Nightwing


 * This article is about Dick Grayson, the first Robin. For his successors, see Jason Todd and Tim Drake

Nightwing (real name Richard "Dick" Grayson, born December 1st, 1996) was the first Robin. The former protégé of Batman, Nightwing was a founding member of the Team. He currently leads the covert operations team, and acts as a mentor to the current Robin, Tim Drake.

Robin
In his early days as Robin, despite being only 13, he was more experienced than his fellow sidekicks. By then he had been training under Batman's wing for four years. Despite Batman's influence on Robin, the two have very contrasting personalities. While his mentor was cold and very serious, Robin's demeanor was quite the opposite. Robin was naturally a very lighthearted individual who seemed to take joy in nearly everything that he did. Despite his immaturity, he could get along very well with people who were older than him, and tended to act more maturely whenever he was tasked with a certain level of responsibility.

When simply interacting with his friends, Robin behaved in a jovial and oftentimes "little brother"-like role, in which he joked freely about his teammates, and even made fun of them when they made mistakes. He had a particularly close friendship with Kid Flash, with whom he was able to joke and often treated like a brother of sorts. Robin also seemed to take great pleasure in creating back-formations, by removing prefixes from commonly-used words such as "disaster", "distraught", "overwhelmed" and "infiltrated" to create new words.

Despite his child like behavior at times, Robin was a natural tactical thinker, often coming up with plans for the Team on the fly, and figuring out complex situations faster than many of his teammates. He was also very pragmatic and preferred to think ahead. During the Team 's brief scuffle with Guardian, Robin took the liberty to activate the elevator to escape instead of fighting alongside his Team, had no qualms about Miss Martian delving into his mind to retrieve his memories, and took a break from running from Red Torpedo and Red Inferno to download the Cave's blueprints.

Robin initially considered himself to be the natural leader of the Team, citing his longer experience as a hero. However, this experience and his strong working relationship with Batman led him to mistakenly assume that the other members of the Team would understand and follow his plans without him explaining them. This unfortunately caused problems on their first mission against Kobra and Bane. He subsequently claimed that Aqualad would be a better leader for the Team. While Aqualad accepted the role, he stated that both he and the rest of the Team expected Robin to eventually take the mantle, due to the fact he was more suited for the job.

After the trauma of watching his teammates die in a simulation, Robin opened up to Black Canary during a therapy session. He did want to be the leader and wanted to someday become Batman. But after sending his friends to their "deaths" in the simulation made by Miss Martian, he no longer desired to become like Batman, willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of the mission. Despite this, five years later he demonstrates these traits as team leader.

Nightwing
Dick has matured considerably over the intervening five years. As Nightwing, he is more driven and focused—just like his mentor. While he had a moment of levity in congratulating Robin's success in his first mission as squad leader, Nightwing has reined in the wisecracks, and has become much more somber and serious. A different side to him is what makes Wally call him a "dog"—he has had relationships with multiple girls, including Zatanna, and all are still on good terms with him. When asked, he has commented that it was his superpower.

Physical appearance
When he was a 13-year-old vigilante, Dick was fairly short for his age, and had a slight, lean, well-toned build, since he was an acrobat and skilled at martial arts and gymnastics. He had short black hair and dark blue eyes. He typically wore either a mask or sunglasses to cover his eyes, depending on his current attire. At 19-years-old, Dick has grown considerably taller, roughly the same height as Batman and as well-muscled. His hair grew considerably longer to pass his ears.

Clothing
His original Robin uniform was comprised of a red vest, black leggings, boots and gloves, all of which seemed to be made of a sort of protective body armor, that still allowed him great mobility. On his chest, a stylized "R" symbol was visible, and around his waist he wore a gold colored utility belt with various pouches for his equipment. He donned a cape that was black on the outer lining but pale yellow on the inside. To protect his identity, Robin wore either a black stylized domino mask or sunglasses at all times. While sporting the mask, his eyes appeared completely white. His short black hair was left unkempt, hanging over his forehead.

As Nightwing, his uniform now comprises a black unitard, black shoulder pads, black pants, boots and gloves. The chest area of his uniform is emblazoned with a blue bird and his abdomen area is coloured in a lighter grey. He wears a black utility belt.

Early life
Richard "Dick" Grayson is the child of the acrobatic circus family "The Flying Graysons" of Haly's Circus. He was born on December 1, 1996, His parents, along with his older cousin  and aunt  fell to their deaths in a trapeze "accident" caused by mob boss Zucco on , when he was 9. Other than Dick, who did not participate in the fatal routine, the only survivor was his uncle Rick, who was very badly injured and unable to care for his nephew. Since the accident, Dick has lived with Bruce Wayne and made the transformation to Robin under Bruce's training (eventually bringing Zucco to justice together). Batman's main motivation was to make sure young Dick would not grow up the way Bruce Wayne did, i.e. driven by a desire for vengeance.

