a look, a threat, or a show of strength or seriousness, Dick Grayson can be just as threatening as Batman. 

Leadership - Dick has an energy that draws people to him. Whether it's the track record of success, his reputation, or just his general demeanor, Dick has a tendency of becoming the leader of any group he joins. As such, Dick Grayson has led multiple variations of the Teen Titans, the Titans, the Outsiders, and even had a short stint as a leader of the Justice League. Dick's cool demeanor, unbreakable will, and experience make him an efficient leader no matter the scenario. 

Multilingual - As a world traveled man, Dick Grayson is fluent in many language including English, Spanish, French, Mandarin, German, Japanese, Korean, and others. 

Peak Human Strength and Conditioning - Dick Grayson has the strength, endurance, speed, and flexibility of a man who undergoes rigorous training and adheres to a strict diet. While he is not augmented in any capacity, Dick is in the top 1% of well-conditioned non-metahumans. 

Stealth and Tracking -  Another perk of being trained by Bruce Wayne, Dick knows how to move quickly and silently in the shadows to keep himself hidden at all times if he chooses to - a skill useful for long stakeouts. In addition to this skill, Dick has learned how to track people and vehicles without any sort of technological assistance (though it is easier with it). 

Weapons Competency - Despite choosing to stick to his eskrima sticks and throwing weapons, Dick has a mastery level of knowledge and handling of various weapons including, but not limited to, swords, firearms, knives, polearms, bo sticks, and others. 



Paraphernalia:

Nightwing Suit - Fire-resistant, triple-weave kevlar black and blue armored uniform. Dick's costume is designed to accentuate his style of fighting and is, thus, lighter weight than what Batman uses. As such, he also does not use a cape for the same reason. If need be, there are additional armor plating that can be applied to Dick's gauntlets, shoulders, mask, chest, and boots. 

Utility Belt - A staple of all Bat-Family uniforms. Dick's utility belt has areas for smelling salts, wingdings, smokebombs, grapple-lines, and other items that can be rotated in and out. Additionally, the buckle is actually a camera and two-way radio. Plus there are attachments on the back of the belt for storing his eskrima sticks. 

Wingdings - Non-lethal throwing weapon shaped like a bird. While they are sharp, the Wingding is designed to incapacitate or disarm targets - not to do lasting damage.

Eskrima Sticks - twin batons that can be thrown or used as blunt weapons. Though commonly made of wood, Dick's are a lightweight metal and modified to house a device that can run an electrical charge through to the end. This current is strong enough to incapacitate a target. 



Subject Weaknesses:

Only Human - Despite his exceptional skills and training, Nightwing is only human and is vulnerable to be stabbed, bludgeoned, shot, crushed, drowned, suffocated, burned, and any other ugly things that will result in a mortal man's death. 

Stubborn - Dick is very goal-oriented. Once he is set his mind on a goal, he is not willing to give up on achieving it. This sometimes leads to him rushing into a situation not totally prepared or entering a fight when he is not at 100% or injured. 

Optimism - Dick is the kind of person who tries to the see glass two-thirds full. Being around Bruce as much as he had, he sees the good in people and lives with his heart on his sleeve unlike the more reserved Batman. This will sometimes be confused with naivety and some will try to take advantage of that. Dick doesn't like giving up on people and this sometimes comes back to burn him.

Redheads - We all have a type, right? 

Subject History

Flying Grayson: 

Popcorn, clowns, elephants, and fortune tellers; Dick Grayson had the childhood that many kids dream of. The son of John and Mary, the Flying Grayson's, Dick spent a lot of his formative years flying through the air on the trapeze or walking the tightrope at the world famous Haley Circus. While it wasn't the conventional childhood of school and the boy scouts, Dick still spent his time being educated in more unorthodox ways. Dick learned muscle building techniques from the strongman, how to learn about someone through their body language from the fortune tellers, figuring out how to make people laugh from the clowns, and, naturally, how to tuck, dive, balance, and flip from his parents. While most children were learning their multiplication tables, Dick Grayson was sharing the spotlight with his parents in the main event of the circus. 

