A climactic fight between Batman and Nightwing proves that Bruce Wayne truly is one of the best fighters in the DC Comics universe. In addition to earning the title of World's Greatest Detective for mastering criminology and honing his deduction skills, a key part of Bruce Wayne's origin story is also his mastery of martial arts, making him one of the best hand-to-hand fighters in the world. A.D. Pantheon. As Dick Grayson's adoptive father and mentor, Batman passed on his experience to him, making Grayson almost equal as the original companion to use the moniker Robin.
Dick Grayson would become the independent superhero Nightwing in adulthood, using his training and experiences as Robin to protect Gotham City, as well as its twin city Blüdhaven. Nightwing would remain an ally of Batman, of course, but the two notably clash in the 2016 animated film Batman: Bad Blood. Suffering the effects of the Mad Hatter's brainwashing, the battle between Batman and Nightwing, and their brief but epic melee shows why Batman is truly one of the greatest martial artists in the DC Universe, despite Nightwing being a formidable combatant due to his own merits.
Batman uses Nightwing's agility against him
Batman knows Nightwing's weaknesses
At the start of the fight, Batman and Nightwing appear evenly matched, with both throwing nearly identical punches and kicks and dodging or blocking each other in equal measure. Only when Nightwing starts using more elaborate movements and employing his agility does Batman really counter him.throwing his former teammate to the ground and forcing Nightwing to alternate between his basic punches and kicks and resorting to his acrobatic skills. Naturally, given that Batman trained him, Nightwing and his former mentor would have the same basic attacks, but Dick Grayson's acrobatic skills are superior to Batman's.
In Dick Grayson's iconic origin story, he was a circus acrobat who was orphaned when mobster Tony Zucco sabotaged his parents' trapeze, resulting in them falling to their deaths. In his debut, Dick Grayson's acrobatic skills impressed Batman during his training, with Bruce Wayne noting that they were far superior to his considerable abilities. Unsurprisingly, Nightwing attempted to use these abilities to gain an advantage over Batmanwho in turn predicted this strategy and countered Grayson's acrobatic moves accordingly, forcing Nightwing to alter his tactics in search of another advantage.
Batman ups the ante when Nightwing uses guns
Nightwing's mentor stops holding back
As Robin, Dick Grayson typically fought with his fists and feet, deploying his devices as needed. As Nightwing, however, Grayson began using a pair of escrima sticks as his signature weapon. In some DC Universes, such as Batman: Arkham video games, the batons have built-in weaponry, with the Arkham franchise by making them electrified. In his fight with Batman in Bad blood, Nightwing begins to use his attacks against Batman, and they are effective at first.with Nightwing landing several damaging attacks on his mentor, but this also proves ineffective.
Batman attacks, dodges and counterattacks Nightwing much more aggressively when Grayson switches to his escrimas, unleashing a devastating attack before injuring Nightwing's arm. It quickly becomes clear that Batman was holding back beforeeven while brainwashed, and Nightwing's attacks caused him to stop throwing punches. Even with only one usable arm, Nightwing's training and tenacity keep him in the fight as he evades Batman's attacks, although Batman uses one more trick to ensure his victory.
Batman allows himself to be predicted... and then changes the game
The Dark Knight lulls Nightwing into a false sense of security
Jumping from the top of a ladder Batman uses his cape to slide towards Nightwing letting his former protégé think he knows where Batman will land, only for Batman to end up after Nightwing. Batman then launches another attack to defeat the weakened Nightwing. Batman disarms Nightwing, hitting him with his own escrima, before using his injured arm to subdue him.
Nightwing is by no means a poor hand-to-hand combatant. His training with Batman made him one of DC's best fighters, but it was Batman's familiarity with his companion's strengths and weaknesses – as well as having more experience – that allowed him to win. Furthermore, Batman was not in his right mind, having been brainwashed by the Mad Hatter and therefore having little to no qualms about harming his adopted son.. Nightwing, on the other hand, would be less inclined to fight to his full potential in a battle with Batmangiving the latter yet another advantage.
Upcoming DC film releases