Dick Grayson (Titans)

"After I left, when I moved to Detroit, part of me was still back here... still trying to make sense about what happened to me, as a kid. I struggled. There was this darkness inside of me, and I didn't know what to do with it. It hurt me. And I hurt others. The whole time, I thought it was because of the way you raised me, the way you weaponized my childhood"

―Dick Grayson to Bruce Wayne

Dick Grayson is a vigilante and leader of the Titans. Once part of an acrobatic troupe called the "Flying Graysons", he was fostered by Bruce Wayne after his parents were murdered by Tony Zucco. After discovering his adopter was the vigilante Batman, Dick joined his crusaded as Robin. During his time, Grayson formed a team of teenaged superheroes known as the Titans. By his adult years, Dick was became a Detroit Police Department, trying to distance himself away from vigilantism and Batman. After encounter Rachel Roth, Dick reformed the Titans after he learned about her father, Trigon, and his plans to bring about the apocalypse.

After defeating Trigon, Dick continued to lead the Titans alongside its senior members and new teammates (including Jason Todd, his successor as Robin). However, this brought about the vengeance of Deathstroke, an olden enemy who sought vengeance for his son, Jericho. After the defeat, he would adopt an new identity: Nightwing.

Biography[]

Early life[]

Dick Grayson was born to John and Mary Grayson; a pair of trapeze artists in Haly's Circus, known as the Flying Graysons, in 1990. When he was twelve years old, his parents fell to their deaths after Tony Zucco burned their trapeze ropes with hydrofluoric acid. Now an orphan, Dick was adopted by billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne.

Boiling with grief and resentment, Dick made several attempts to run away, stealing Bruce's car to search for clues about his parents' deaths. Bruce, sensing Dick's turmoil, revealed himself as Batman - the cowled scourge of Gotham's underworld - and offered Dick a position as his sidekick, Robin.

Training to be Robin[]

During his time as Robin, Dick befriended two other bird-themed vigilantes; Hawk and Dove. Bruce found their methods crude, but Dick forged a strong friendship with them both, reveling in every opportunity to use excessive force. He even pursued a romantic relationship with Dove, one that ended in resentment and jealousy.

Another of Dick's superhero friends was Donna Troy, aka. Wonder Woman's protégée Wonder Girl. They bonded over playing second-fiddle to two of the Justice League's hardest hitters, and she inspired him to be a better detective, a better fighter.

In 2016, Dick discovered that Tony Zucco was his parents' killer. Robin had him arrested, but Zucco was promptly released on account of providing the police valuable intelligence about the Maroni crime family. Furious, Dick ambushed Zucco's convoy and beat him mercilessly. They were interrupted by armed Maronis who fatally shot Zucco while Dick watched.

Moving away from Batman and meeting Rachel[]

Dick came to be disillusioned with Batman and left for Detroit in 2017. He felt that Bruce's methods were too vengeful, and feared that he would become corrupted by violence. He became a detective in the Detroit Police Department to keep criminals within arms' reach.

Dick first encountered Rachel when she was brought into the DPD interrogation room for questioning regarding her mother's murder. Distressed, Rachel told Dick that she'd seen him in a vision as "the boy from the circus". Confused and concerned, he later found her being stuffed unconscious into a police car. Dick gave chase, and tracked her to a room in an abandoned hotel, tied to a chair, with her captor dead in a pool of blood.

After briefly stopping for some coffee near Middleburg Heights, Ohio, Rachel and Dick had a conversation regarding what had happened, but Rachel had no idea how she'd killed the man. Sensing Rachel's distress consoled Raven. They drove until nightfall, stopping for the night at Interstate 80 Motel. Dick headed out for some pizza, returning home to find Rachel in shock, consoling her. The following day they headed to Dawn Granger and Hank Hall's place in Washington, D.C., where Dick explained the situation to Dawn. They were interrupted by Hank, who was angry to see Dick. That night, Dick talked with Rachel, who questioned him as to why he'd hurt Dawn, as she could empathetically sense it, but Dick refused to answer properly. He then called Alfred Pennyworth, hoping to get some money transferred to pay Dawn and Hank to look after Rachel. The following morning, he went to the federal reserve to pick it up.

