Summary
- Nightwing’s fear of heights becomes a crippling weakness, leading to a critical moment in issue #115 by Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo.
- Dick Grayson is portrayed by Shelton Lyle as a Heartless, which gives him a bad reputation in Bludhaven and leads to him being taken into police custody due to mistaken identity.
- Batman will step in to clear Nightwing’s name and ensure the original Boy Wonder has support in the face of adversity.
WARNING: Contains potential spoilers for Nightwing #115!
Thanks to his new crippling weakness, Nightwing was shot… again. Luckily for Dick Grayson – and for fans who hated the Ric Grayson story arc – he managed to avoid being shot in the head this time. So the original Boy Wonder won’t suffer from long-term amnesia or take on the bizarre role of a taxi driver again. However, it’s still a case of mistaken identity.
For several issues, Nightwing has struggled with a newfound fear of heights. However, this fear has now developed into a crippling weakness akin to kryptonite, severely affecting his ability to perform his usual acrobatics and jumping skills. This vulnerability reaches a critical point in Nightwing #115 by Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo.
Unwillingly disguised as a Heartless and armed with a heart-removing weapon due to Sheldon Lyle’s schemes, Dick is chased by police on a rooftop. Although he has the opportunity to escape by jumping, Dick is paralyzed with fear. This hesitation leads to him being shot by the police, captured and exposed as a Heartless.
Nightwing’s crippling fear of heights leads to his shooting and officially damages his reputation in Bludhaven
In Nightwing #115, Shelton writes:Heartless“Lyle staged a fire at a gala/press conference and tricked Dick into helping rescue his butler, Gerald Chamberlain. The duo then drugged him and took him to an unknown location where Lyle and his accomplices disguise Dick as a Heartless and arm him with the “Heart-Removing Weapon” before leaving him for the Bludhaven police. to find him after an anonymous tip. When Dick regained consciousness, the police approached him, whereupon he tried to escape by jumping from the roof. However, his paralyzing fear of heights prevented him from daring to take the leap.
Therefore, his hesitation to jump gave the BHPD the opportunity to shoot and arrest him. While they were holding him, they forcibly removed the Heartless’ mask, fulfilling Shelton’s plan to portray Dick as the true Heartless. The issue ends at this critical point, but it is obvious that this case of mistaken identity will have serious consequences. Most notably, Dick Grayson’s reputation in Bludhaven will suffer as he finds himself in police custody and must grapple with clearing his name while continuing to thwart Heartless’ plans. Fortunately, the call for Nightwing #117 suggests that Dick doesn’t have to face this challenge alone.
Batman will play an important role in clearing Dick Grayson’s name and preserving Nightwing’s honor
The call for submissions for issue No. 117 states: “While Dick comes into contact with the ghost of his past, Nightwing takes to the streets to defend his honor. But how can he be in two places at once?” Combined with the cover image showing Batman in Nightwing’s costume, it is almost certain that Bruce will defend his son’s honor. Despite the bleak outlook for Nightwing and Dick Grayson after the events in issue #115, it seems that Batman and other members of the Bat-Family will probably rally around the original Boy Wonder and make sure there is someone to catch him even if he falls.
Nightwing #115 is now available from DC Comics!
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NIGHTWING #115 (2024) |
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Nightwing
Nightwing is the superhero name Dick Grayson adopted when he outgrew the role of Robin and became a superhero in his own right. Inspired by the original Kryptonian hero of the same name, Grayson used this identity to achieve immortality in the comics and earn respect as one of the greatest leaders in the DC Universe.
