Warning: Spoilers for Nightwing #121!Historically, Nightwing went out of his way to differentiate himself from Batman. Of course, this doesn't mean that the hero necessarily hates his mentor. The duo's relationship has a complicated history, but the love between Nightwing and Batman is undeniable. It turns out he doesn't want to harbor the same level of darkness - specifically anger - that it takes for Bruce Wayne to be Batman.
Dick Grayson shows he may be more like Batman than he thinks Nightwing #121 by Dan Watters, Dexter Soy, Veronica Gandini and Wes Abbott. In a moment of rage, Nightwing exposes the darkness within him that echoes the rage within Batman, all expressed in a simple quote: "I'm unhappy with you."
Moments like this single panel show how, whether he wants to admit it or not, Nightwing is more like Batman than any of them can imagine.
Nightwing's rage makes him more like Batman than he'd like to admit
Anger is reasonable: he doesn't like children being recruited by a gang
A hack into Spheric Solutions, which makes weapons to kill superheroes, put Nightwing in conflict with the Teddies Gang recently. We know that Nightwing was already investigating why an explosion claimed the lives of all the local crime bosses during a meeting. Their investigation is complicated when Pearce, the CEO of Spheric Solutions, publicly blames the Teddies for the break-in, despite Dick knowing that the Teddies are nowhere to be found in the factory.
Nightwing determines that as part of an inside job that involved bombing its own factories, Spheric Solutions needs to give the illusion that Blüdhaven has been overrun by gang culture through scare tactics. This measure would justify gifting the Blüdhaven Police Department with advanced weaponry that would otherwise be a controversial measure. As he figures out the "why" behind the matter, as well as dealing with the Blüdhaven Police Department's abuse of Project Helios, Nightwing is furious when he discovers that the Teddies' puppies are real childrennot much older than fourteen.
Nightwing later discovers that the children were not so much recruited or manipulated as they were homeless, having nowhere else to go, needing the safe space provided by the gang. Before that, however, he is filled with rage when he discovers that children are forced into a life of crimeespecially after seeing one of those children - fourteen-year-old Marcus Moran - die in the line of fire. Nightwing's first instinct is to enter the Teddies' hideout, beating them to death while airing his grievances.
Why does this plot twist make Nightwing unhappy?
The root of Nightwing's anger comes from his upbringing
One can see the parallels between Dick Grayson's life and the lives of the young Teddies, making Nightwing's complaints completely understandable. His parents' murders forced Nightwing to grow up quickly. Children dealing with tragedy at a young age are always forced to grow up quickly, but even more so for someone like Dick Grayson, who almost immediately chose to face the situation by donning a mask to become Robin, the Boy Wonder. The former Robin overcame it by becoming a crime fighter while these children quickly grew up to become criminals.
Nightwing chose to keep his darkest emotions under lock and key.
Knowing what it's like to have one's innocence destroyed at a young age and plunged into a life of crime - albeit as a crime fighter rather than a criminal - is what touched Nightwing. This knowledge triggered an outburst of anger in someone who is known for knowing how to remain calm in tense situations, remaining jovial. That's not the case this time, as Nightwing launches a barrage of fists at the Teddies, his signature smile disappears in favor of gritted teeth. The fury in Nightwing's eyes and face is no different from Batman's.
Nightwing and Batman share a propensity for anger
They have harbored fury since childhood
If there's one thing Batman and Nightwing can't deny they have in common, it's that both were forced to grow up very quickly after the tragedy. Both men lost their parents at a young age, and with the pain and tragedy comes an anger shrouded in darkness. Both men harbor this darkness within them, but because Dick had Bruce help him heal from his trauma before Bruce, Dick learned to repress this darkness within him. This darkness could only be repressed for so long when unleashed in a moment like Teddies.
Looking for more Nightwing in the current DCU? Check it out Titans by John Layman and Pete Woods, available now from DC Comics.
Nightwing chose to keep his darkest emotions under lock and key, which is why he never wanted to become Batman, just as Bruce allowed Dick to be his own man instead of pushing the cowl on him. By maintaining an optimistic outlook on life as Nightwing, Dick creates a better future for his city, as Blüdhaven needs to be protected by hope, not fear. Fear and anger help Bruce be the Batman he needs to be for Gotham. Alternatively, as seen with the Teddies, pure anger prevents Dick from being the Nightwing he needs to be from Blüdhaven.
Nightwing #121 is now available from DC Comics.