Dick: "I'm manipulating you."

Slade: "I know you're manipulating me, which means I'm actually manipulating you."

Dick: "Okay, well, I know that you know that I'm manipulating you, which actually means I'm manipulating you. So, checkmate, Slade."

I'm not sure how or where this started but there's been a rampant misunderstanding of Dick Grayson as Robin.

For some reason there have been posts upon posts that dick was some kind of angry robin and I don't know where this is coming from because in every single comic Dick is said to be the happy one. It seems to be a Covid craze because such defamation was not even in existance before 2020. Every one of the comics - Justice League, Batman, Detective Comics, Nightwing Comics, Jason's comics, Tim's comics, all of them! Talk about Dick being the happiest of the robins.

Some people say that he wanted to avenge his parents death by killing Tony Zucco. However Dick could never do that. John and Mary raised their son better than that.

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Issue #100

Where do you see a raging blood-soaked boy fanon makes him out to be?

The biggest supporter of happy Dick comes from Alfred so if you're going around claiming Dick was angry, you're literally spitting on his grave because Alfred ADORED Dick. He thought of Dick as the sole reason for Bruce's happiness which made him love Dick even more.

Alfred is Dick's biggest advocator. When Bruce is hesitant in his initial days of Robin - Alfred says

Detective Comics (2016) Issue #1000

"They will be easier than they ever were for you."

Detective Comics (2016) Issue #1000

"He will see excitement and adventure...and he will help you see it, too."

Detective Comics (2016) Issue #1000

"He's gotten a taste for it, Master Bruce. He has the natural skill and talent. Do you really think you could stop him at this point?"

"He could make you better. He could BE better."

"A hero forged in the LIGHT."

And Dick feels this too.

Detective Comics (2016) Issue #1000

"Then WE help them find the better path. Together."

Detective Comics (2016) Issue #1000

"Let's show them how to do it right."

Calling Dick an angry robin - that's an insult to Dick, Bruce, and Alfred. It's an insult to who they are as characters and it's an insult to the very creation of robin.

Dick wasn't made for vengeance. He was made for the light.

Dick is the embodiment of hope and a brighter future. He's what people look forward to on their darkest days, their shining light. He's the hero of all heroes that came after him. There is no one like him.

There are tons of comics on Dick's journey as Robin but here's a clear one as to his thoughts before he became Robin.

Robin & Batman Issue #3

Dick wasn't angry. He's was sad, lonely, and scared.

But.

This good boy doesn't deserve what you call him. This small loving child. Don't you dare push your evil agenda onto him.

"I don't need to be the next batman. I can be something else. Something better."

"And you know the best part?"

"Now I know I don't need to be alone. And I don't have to be the dark."

"I can be the light."

"I can be Robin."

Batman (1940) Issue #687

Dick was an excitable, brilliant, and over-excelling child. He was a ball of sunshine and happiness who loved laughing, playing games, and being crazy. He was a hypercompetent, crazy child who lived for the love of living and adventure.

It's the loss of the original dynamic duo that Alfred grieves over.

Batman (1940) Issue #687

Just look at this adorable baby!!!

Batman/Superman (2019) Issue #16

"Hey, Batman! You took down one of 'em and I took down three! I told ya I've been practicing!"

"Good work, Robin."

What the heck you cute adorable baby.

"Holy--! Is this a warden's office of a museum of horrors? Look at that old rocket ship!"

"Ew. There's a skeleton inside!"

LOOK AT THAT BABY FACE!! THE PURE ENTHUSIAM IN THE WAY HE TALKS - HE'S JUST A HAPPY BABY BOY!!

Batman/Superman (2019) Issue #17

IT'S A CRIME TO CALL HIM ANGRY.

Love this sweet, adorable child.

Another issue with the “Dick Grayson was an angry Robin” take. It’s not just a different perspective, it’s just blatantly wrong.

How wrong?

In order to fight the Batman who laughs, Bruce creates a machine that will emulate the joy of the happiest person he has ever known-who?

Robin Dick Grayson.

"Happiness is seeing the world though the eyes of children."

The Batman Who Laughs Issue #4

"Dick was the first robin. He had the happiest eyes. Circus eyes. Weightless - leaping, never falling."

Bruce drives himself insane from the joy he feels by looking at the world through Robin Dick's eyes.

Every comic. In every. single. comic. All of them talk about how Dick was a happy child and a happy robin. Dick's talk about it, Jason's talk about it, Tim's talk about it, the Justice League's talk about it, the Batman's especially - all the batman comics - talk about.

I would've actually added about 50 more panels but I ran out of image space because posts only have a 30 image limit.

I'm not kidding when I say it's IMPOSSIBLE. ABSOLUTELY, INCONCEIVABLY IMPOSSIBLE to say that Dick was angry Robin. Dick, Jason, Bruce, Tim, Damian, Alfred, Barbara, the JL, the titans, the Gotham villains - they all talk about Dick was a symbol of hope, joy, and light to Bruce and Gotham.