Robin intensely fears that he might not be as fearless as his family (both biological and adoptive) is supposed to be, and is afraid he has to fill Batman's boots.

July 2010
Robin eagerly expected to become a member of the Justice League, alongside Speedy, Aqualad, and Kid Flash. However, when it became clear that that wasn't happening, he, Aqualad and Kid Flash went to investigate Cadmus Labs. There, they discovered the Genomorph project and Superboy, whom they liberated. The four youths stood up to their mentors and declared they were ready to prove themselves as heroes. They formed a covert ops team and were given their own headquarters in Mount Justice by Batman, and were introduced to Miss Martian.

The next day, Robin, Kid Flash and Aqualad set off on an unsanctioned mission to protect CEO Selena Gonzalez from the League of Shadows, but despite their best efforts, Gonzalez still vanished.

Robin, Aqualad and Kid Flash asked Speedy to join the Team but were rebuffed. The Team grew restless from the lack of missions, but tried to get to know each other better. They fought Mister Twister, eventually defeating him, which renewed their faith in the Team. The Team later went on a campout where they shared the stories of how they became heroes.

The Team's first official mission was to investigate the stoppage of Venom production in Santa Prisca. While Robin initially took the lead, the Team eventually agreed Aqualad was their natural leader. The Team was then sent to stop a plutonium robbery. They defeated Psycho-Pirate and Atomic Skull, capturing the former.

August 2010
Robin, along with the rest of the Team, began taking training sessions with Black Canary. The Team were assigned to guard shipments of the disassembled Amazo. Professor Ivo was able to retrieve and reassemble the robot, but the Team defeated Amazo and captured Ivo.

Artemis joined the Team just before they were assigned a mission by Red Arrow: to protect Serling Roquette from the League of Shadows while she worked on a counter-weapon to the Fog she developed. After Serling completed her counter-weapon, Robin uploaded it to the Fog, neutralising it.

The Team took a class in espionage from Captain Atom. When the lecture proved boring, Captain Atom assigned them a cold case mission–to determine whether or not Air Force captain Nathaniel Adams was framed for the murder of his superior during the Vietnam War. The Team was ultimately successful in determining Adams' innocence.

Robin worked with Batman to prevent the League of Shadows hijacking a satellite launch. Two days later, Robin and the Team attended Kent Nelson's funeral.

Later, Batman ordered the Team to track Clayface through Gotham City while he worked on a way to defeat him. The Team engaged Clayface against Batman's orders–the Team was soundly defeated, but saved by Batman at the last moment. Robin resented Batman talking to Aqualad alone about the incident, but a one-on-one game of basketball with Bruce smoothed things over.

September 2010
Batman sent the Team to Bialya, where they encountered Psimon, who blocked their memories of the prior six months. Miss Martian was able to restore their memories.

Batman and Robin attempted to stop the abduction of Jason Burr, but failed. Teaming up with Flash, Kid Flash, Green Arrow and Artemis, they discovered he was captured by the Cult of the Kobra to be used in a ritual to turn Kobra into a god. They successfully undid the ritual, but Kobra evaded capture.

Robin and Artemis arrived at the Cave following their first day of school to find it had been invaded by Red Torpedo and Red Inferno. They were eventually successful in disabling the robots and freeing their captive teammates. Like the rest of the Team, he was rendered unconscious by Red Tornado, who fled with his "siblings". Robin, like the rest of the Team, was furious to discover Aqualad had withheld information about a possible mole on the Team. Batman assigned the Team to investigate reports of gorilla attacks in India. After defeating the Brain and freeing his Kobra-Venom-enhanced animal slaves, Robin was satisfied with Aqualad's reasons for keeping the secret.

The Team was then sent to investigate reports of another Kobra-Venom operation in Bwunda. The Team were ambushed and captured by the Brain's gorillas, but eventually freed themselves and helped the gorillas stage a rebellion against their captors.

October 2010
The Team was sent to destroy the central control system being used by the Injustice League to attack a number of cities worldwide with giant plants. They succesfully destroyed the control plant, and the subsequent arrival of the Justice League was enough to force their enemies to surrender.

The Team was introduced to Zatanna, who Robin showed immediate interest in. They went on an unauthorised mission to find Red Tornado. They discovered the robot had not betrayed them and, together with Red Inferno and Red Torpedo, they were able to destroy Red Volcano and prevent the Yellowstone supervolcano from devastating the planet.

Robin and the rest of the Team took part in a telepathic training simulation run by Martian Manhunter. It went wrong when Artemis's "death" caused Miss Martian to take control, causing them to forget it was not real. Robin took over as leader after Aqualad sacrificed his "life", sending himself and his remaining teammates on a suicide mission. When the simulation was ended, Robin, like the others, was left devastated. The Team was given therapy by Black Canary. Robin realised he wasn't capable of sacrificing everything for the mission the way Batman can.

