DC Confirms Nightwing is Destined to Surpass Batman as a Greater Hero
Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for DC K.O.:Knightfight #2DC Comics has confirmed the one hero who was always destined to surpass Batman. Trapped in various alternate realities after he was eliminated from the King Omega tournament, Batman is now facing each of his Robins, who've grown up to become Dark Knights themselves. In the primary DC Universe, Batman has never wanted any of his Robins to one day replace him. However, the brand-new DC K.O.: Knightfight #2 by Joshua Williamson and Dan Mora confirms that Bruce Wayne always knew one of his Robins was always going to one day surpass him as a far greater hero.
Batman Confirms Nightwing Was Always Destined To Surpass Him
In the first alternate reality Batman was sent to by the Heart of Apokolips, Bruce Wayne faced a world where Dick Grayson took on the mantle of the Bat. This occurred after this reality's Bruce Wayne went insane following a Lazarus Pit baptism, wanting to stay young and refusing to give up his legacy. Apparently, this dark decision led to this dark Batman murdering Jason Todd, Tim Drake, and Damian Wayne. In the shadow of that loss, Dick Grayson became Batman, creating an entire global network of Robins in partnership with the Titans, with Gotham acting as a central hub. Understanding that he must fight Grayson to move forward, Batman's inner monologue confirms what he's always believed about his own Nightwing: Dick Grayson was always going to surpass him as a hero, having learned skills and instincts as a child that Batman himself only learned through the trauma of losing his parents.
DC Confirms Dick Grayson Could Become A Better Batman (But Nightwing's Even Better Than That)
NIGHTWING AND BATMAN AS ONE IMAGE
Overall, the high praise and regard Batman has for Nightwing is nothing super new, especially following the end of Dark Crisis, where Batman and the Justice League chose Nightwing to take the lead on protecting the world with the Titans in the event's aftermath. However, the best thing about this new story is the key distinction Bruce Wayne makes:
"From the moment he fought by my side, I knew that he would surpass me, so much so that I didn't think he'd need to be Batman. And here I see he not only became Batman...he's a better Batman."
Batman fully expected Dick Grayson to surpass him and go beyond the confines of what "Batman" can be. That's something we've very much seen with Grayson's role as Nightwing over the years. However, it's fascinating to see this new context and reality confirming that if Grayson did become Batman for the long term, he'd absolutely be a better Dark Knight than Bruce Wayne himself. DC K.O.: Knightfight #2 is now on sale from DC Comics