Not only that but if you read the comics, you would know that Dick was a happy robin because all the following robins had a cascade effect on their personality based solely on the fact that Dick was a happy robin. Jason's personality was the result of Dick being charcterized as happy, and Tim's personality was based off Dick's being happy.

But you know what the biggest piece of evidence against this blasphemy that Dick was angry robin is?

Secret Origins (2014) Issue #8

"...Becoming a much needed FOIL to the batman, whose own grim obsession with revenge could easily have caused him to cross the line..."

Explain something to me. It canonically states the Dick was a foil to Bruce Wayne who used to be revenge obsessed and grim. A foil in literature means a character who contrasts with another character to highlight the differences between them.

So if Bruce was dark, gloomy, angry, and revenge filled and Dick was the foil, then how on earth is it possible Dick to also be dark, gloomy, angry, and revenge filled?

On top of this impossibility of Dick being angry and full of hatred, can we take a step back for a minute and think about Dick's position in all this? Dick is the very first child hero, the one countless heroes after him look up to because he, Robin, was the embodiment of light and goodness. He single-handedly dragged Bruce out of his pit of self-destruction merely by existing because of his charming and playful demeanor. How, then, is it possible for every single character in the entirety of DCU along with every single writer who has ever written a comic - to be wrong?

Let's be clear. Bruce's personality, is written to be the opposite of Dick's personality. And Dick's personality is the opposite of Bruce's. Furthermore, Jason and Tim's personality were written to be a response to Dick's. There's also Alfred waving a massive banner about how Dick is a literal godsend front and center. So. If you still believe, that Dick was not a happy robin, then you have effectively mischaracterized every single person in the entire batfamily aside from Kate.

Congratulations. It's truly an accomplishment to be so wrong.

So no, Dick was not in fact, ever, the angry robin.

Tim: It's my turn! You had it last time!

Damian: You said that last time too!!

Tim: And I meant it!

Damian: Richard!

Tim: Dick!

Dick: *on the comms* please. I'm not even done patrolling yet.

----

Dick: *having a serious conversation with Bruce*

Tim: *running in* Dick he scratched me!

Damian: *running in after* Richard, he's lying, I barely even touched him!

Tim: You literally dug your nails into my skin! Look!

Damian: There's nothing there!

Dick: Bruce-

Bruce: I need to catch an uber.

Dick: I checked your schedule, you don't even have anywhere you need to go-

-----

*on a cruise*

Jason: so you decided to go with the purple one?

Dick: Well, it's not really purple, it's wine-colored and while I was in korea, did you know they have palette matching shops?

Jason: wait, really?

Dick: Yea, so you go into the place and they try several different colors against your skin to see which one would suit you best and then they try different shades. Since I have a warm skin tone they gave me a bunch of suggestions to try so I'm trying them out.

Jason: huh. Looks good.

Dick: Thanks! I'll-

*sounds of screaming and yelling*

Dick: What's going on?

Jason: I don't know, probably kids just having fun. So what were you saying?

Dick: um..oh! That I'll send you-

Frat Guy 1: *running by talking to his friend* -dude I still can't believe I'm going to see it! I thought this cruise would be so boring since most of us couldn't be here!

Frat Guy 2: I know right?! Who thought we'd see people getting arrested in the middle of an ocean?!!!

Dick: ..arrested?

Frat Guy 2: *still talking* who even happens to just own a sword in the first place?!

Frat Guy 1: WICKED!!

Dick: ....jay, I'm not mishearing that right?

Jason: Mishearing what?

Dick: He said sword. He said sword.

Jason: I didn't hear anything.

Dick: *running after the frat guys to find a crowd of people with Tim and Damian in the center and cruise ship officers*

Damian: -UNHAND ME YOU HEATHENS, OR I WILL TRULY SHOW YOU HOW I USE THE SWORD-

Tim: Officers, I promise these nunchucks were used as decoration. They were just in the swimming pool by chance. I have no idea what's going on or even why I just happened to have them but I promise that-Dick! Tell them it's all a misunderstanding! If it wasn't for Damian, none of this would've happened!

Damian: *whipping his head around* RICHARD! TELL THESE PEASANTS TO RELEASE ME AT ONCE AND TAKE THEIR HANDS OFF MY MOTHER'S SWORD-

Dick: Oh my god what happened???

Officers: Sir, are these kids yours?

Dick: what happened??

Officers: We recieve reports of two assailants attacking each other with prohibited weapons. We will be taking them into custody.

Dick: wait, wait, what? I'm sure it's a misunderstanding, there's no way, they're jsut kids-

Officers: Sir, as their legal guardian or parent, you have to come with us.

Dick: I-Jay, can you-

Dick: *turning to see Jason filming with the biggest grin on his face* Jason.

Jason: what??? You're telling me to stop filming this comedy goldmine? Roy's gonna love this so much.

Dick: Put. Down. The. Camera. And come over and help me.

Jason: Fine, fine. *muttering under his breath* hehehe I still have the spy cam to capture all of this on heheheheheeee.

-----

Dick: *Waking at at 2 am bc of a call* hello?

Tim: DICK HE STABBED ME!

Dick: what?

Tim: HE STABBED ME! DAMIAN STABBED ME!

