Nightwing
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Real Identity: Richard "Dick" Grayson
Appearances (BTAS): Night of the Ninja, The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne, Fear of Victory, Dreams in Darkness, I am the Night, Christmas with the Joker, If You're So Smart, Why Aren't You Rich?, What is Reality?, The Mechanic, Robin's Reckoning, Robin's Reckoning Part Two, The Demon's Quest, The Demon's Quest Part Two, Shadow of the Bat, Shadow of the Bat Part Two, House and Garden, Harlequinade, Bane, Second Chance, Riddler's Reform, Baby Doll, Time Out of Joint, Harley's Holiday, Make 'Em Laugh, Batgirl Returns, Lock Up, Deep Freeze, The Terrible Trio, Showdown, The Lion and the Unicorn, Sub-zero, Sins of the Father, You Scratch My Back, Joker's Millions, Over the Edge, Animal Act, Old Wounds and Chemistry
Appearances (JL): The Savage Time Part One (Hypertime) and Grudge Match
Skills: Detective, Hand to Hand Combat and Acrobatics
Voiced By: Loren Lester/ Joey Simmrin (Age 10)/ Brianne Siddall (1950's)
Dick Grayson is a former member of the Flying Graysons acrobatic family in Haley's Circus. Grayson excelled in acrobatics, at an early age, with his parents. They performed nightly with their death defying high wire acts. When the circus came to Gotham City for a Wayne Charities Benefit Performances, Tony Zucco attempted to extort protection money out of Mr. Haley. Zucco was driven away, all witnessed by Grayson. In retaliation, Zucco sabotaged the Grayson's high wire and during the performance, Grasyon's parents fell to their deaths.
Bruce Wayne, who watched helplessly from the audience arranged with Lieutenant James Gordon of the Police Department to take in the 10 year-old' boy. In the rather large and empty Wayne Manor, Grayson became more and more detached and blamed himself for not warning anyone about Zucco. Alfred Pennyworth brought it to Wayne's attention, who was spending all of his time hunting down Zucco as Batman. Wayne recognized a kindred spirit in Grayson and revealed his own tragedy.
Grayson eavesdropped on a conversation between Wayne and Gordon about Zucco. Grayson took it upon himself to journey to Gotham's Lower East Side to find Zucco. Batman later spared Zucco to save Grayson and took him back to the Bat Cave. Batman revealed himself and trained Grayson to take down Zucco. After swearing an oath, Grayson became Batman's partner, Robin the Boy Wonder.
Unlike the duality of the personalities of Batman and Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson and Robin were in essence, the same. Both lived for the thrill of the fight, perhaps originating from his time as a circus acrobat. Ironically, because he was taken in by Wayne after his loss, Grayson did not exclusively follow in Wayne's footsteps and construct a life long plan for vengeance. Grayson later enrolled to Gotham State University and reduced his time as Robin.
In Grayson's sophomore year, at age 19, Tony Zucco resurfaced in Gotham City. Batman tried to shield Robin and take down Zucco, himself. Robin's headstrong attitude got the best of him and he set out to take down Zucco before Batman did. Robin came to his senses and stopped himself from killing Zucco. However, this would not be the last time Batman and Robin disagreed with each other.
About two years later, Grayson graduated from Gotham State University in 1997 with highest honors. Grayson decided it was time for a change in his life. A trust fund set up by Haley's Circus would now be accessible. At the same time, Robin began to routinely question Batman's every move. The last straw for Grayson was when he discovered that Batman long knew that Batgirl was Barbara Gordon, his would-be love interest, and never told him. He saw Batman's attempt to reconcile and officially endorse Batgirl as pure manipulation. Grayson relinquished the mantle of Robin and left Gotham to travel the world and find himself.
For about two and a half years, Grayson traveled the globe studying various martial arts and fighting styles, including Tai Chi from Master Ling Chao on the northern Chinese-Mongolian border near Tibet, Capoeira in Brazil, South America, stealth from the Los Invisibales tribe in Santo de la Rosa, mastering the senses through the Yaugh and Tenyagh from Master HetaLai in MindaLauki, and the Himalayas where he learned the secret of flight from the Flying Monks. Grayson encountered a band of mercenaries hired by Ra's al Ghul to steal the Monks' treasured artifact. Grayson was saved by one of the Monks and recruited to return the artifact. He was bestowed a suit that held the secret to the sect's power of flight. After returning the artifact, Grayson decided it was time to return to Gotham City and rejoined Batman's campaign as Nightwing, considering Nightstalker as a codename, first. He incorporated the uniform of the Flying Monks and a necklace from the Los Invisibales into the Nightwing costume.
Nightwing, despite being a partner, continued to work solo and establish himself as an equal to Batman. Nightwing participated in a set up to incriminate Catwoman and recover the stolen Cat's Eye Emerald. Though in another case, he worked with Batman to uncover a rash of thefts conducted by animals that belonged to Haley's Circus. Miranda Kane, the animals' trainer, was Batman's suspect but Nightwing refused to accept she was the culprit. The mastermind turned out to be Mad Hatter.
However, Grayson eventually left Gotham to establish himself in another city, Bludhaven. Bludhaven is a port city near Gotham. Like its sister city, Bludhaven is plagued with criminal activity. While on patrol, he caught sight of Huntress, on the trail of a hypnotized Black Canary. Soon after he left Gotham, Robin was kidnapped and tortured by the Joker.