These good times didn't last long, however, as a mob boss named Tony Zucco entered Dick's life and altered it forever. When Haley's stopped to perform in Gotham, Zucco attempted to shake down the circus' owner for protection money. When he refused, Zucco sabotaged the main event of the circus by tampering with his parent's high wire. Before he could warn his parents of what he saw, Dick watched in horror as the line snapped and his parents fell to their deaths in front of Gotham City's elite. 

After being placed in orphanages and foster homes, wealthy philanthropist Bruce Wayne, who had been at the circus that evening, took guardianship over Dick. The pair decided that Dick would just become Bruce's ward as he did not want to replace his deceased father. However this relationship started out rocky as well. According to Bruce's butler, Alfred, his new guardian was always at work regardless of day or not. Frustrated by his new guardian's lack of attention and wanting revenge for the death of his parents, Dick went out on his own to solve the crime. When he returned to the circus, he was confronted by a business associate of Zucco's who nearly beat Dick to death before Batman intervened. Bruce revealed his identity to Dick and the two were able to prove Zucco's complicity in the Grayson's death. 

Seeing a lot of himself in Dick and realizing that maybe he didn't have to do things on his own, Bruce agreed to train the young man to assist him in his war on crime. After a grueling six month training course in martial arts and detective skills, Dick chose the name Robin and the Dynamic Duo were born. 


Robin: The Boy Wonder

Robin was a brilliant contrast to Batman. Where Batman was dark and grim, Robin was bright and cheerful. They were a ying and yang when it came their approaches to fighting crime and just generally how they presented themselves. Batman hit hard while Robin fought with more finesse. Batman kept quiet while Robin quipped during all his fights to irritate and annoy his enemies. Dick also became fast friends with the Justice League after Bruce had joined it. In particular, Dick found himself admiring Superman whose bright, cheerful nature matched his own. 

It was during this time that Robin also met and made friends with another costumed hero named Batgirl. At first he was confused by her taking the bat motif as she wasn't affiliated with Bruce at the time but the pair quickly struck up a partnership and special friendship. With Barbara, Dick felt he had found someone who knew what he was going through as being as teenage crimefighter and the two bonded over that as well as their mutual attraction. 

To Robin, crime fighting was this great adventure where they always saved the day and the bad guys never won. Dick learned just how serious it was, though, when he encountered Two-Face. With Batman trapped, Dick attempted to save a man's life that Two-Face was ready to execute. The man was tied up and was standing in a noose, the trap door that would lead to his neck breaking was just about ready to go off. With a quick flip and throw of his batarang, Dick was able to sever the noose before the door finished opening. However, Two-Face had actually set up a second death trap. The trapdoor led to a vat of water and, with his hands and feet still bound together, the man drowned. Robin failed. To make matters worse, Dick took a devastating beating from Two-Face while Batman was helpless to do anything about it. 

This was the first in a few moments where Bruce regretted allowing Dick to join him in his war on crime. 


Teen Titans Origins: 

Being the younger partnered of a masked hero can be hard. As Batman interacted with the Justice League more and more, Robin started to make other friends in costume that were closer to his age: Kid Flash and Aqualad to be exact. After defeating their first villain together, The Flash, Aquaman, and Batman agreed to allow the trio to form their own team - the Teen Titans. Later missions filled out the rest of the core team including Wonder Girl and Speedy. Due in part to his natural charisma, Dick Grayson became the team's leader as they encountered and defeated the likes of the Mad Mod and the Ding Dong Daddy. After adding and mentoring more team members, the core Titan decided it was time to go their separate ways and move on. 

This break didn't last long as Dick was amongst other teen heroes to receive a summons from the mysterious Raven. Together, this new group of heroes would defeat Raven's father Trigon and become the latest incarnation of the Teen Titans with Dick once again taking the leadership role. While they weren't much older than they had been in the team's first incarnation, this second Titans line-up dealt with deadlier and more dangerous threats. There was the aforementioned demonic Trigon,  the fanatical Brother Blood, and the lethal Deathstroke. As Dick dealt with the stress and weight of leadership during these more dangerous missions, he also began to grow more independent from Batman on his own. Another huge factor was him falling in love with his teammate and alien princess Starfire. 


