Warning: Spoilers for Titans #17Nightwinghas faced countless dastardly villains throughout his years as a crime-fighting vigilante, yet I never would have predicted the one he considers his nemesis. In fact, I don’t think anyone could guess who Nightwing’s worst enemy is, as Dick Grayson confirms an unexpected fight to be his deepest trauma in DC lore.
Titans#17 by John Layman, Pete Woods, and Wes Abbott pits Nightwing and his fellow Titans against Clock King, who harnesses the power to manipulate their minds and trap them within their most traumatic memories. The rest of the Titans contend with their classic rivals, with Raven reliving her showdown with Trigon andStarfire battling Blackfire, whereas Nightwing recalls a fight with an unlikely villain: the android Failsafe.
I definitely didn’t see this twist coming, but it’s official:Nightwing has cemented Failsafe as his greatest foe in DC history.Failsafe wouldn’t have been my first, second, or even third pick for this coveted status, which begs the question of why Nightwing fears this Batman villain as much as he does.
Failsafe Is Officially Nightwing’s Darkest Villain, In a Shocking Reveal
Nightwing’s Most Traumatic Moment Features a Surprising Villain
Failsafe made his first appearance in Batman #125 by Chip Zdarsky, Jorge Jiménez, Tomeu Morey, and Clayton Cowles. His android exterior is inhabited byZur-En-Arrh, Batman’s alternate personalitythat Bruce created as a means to retreat from his human side and resort to more brutal methods when necessary. The purpose of Failsafe, as the name suggests, is to be a “failsafe” in case Batmanbreaks his no-kill rule. In the event that he does, Failsafe is meant to activate and hunt him down.Batman fearing Failsafe makes sense, but I never would have guessed that Nightwing does as well.
Nightwing’s Symbol Gets Dark New Meaning, As Dick Grayson Marks Himself for Death
Dan Watters and Dexter Soy have just given Nightwing’s symbol a dark new meaning, officially marking the Original Boy Wonder for death.
Nightwing and Failsafe’s first encounter sheds light on their dynamic as adversaries to one another.Absolute Power: Task Force VII#4 by Pornsak Pichetshote, Claire Roe, and Lee Loughridge features their pivotal confrontation, during whichFailsafe calls out Nightwing’s weaknessby criticizing his empathy towards others. Nightwing is fueled by his empathy and love, whereas Failsafe is devoid of such human emotions. This conflict puts them at odds with one another, though it doesn’t fully explain why Failsafe is the subject of Nightwing’s worst memory. Their battle is certainly rough for Nightwing, but their rivalry is far from his most prominent.
Nightwing’s Other Villains Would Have Been More Obvious Picks for His Nemesis
Nightwing Doesn’t Fear His Own Rogues Gallery As Much as Failsafe
In my opinion, the top contender for the villain Nightwing fears most should have been Heartless.Shelton Lyle, or Heartless, isthe Joker to Nightwing’s Batman. Since their childhood, he has terrorized Dick, and any of their face-offs could serve as his darkest moment. Tony Zucco is another reasonable option, thanks to his history with Nightwing. Zucco is the one who murdered his mother and father during the Flying Graysons' circus act, and it’s recently been revealed that he’dmeant to kill Dick instead of his parents. The guilt that stems from this revelation could understandably cause Tony to haunt Nightwing moving forward.
Nightwing defeated Heartless once and for all inNightwing#118 by Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo, the conclusion of their award-winning run.
Aside from those main options, there are plenty of villains throughout Nightwing’s history who would have been more believable as part of his most painful memory. Blockbuster, for instance, is a recurring threat to Dick Grayson who could have traumatized him after one of their bone-crushing fights.Deathstroke or the Jokercould be considered for this status in Nightwing’s estimation as well, as they’ve been an antagonistic presence in Dick’s life from his Robin days all the way to his solo career. However,for all of these villains' merits, they have collectively failed to make the cut as Nightwing’s true nemesis.
Nightwing Fearing Failsafe More Than Any Other Villain Might Make Sense After All
Failsafe Is the Ultimate Threat to Batman, Nightwing’s Father
Nightwing’s fear of Failsafeseems unfounded on a surface level, but I think it’s logical when factoring in the circumstances of the memory he envisions Failsafe within. In the scene Clock King causes to unfold, Nightwing isn’t the one who gets attacked by Failsafe. Instead, he watches in horror as Failsafe attacks Batman in front of him. Then, when Clock King manipulates the memory to worsen it, he cries out as Batman gets brutally impaled by Failsafe. With this in mind, it becomes evident thatNightwing isn’t afraid of Failsafe; he’s afraid of Failsafe harming Batman.
Nightwing’s true nightmare - more than any villain or android - is watching Batman die.
Failsafe is a machine that has merged with Zur-En-Arrh, and is thus the manifestation of Batman’s habit offorming contingency plansout of distrust. Nightwing’s lasting memory of Failsafe is of the harm he inflicts upon Bruce, indicating that his fear stems from a place of love for his father more than anything else. His greatest villain is the one who poses a threat to Batman, and I may not have anticipated that, but I can see how it fits his character. Now, we know for certain thatNightwing’s true nightmare - more than any villain or android - is watching Batman die.
Titans#17is available now from DC Comics.
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.