On Halloween, Robin discussed the possibility of a mole on the Team with Batman, Aqualad, Red Tornado and Red Arrow.

November 2010
After all the adults in the world disappeared, Robin and the Team worked with Zatanna to find the cause. With help from Captain Marvel they were able to communicate with the adults in their own separate dimension and coordinate an attack on Klarion and his group of sorcerers, merging the dimensions back into one.

Later, Robin attended Kid Flash's "surprise" birthday party at the Cave. He then joined the joint League-Team mission to disable the ice fortresses freezing North America.

Robin lead a mission to Qurac to discover why the nation's leader decided allow Bialya to absorb Qurac. They saved Marie Logan and her son from Bialyan tanks, though Gar was injured during a repisal attack. The Team went on to the capital, where they successfully defeated Psimon, who was controlling Harjavti.

December 2010
Robin celebrated his fourteenth birthday on the first of the month. He recieved a kiss from Zatanna in the afternoon, and held a (civilian) party at Wayne Manor in the evening.

A few weeks later, Robin took several Team members on a personal mission to investigate tech robberies linked to Haly's Circus, though he claimed Batman gave them the mission. They were able to capture Parasite and prevent him using the stolen tech to create a black hole.

Robin and the rest of the Team, now including Rocket, responded to an alert that Cheshire had been spotted. They found they had been lured into a trap, but were nonetheless successful in defeating their enemies and capturing the case that had eluded them previously. Realising the trap meant there must really be a mole, Superboy, Artemis and Miss Martian revealed their secret links to their enemies to the rest of the Team, and found acceptance. The Team ambushed Lex Luthor, Queen Bee and their allies on Santa Prisca and captured several villains, though Luthor and Bee escaped.

Robin and the others returned to the Cave triumphant, but were shocked to find Batman waiting to tell them the mole was Red Arrow. Robin, Kid Flash, Zatanna and Rocket investigated Red Tornado's mysterious shutdown while the others left to find Roy. Upon reactivating Tornado and handling an attack from Black Canary, they abandoned the Cave to rendezvous with the others to compare notes. The team infiltrated the Watchtower and freed the League from the Light's control.

January 2011
As the New Year dawned, Zatanna pulled Robin over to kiss him, a New Year's tradition. He later joined the round table discussion about the location of the real Roy Harper, and the mystery of the six leaguers who were unaccounted for sixteen hours.

2011-2015
Dick also became the leader of the Team around March 2015.

Some point after the death of Aquagirl on a mission, Aqualad and Nightwing devised a plot in which Kaldur would "betray" the Team and work for his father Black Manta, to learn more about the Light and their new Partner. Aquaman was not informed.

September 2015
While reviewing his old case notes, Nightwing reminisced about a case in Bwunda five years earlier. He remarked that they never realized how easy they had it.

December 2015
Dick talked with Wally and Artemis over a video connection. They wished him a happy birthday, which his date for the preceding evening overheard. Bette congratulated him as well, before heading off to work.

Rocket and Zatanna visited Mount Justice to wish Nightwing a happy birthday. Nightwing split the team up into two squads to carry out two different missions; he would lead Alpha Squad.

Nightwing took Wonder Girl out on a mission with Sphere to recruit a new team member, Blue Beetle.

Nightwing and Wonder Girl confronted Jaime Reyes, the Blue Beetle, after discussing his history, and offered friendship to him.

Their conversation with Jaime was cut short when the Watchtower contacted Nightwing. While he conferenced with the Watchtower and the Cave, Wonder Girl kept Jaime from interfering.

Nightwing and Wonder Girl discussed what to do next. Jaime wanted to excuse himself, but Nightwing encouraged him to hear them out. He told him that Ted Kord was a friend of his, and he would've wanted him to join.

Nightwing listed all the options Jaime would have access to if he joined the Team, but Jaime was still hesitant. He wanted to discuss it with Peacemaker, Green Lantern and Captain Atom, but all were unavailable. Their conversation was cut short by another emergency, this time in Metropolis. Nightwing asked Jaime if he would like to come along.

Alpha Squad took the Super-Cycle to Taos, with Blue Beetle in tow.

At the Erdel Initiative, Nightwing told Blue Beetle that he was glad he'd agreed to join them, and that the Justice League had checked with Jaime's parents before the Team approached him. Once Beetle had been scanned, Alpha Squad Zeta-ed to Gotham.

Alpha Squad arrived at Metropolis and received reports from various Leaguers about their failed attempts to breach the force field surrounding the city.

Nightwing and the others listened to Red Tornado's report on the whereabouts of the Leaguers not on the scene in Metropolis. He noted that Black Lightning, trapped within the field, was in good company.

Nightwing and the others observed the alien ship engage an energy beam on the force field, to no apparent effect. After Atom realised the field was likely generated from inside, Nightwing communicated the information to those inside the field via holographic text message from his glove computer. After acknowledging his message, Batgirl showed him an exploding birthday cake.

