User blog comment:Oodronesoo/AquaLad rejoining the team/@comment-5008987-20130123003939/@comment-5008987-20130123020411

I assume you meant events that weren't intentional when you said "getting his ass handed to him." Because....

Do you honestly believe it was in Nightwing's intention to engage in a fight with Aqualad in Depths? Wasting pointless time instead of getting on with the ruse?

Since Babs was actually within the Reach ship, it'd make sense that she would lead. Later on, if I remember correctly, all the others (including Nightwing), were trapped and incapable of entering the room Black Beetle and the others were in.

The ENTIRE Darkest thing was set-up. Nightwing wasn't supposed to do much except make it look real. Getting attacked by SB's body would do just this, and would make him inactive most of the time Aqualad, Tigress, Icicle Jr., and the Terror Twins infiltrated the cave. Tigress's electroshock contributed to making it look real, and getting punched in the abdomen was the whole point: to receive the intel.