Dick: damian? Damian stabbed you? But aren't you in New York? He's supposed to be in Gotham.

Tim: *screeching* WELL HE ISN'T ANYMORE!!!!!

Damian: *muffled* Richard he's lying! He cut himself in a kitchen knife because he thought he could cook! He's just blaming me because he wants attention!

Tim: Go away! Dick!

Damian: *mumbled* Richard!

Aww thank you!!

Ugh I don't know where fanon keeps getting the idea but Dick was never mean to Jason as Robin.

Let's start with the erased version, otherwise known as pre-crisis.

Jason Todd was born to acrobatic parents and also performed in the circus. Here's the interesting bit: it wasn't Bruce who found out about them, it was Dick who was at the circus and cheered them.

Batman (1940) Issue #357

Where was Bruce? He was busy becoming squid food in Gotham.

Anyway Bruce escapes and meets up with Dick who is still Robin and helps him solve part of the crime. As he's discussing the case with Dick, Dick mentions that there may be a connection to Bruce's case and something Trina Todd said.

Yup! Dick becomes friends with Jason's mom <3

Batman (1940) Issue #358

Bruce doesn't trust her but Dick does and Bruce trusts Dick so he accepts.

So Dick goes to meet Trina and her husband but they've already left to sneak into the villain's lair and get caught by Killer Croc. So he chases after them. Barbara joins in as Batgirl but Batgirl and Robin are too late because Killer Croc has already fed Joe and Trina to crocodiles.

Batman's still fighting his own case while all this is happening.

Waldo the Clown takes Jason to the manor and while Jason's in the kitchen looking for food, he finds the door behind the grandfather clock open, goes inside, and finds the batcave.

He finds a trunk of Dick's old suits as Robin and that's where the iconic pre-crisis Jason Robin scene comes -

Detective Comics (1937) Issue #526

Which first of all Jason why are you wearing other people's clothes without their permission? But anyway Jason hears people coming and finds Batman's busy grabbing information with Selina and so he hides in the trunk of the Batmobile. Robin Dick and Batgirl solve the case on their end and find out there's a trap for Batman so they come in and save Batman and his allies. Jason sneaks out of the car and finds his parents are dead so he tries to kill Killer Croc but Dick and Barbara stop him.

Detective Comics (1937) Issue #526

Dick's just like "oh, you sweetheart."

Dick wants to adopt him but Bruce is like mine because they're both like "It's my fault his parents died, I should take responsibility."

Detective Comics (1937) Issue #526

Dick was really nice to Jason.

Batman (1940) Issue #529

Dick is Jason's idol. He and Dick have a great relationship, so much so that Dick actually passes on the Robin name and suit to Jason.

Batman (1940) Issue #529

I could make a meme out of the handshake scene with Bruce being one hand and Jason being the other and in the middle the hands meet is "idolizing Dick Grayson".

So Dick and Jason had a fantastic relationship.

And then some things happen where this Jason wasn't well-recieved by the audience because of the way writers handled the transition from Dick's robin to Jason's so DC realized that they need to make Jason into his own person with his own personality, looks, and story.

So they magic marker erased the previous timeline and now we have the actual Jason Todd that's actually relevant to every comic that comes after.

Yet in this current timeline too, Dick treated Jason sweetly.

Here Dick's first meeting with Jason, he actually saves Jason from the hands of drug dealers.

Batman (1940) Issue #416

He let go of his hiding spot to get the new Robin out of trouble.

Jason is not at all happy about this.

Batman (1940) Issue #416

And Dick's pissed off because he found out there's a new Robin through a newspaper and he just lost a drug deal he's been waiting on to bailout the new Robin.

So Dick storms off and Jason asks Bruce about Nightwing

Batman (1940) Issue #416

And I'm going to reiterate parts of this post for this part (people please please read this post because tumblr has an image limit and I've explained it in detail there but I can't here)

Dick had no idea Bruce passed on the Robin costume. He finds out through the newspaper because Bruce is pissed at Dick. Like he's so mad that when he told Dick to leave, Dick actually left.

You know how there's a saying about not being able to take back words of anger? Bruce is feeling that heavily. He already had suspicions that Dick wanted to leave but before Dick could tell him, he fired him so he wouldn't have to hear those words. But Bruce is super mad that Dick left anyway. So what does he do? He makes the first boy he sees Robin.

And Jason finds out Dick was Robin when he confronts Bruce why Nightwing knows Bruce's identity. And that gets Bruce more mad because he's now feeling guilty which is when Dick comes to confront Bruce.

After meeting Bruce, Dick talks about what he's been up to since he left and put Bruce in a good mood before he starts tearing into him.

Batman (1940) Issue #416

Bruce looks so wrecked. The guilt and sorrow is tantamount to his pain.

Then Dick asks Bruce why he choose someone new.

Batman (1940) Issue #416

So Bruce tells him. But Dick and Bruce's relationship go way deeper than just friends or family. They know each other. They revolve around each other so Dick calls him out, and out comes the truth

Batman (1940) Issue #416

But here's what it means in terms of Dick and Jason's relationship:

Instead of letting Jason become some sort of spite move, Dick becomes the bigger man and decides to turn Robin into a legacy.