Nightwing: 

Tensions between a maturing Dick Grayson and Bruce Wayne grew as time passed. In addition to that, Dick just felt like he was growing past the Boy Wonder moniker. After being sidelined by Batman again after being shot in the arm by Joker, Dick abandoned the Robin persona and moved out of Wayne Manor to attend colleague. This did not last long, however. Still driven to take the war on crime in his own direction, Dick took an old costume his father had used only once and took up the name Nightwing. It was under this identity that Dick rescued his fellow Teen Titans who had been captured by Deathstroke. 

The hard times with the Titans continued unfortunately and Dick soon descovered the strains of growing up. Dick was brainwashed by Brother Blood, his relationship with Starfire began to fall apart when she took an arranged marriage on her home planet, and Dick struggled with the realization that Bruce had given his Robin identity to a new teenager named Jason Todd. Then there was the betrayal of Titan member Terra and then the untimely death of Jason at the hands of the Joker. Though he still led the Titans proudly and maintained his positive attitude, he witnessed many of friends leave the team and others die. His relationship with Starfire ended completely after their wedding ceremony was disrupted by a possessed Raven. 


Back in the Batfamily:

After resigning his post as Robin and moving out of Wayne Manor, Dick kept his distance from Bruce as the two did not leave on the best turns. It wasn't until a boy named Tim Drake turned up on his doorstep and immediately outed him as the former Robin that Dick returned to the fold. Tim asked Dick to return to his Robin identity and work with Bruce again as Batman was beginning to become more self-destructive after the death of Jason Todd. Despite teaming with both Tim and Batman to bring down Two-Face, Dick declined stepping back into his old identity. He did, however, convince Bruce that Tim would be a worthy candidate to take up the role of Robin himself. After all, Batman will always need a Robin. 

Dick was again pulled back into the Batfamily fold after discovering that Bruce's back had been broken by a new adversary named Bane. However, what surprised Dick this time was that he had chosen a young man named Jean-Paul Valley to assume the role of Batman while he healed. Nightwing disagreed with the decision but opted to trust Bruce's judgement however this was proven to be a mistake. Valley had gone rogue with the Bat-mantle and began enacting extreme ideals of judgement that went against everything Bruce stood for. Robin and Nightwing worked together to try to inform Bruce what had happened with Valley and stop JPV, but ultimately were beaten by the man formerly known as Azrael. Bruce was able to recover and reclaim the mantle, choosing this time to allow Dick to assume the role while he finished his recovery. During this time as Batman, Dick's relationship with Tim grew further and his relationship with Bruce began to repair itself.


Bludhaven: 

While investigating a case in the nearby city of Bludhaven, Dick realizes that the city is worse off than Gotham and in need of its own hero. Still trying to forge his own path as Nightwing, Dick accepts the responsibility and begins setting up his own base of operations. Bludhaven was also a difficult time for Dick that had many highs and lows. While he enjoyed the independence and being able to establish his own way of doing things and his own report with the local authorities, the lawless side of the Blud would creep into Dick and change his view on his war on crime. 

The two villains in particular who made Dick's life in Bludhaven miserable were Blockbuster and Tarantula. Despite working on opposite ends, both villains worked in conjunction to ruin Dick's life with Tarantula ruining his personal connections and Blockbuster attacking his friends. Oddly enough, it was Tarantula murdering Blockbuster in front of Dick that did the most damage. Nightwing had the opportunity to stop her but chose not to. Tarantula also used Dick's deteriorated mental state to molest him to add insult to injury. 