When Dawn and Rachel arrived back from a day out, Dick talked to Dawn about the idea, but she didn't like it. Hank suddenly arrived home and saw Dawn holding Dick's arm, causing the two men to get into a physical altercation, only to be stopped by a sonic scream from Rachel. Dick and Rachel talked again that night, Rachel urging him to help Dawn out on her vigilante excursion that night. Dick eventually came round, saving Hawk and Dove from a large group of armed thugs.

They headed back to the apartment, finding Rachel on the rooftop. Dick attempted to explain himself, but Rachel could sense Dick still lying. They were suddenly interrupted by a family, who proceeded to instigate a fight. This ultimately led to Dick and Dawn flying off the building. While Dick was able to grab onto the ledge, Dawn was unsuccessful, much to the horror of Dick.

Mentor of a team[]

Visiting Dawn in hospital, Dick promised Hank to find the people responsible for her injuries. Dick received a call from a police officer, informing him of Rachel's whereabouts, while also informing him of Detective Rohrbach's death. Stopping at a crime scene that Rachel had been at, he gathered evidence and followed a number plate of the car driven by Rachel's savior, Kory Anders. Dick finally caught up with them at Scooters Roller Skating Rink. After Rachel had a demonic freakout, they headed to Saint Paul's Convent, where Rachel chose to stay for some time.

While inside, Kory stole Dick's car. He found her in a storage facility, noticing all of her evidence regarding Rachel. They suddenly felt an earthquake, seeing smoke coming from the direction of the convent, as well as seeing copious ravens flying overhead.

The two of them headed back to the orphanage, where they found half of it having been blown up, along with the head nun injured. She explained that Rachel had escaped, despite them trying their best to keep her safe. They instead headed to the Covington Police Department, Dick showing his badge and a photo of Rachel. The attending officer told him of a man has come in describing a girl of her description, giving Dick the man's name and address. Dick and Kory headed there, but when he refused to talk to another cop, Dick entered the man's home and beat him up, before realizing they were being watched by his young son. The man gave Kory the only possible location of Rachel he could think of, the Caulder house on Danny Street. The two-headed there, running into three of its occupants. However, Dick heard screaming, running to find Rachel engulfed in darkness. He definitively promised to never leave her again, before they embraced. Shortly following, the group left, joined by Gar Logan.

Trading Dick's Porsche in for a minivan, they made their way to Do-Si-Do Motel, where they hoped to lay low. Deciding they needed to know how to work best with each other, they found a warehouse and demonstrated their abilities to one another. However, Dick refused to show them anything. That night, Kory and Dick admired as Gar and Rachel bonded. After, when they'd all returned to their rooms, Dick helped Rachel to take down a mirror, scared of her demonic reflection. Shortly following, Dick took a shower, and after he got out, was interrupted by Kory, who'd brought some tequila. Determined to get him to open up, Kory came on to Dick and the two had sex.

However, he remained guarded despite this. Right after Kory left, Dick was attacked by "Nuclear Mom" and "Nuclear Stepdad". He fought them off, but "Nuclear Stepdad" ran at Dick, sending him flying through the window and on to a car below, momentarily knocking Dick out. When Dick came to, he opened his case to put on his Robin suit, helping to overpower the Nuclear family. They tied them up and attempted to get information out of them, but to no avail. Dick went outside and found their car, using their cell phone to locate Dr. Adamson in Chicago, Illinois. Dick traveled there, hoping to get answers as to why he was targeting Rachel, but they were promptly ambushed by a group of soldiers trying to kill them. However, they were quickly rescued by Jason Todd.

Giving up Robin's mantle[]

The two of them took Adamson's unconscious body to a safehouse. On the way there, Jason told Dick all about how he'd become Robin, also making him aware of the trackers that both of them had in their arms, unbeknownst to Dick. When they arrived at the safehouse, Dick removed his tracker, simultaneously talking to Kory and telling them to join him at the safe house. Before he could leave, Jason told Dick why he was truly there, and how someone had been hunting down his former circus friends, using hydrofluoric acid. He used a computer to find the whereabouts of the one remaining circus performer, Clayton Williams, leaving his friends behind while Jason joined him. They traveled to Corvo in Milwaukee, Jason unable to enter due to his age. Dick approached Clayton, surprising him, causing Clay to squeeze him tightly. The two talked and Dick explained his visit before he noticed Jason entering a fight, having made his way into the speakeasy. Breaking it up, there was an explosion from outside.