As Martian Manhunter and Flash attempted to contact the alien vessel, Nightwing, Wonder Girl, Blue Beetle and Zatanna hovered alongside them on the Super-Cycle, all concealed within a glamour bubble.

January 2016
Nightwing won a sparring match against Lagoon Boy, just before Delta Squad arrived home. Robin reported that they apprehended Clayface, and sent him back to Arkham Asylum. Captain Atom then contacted the Team that the UN building was under attack, Nightwing replied that the Beta Squad was close by. Mal Duncan sent them in.

Nightwing attended a briefing held by the Justice League about the alien attack on the UN. John Stewart explained their real problem was not Lobo, but his target, a Krolotean. Adam Strange explained about the Kroloteans, and his adventure on Rann. After he told that six members of the Justice League were wanted criminals on that planet, Nightwing reminded Batman of the missing sixteen hours from five years earlier. Nightwing offered that the Team would handle the mission, since the Justice League was not welcome. Captain Atom agreed.

After the briefing, Zatanna and Rocket talked to Nightwing, Miss Martian and Superboy, and reminded them they still had an open invataion to join the League. In unison, they stated they were fine where they were.

Nightwing briefed the Team the mission to track down Kroloteans on Earth, and assigned the squads. He and Wonder Girl were Alpha Squad. Lagoon Boy, Blue Beetle and Robin were Gamma Squad; Nightwing gave Robin the position as leader, much to Robin's disagreement. Nightwing told him he was ready for the experience, but jokingly warned him not to die.

Nightwing with Wonder Girl traveled to Philadelphia on the Super-Cycle, but their targets got away.

After Gamma Squad found the Krolotean base and saved their hostages, the Team and Justice League arrived to help. Nightwing congratulated them for their success.

Nightwing was present at the return of Zeta Squad, and handled the debriefing.

Nightwing flew the Bio-Ship with a strike force to Malina Island, the Kroloteans' last base. After dropping off Aquaman and Lagoon Boy, Batman and his protégés broke into the base at ground level.

Nightwing cleaned the Manta Troopers off the top walkways. They were noticed by Manta, who ordered his men to attack the infiltrators. Nightwing was still on the walkways when Manta lost his helmet and revealed his true identity to Aquaman. He tried to reason with his old friend, assuring him that Tula's death was not their fault, but it was to no avail. Kaldur'ahm escaped to a lower level, where Nightwing and Superboy intercepted him. Kaldur had no plans to fight, and instead pointed them at a bomb that was primed to blow up in two minutes.

Unable to disarm the bomb, Nightwing called for a full evacuation. They regrouped at the Bio-Ship, and only narrowly escaped the bomb's blast radius. Nightwing debriefed Batman that the bomb was of alien, but not Krolotean origin. Batman felt finding out who planted it would be a responsibility of the Team.

Nightwing said his goodbyes to Batman, who left for Rimbor to stand trial for their actions under the Light's mind control, along with the other accused Justice Leaguers. Batman thought Nightwing had the harder of the two tasks.

February 2016
Nightwing took a day off from the Team for personal business: trying to persuade Red Arrow to clean his act up. With Green Arrow, Black Canary, Jim Harper and Wally West, he confronted his old friend on a rooftop. Wally and Dick dismissed Roy's comments that he was just a copy, and not their concern; they argued that the cloned Roy was the only Roy they knew. They never met the original. Unfortunately, their appeal was to deaf ears. Roy ignored them, and went back to his hide out.

Nightwing wanted to investigate Boom tube activity in Bialya. To counter Queen Bee's control over men, he assigned all female members to Alpha Squad: Miss Martian, Bumblebee, Batgirl and Wonder Girl. He briefed them while they were on their way in the Bio-Ship. Batgirl asked if an all-male Squad would have required an explanation, when an all-female Squad does. Knowing he had been beaten, Nightwing decided to admit defeat and sign out.

With Alpha Squad back home safe and sound, Nightwing debriefed them. He informed them that they faced Psimon because he had managed to elude his doctors. The mission answered some questions, but many still remained unanswered, to Wonder Girl's disappointment. He reassured her that unanswered questions were not a bad thing, as they kept the investigation going. He congratulated them all on the mission.

Nightwing was working on the translation of the Krolotean intel from Malina Island. Most of it could be deciphered, except for one word. The closest English equivalent was "Meta-Gene". He discussed it with Beast Boy and Robin, but their conversation was cut short when the computer detected an energy impulse.

In a ball of lightning, a small pod arrived in the Mission Room, and a boy jumped out. Beast Boy quipped that this was the impulse they detected, and as a response, the boy took Impulse as his name. As he ran off, Nightwing sent the two junior members after him.

Impulse took care of the younger members, but Nightwing outsmarted him. He lined the hallway to the Mission Room with marbles. Impulse avoided them, but it allowed Nightwing the opportunity to flank him. He subdued the speedster, and cuffed him on his wrists and ankles.

