While his mentor Batman is known for striking fear into Gotham’s criminals, Nightwing has always been far more of a force of hope and inspiration. However, when Nightwing’s full monstrous potential was revealed, that relationship was flipped on its head.
Nightwing’s transformation took place in the 2016 crossover event ‘Night of the Monster Men,’ which saw Hugo Strange experimenting on several people, resulting in them transforming into horrific monsters with wildly different designs, from a bulbous-headed cyclops to a human-headed spider. While several heroes were transformed, Nightwing’s giant bat monster was particularly appropriate to menace Gotham City, and raises some huge questions about Dick’s true nature.
Nightwing Became a Monstrous Bat-Bird
While other individuals became insectoid or demonic creatures, Nightwing turns into a gigantic bat/bird hybrid, with Batwoman noting in Batman #8 (by Steve Orlando, Tom King, and Riley Rossmo) that he is literally now “a flying Grayson” – the name under which his acrobat family performed prior to their murders. What’s so interesting however is that there’s no reason Dick would transform into a giant bat. Strange’s experiments weren’t designed to give Nightwing this form – it seemingly came from a quirk in his own DNA or psychology. This makes sense, as Dick’s ties to Gotham and his ‘Nightwing’ name go far deeper than many know.
Nightwing’s Monster Form Raises Questions About His Past
While recruited as Robin after the death of his parents, Dick was originally intended to become a Talon for the mysterious Court of Owls, who used Haly’s Circus to train their assassins from a young age. On a more mystic level, multiple comics have suggested that Dick is connected to the Kryptonian god Nightwing – a birdlike deity who lies at the origin of Dick’s codename, via a story told to him by Superman. Dick’s monster form begs the question: are all the references to birds and flying in Dick’s life coincidences, or is there something deep within him that is bound to these animal totems?
It’s Time to Explore Nightwing’s Destiny
It’s possible that Nightwing’s monster form is a result of his conscious link to bats and birds, but the DC Universe is packed with cosmic and mystic connections. Magical beings have suggested in the past that Bruce Wayne was ‘meant’ to become Batman, with his own time travel following Final Crisis revealing that he’s the reason bats have been linked to Gotham City throughout its history. Is the same true for Dick, with the universe selecting him as the embodiment of a bird of prey, and Batman helping to shape that into something heroic?
As Nightwing takes new prominence in the DC Universe – his Titans replacing the Justice League following Dark Crisis – fans are more likely to get the answer than ever, and his ‘Night of the Monster Men’ form suggests that there’s still something major about Dick that fans don’t know.