Batman (1940) Issue #416

He passes it down like it was meant to be passed down. Because let's be honest here. The Robin name and costume is Dick's. If he wanted to, he could've taken it back, Bruce be damned. And that was one of Jason's fears.

It's Dick's approval of Jason and them catching the drug dealers together at the end that cements Jason as Robin. It's his acceptance and good will toward Jason that Bruce is grateful for.

Batman (1940) Issue #416

Dick also validates and praises Jason in the comics whenever they meet.

The New Teen Titans (1984) Issue #31

He's basically, "Don't worry about Bruce, if you get in trouble, I'll take care of it."

The only problem is they didn't meet a lot but when they did it was good times all around.

The third version of Dick and Jason's meeting.

In this version holy honking heck. First of all it's a flashback when Bruce fires Dick because he feels like he's too busy with other duties to be with Batman and then after a series of events in present time, it shows that Bruce literally kidnapped Jason and gagged and tied him to a chair. And Alfred's like WTH BRUCE?!

Even more things happen on both sides (curse you 30-image per post tumblr limit) and Bruce essentially makes Jason watch all the videos of Dick and sets Jason's gauntlet test to be a game of tag with Dick.

Dick is completely unaware of all this happening because he's just having fun busting up thugs and playing with Barbara, having no clue that Bruce and Jason are literally watching him livestream through his bike dash cam.

Nightwing (1996) Issue #105

Jason literally shows up while Dick's pondering on a rooftop and is like who're you? Oh wait you're him lol. Move over there's a new robin in town! And Dick's just like WHAT?! He such a little shit about it.

Dick's immediately like okay I'm upset at Bruce but I have to help this new kid out. There's no hesitation, no regret, no anger towards Jason at all. Just pure desire to see him succeed.

Not gonna lie, Jason's just awful towards Dick because he thinks that Dick is his test or something Dick's just like, "can you cool it for a sec?" They soon find out about a huge crime drug activity going on and Dick sorta mentors Jason through it while on the case. I'm not gonna include the panels but it's just Dick and Jason working together. It's fun to read and cute because Dick's protective of him and Jason's like a little bird following a bigger scarier one.

At the end the crime is solved, Jason and Alfred go home, and Dick calls Bruce to tell him this -

Nightwing (1996) Issue #106

Nightwing (1996) Issue #106

He was so, so nice to Jason. Actually it's impossible for anyone to treat Jason better than Dick treated him, not even Bruce was this nice to Jason.

In Nightwing (2016) Annual, there's another story of Dick and Jason's meeting. In this case Dick comes over after Alfred calls him and Jason's sulking in his room because Bruce grounded him. He pulls Jason away and they go on a Nightwing and Robin adventure where Dick talks to him, teaches him, and lifts his spirits.

Nightwing (2016) 2021 Annual

He's hit Tim once -

Batman (2016) Issue #71

He's also hit Jason-

Batman and Robin (2011) Issue #20

Because he was mad that Jason wouldn't think about the details of his death so that Bruce could find a way to bring Damian back to life.

And then in another comic Damian's like "Hit me!" to Bruce because they're fighting and Bruce actively makes a point about not hitting him because he's grown more or something and honestly Bruce flirts the line between reasonable and being a bad dad.

Well, technically it's never acceptable to hit your kids but sometimes I do get his reasoning and why he does it, but I don't want to delve too deeply into this subject because I don't want to project. My perspective on abuse vs disciple is a little convoluted because of how I was raised.

But overall he doesn't really hit his other kids and even this scene where he hits Tim was a sign of his mental state snapping. Take this logic and apply it to pretty much every instance Bruce has hit Dick and now you begin to understand why he does it. Or rather, in this instance, Tim takes the role of Dick who is absent and as a result receives the same consequence that Dick had gotten in the past during other times.

I'd be delighted to!!

Link to original post

In the previous post I had included a panel where Bruce is referred to Dick as his "surrogate father, mentor, friend, and partner." These words could not be more different from each other and while they should not be used in conjunction with each other, they have never suited these two people more. In fact I don't there is any character pairing in any fandom that has the same dynamic that these two have. Dick and Bruce's relationship has a complicated depth to it that Bruce and the rest of his children don't have.

I think the most confusing thing is when Bruce constantly confuses Dick being a son and a partner.

First thing I want to start off with is that Dick and Bruce used to sleep in beds so close together it looks like one bed. In the 1950's this arrangement was known as the "twin beds" which were typically used for married couples. Children slept in a separate bedroom which begs the question why Dick and Bruce had a sleeping arrangement similar to that of marriage partners. This is the first weird thing about their relationship.

Not to mention, the romantic boat rides they used to take together. But was this normal then between father and son or is it just a romantic thing now, I don't know. As well as when they decided bronzing themselves naked next to each other. Not really sure what was going on there, if it was acceptable during that time or what but I do know that the reason that creators decided to send Dick to college in 1970 was because they wanted to beat the gay batman and robin allegations. It's weird as hell that they even came up with these ideas. Also the robin crossdressing. For justice, am I right?!