Robin and Beast Boy heard Impulse out, but did not believe his "future tourist" explanation. Nightwing supposedly wanted his DNA, and tried to trick the boy into giving it up. Impulse happily complied. He also revealed the secret identities of everyone in the room.

When Mal arrived at the Cave, Impulse took the opportunity to escape. Beast Boy attempted to pursue, but Robin and Nightwing doubted if he could keep up with him. Fortunately Nightwing had taken the precaution of planting a subcutaneous tracker which he had put in the water glass Bart drank from, and traced it to Central City. He made a couple of calls to inform the Flash family.

Nightwing tested the DNA sample, and Impulse was right, he really was Flash's grandson. Impulse claimed he was ready to go back to his own time, but the time machine didn't work.

March 2016
Nightwing discussed the status of Impulse and Speedy with Mal Duncan and Superboy. Mal believed that both would ultimately become the Team's responsibility. Nightwing disagreed with Mal's prognosis, but Superboy supported it. The Computer announced the arrival of Artemis via zeta tube. After pleasantries are exchanged, Nightwing briefed the newly-formed Gamma Squad on their latest mission. The Squad would guard the launch of the Earth-Mars Communications Satellite in Cape Canaveral, which might be a target of certain xenophobic parties. Nightwing would lead the squad himself, as he was peckish for a little action after running the Team for a year.

Nightwing and Artemis observed the press conference Carol Ferris and Martian Manhunter held from their vantage point atop a launch pad service structure. Nightwing instructed Miss Martian to establish their psychic link, and ordered an aerial sweep of the cape perimeter. To ensure maximum security coverage, he assigned Lagoon Boy to reconnoiter the water around the cape. About an hour until the launch, Nightwing thanked Artemis for assisting them on this mission, despite Wally's strident objections.

Lagoon Boy noticed an undersea missile platform left by the Manta-Flyer, and wanted to attack. Nightwing ordered him to wait for backup, but Lagoon Boy attacked in a fit of anger when Superboy called him a rookie. He feigned the presence of radio static to justify his actions, which did not fool Nightwing as this was impossible on a psychic link. Faced with a rampaging La'gaan, some Manta Troopers surfaced toward the beach to serve as a precautionary backup for destroying the launch.

Artemis and Nightwing zip-lined to the ground to intercept, but were pinned by heavy fire behind the launch blast wall. He ordered for cover fire from the Bio-Ship, but since Lagoon Boy forgot to pack rebreathers, Superboy took manual control of the vessel while Miss Martian went to support her boyfriend below.

Artemis saw an opportunity to vault the blast wall, but Nightwing pulled her back in time to avoid a laser blast. He chastised her psychically for trying to get herself killed. When Carol advanced the launch to two minutes, their situation became dire—they would be vaporized when the rocket launched. Artemis loosed a flare arrow to momentarily blind the Manta Troopers, whose helmets were designed to enhance underwater vision. The plan worked, and Nightwing and Artemis were able to vault the wall and attack the Manta Troopers directly.

Both heroes had defeated the Manta Troopers when Kaldur'ahm himself surfaced from the sea. He attacked Nightwing and Artemis, but paused to fire a last-ditch shoulder-mounted missile at the departing rocket. Artemis managed to destroy the missile with her rocket-propelled arrow. Enraged, Kaldur knocked Nightwing aside with water hammers, disarmed Artemis, and seemingly stabbed her through the chest with a water sword. In actuality he curved the sword around her side. Artemis then ingested a pill that placed her in a coma-like state.

Nightwing rushed to the fallen Artemis, and surreptitiously popped a blood squib on her chest to make it seem like she was stabbed through and through. After the rocket exploded thanks to an altitude bomb smuggled aboard by Black Manta, Kaldur'ahm ordered a retreat.

Nightwing started cardiopulmonary resuscitation on Artemis. After thirty compressions and two ventilations, during which Superboy detected no heartbeat from her, he declared her dead. Nightwing slumped to the ground in defeat.

Inside a warehouse, Nightwing reminisced about his past with Artemis, looking at the picture he took with her during her first day at Gotham Academy. He met up with Kaldur'ahm, Wally, and Artemis, and discussed the deception they perpetrated on the Team, the League, and the Light. Nightwing mused that their friends, who were in mourning, may never forgive them. He inquired about Aqualad's infiltration, which, although costly, had succeeded as well—Kaldur had been promoted.

Nightwing then gave Artemis a Glamour Charm coated with Zatanna's physiomorphic spell, which changed her voice and appearance to everyone except the four already present. As Artemis left with Aqualad to embark on her own deep cover mission, Nightwing remarked that the hard part of the infiltration was over. Wally disagreed—it would only get more dangerous from this point.

