Hi, about the Dickbabs, when did they get back together? Or after the breakup, what happened? What did they do or what did they talk about? I read their guide, but I still have doubts because I haven't read everything.
Okay I’m assuming you mean the Devin Grayson era split to now. This is probably going to end up being multiple parts!
It was a combination of things really. Dick was acting extremely reckless, getting hurt, ignoring his injuries, ignoring Babs’ worries about it, and Babs was feeling insecure because of the way Dick seemed to be stuck in the past, and she was afraid that he idealized the past version of herself, it made her feel really helpless.
They had several tense conversations before the final break in 2004, after Tarantula barges in on a date and attacks them, purposely trying (and succeeding) to break them up (hate that Babs gets manipulated into this tbh)
After this, Babs asks Dick why he loves her, and he pours his heart out, but she still decides it’s probably a good idea to call it off.
After this, Dick’s life would only get worse! Tarantula isolates him from Babs, and then blockbuster comes in to traumatize and torture him. It all culminates with the confrontation where Nightwing steps back as Tarantula kills Blockbuster and then while in a state of shock, he’s sexually assaulted by her.
After this he’s…kinda in a “relationship” with her, but not really. It’s really messed up. Dick starts drinking and while he’s wasted Tarantula tries to get him to sign marriage papers, thankfully Bruce calls him back to Gotham before that can happen, and the events of “war games” happen in Gotham. Also just want to add, ppl love to call Babs a jealous shrew but post breakup she was still trying to help Dick so many times, she even lets him know when Blockbuster is found dead, and advises he try to protect Tarantula (Babs has no idea what actually happened in that situation of course. She never meets Tarantula outside of that scene where she attacks her, and assumed Dick just felt responsible for her as a Bludhaven vigilante, Dick never tells anyone what really happened.)
Afterwards Dick and Tarantula return to Blüd, and Dick decides to turn the both of them in for the murder of Blockbuster, while in police custody, Dick sends a message to Babs in Nightwing #100
We see Barbara’s reaction to this message in Birds of Prey #76
And she leaves him a message too, though he doesn’t receive it
Dick’s cop friend Amy gets him out of jail, and then Dick gives up on Nightwing for a bit. He starts working as hired muscle for some mobsters, until his feelings for Babs make him want to better himself again
On Babs’ end, she stands by her decision about the breakup, but is also still worried for Dick. She supports him when he needed a shoulder to cry on, and has Roy check up on him.
Then came infinite Crisis where Dick was supposed to be killed off, but before that THIS happens!
So Dick goes off to fight and is badly hurt and ALMOST killed in the crisis, he ends up in Babs’ care which brings us to the controversial Nightwing Annual 2. Babs tries to avoid the topic of their engagement, but Dick is persistent. Eventually Babs breaks it to him that she thinks he really needs to work on himself first after all he’s been through before he becomes someone’s husband. She returns his ring, and writes him a letter:
A letter is a bit chicken, I know. So sue me. We both know you have to go with Bruce. Not because of him, but because of you. I love the man you are, Dick, but you need to be happy with him too.
Not the billionaire’s ward.
Not Robin, not Nightwing.
And not Barbara Gordon’s Husband.
You have spent your whole life defining yourself by others. Putting yourself last. It’s an admirable quality, Dick. It’s what makes you a hero. Now you need to find out what makes you a man.
Go. It may hurt both of us for a while but it has to happen. Don’t worry, I’ll be here when you get back. And I can’t wait to meet Dick Grayson, I’m sure he’s a pretty amazing guy.
And Dick listens, but not without leaving her with a letter of his own:
While this is very promising, one year later comes and we get a very vague explanation to why this engagement never proceeded.
Skipping ahead a bit, Bruce would soon die, and Dick would need to return to Gotham to take up the mantle and help to raise Damian. Babs, (who had left Gotham after the destruction of the Clock tower) also returned and began operating out of the old batcave as well as training Stephanie Brown to be the new Batgirl.
Much like the dispute between Dick and Selina about her training Kitrina Falcone, Dick also isn’t happy about Babs taking on a protégée, though he himself is actively training Damian lol, Babs is able to talk sense into him eventually, and they fall into somewhat paternal roles to the Batfam in Bruce’s absence
For the rest of Dick’s tenure as Batman we would get small moments between the two that showed they still had feelings for each other, little flirting here and there, Babs even has a hallucination moment imagining her and Dick as a couple again, but it would be a long time still before they tried again in prime verse.
There is convergence: Nightwing/Oracle, which I consider to be Dickbabs’ pre boot ending, where they finally get married.
in the next part, we’ll talk about the new 52 and into rebirth ! 💚💙
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