We Need Nightwing In A Movie

Batman has had plenty of movies. But rarely has Robin appeared in any live action films. It’s time Dick Grayson, AKA Nightwing, got his own film.

Batman’s most famous sidekick and protege, Dick Grayson, has appeared in tons of animated shows and movies, and he even appeared in the 1960s live action show starring Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Dick Grayson / Robin. But for all the movies Batman has been in, Grayson has appeared in only two live-action films—Batman Forever and Batman & Robin, which are widely considered to be the worst live action Batman films.

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It’s time the most famous sidekick in the DC Universe got his own movie. Or at least significant screen time in a good Batman film.

Dick Grayson is the oldest Robin in the Batman universe. And I don’t mean that in terms of age, although that actually applies too. Grayson was the first Robin to ever appear in a Batman comic, making his debut in Detective Comics #38 in 1940. Since then, Grayson has gone on to make numerous appearances in Batman comics and shows.

But aside from the 1995 Batman Forever and 1997 Batman & Robin movies, Grayson has never appeared in a major motion picture. It’s time that changed.

The only other Robins to make an appearance in a live action film were Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character (if you want to count him) in Dark Knight Rises, and the Robin suit featured in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. That’s right. The only other two appearances by Robin in live-action films are by a character who’s only sort of Robin and the suit of a presumably murdered Robin.

While it would be great to see Grayson as Robin in an upcoming DC Cinematic Universe film, what would be even better is to finally see Grayson under the Nightwing mantle in a live-action film.

When Dick Grayson retires as Robin, he takes on the mantle of Nightwing in an effort to assert his independence as his own crime fighter. Grayson first appears as Nightwing in 1984 in Tales of the Teen Titans #44, and he becomes the leader of the Teen Titans. He also goes on to lead The Outsiders and protects the city of Blüdhaven, Gotham’s economically troubled neighboring city.

Grayson even took on the mantle of Batman on a few occasions in the comics, showing just how much the Dark Knight trusts Grayson and his abilities.

Ever since the 1980s, Nightwing has only grown in popularity among comic book fans. Grayson has evolved and taken many different forms beyond just Nightwing (most recently as Agent 37 after his identity was revealed on live television and he was forced to fake his death), but Nightwing remains his most popular incarnation, possibly even overtaking his role as Robin.

With the new DCEU setting up a possible Robin story arc in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (by showing the Robin suit with the words “Ha ha ha Joke’s On You Batman” spray-painted on it), we may finally get to see a film centered around Robin. The only question is “Which Robin will they choose to focus on?”

In most adaptations, Jason Todd, the Robin who replaced Grayson, is the Robin that is killed by The Joker. It happened most notoriously in A Death in the Family in 1988 when readers voted via a telephone poll to have Todd killed off. The resulting storyline had The Joker brutally murdering Todd after beating him with a crowbar and leaving him to die in an explosion.

Given that, it would make sense for the Robin referenced in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice to be Jason Todd. But Dick Grayson is almost always the first Robin who Batman is paired up. So depending on which direction the writers decide to take, we may or may not get to see Grayson in another live-action Batman film.

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Regardless, seeing Nightwing on the big screen seems more like an eventuality rather than a dream at this point. Nightwing is wildly popular among Batman and DC fans, and DC needs to cash in with its most well-known characters in order to compete with Marvel.

It’s been over 30 years since Nightwing made his first appearance in the DC universe. It’s time he finally got a movie. Or at least a TV series at this point.