So remember how you made a post about Dick killing the clown? I remembered something else.. Which needs some love too but I'm not.. articulate enough. It's Tomasi's Nightwing run, him and Tim went to an island to save the mother of.. something. And Dick killed a man, like electrocuted him and let him drown and we got shots of the dead guy with other drowned corpses, to save a baby. That was. Oof. Horrible villain though I'm glad he's dead.
Yeah, that situation is pretty interesting. I feel like you articulated it just fine...like you said, Dick caused lightning to strike a guy named Creighton Kendall in order to save a baby.
Nightwing definitely killed that guy, and it was kind of sudden! Now, I would add that Dick only resorted to such measures after Kendal threatened the baby, and that anon is spot on when they say that Kendal was a horrible human being. He committed mass murder, and he had a room full of hundreds of dead babies. So, absolute shitbag. Even Talia tried to shut his operation down. So, Dick isn’t killing some run of the mill criminal here. Still, Dick didn’t really dwell on how he handled the situation, which one maybe might expect considering how he has gone to great lengths to avoid killing in the past?
I had to mull this situation over for a while, because I couldn’t decide whether I thought it was out of character or not. How could someone who is often described like this:
New Titans (1988) Annual #7
Seemingly forsake his moral code so quickly and easily? Eventually, I feel like I was able to wrap my head around things. I do think that this was ultimately in character for Dick, though perhaps Tomasi should have addressed the impact/aftermath more. I think that the key thing to realize is that, as much as Dick’s morality is often simplified to being Bruce’s no-kill rule copy and pasted, it’s all a bit more complex than that.
Batman would say that morals are the bottom line, the thing that lasts. I’ve heard him say that no matter what, you can always depend on yourself to respond with predetermined ethical integrity. I know that’s true for him, but I’m not so sure I agree with the principle in general. I think most of us surprise ourselves a lot.
So, simplifying here, but ultimately, Bruce’s code prioritizes “ethical integrity.” In Gotham’s senseless violence and chaos, Bruce anchors himself through his belief in justice. This is why, for Batman, “morals are the bottom line.” So Batman doesn’t kill. And, even for the Joker, Bruce won’t step across the line.
Dick isn’t like that. Where Bruce is devoted to justice, to fundamental right and wrong, in a way that can at times make him seem cold, Dick’s loyalty is to people first and foremost. Dick feels an obligation to Bruce for all that he has done for him. Even more than that, Dick wants to make Batman proud. And it is that--it is Dick’s loyalty to Bruce--that motivates Dick to follow Batman’s code.
Teen Titans/Outsiders Secret Files
Maybe what matters most is the person we’re hoping to impress. For years and years, I tried to evaluate every move I made through Batman’s eyes. I was morally reliable, predictable. When I finally let go of that, I was lost.
Dick doesn’t totally buy into Bruce’s ideology, but he has loads of respect for the man. He wants to be deserving of Bruce’s love, and he believes in Bruce enough to trust in Batman’s code and his training.
Having someone count on you for their physical and emotional safety is intense. It’s another set of expectations you have to live up to. And maybe they’re even more demanding than the ones you set up for yourself.
But really, in the end, Dick isn’t as focused as Bruce is about doing what is ethically right. He’s primarily concerned with doing the thing that helps protect the people who rely on him. For Dick, friends and family are the most important thing, much more important than his own morality. This is why, whenever his loved ones are in in serious danger or are killed, you’ll see Dick contemplate crossing the line.
New Teen Titans (1984) #18. When Kory seemingly dies in an explosion, Dick threatens to kill Komand'r
New Teen Titans (1988) #75. The Titans are nearly dead, and Dick snaps.
And by “contemplate,” I mean yell and attack lol. Dick's faith in Bruce’s code can and has been eclipsed by his desire to help people, especially when his friends and family are in serious danger. You’ll also see this pattern in the situation with the Joker. Tim seemingly dies and the Joker has spent the last several years causing hell for Dick’s family, so Dick choses to cross the line Bruce has drawn and beat the Joker to death.
I feel like Bruce and Dick’s responses here really sum it up. See, when Bruce slips up and nearly kills the Joker (a trend in this family, I know), he thinks about the morality of his action, and regrets that he nearly became part of the evil that killed his parents:
But, in contrast, when Dick allows Blockbuster to die, Dick doesn’t initially think about how it was wrong to kill someone.
He thinks about how he has failed and let Bruce (and even Tarantula) down. Because, while Bruce views his actions in terms of ethics, Dick views his actions in terms of people. This is why Bruce and Dick, despite having very similar priorities, are often in conflict, because, though Dick is loyal to Bruce, the people Dick loves are always going to be more important to him and take priority over a code of ethics. And, though Bruce cares deeply for others, Batman can’t sacrifice his beliefs, not even for his family’s sake. Interesting dichotomy there.
snowghoul
yousharknotpass
germansingergirl
dededos
janainaart
titsay
vaporwave
jacobvanloon
theartofmadeline
