Dick and Kory werenât just a couple â they were narratively built for each other. Marv Wolfman and George PĂŠrez crafted them with parallel arcs, emotionally and thematically. Dick, the disciplined human struggling with identity outside Batmanâs shadow. Kory, the exiled alien princess learning humanity, freedom, love. They grew together. Their relationship was emotional, spiritual, ideological â not just romantic. They were equals who challenged and bettered each other.
And then editorial got messy.
Enter Babs, whose original purpose was not even romantic, but Batman's girl counterpart and suddenly sheâs being wedged into a love triangle like itâs CW drama. Not only that, but they deaged her, rewrote her dynamic with Dick from âolder mentor figureâ to âquirky same-age love interest.â Thatâs not evolution, thatâs surgery on continuity with no anesthesia.
They butchered Dickâs history with Kory just to make room for a status quo thatâs more palatable to a Bat-centric branding. They erased an engagement, deep emotional growth, and cosmic-scale love just to reduce her to a âfling.â Thatâs not just disrespect to Starfire, thatâs disrespect to decades of storytelling.
Itâs no coincidence that Dick and Koryâs relationship flourished when they had autonomy outside the Bat office. The Titans gave them space to be messy, raw, radiant. And itâs telling that when creators have the chance to write them freely (like in Titans, DCeased, Injustice, Future State) they gravitate back to DickKory. Because it works.