Nightwing was in the Mission Room along with Mal Duncan and Superboy. While Mal was explaining that Aquaman had "everyone" searching for Lagoon Boy and his captors, followed by threatening Aqualad after what he did to Artemis, Nightwing showed an expression of unease that the Team didn't know about his plan. He silently left the room, so when Superboy asked about the current status regarding the identification of the Light's new partner, he discovered his leader had left.

Blue Beetle and Impulse arrived in the cave with an unknown tech that they took from Aqualad. Nightwing approached them and scolded them for bringing it back to the cave. Nightwing scanned the tech, he realized what it was. Before he could defend himself, he was ambushed by Icicle Jr. and Tommy Terror. After Nightwing stood up, he was suddenly attacked, and cuffed up with an inhibitor collar, by Tigress. Kaldur'ahm arrived and put a stop on the fight and threatened them with the bomb that blew up Malina Island. Nightwing told Aqualad that he would regret it, he was then punched in the stomach, while receiving a flash drive with intel on Lagoon Boy's location. Nightwing watched how Kaldur left with the hostages: Impulse, Blue Beetle and Beast Boy. After Kaldur left, he blew up Mount Justice. While he initially gave Nightwing and Superboy time to get out, they got caught in the debris field. Fortunately, Nightwing, along with Superboy and Wolf, were saved by Sphere and was taken to shore by Mal Duncan.

In the Hall of Justice, Nightwing was recovering from the raid until he was approached by Wally. Nightwing explained behind the scenes of Kaldur's raid to give him intel of Lagoon Boy's location and that he had to blow up the cave to get further into the Light. Wally was angry at him for taking such high risks and that he could have been killed. Nightwing tried to reassure Wally that it was alright and that was for the mission to stop the invasion. Wally then cast suspiciousness on Kaldur for being a triple agent, which made Nightwing worried.

Nightwing used the data drive's information to locate the next shipment of abductees, and sent Alpha Squad (Batgirl, Robin and Bumblebee) to infiltrate them. He followed in the Bio-Ship with Miss Martian and Wonder Girl. When the latter asked how he got his intel, he lied that he got it from Aquaman. They followed the Manta-Flyer with the abductees to an alien ship; once Nightwing received confirmation that Alpha Squad was on board the alien ship, he ordered them, and M'gann to make their moves.

Nightwing docked the Bio-Ship and stayed on board while other Team members boarded the alien ship. The captured Team members and abductees were freed but during the evacuation, a Reach enforcer locked the docking bay. Nightwing was trapped in the Bio-Ship with most of the abductees. Blue Beetle eventually arrived and opened the doors, allowing Barbara to hand a downed Bumblebee to Nightwing and tell him to get ready to fly once everyone is on board.

The Team was able to escape with the abductees and Nightwing congratulated everyone on a successful mission. He offered control of the Bio-Ship to M'gann but she did not respond, still dazed from the things she learned when she probed Aqualad's mind.

Powers
Nightwing possesses no known superhuman powers, but instead relies on his physical conditioning, acrobatic prowess, and keen detective skills taught to him by the Dark Knight himself. As Robin he was also the Team's strategist, intellect, and most importantly, their hacker. Due to these skills, Nightwing is considered the most highly trained and experienced member of the Team, and has also been fighting crime the longest.

Abilities
Though Nightwing technically possesses no superhuman powers, his courage, skill, experience, determination and personal strengths are enough to make him a capable fighter.
 * Conditioning: Having undergone an evidently vigorous and intensive training regimen under Batman, Nightwing has exercised physical form to near-perfection for someone of his age for the purposes of fighting crime.
 * Speed: Nightwing is shown to be able to run at above average speed for an adult of his age.
 * Endurance: Nightwing's endurance is at the peak of a young man of his age and size.
 * Agility: Nightwing has proven to be at the peak of human agility.
 * Strength: Nightwing's physical strength is considerably higher than that of an ordinary adult due to the conditioning he received from Batman. At just thirteen, when irritated he was even able to punch a hole into a wall, with no apparent injury.
 * Movement:
 * Master martial artist: Nightwing can take out his enemies with ease possessing his knowledge in martial arts and agility.
 * Master acrobat: Nightwing has proven to be able to perform complex aerial maneuvers. Even at thirteen his acrobatic skills were so advanced, that Miss Martian was forced to use her Telekenetic abilities in order to keep up with him, while he was suffering from an apparent flu.
 * Master of stealth: Nightwing is a master at stealth, capable of disappearing and reappearing without anyone noticing.
 * Escape artistry: Nightwing is capable of escaping from various traps and locks in impressive time.
 * Marksmanship: Nightwing is an amazing marksman, almost comparable to Artemis and Red Arrow. He uses his batarangs and rarely misses his target.
 * Mental:
 * Detective skills: Nightwing has shown astute deductive reasoning.
 * Master hacker and computer technician: Nightwing has shown that he is more than capable of easily gaining access to almost any computer or program he wants in a matter of seconds. Even at thirteen he was easily able to hack into both Justice League and Cadmus files with little to no effort on his part.
 * Strategic planning: Nightwing is a natural leader and tactician, able to analyze most situations and develop complex and effective plans during combative situations in quick instances.
 * Mathematics: Dick is a mathlete honoree, indicating that his mathematical skill is advanced for his age.
 * Mathematics: Dick is a mathlete honoree, indicating that his mathematical skill is advanced for his age.