This darker period in his life led to Dick leaving the Titans, stating that he was tired of watching his friends die, and create a new proactive team along with his friend & former Titan Roy Harper called the Outsiders. This team would additionally not be as close knit as the Titans to keep Dick from becoming emotionally attached to the other members. During this period of time he also came face to face with a resurrected Jason Todd under his new guise as the Red Hood. Dick also began to work undercover as the masked villain Renegade to infiltrate Lex Luthor's Secret Society. However Deathstroke inevitably betrayed Dick by destroying Bludhaven. 


Batman & Robin: 

At his lowest of lows, Dick was nearly killed by Superboy Prime but was rescued by Superboy and the JSA. Nightwing began leaning on his family as he began to recover and rekindled his romantic relationship with Barbara Gordon. Additionally he was able to support Tim Drake as he dealt with a number of tragedies in his own life. He additionally admitted his failure to prevent the death of Blockbuster to Bruce, asking for his forgiveness which Bruce replied that he didn't need it. For the first time in a long time, Dick Grayson was beginning to feel like himself once more. 

These good times weren't able to last forever, however, as Bruce Wayne was killed in the line of duty at the hands of New God Darkseid. Reluctant to fill the void, Dick discovered that he had no other choice but to do so as there were not any suitable replacements. Tim was still too young and Jason Todd was still too much of a wildcard with lax morals to be Batman. After besting Jason, Dick took the cowl and assumed the role of Batman. 

As Batman, Dick made the decision to take Bruce's biological son Damian under his wing as the new Robin - straining his relationship with Tim in the process. While Batman was always the grim, serious crime fighting and Robin the more carefree, playful one, Dick realized the roles were reversed with Damian. Raised by the League of Shadows, Damian was a trained assassin all before the age of 13 and needed someone to help integrate him to a life outside of killing. Damian was resistant at first but soon grew to really admire Dick and enjoy their partnership. The media also saw a different side of Batman too as Dick was much more friendly and willing to be seen on camera than Bruce had ever been. Together, Dick and Damien flipped the very idea of what Batman and Robin were supposed to be on it's head. Additionally, Dick as Batman took a role with the Justice League of America along with former titan and lover Starfire. 

It was soon discovered that Bruce hadn't died but was merely lost in time. Relieved that his mentor and father figure was alive and well, Dick was prepared to hand the mantle back over to Bruce much to the chagrin of Damian who had enjoyed their time together. Bruce, however, had other ideas as he wanted to expand on the idea of what Batman could be. Dick was left with Gotham in his care as Bruce began traveling the world with his Batman Inc. idea. 


Nightwing again: 

As time passed, however, Dick's urge for independence resurfaced and chose to resume his duties as Nightwing once more. 

Subject Interview

Dick stood perched on a gargoyle on the side of the old Gotham theater.

Twenty or so years ago, there would be a line down the block of Gotham University students to see the latest big Hollywood popcorn flick. He remembered reading the marquee as he rode past here in the daytime with Alfred on their way to the farmer's market. He'd even managed to check out a movie or two on the rare night that he could convince Bruce to take it easy. Then, of course, like all good things in Gotham, someone had to ruin it. 

This time it was the Falcone's. One of Carmine's favorite strategies was to run down the neighborhood's property value and then purchase it at very little cost. First he'd get some of boys to go around breaking into cars, breaking windows, robbing stores and then he'd pay the cops to look the other way. Soon people wouldn't feel safe coming to this side of town. Then the stores would close because they have no customers, and then a few months later you have some easy to buy real estate. What made matters worse was when people would celebrate them when Falcone would "reopen" the neighborhoods after converting all the businesses as fronts for his money laundering. 

Dick sighed and leaned against the building. He'd been waiting for Murph and Eddie for the last two hours and was starting to grow bored. Murph was Murphy Thelonius Jones - a repeat offender and recently released convict from Blackgate who did work and took the fall for Falcone on the reg. With Falcone's pull, Murph only ever saw the inside of a cell for six or eight months tops no matter what the conviction was. Eddie, on the other hand, was a nephew to Falcone. He was young, not terribly bright, and had been put under Murph's wing to learn the family business. 