I feel these instances are important because it breaks any barriers they have between them. They're so (platonically for me) intimate that there's nothing but each other in their souls. One of the key reasons that their relationship is vague and intense and encompassing.

Dick is also considered Bruce's partner intellectually.

Instead of Dick listening to Bruce and following behind, as it's often shown in robin comics, they talk on equal terms. There's other moments of this shown too:

I think this is the reason why Bruce considers Dick a partner. He's not only exceedingly intelligent, but he even at a young age he's able to keep up with Bruce's thought process as an equal when even the justice league and other major adult heroes fail to do. Bruce's inventions are Dick's inventions because they played an equal role in creating them. This is why he's called the Prodigal Son.

Now onto him being a best friend and a son mix.

We know the classic example of Dick expecting to be Bruce's best man and Bruce thinking the same. But there are other moments that indicate that too.

But it isn't one sided because Dick also sees Bruce as his best friend:

Dick punching Bruce in the throat and single handedly carrying him like a sack of potatoes is just funny as hell.

Also including the fact that Dick and Bruce embody sleepover, besties behavior:

BUT HERE'S WHERE IT GETS JUICY.

Having your child act as your bestfriend is terrible for your child's mental health.

I'm speaking from personal experience but when your parent trauma dumps their life onto you at a young age, you mature emotionally much faster than you're supposed. You start becoming aware of people's thoughts and emotions at a deeper level and you start attuning yourself to others. In layman's terms: you change yourself to be able to meet your parent's high expectations and act as an emotional sponge for their anger, sorrow, disappointment, and frustration about their own life.

I'm not hesitant to admit that Dick's manipulation tactics most likely stem from this behavior. He knows what he wants and he will do anything to get it. This doesn't mean he's a bad person though. In fact I give him the highest level of respect of any character because all his intentions are good. He doesn't cheat, lie, or trick people into killing themself or harming others or bringing them down. He does it to make their lives better which is-I'm sorry, I don't have the proper words to express the multitudes of emotion I'm feeling for that.

(I nearly went into a massive monologue about how other people view his manipulation but that's for another post. )

This is also where things get complicated, and why we know Bruce and Dick as the way they are.

Dick has become so emotionally and mentally adept that he's able to pick up on others' thoughts and attitudes (Bruce specifically) before they even realize them. This is why Bruce is so dependent on Dick for everything. In one comic Garth says "Dick's a good listener."

I'm going to deviate for a minute here and include a panel that shows how this personality trait affects Dick's other roles:

Speaking more about Bruce's impact on Dick, there's this:

Aside from the huge ass painting on the wall of just the two of them-the panel is another perfect example of the complicated depth to them. They see each other as equals and when something interferes with that perception, then they start having problems. It haunts Bruce that the 8yr old he took in is equally matched to him in skill and ability but he also recognizes that Dick is too young to be able to do so. He should not have to experience the pain and responsibility of an adult but Bruce can't just get rid of him because Dick is the only one capable of keeping up with him. His heart also breaks when Dick is away (he starts crying in a panel multiple panels as Dick is leaving). For Dick he's already far used to the roles and responsibilities that he doesn't consider his age a factor as to why Bruce refuses to let him do the same things. This is a source of miscommunication between them. Bruce knows Dick can succeed at anything given to him but feels he shouldn't have to deal with those things. And Dick doesn't understand the hesitance when he's proven to have accomplished those tasks and greater before.

To expand, Dick's relationship with Bruce reminds me of Slade's relationship with Billy Wintergreen when Deathstroke tells him "You've been with me through everything...but now I have to say goodbye when you're unconscious or else I can't do it." Or something along those lines, the vibes are the same.

Oh yes, and this scene too:

Which mimics a lot of the confusion other characters have over Dick and Bruce's relationship.

But the difference between Slade and Billy vs Dick and Bruce is that Dick and Bruce's relationship is blurred on ALL fronts. There's not a single moment where Bruce has viewed Dick strictly as a son.

This leads me into the mentor aspect.

Note: while Dick knows Bruce the best, Bruce also knows Dick the best of all his children. There's a certainty to the way he speaks about Dick's abilities that he lacks when discussing his other sons'. That doesn't mean he doesn't know what they can do-he well aware and knowledgeable-it just means that his relationship with and understanding of Dick far exceeds what he has with the others.

Holy crap there's so much I'm bouncing all over the place-let me go back for second to partners.

Everyone knows this iconic scene whether you're in the fandom or not:

But few people know what comes next-

From the dawn of Batman and Robin comics, Batman has been obsessed with controlling Dick. I don't understand why he doesn't use his manipulative tactics on anyone else. There's a comic panel where Dick tells Barbara, "...you and Bruce don't need to manipulate me into doing what you guys want." It was always his way or the highway with him and Bruce reflects on this again in Batman and Robin Eternal. Dick also tells Bruce he's being pig-headed during the 1966 comic version of the Warner Brother's film and when Bruce asks him "Am I really pig-headed?" Alfred goes "hell yeah." Essentially.