In the meanwhile, Dick received a call from Nick Zucco, revealing his identity and revealing that he'd since taken Clay. Dick put on his Robin suit and headed to a warehouse, finding a strung up Clayton. Before Nick could do any real harm, Jason attacked him from behind, Dick then knocking him out. As this happened, the police entered the scene. Jason brutally beat them down, stopped only by Dick, who scolded him for his intense violence. Returning Clayton to his home, he helped clean up his acid wound.

After Adamson told Rachel about her birth mother being alive and held in an asylum, Rachel left to find her alongside Gar causing Dick and Kory to follow them. After reaching the asylum, they were captured and Dick was mentally tortured by showing him his dark past. He had a realization that he had blamed Bruce and Zucco for making him a violent and ruthless person when in reality it was he responsible for it.

Dick was soon rescued by Rachel, Gar and Rachel's mother; before they escaped, they also freed Kory and Dick took out an entire horde of guards. Kory blew up the asylum, while Dick burned his Robin suit, giving up the mantle for good.

Self search and discovering the truth about Kory[]

After the traumatic experience at the asylum, Dick spent another night with Kory and noted that she was mumbling in her sleep. Questioned if there was anything revealed about her, he told otherwise. Kory realized that Dick had his belongings packed and he confirmed her suspicions that he would be leaving due to something personal placing in charge to look after the rest of the group while taking a train to Angela's home in Ohio.

The following day Rachel, initially angry and sulky by Dick's departure, just a few seconds before he goes decided to drop the façades and give him one last hug, thanking him for all he had done for her.

Later, he visited Donna and announce to her that he quit being Robin. Seeing that he sought advice and a place to stay, she gladly lent a helping hand. To help clear his mind, she brought him to an exhibition featuring her photographs. However, after Donna received a text message regarding personal matters and told Dick she had to take care of something before leaving him alone at the exhibition. While concluding a meet-up with a strange group of men led by a poacher named Graham Norris, Dick appeared and attacked them. Following the assault, she faked photographs to avoid any suspicion being involved.

Back at her own home, she spoke to Dick on his internal issues and hoped to give him some insight on who he truly is. While looking through his phone she found an image of a transcript found in Kory Anders storage unit, written in a peculiar text. Upon Dick's request, she attempted to translate it. The following day, while on the road, Donna finally got somewhere with translating the text and revealed that Kory was sent on a mission to kill "The Raven".

Dick and Donna reached Angela's home just in time, and Donna stopped Kory from further harming anyone knocking her out. Kory eventually regained consciousness but drove off in a frenzy. Before Dick and Donna were prompted to follow, Donna threw a tracker onto her truck so the two were eventually led to an old warehouse where Kory claimed her memories were leading her. Once they got inside, a large spacecraft revealed itself to be Kory's ship. Both Dick and Donna were informed that Kory is from another planet and that her mission is to kill an interdimensional being named Trigon: A demon capable of destroying her world and many others. Reading an old manuscript that explained the prophecy, Donna concluded that Rachel's mother, Angela, might be involved in Trigon's plan. On their way back to the house, as Dick realized that was Angela's plan all along, Donna flipped through the book and discovered that there is only one way to defeat Trigon—through Rachel. Suddenly, all of the power went out, including that of the vehicle. They all proceeded on foot and found Angela's house invisibly cloaked in a sparkling dome. Dick is the only one of the group who easily managed to run through the field.

