Summary
WARNING: Contains Potential Spoilers for Batman: The Brave and the Bold #14!TRIGGER WARNING: Article Discusses Two Instances of Nightwing Being Sexually Assaulted (and a comic panel that features victim blaming).
Nightwinghas admitted that oneJustice Leaguehero’s power makes him incredibly uncomfortable. This revelation is interesting on its own, but it also highlights why Dick Grayson is DC’s best hero. Additionally, this admission may be a tragic and subtle callback to two of Nightwing’s most controversial story arcs, making his aversion to this hero’s powers even more understandable.
Nightwing’s discomfort with Deadman’s powers may also be Seeley making a subtle nod to Dick’s past as a victim of sexual assault in comics.
Batman: The Brave and the Bold#14 returns with the second installment of Tim Seeley, Kelley Jones, and Michelle Madsen’s Nightwing-centric story,Down the Road. This narrative sees Dick teaming up with the beloved Justice League hero Boston “Deadman” Brand, who, like Nightwing, has a background rooted in his past as a circus performer.
The two are joining forces to solve a mystery involving an apparition that repeats a phrase they are both familiar with:“If I fall, may I never land.” During their search for this mysterious apparition,Nightwing reveals thatDeadman’s possession powersmake him incredibly uncomfortable.
Deadman’s Possession Powers Make Nightwing Incredibly Uncomfortable (& It Makes Perfect Sense Why)
InDown the Road, Part Two,Nightwing is accompanied by Deadmanas he rides the circus rail routes disguised as a drifter. During one of their cart rides, a fight breaks out among other drifters, prompting Dick to intervene. Distracted by his ongoing mystery, he soon finds himself on the wrong side of a blade. This prompts Deadman to unnecessarily interfere by possessing one of the other drifters, taking control of their body without their consent. After the incident,Nightwing tells Deadman that taking away innocent people’s free will and making a performance out of it makes him “really uncomfortable.”
Dick’s disapproval of how Boston uses his powers makes perfect sense, given that Nightwing is all about empowering people rather than controlling them.Among DC’s heroes, Nightwing is perhaps the strongest advocate for free will, a theme notably present in Tom Taylor’s ongoingNightwingrun. For instance, during the citywide riot in Blüdhaven after Heartless releases the entire prison population, Dick doesn’t try to control the escapees. Instead, he convinces them not to be manipulated by a serial killer’s selfish needs, encouraging them to make their own choices.
Nightwing’s New Nickname Is the Perfect Celebration of His Past
One iconic Justice Lague Dark member has officially crowned Nightwing with a new nickname that is the perfect tribute to Dick Grayson’s past.
Dick Grayson’s Discomfort with Deadman’s Possession Powers May Be a Subtle Callback to Tarantula and Mirage Sexually Assaulting Him
Dick’s discomfort with Deadman’s powers may also be Seeley making a subtle nod toNightwing’s past as a victim of sexual assault in comics.Dick was first sexually assaulted by the shapeshifter Mirage, who pretended to be his girlfriend, Starfire, before they had sex, meaning he didn’t give consent to the person he thought he was giving it to. He was also raped by Tarantula, who took advantage of him while he was in a state of shock and exhaustion, ignoring his “no.” Given this context,Nightwing’sunease withDeadmanusing people’s bodies without their consent becomes even more understandable.
Dick Grayson was sexually assaulted by Mirage inTeam Titans #2 (1992) and was raped by Tarantula inNightwing#93 (2004).
Batman: The Brave and the Bold #14is available on August 06, 2025, from DC Comics!
BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #14 (2024)
Nightwing
Nightwing is the superhero moniker taken up by Dick Grayson, upon his aging out of the Robin role and becoming a superhero of his own. Inspired by the original Kryptonian hero of the same name, Grayson has risen to comic book immortality with the identity, earning respect as one of the greatest leaders in the DC Universe.