(Also going to sneak this in as another example of why Dick wasn't an angry robin to a previous post

)

Ofcourse Bruce seems him as a son too:

THE FULL ON SMILE HE HAS ON HIS FACE JUST LISTENING TO DICK TALK!!!

Also in the linked previous post there's the panel of Bruce begging the judge not to take away his son from him. "Dick is like my own son!I've even changed my will so that incase of my death, Dick will get my entire fortune! You honor, I...I love that boy! Please don't take him from me!"

We already know many references about Dick being labelled Dick's son so I'll leave this aside for now.

Now here's the main point- the way Bruce and Dick interact with each other has so much history they're unable to explain themselves to others or each other. There's so many complex emotions between the two of them that sometimes even they're confused.

But seriously. What is your obsession with Dick, Bruce?

Lemme explain.

As everyone knows Dick and Clark are best friends. They are so close to the point where Bruce actually sweeps the stuff off his desk in the batcave and says "LET ME JUST GET RID OF ALL OUR TROPHIES. I'LL JUST MAKE ROOM FOR THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN AND ROBIN INSTEAD!"

WTFFFFF BRUCE. WHY ARE YOU GETTING JEALOUS OF YOUR 15YR OLD'S FRIENDSHIP?

Oh, yes, what trophies am I talking about? Trophies of their battles together of course!

Which means the batcave is memorabilia of their time together. You know what that also means? It means that Bruce sulks in the Batcave because in the cave, he can literally surround himself with the time he spent with Dick.

Bruce is so abnormal about Dick. He sees Dick as an all in one. Every single relationship category you can think of, Bruce has bundled it up and put it into Dick. If all their various relationships became a physical string, Bruce would have a leash on Dick that resembles a thick, corded rope. So if you cut one thread of, say, friendship, the rope won't tear become the other threads of partnership, family, and other ambiguous threads would still hold them together.

Bruce has a leash on Dick but something Dick doesn't know and Bruce won't admit is that Dick has a leash on him too.

HERE'S THE INSECURITY WITH DICK AGAIN. THE MAN THINKS THE WORLD OF DICK BUT HE'S HORRIFIED AT THE THOUGHT, AT THE POSSIBILITY, THAT DICK DOESN'T FEEL THE SAME OF HIM.

He's constantly seeking reassurance of his place with Dick through the only way he knows how-manipulation. While Bruce consistently distances himself from his son, he's doing it on purpose so Dick will come running back to him. I mean-isn't that what he did with Jason? Expelling Dick in fury and fear and not telling Dick about taking in a new robin?

In the comic Dick drops by and tells him "I found out through a newspaper and since I haven't been robin..." to which Bruce responds horrified and guilty. He knows what he's doing. He just doesn't want to get caught as to why.

Others have picked on this obsession he has with Dick too:

Someone clearly knew the importance of Nightwing to Batman. They knew what his death would do to him. And in response Bruce went out of his way-to a foreign land-just to take revenge on the man who almost took “his boy” away from him. Leaving with a parting promise, an oath, to hunt down the other one and leave him crippled for life too. Did Batman know KG Beast would survive or did he just leave it up to fate?

In the previous panel, apart from KG Beast calling Dick "your boy" to Batman, it's only implied though. So how do we know if Dick really does have that much weight to Bruce? Well not only is it confirmed, it is engraved in stone:

And when the blast nearly kills Dick, Bruce nearly kills the man who did it. WITH A GUN.

Also him trying to strangle Lex Luthor to death before Lex chokes out in between stolen gasps that Dick's not actually dead but he will be if Bruce continues.

Did you know that the dead Robin in the Superman vs Batman movie was confirmed to be Dick? Yeah. That says a lot right there.

Brothers

I'm not going to get into their brother relationship because that involves how Alfred treats Dick as a son rather than a grandson and is opening a whole new mansion of stuff so I'm going to wrap this up here and say the two of them are a LOT.

Literally Batman and the titans relationship is so funny because it's just a social tug of war of who Dick belongs to.

Batman and the Outsiders (1983) Issue #5

The titans are literally losing their mind over Bruce and Dick's relationship. They can't understand why Dick could ever love someone like Bruce and Bruce can't ever stand Dick being with the titans

World's Finest: Teen Titans Issue #1

The feeling is mutual.

The titans don't think Bruce is good enough for Dick and Bruce doesn't think the titans are good enough for Dick. Both sides hate the other.

Garth's treatment of Bruce

Titans (2016) Issue #28

vs

Garth's treatment of Dick

Titans (2016) Issue #28

Batman can work with each of them individually, like Victor, but he doesn't think together they're good enough to have his son.

When the Justice League and JSA and the Peacemaker Corps comes to save the Titans, they find almost all of them freed except for a few.

JLA/Titans Issue #2

Bruce: WHERE'S MY BABY?!

Wally: HE'S GETTING OTHER PEOPLE'S BABIES, SHUT UP!

ofcourse!

so you've already read about Bruce

And here's the one I wrote about Alfred

Onto Jason

Before I talk about Jason, I want to ask you a hypothetical question. Do you ever have those days where everything you do is going wrong? You woke up late, you burned your breakfast, and then your parents yelled at you for being late and for burning the kitchenware. At school you get a bad grade on a test, you get irritated with people, you go online only to find out stuff that’s really annoying, your club gets delayed, your tired, irritated, hunger and frustrated with everything in your life?