Stopping Trigon[]

Under Trigon's control, Dick was made to chase after an escaping Rachel and Gar, falsely promising them that everything would be fine. Eventually making their way back to the living room, Gar and Rachel were surrounded by Dick and the rest of the now-possessed Titans. They began beating up Gar, and after Rachel begged Dick to make it stop, he picked Gar up and threw him across the room, dealing the final blow. Watching as Trigon regained his true form and headed outside to begin his work, Dick's mindscape was entered by Rachel, who attempted to make Dick see reason. When he tried to hold Rachel in a chokehold, Rachel took them back to his parents' trapeze act, where she'd first seen him. She made her way across the trapeze, risking death in real life, saved at the last minute by Dick, who snapped out of Trigon's control. Hugging Rachel, he allowed her to go and face her father, watching on as Trigon was disintegrated. Following the ordeal, Dick took Rachel, Gar and Jason with him to parts unknown. They made a stop off at Bruce Wayne's, where the two men spoke. Dick admitted his faults to Bruce, having unfairly blamed a lot on him, and began to make amends. He also asked use of the old Titans base in San Francisco, which Bruce allowed on the provision that he take Jason there too. The four of them headed off, arriving and making themselves acquainted with the building.

Reforming the Titans[]

Living in Titans Tower for the next three months, the newly-formed team began training, with Dick instructing them to practice combat using a blindfold. When Jason became annoyed when Gar properly hit him, Dick stressed the importance of the exercise. He talked to Jason one on one, asking that he set an example for the other two, as they would follow his lead. That night, the team converged on the living room as helicopters flew past the tower. They turned on the news, seeing news of a girl fleeing from police. Impressed with her skills, Dick went to retrieve her, bringing her unconsciously back to recuperate, also changing her bandage on her wounded eye. While the girl came to, Dick received a call from Hank, having been attacked by their old adversary Dr. Light, suggesting he and Dawn join them in San Francisco. Meanwhile, the girl attempted to escape from Titans Tower, but was met by the rest of the team. Dick talked to her and recommended she stay to unlock her full potential, but she refused. Contemplatively deciding what the best course of action was, Dick was joined by the computers by Rachel, who believed the girl joining them was the best option, especially for Dick. Wishing for another opinion, Dick called Bruce, who relayed how difficult it had been taking in Dick, but altogether rewarding. The following morning, Dick took the girl for coffee, before driving around the city to ensure they weren't being followed, allowing her to go on her way. Before she left, Dick made her take a phone to call him when she decided she needed to. Offering her name, Rose, the girl went to leave. However, the two noticed a surge of light in the back seat, Dick realizing it to be a bomb from Dr. Light. They jumped out of the car and took cover, watching the vehicle explode.

They returned back to Titans Tower, where Dick was informed that Rose's father was Slade Wilson. Gar elaborated on some of the information he'd found, but Dick shut the computer off and offered to take it from there. They were suddenly interrupted by Hank, Dawn and Donna, who'd arrived downstairs. Allowing them access up, they discussed their plans to take down Dr. Light. Before they could head to their rooms, he informed them of their guest, Rose, and how she was Slade's daughter, albeit on the run from him. They all grew annoyed at him harboring a probable enemy, but he asked them to focus on Dr. Light, with him dealing with Rose. He headed in to talk to Rose, asking why she'd kept her father a secret, before giving her an eye patch to wear. Deciding to work on finding Dr. Light, Dick pulled Gar out of training to help, having him monitor the city's power grids. Later that night, Dick approached Donna in the kitchen, who chastised him for re-starting the Titans after what had previously occurred. She expressed her fears that Slade would get the best of him, admitting they'd all made mistakes, not just him. With Gar finding a potential location for Dr. Light, the city suddenly went dark, the Tower staying alight with backup power. The original Titans headed to a stadium, where they surrounded Dr. Light. He shot beams of light energy, before fleeing out of the stadium. He made it some way out, but was caught up to by Donna. She managed to pin him down, but before Dick could take him out, they were interrupted by a bus of civilians, allowing Light time to escape. When they returned to Titans Tower, Hank angrily attacked Dick for letting Dr. Light go, but Dawn managed to talk him down. Jason intervened, pointing out how they could have used his help. Getting cocky and rude, Dick roughly knocked him to the ground. Realizing his mistake, he tried to help Jason up, but he brushed him off and stormed out of the room. Dick went to train to release some frustration, when he was joined by Rose. She wished for him to teach her some offensive moves, but he only preached defense, demonstrating it in a fight. Dick went to talk to Hank, who admitted he knew Dick had done the right thing, apologizing for his prior demeanor.