Nightwing crowns his greatest enemy and we’re sure no one called him out

Warning: Spoilers for Titans #17Nightwing has faced countless dastardly villains throughout his years as a crime-fighting vigilante, but I never would have predicted the one he considers his enemy. In fact, I don’t think anyone can guess who Nightwing’s worst enemy is, as Dick Grayson confirms that an unexpected fight is his deepest trauma in DC lore.

Titans #17, by John Layman, Pete Woods and Wes Abbott, pits Nightwing and his fellow Titans against the Clock King, who harnesses the power to manipulate their minds and trap them in their most traumatic memories. The rest of the Titans face off against their classic rivals, with Raven reliving her confrontation with Trigon and Starfire battling Blackfire, while Nightwing recalls a fight with an unlikely villain: the android Failsafe.

I definitely didn’t expect this twist, but it’s official: Nightwing cemented Failsafe as his greatest enemy in DC history. Failsafe wouldn’t have been my first, second, or third choice for that coveted status, which begs the question of why Nightwing fears this Batman villain as much as he does.

Failsafe is officially Nightwing’s darkest villain in shocking reveal

Nightwing’s Most Traumatic Moment Features a Surprising Villain

Failsafe made its first appearance in Batman #125, by Chip Zdarsky, Jorge Jiménez, Tomeu Morey and Clayton Cowles. His android exterior is inhabited by Zur-En-Arrh, Batman’s alternate personality that Bruce created as a means of withdrawing from his human side and resorting to more brutal methods when necessary. The purpose of Failsafe, as the name suggests, is to be a “failsafe” in case Batman breaks his no-killing rule. If this happens, Failsafe should activate and hunt it down. Batman fearing Failsafe makes sense, but I never would have guessed Nightwing would too.

Nightwing and Failsafe’s first meeting clarifies their dynamic as each other’s adversaries. Absolute Power: Task Force VII #4 by Pornsak Pichetshote, Claire Roe, and Lee Loughridge features their pivotal confrontation, during which Failsafe calls out Nightwing’s weakness by criticizing his empathy toward others. Nightwing is fueled by his empathy and love, while Failsafe is devoid of such human emotions. This conflict puts them at odds with one another, though it doesn’t fully explain why Failsafe is the subject of Nightwing’s worst memory. Their battle is certainly a tough one for Nightwing, but their rivalry is far from the most prominent.

Nightwing’s other villains would have been more obvious choices for his nemesis

Nightwing isn’t so much afraid of his own Rogues Gallery as he is Failsafe

In my opinion, the main candidate for the villain Nightwing fears most should be Heartless. Shelton Lyle, or Heartless, is Nightwing’s Batman Joker. Since childhood, he has terrorized Dick, and any of their confrontations could serve as his darkest moment. Tony Zucco is another reasonable option, thanks to his history with Nightwing. Zucco was the one who murdered his mother and father during the Flying Graysons’ circus act, and it was recently revealed that he intended to kill Dick instead of his parents. The guilt that stems from this revelation could understandably cause Tony to haunt Nightwing in the future.

In addition to these main options, there are many villains throughout Nightwing’s history that would have been more believable as part of his most painful memory. Blockbuster, for example, is a recurring threat to Dick Grayson, who could have traumatized him after one of their devastating fights. Deathstroke or Joker could also be considered for this status in Nightwing’s estimation, as they have been an antagonistic presence in Dick’s life from his Robin days to his solo career. However, Despite all of these villains’ merits, they collectively failed to be considered Nightwing’s true enemy..

Nightwing fearing Failsafe more than any other villain might make sense after all

Failsafe is the biggest threat to Batman, Nightwing’s father

Nightwing’s fear of Failsafe seems unfounded on the surface, but I think it’s logical when we take into account the circumstances of the memory he imagines in Failsafe. In the scene that Clock King makes happen, Nightwing is not the one who is attacked by Failsafe. Instead, he watches in horror as Failsafe attacks Batman in front of him. Then, when Clock King manipulates the memory to make it worse, he screams as Batman is brutally impaled by Failsafe. With this in mind, it is clear that Nightwing is not afraid of Failsafe; he is afraid that Failsafe will harm Batman.

Failsafe is a machine that merged with Zur-En-Arrh and is therefore the manifestation of Batman’s habit of forming contingency plans out of distrust. Nightwing’s lasting memory of Failsafe is of the damage he inflicts on Bruce, indicating that his fear comes from a feeling of love for his father more than anything else. His biggest villain is one who poses a threat to Batman, and I may not have seen that coming, but I can see how that fits into his character. Now, we know for sure that NightwingBatman’s true nightmare – more than any villain or droid – is seeing Batman die.

Titans #17 is now available from DC Comics.