You're now wondering what you should’ve done to be better or why things ended up like this. But despite all that, you still have one, small thing to look forward to. A new episode is coming out for your favorite show, you saved up money to buy the game you want, your going to a new restaurant with your friends, or something special?

That was Dick to Jason.

Jason did not have an easy life and that is putting it lightly. But once he was taken in by Bruce, he got food, clothing, shelter, and an emotionally distant guardian who constantly put him down. It wasn’t until Jason met Dick that he found something to look forward to and that’s the basis behind why they are such great brothers.

That leads me into my first segue: contrary to popular belief, in the comics robin Jason and Dick had a good relationship.

Dick and Jason first met when Dick found out through the newspaper that Batman had gotten a new Robin. No word

So Bruce and Dick have been fueding after Bruce has fired Dick and Dick was staying with the titans when he recieves a call from Alfred

I'm going to make another post about Dick and Alfred because ALFRED LOVES DICK SO MUCH!! He's literally staring at picture of him, Bruce, and little Dick because he misses so, incredibly much.

Anyway Dick comes over and he finds Jason upstairs angrily gaming in his room. He's not on good terms with Bruce because Bruce basically ignores his presence when he's not needed for robin so Dick steps up to be the best big brother ever.

Bruce constantly tries to drive a rift between them by forcing Jason to meet Dick's level of expertise as Robin and punishes him when he is unable to. This drives me nuts. Like, WTF BRUCE? Why would you try to set your own children against each other?? Are you really that petty?

Yes. Yes. He is and this is another reason why Dick ironically became so important to Jason.

Also people need to stop excusing Bruce's behavior and shifting the blame on Dick. Bruce was NOT a good parent to Jason. But Dick was there to be a big brother anyways.

Let me clarify why these two scenes are so important and why this makes them the strongest brothers. Bruce consistently interfered with Jason and Dick's relationship. While most parents would want their kids to get along, Bruce was spited by Dick's absence. The fact that Dick left him behind to start a new life and took in Jason.

Dick's intention was never to be seen as a competitor to Jason. He's always wanted to be a big brother but Bruce for some reason is twisted and horrible. I don't understand why he keeps doing this. There are four comics where Dick's like "Hey, no, buddy you're doing great." And Bruce is just like "No, Jason. You need to do better. Need to be like Dick." ?! WHY BRUCE?

Okay, enough about that.

LOOK AT THEIR SMILES!!! I'M GRINNING SO HARD

So Dick uses Bruce's absence as a prime opportunity to bond with Jason. Actually most times Bruce is gone, Dick jumps to hang out with him.

My favorite interaction is Dick teaching Jason the meaning of Robin.

A key difference that made Jason love Dick as a brother is Dick never punished him for his mistakes:

This is vastly different from Jason's relationship with Bruce when it comes to his mistakes.

Now, I know I'm talking a lot about Jason and Bruce's relationship but the reason is Jason and Dick's relationship is built from Dick being the one person who made Jason happy when he was with Bruce.

Let me reel it back to the past

The first time Dick meets Jason, he sweet talks his way out of Jason's captors killing him for a failed drug bust and berates his reckless behavior. Dick had no idea there was even a new robin until recently so he goes and asks Bruce about it.

Bruce talks about how he met Jason, how he was troubled, and when Dick presses for answers...He says just about worst thing you can say about a boy you took in. Now Dick could've left things there and run off but instead he decides to step up to be the person Jason needed.

Jason's solemn face hurts so much when he says, "Thanks. Bruce is not much of a talker." Like damn, Bruce, stop.

I don't really want to talk more about Jason's robin days and his relationship with Bruce because it really brings down the vibe but let me just skip ahead to Dick giving Jason his number because he knew Bruce is going to play absent parent with him. Even though they don't know each other, Dick was so good to Jason.

Their relationship was also ugly when Jason returned as Red Hood. Yes they fought but Dick didn't fight him because Jason was killing people, necessarily. He fought him because Jason kept seeking him out or they crossed paths unlike Batman and Red Hood who sought each other out to tear into the other.

But Dick and Jason's relationship has improved significantly. Dick is the one Jason is the closest to in the batfamily because he actively calls on Dick to help him on missions, they just chat about what's going on in their lives both in and out of costume, and they help each other out.

But the real difference in their relationship is the amount of trust Dick has in Jason. He never gives up on him and Jason is so thankful and loves that about Dick.

At one point Red Hood goes around randomly killing people. He ends up killed FBI agents undercover, blows up cars, and it's just terrible.

But Dick doesn't turn on him.

And it goes on about how Dick refuses to believe Jason did this, he meets up with Jason, and Dick's basically like "c'mon, hands out. I know you didn't do it but I need to check anyway if you metaphorically pulled the fire alarm."

And Jason's like "yeah, it's all cool bro. I'll even take off my shirt if you want."