Weaknesses
As Robin, Dick's small frame and lack of power was a weakness. Despite his intense training with Batman, he has usually had to resort to dodging attacks from superhuman foes, rather than taking them head-on like other sturdier heroes might. As Nightwing, he has since outgrown this weakness, although he is still an ordinary human being, and is subject to anything that would harm one.

While still operating as Robin, he displayed a lack of conventional team work, where during certain situations, he would disappear abruptly either to scout ahead or perform some other sort of task, without notifying anyone else. This is not due to any ego or inconsideration however, but instead because of the fact that while working with Batman, their partnership had grown to the level where they can anticipate each other's moves without having to vocalize them. While this worked well for him and Batman, this did not work with the rest of the Team.

As Robin his immaturity and childlike confidence in his own abilities had proved to be a weakness in the past, as he had impulsively attempted to combat opponents who were either superior in terms of fighting skills to his own or metahumans who were considerably dangerous, such as during his one-on-one fight with Kobra or a mind-controlled Superboy.

Equipment
Like Batman, Nightwing carries a variety of weapons on his person that substitutes for superpowers and allows flexibility in attack type. As Nightwing, he is known to have used:


 * Binoculars
 * Eskrima sticks: Twin fighting sticks used as close combat weapons. Used occasionally when he was Robin, Nightwing now stores them prominently in a holster on his right thigh.
 * Handcuffs: Nightwing carries at least two pairs of handcuffs, allowing him to restrain the hands and feet of captives.
 * Holographic computer gloves: As Robin his gloves featured a built-in computer system with holographic interface. Although capable of scanning and wireless connectivity where appropriate, USB and TRS connector cables and a USB port are included. Though as Nightwing the appearance of the gloves has changed, including the addition of knuckle-weights, the computing functionality remains.
 * Wrist watch computer: A holographic interface computer mounted in a wrist watch for use while in civilian clothing.

The following were part of his arsenal as Robin and may or may not still be used as Nightwing:


 * Batarangs: Shuriken-like objects, acting like boomerangs, that are used as long range attack weapons. Several variants are used, such as batarangs that explode, emit electric shocks or release knock-out gas. He also uses red batarangs similar in design to those of Batman. Some batarangs are able to act as a radio or play a pre-recorded message.
 * Bolas: Thrown devices consisting of a rope weighted at each end, used to snare and restrain opponents.
 * Chalk: Used to mark floors when executing complicated battle plans.
 * Flash grenades: A device which generates a bright flash of light to dazzle or distract enemies.
 * Gas pellets: Tiny-marble like devices that give off a thick gray smoke ideal for obscuring vision. The smoke can also render someone unconscious when used in close spaces. The pellets can be set for delayed detonation.
 * Grappling gun: A hand-held device that fires a grappling hook across far distances giving Nightwing the ability to make hasty escapes and climb high objects and buildings. The grapple lines can be lengthened and pulled back utilizing the buttons on the gun.
 * Lockpick: A small device to open locks, stored in his glove.
 * Knife
 * Periscope: A small device allowing the user to see around corners.
 * Rebreather: A small device used to breathe underwater.
 * Taser: A hand-held taser, that could be used both short range and long range. The exact voltage of the electrical blast is unknown, but it was enough to momentarily slow down Superboy.

Vehicles

 * Robin's motorcycle: As Robin, Dick had his own personal mode of transportation, a customized sports coupe motorcycle. When its battle mode was activated, the motorcycle split in half. The back half turns into a flying laser cannon that protected him from attack. It can also split into a pocket bike if the main body is heavily damaged and is activated through his glove computer.

Batman (Bruce Wayne)
Taken in by Bruce Wayne after the death of his biological parents, Dick Grayson became Robin, Bruce's partner in his crime-fighting work as Batman. He was only 9 years old when introduced to the field, and though the youngest, he is also the most experienced of the Team. Batman trained Dick with the specific goal of giving him support after the loss of his parents, so that Dick would not grow up like he had. His general opinion of Dick, although rarely stated directly, is high. When they worked in the field together, they behaved as a well-oiled machine, able to anticipate each other's moves, actions and plans, without the need to vocally communicate with each other.

Despite being his mentor, Batman seemed to treat Robin as a partner, rather than as a sidekick, and now treats Nightwing as a colleague, hearing him out when he states his opinion and even conceding to his points should they prove correct or logical. He also viewed Dick as a natural leader of the Team, but did not push him into the role.

