I’m sorry, fellow Nightwing stans, but as well as he fits the role, Dick Grayson is never truly going to be Batman, and DC Comics just proved it. I think we all remember the two times Bruce’s first Robin stepped in to take on the cape and cowl. Once after replacing Jean-Paul Valley during the “Prodigal” storyline, then again after Final Crisis, when Bruce was lost in time. Both times, Dick did amazingly well, keeping Gotham safe as a pinch-hit Batman. But just because Nightwing is a good fill-in, that doesn’t mean he’s fit to take the mantle on permanently.

Now, what makes me say this? Well, DC Comics is currently releasing DC K.O. Knightfight, a miniseries tying into the big DC K.O. event. Batman’s been eliminated from the competition, but he’s found a workaround to try and get to the Heart of Apokolips. However, the Heart, not pleased with Batman’s cheating, is giving Batman his own unique challenge: Subjecting him to fantasy worlds where his former Robins have grown to become Batman. In this world, Dick has made something of himself, but one key flaw shows why this fantasy will never be a reality.

Nightwing’s Trusting Nature Doesn’t Work as Batman

DC K.O. Knightfight #2 by Joshua Williamson and Dan Mora keeps the excitement from the first issue going. In this fantasy, Bruce is responsible for the deaths of Tim, Jason, and Damian, and Dick has an army of Robins that hang onto his every word. But Batman isn’t giving into this fantasy and brings out a weapon he’d intended to smuggle into the tournament. Dick offers Bruce one final chance to give himself up, but ever the fighter, Bruce decides to go the hard way.

Dick sends his Robins after Bruce, and the older Batman manages to easily dispatch all of them. Bruce glibly insults the training Dick has given them, causing Dick to step in and fight the elder Batman himself. The two Dark Knights fight, and while Bruce gives it his all, Dick is younger, stronger, and more agile, giving him a serious advantage over Bruce (who actually admits that Dick is a better Batman than him). Bruce decides to end the fight and extends a hand to his former sidekick.

That, however, turns out to be a trick as Bruce immediately dishes out a punch that lands squarely on Dick’s jaw. Batman points out that, as good a Batman as Dick is, he’s simply too trusting. Of course, the Grayson that Batman has been fighting this whole issue isn’t the Nightwing that Batman knows. But Bruce recognizes that the trust Nightwing has for people is something that can be used against him, just as Batman does to defeat this version of Dick and move on to the next fantasy created by the Heart.

Batman Can’t Extend Trust as Easily as Nightwing Can

Image Courtesy of DC Comics

Now, I fully believe Dick Grayson did a great job the couple of times he became Batman. But when we think about the idea of ‘Batman’, many of the qualities we associate with that mantle aren’t ones we associate with Nightwing. A lot of the time, they’re opposites. Batman can thrive working solo, but Nightwing loves working around others. Nightwing has no problem with the spotlight; Batman prefers the shadows. And with trust, Nightwing is a bit more open than Batman is in that regard.

I mean, Batman is infamously stingy with his trust (frankly, it borders on paranoia). But the way that Bruce has designed his superhero alter ego has made Batman one of the greatest champions of the DC Universe. I’m not saying that Dick would do a disservice to the role, but at the same time, I don’t think Dick can be as emotionally closed off as Bruce, even if the job required him to. Bruce knows how much healthier Nightwing is and that, ironically, robs him of the, for lack of a better word, coldness that makes Batman so effective.

As someone who really liked Grayson’s last stint as Batman, he doesn’t need to be the Dark Knight. Nightwing and Batman’s costumed personas embody everything the two men are, respectively. Bruce can keep people at a distance when he has to, but Dick absolutely loves and believes in people. It’s always been one of the biggest differences between the Dynamic Duo. And though Nightwing is an amazing hero, that belief in others could hold him back or endanger him if he ever tried to become Batman full-time.

Do you think Nightwing has what it takes to become Batman one day? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts on the ComicBook Forum!