A bit of a convoluted analogy, that. But essentially when Jason's not actively going off into the deep end like he did during Under the Red Hood, Hush era, and Brothers in Blood, he and Dick have a good relationship. Dick's a good brother and Jason always admires him.

Fanon is under the misguided impression that Jason hates Dick or that he was a bad brother or something from some fanfic, but even in his darkest times, Jason is caught in the throes of hero worship when it comes to Dick.

Basically, if you want to understand Jason's attitude towards Dick, there are two sides:

1 - Omg Dick is the greatest thing in the world and everyone knows it and I hate that he's so great. (angry version)

2 - Omg Dick is the greatest thing in the world and everyone knows it and they're right. (normal version)

You know the saying like poles repel? In this aspect along with many others especially in their view of Dick, Bruce and Jason are the same.

They place Dick on a pedestal, worship him, and get angry when they can't reach him.

They are the same.

As for the others, I still have to make a post about Tim but here's Damian's -

Also, to give a more comprehensive view, here's the Robin Jason Todd and Dick Grayson post -

Can you elaborate on your interpretation for all of them? /gen

it’s called caring too much — and it’s incurable! wrt my personal interpretation, that's a long and complicated answer, so ill just focus on the internal character of the waynes (specifically bruce and his five canonical kids).

bruce wayne is a control freak, we know this. his parents were killed for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and he has literally never ever been able to truly process it. the degree to which he is controlling - firing robins, survelling his allies without their consent, compiling personal information from others, disregarding others feelings in favour of his own - is all about trying to achieve the best possible outcome. everything he does is justified, because if he's in control then he can stop bad things from happening. it is all in favour of the greater good. it's the logic of an eight year old who's just lost everything and hasn't grown up.

if bruce's trauma manifests control then dick's manifests personal perfectionism. he holds himself to such an absurd standard because he's a flier - when you're catching someone on the trapeze you quite literally have to be there, always, ready to take their hand. if you don't, they fall. if there's no net, if dick isn't the net, then they die. he’s always swinging back out and in again, waiting for the next person to slip through his fingers. he does not fear falling, only what will happen when he hits the ground. he’s a born performer made to be an atlas, carrying an unbearable weight that anchors him to the earth.

jason after death is a tragedy of his own creation, and dc's worst crime is trying to justify the terrible decisions he makes. jason isn’t right, because what he wants is not about protecting other kids from his fate or being a better batman. he wants to be personally vindicated, even though he knows it's impossible. jason rejected himself, bruce, everything, in order to transform into a weapon to enact violence. deep down he's so angry, so hurt, that he'll go after other children - tim, damian, mia - and still decry bruce in the same breath. killing the joker, killing bruce, killing dick, killing every robin before or since won't take him back to who he was before. you cannot go back. you can never go back.

cass sees everything. she can't unsee it, she can't ignore it, nothing in the body can be truly hidden from her, but like bruce that doesn't mean she's always right. she killed a man and witnessed his death, and thus will never take another life. she is all knowing, but she was not born knowing herself. she's jason in reverse — she turns from steel to flesh and bone. she will do whatever it takes to be good. she has made herself real.

tim chose this life in the most literal sense of the word, and then kept choosing it. it’s his duty, it’s his honour, it has hollowed him out and left nothing behind. his tethers to the world snap one by one — janet and jack and darla and dana and steph and kon — and suddenly it’s much harder to extricate himself from the black. robin, dick grayson, is his guiding north star, but his north star is only human. he knows he is capable, he knows this is his choice, and he knows he has long since lost the chance to unchoose.

Team Titans Issue #1d

Team Titans Issue #1d

THIS!!!!

New Teen Titans (1984) Issue #10

Team Titans Issue #2

The New Teen Titans: The Judas Contract

Tales of the Teen Titans Issue #57

(btw really love all of your post you write so well)

Thank you!! <3333 :>

Nightwing (2016) Issue #105 variant cover!

They have Wally looking real interested in Nightwing's legs.

(Also laughing that Tim is using his brother for views. You’re a cute little menace Tim ❤️)

Nightwing (2016) Issue #81 variant cover

He's apparently bi or more in the Gotham Knights game.

By DC creators who created a list of the most "crush-worthy characters" for DC Pride promotion, Dick appeared the most out of all the characters, appearing on several creators’ lists.

Danny Lore a queer comic writer said, "Obviously we all have a crush on Nightwing. That's just natural."

Dick's considered the winner of that unofficial competition so I'd say everyone in DC, at one point or another, has had a crush on Nightwing.

Grayson Issue #9

He's talking about the tie but istg it took me a full year to understand he's not joking about his sexuality. I was like what? It was so out of left field.

Here he's talking to Tim:

Gryason Issue #13

"...And my charms do work on him."

"That's the birdwatcher I know...wait, did you just say 'him'?"

Devin Grayson, Tom King, and Tim Seeley all said they want to portray him as interested in men and Matt Bomer (which is so freaking weird because when I saw him in White Collar I immediately thought Neal Caffery was real life Dick Grayson) said Dick was a closet gay.

vs

Detective Comics (1937) Issue #864