The business tonight? Smuggling. A shipment of unmarked military grade assault weapons went missing in Gotham's harbor district and, checking the darkweb, suddenly a large shipment of unmarked military grade assault weapons were sold to someone out of Central City. Isn't that just a coincidence? 

A well-kept Lincoln Continental pulled up to the Gotham Theater and two men exited the vehicle. Murph was easily recognizable as the larger of the two. His massive, square frame stressed the seams of his brown suit. His nose sat tilted to the right on his face from a lifetime of fights and broken noses - Dick would know because a few of those broken noses were from him. Eddie, however, was young and carried himself like a Falcone - full of swagger and this attitude that no matter what trouble he gets in he'll get away with it. A smirk crack on Dick's face as he watched both men opened the "condemned" building' front door and step inside. He always loved proving just how easily touched those "untouchable" people really are. It was a bad habit, sure, but it was satisfying to see the look on their face when they realized he couldn't be bought. 

Dick planted one hand on the top of the gargoyle and flipped his body into the air. As he rushed towards the concrete, Dick stuck one hand out, catching an old flagpole and swinging towards a window sill two floors below where he had been. Using the momentum of the swing, he somersaulted in the air and gracefully landed with both feet. He was happy to be out of the Bat costume. The cape caused too much drag and slowed him down considerably. Dick forced the window open and slipped in. 

The top floor of the theater had been affordable apartments and, based off of the reconstruction process the Falcones had started, they weren't going to be affordable for much longer. Dick slipped silently through the dark, half-finished apartment and towards the lobby. An open stairwell looked down the floors above and below and he could hear the two perps talking. 

"I don't understand why we have to wait here? Those schmucks from Central City said they'd be here in the morning." 

"You got a lot to learn, kid. We're protecting the investment. Once the deal is made, others are going to find out and want to take this shipment from us before the buyers show up." 

"Sure, but why am I here? You know what my last name is? Falcone. This work ain't for people like me."

"You want to join the business you got to start where we all do... the bottom. So, button your trap." 

Dick smiled and vaulted over the handrail. He tucked his body, rolling with the impact on the floor, and sprang up to his feet with a smile on his face. Murph stood up, momentarily shocked by what he saw but quick enough to adapt. The younger Falcone, however, stood frozen.

"Hi guys. I heard we were training a newbie, Murph. What do you think so far?" 

Murph lunged at Nightwing but Dick was able to sidestep the bull rush and clip Murph behind the knee with one of his escrima stick. Murphy fell to the ground like a semi running into a brick wall. He heard a click coming from behind him. The newbie Falcone had drawn a gun. Dick flipped the stick up into the air before throwing it across the room and hitting Eddie in the nose with the blunt end. Eddie howled out in pain as the gun scattered across the floor. Dick slowly walked over to the bleeding young man.

"Alright, kiddo. For our next lesson, I'm going to teach you what it feels like to be kicked so hard you lose consciousness. Here we go!" 

Dick spun around, hitting Falcone across the jaw with the heel of his boot. The kid took one step, his leg betraying him, before he fell flat on his face out cold. 

"A quick learner. I like that. So, Murph, how's the knee treating you?" 

Murph tried standing but fell to the ground again. The blow had dislocated his kneecap. Nightwing took out a bolo from his utility belt and threw it at Murph who was attempting to stand again. The bolo wrapped around his upper body, pinning his arms to his sides and causing him to fall. With his arms pinned down and his knee still dislocated, Murph was rendered motionless. Dick walked towards the fallen man and crouched down to his level. 

"Welp, the kid is all your's Murph. Your next lesson for him is going to be processing, interrogation, a trial, and then sentencing. Pretty big session ahead of you."

"F**k you, bird boy!" 

"I should be going, Murph. I'll see you in what? 9 months or whenever Falcone bails your sorry ass out again? Catch you around." 

Dick stood up and walked out of the theater, hitting the electric transmitter in his utility belt in the process. A notification would soon buzz on Commissioner Gordon's phone notifying him of two perps in need of a pick-up. 

Author's Notes

Player Alias: Six

Other Characters: Solomon Grundy & Lex Luthor

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