Dick seemed to not only look up to Batman as a mentor but also as a father figure. He is proud to have been Batman's protégé and cared about living up to his expectations. He became rather jealous sometimes of the attention Aqualad got from Batman as leader of the Team.

Five years later, Dick's (now Nightwing) relationship with Batman remains strong. However, where before they worked as partners (though with Batman obviously in-charge), they now seem to view each other as complete equals. Batman puts a great deal of trust and confidence into Nightwing's role as the team's leader, and is willing to let Nightwing take lead during missions, such as during the Malina Island mission.

Aqualad
As one of the oldest members of the Team, Aqualad was naturally the Team's big brother. This relationship was most obvious between Robin and Aqualad. While Aqualad was the mature, rational older brother, Robin behaved far more impulsively and immaturely, which often resulted in Aqualad having to keep him in check. However, despite their extreme differences in personality, the pair got along very well, showing great respect for each other. When time came for the Team to choose a field leader, Robin initially saw himself as the most appropriate leader of the Team, citing his greater experience despite being the youngest member of the Team.

However, Aqualad explained that Robin's experience and his strong working relationship with Batman meant that Robin assumed his teammates could follow his plans without much explanation, whereas the Team really needed a leader who would be clear. Robin instead suggested that Aqualad should be the Team's leader, and Aqualad accepted. Nevertheless, Aqualad claimed that Robin was a natural leader and would one day be ready to take control of the Team. Despite this, Robin has been shown on at least one occasion to get jealous of the attention Batman gives to Aqualad due to his status as Team leader.

Kid Flash
Dick's best friend, both on and off the Team, is Wally West. They met and became fast friends before the creation of the Team. Despite Batman's orders for Robin not to reveal his secret identity, Robin trusted Kid Flash to such a great degree that he revealed his secret identity to him

Dick was uncomfortable with having Wally around during a personal mission to Haly's Circus, but Wally argued that he should have been there to support his friend, and keep him objective. After the faked death of Artemis and the destruction of Mount Justice, Wally and Dick had a falling out because the former did not approve of the risks Nightwing was willing to take for the sake of learning the identity of the Light's new partner.

Alfred Pennyworth
Alfred is the butler of the Wayne family and primary caregiver for both Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson.

Zatanna
When Zatanna first showed up at the Cave, Robin was very quick to introduce himself to her, although in a far less "smooth" manner than he normally demonstrated. The two flirted throughout their adventure, and both looked forward to another mission with each other on the Team. After Zatanna's father was taken as the new host of Doctor Fate, Robin attempted on more than one occasion to help Zatanna through her loss. Zatanna also comforted Robin when he was distraught over the possible death of Speedy. She kissed him, on the cheek, on his fourteenth birthday and on the mouth on New Year's. Sometime after this, they dated for a while. Though they broke up, they were still on very good speaking terms.

Tim Drake
Tim is the new Robin, and Dick's successor as Batman's protégé. Tim looks up to him as his hero and big brother. Dick tries to be a good role model and give Tim the chance to prove himself and go beyond his normal comfort zones, such as putting him in a leadership position.

Background in other media

 * Dick Grayson as Robin is considered the first official adolescent sidekick in comic book mythology. This is subtly hinted at in the show by stating the Robin has been working as a sidekick longer than everyone else.
 * In the comics' main timeline there have been four other Robins aside from Dick Grayson: Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown and Damian Wayne.
 * Greg Weisman stated that he chose Dick Grayson as Robin because Young Justice was sort of a Robin origin story and putting Jason Todd or Tim Drake would be doing injustice to the series.
 * In the original Young Justice comic series, the role of Robin was held by Tim Drake, rather than Dick Grayson. Dick Grayson (as Robin, Nightwing and Batman) has been a member of such teams as the Teen Titans, the Titans, the Outsiders and the Justice League of America. The Dick Grayson of Earth-Two was also a member of the Justice Society of America.
 * This is the twelfth animated incarnation of Dick Grayson. Previous versions have included The Adventures of Batman, The Batman/Superman Hour, Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder, The New Scooby-Doo Movies, Super Friends, DC Animated Universe (Batman: The Animated Series, The New Batman Adventures), Teen Titans, The Batman, Justice League: The New Frontier, Batman: The Brave and the Bold and Batman: Under the Red Hood.
 * Young Justice: Invasion marks Nightwing's sixth animated appearance; he has previously appeared in the DCAU (The New Batman Adventures and Justice League Unlimited), Teen Titans, The Batman, Batman: The Brave and the Bold and Batman: Under the Red Hood.
 * Dick Grayson has appeared in several live-action mediums including The Batman and Robin Serials, the Adam West and Burt Ward Batman TV series, and in the films Batman Forever and Batman and Robin. Although he never appeared, Dick Grayson was also mentioned briefly in an episode of the series Birds of Prey as a former partner to Batman.