Forget Nightwing, Dick Grayson Proved He Was Batman’s Equal a Long Time Ago

WARNING! Spoilers for Batman and Robin: Year One #2

Robin spent many years as Batman’s trusty sidekick in DC lore, but even at the beginning of his training, he clearly had the potential to be a standalone superhero. Long before becoming Nightwing, Dick Grayson’s first rescue mission as Robin revealed that he was always destined to start a solo career, as he proved to be a hero on par with Batman.

In Batman and Robin: Year One #2 – written by Mark Waid, with art by Chris Samnee – Batman and his young sidekick continue to butt heads when Dick repeatedly refuses to do as instructed. Then, an arson job in Gotham City spurs them into action and forces them to work through their differences to save people from a burning building. When Batman believes everyone has been rescued, Robin rushes back into the flames, much to Bruce’s horror.

It is a harrowing story beat – but one from which the fledgling Robin emerges having unequivocally proved the caliber of his heroism.

Robin’s Very First Rescue In DC’s New “Year One” Story Proves His Heroism Matches The Caped Crusader’s

Batman and Robin: Year One #2 – Written By Mark Waid; Art By Chris Samnee; Color By Giovanna Niro; Lettering By Clayton Cowles

Thankfully, just a few panels after he rushes into the building, Robin returns triumphantly from the fire with two more survivors in tow. This successful rescue by Robin shows that he’s already a hero on Batman’s level, and demonstrates how the circus boy Bruce first takes under his wing has always had what it takes to be his own hero as Nightwing. In this way, this Year One story does what a prequel does best – takes what fans know about the current version of the character, and projects those attributes back onto their earliest adventures, to form continuity.

Here, when Maroni’s men set the streets of Gotham aflame, despite Batman’s valiant efforts to rescue civilians, he fails to notice that two children are trapped within the rubble. Robin darts back inside without a second thought so he can rescue them himself, ignoring Batman’s attempts to urge him otherwise. He finds the children and wraps them in his bulletproof cape to protect them from being harmed by the raging flames. Batman fears the worst when the building explodes with heat, but then Dick surprises him by walking out with the children, donning his usual smile and upbeat demeanor.

In “Year One,” Robin Defies Batman To Save Lives, Hinting At His Destiny As Nightwing

Dick Grayson Becomes Batman’s Equal by Going Against His Orders

Since this story covers Robin’s origin as the Boy Wonder, the rescue shown here depicts the first lives Dick Grayson saves in DC history. His journey as a hero kicks off here, with him succeeding where Batman couldn’t. Batman experiences doubts about Robin throughout this issue, such as when a social worker visits Wayne Manor to oversee Bruce’s adoption of Dick and the boy performs a back-flip in front of her. However, although he does have trouble taking things seriously, Robin behaves in true heroic fashion when it matters. Dick follows Batman’s selfless example, in his own unique way.

Batman
#408 – written by Max Allan Collins, with art by Chris Warner – features the first version of Dick Grayson leaving the Robin mantle, with Batman firing him after he’s injured by the Joker.

What makes Robin’s rescue here particularly notable is that he disobeys Batman in order to carry it out. Earlier on, when Bruce is training Dick in the Batcave, the boy frustrates him by defying his instructions. Ultimately, this stubbornness makes the difference between life and death for the victims of the fire. If Robin had stayed put when Batman tried to prevent him from saving the kids, they would have perished; his inability to follow orders makes him a true hero, as Dick’s independence is a key aspect of his character, and it’s what leads to him quitting as Robin.

“Year One” Reiterates That Dick Grayson Was Always Meant to Become Nightwing

Robin Must Leave Batman’s Shadow To Be His Own Hero

Robin going against Batman’s instructions alludes to his future as Nightwing. In the Robin 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular, writer Marv Wolfman and artist Tom Grummett pen a story entitled “A Little Nudge” that retells the end of Dick’s time as Robin. Having had enough of Batman’s strict rules, Dick decides that he needs to go a different way and graduate from the Boy Wonder to a man. Dick refusing to follow Batman and instead forging a new path is imperative to his evolution from Robin to Nightwing, and him doing so from the beginning foreshadows his solo career.

By fighting beside Batman as Robin, Dick Grayson is guided onto the path of heroism until he’s ready to eventually, inevitably, continue down that road alone as Nightwing.

The bravery and independent spirit he displays as far back as his early days are proof that Robin was born to become Nightwing. Even at the start, Robin makes his own calls and saves lives without Batman’s oversight. Of course, that doesn’t discount the importance of Dick’s time with Batman. If he hadn’t been taken in as Batman’s sidekick, his grief over his parents’ death might have been expressed through darker means. By fighting beside Batman as Robin, Dick Grayson is guided onto the path of heroism until he’s ready to eventually, inevitably, continue down that road alone as Nightwing.

Batman and Robin: Year One #2 is available now from DC Comics.