Omfg new better idea for kryptonian Dick Grayson
Going back to making him Clark’s older brother who was stuck in the phantom zone for however many years. So he has some vague memories of Krypton. Remembers seemingly random things. But the story of Nightwing and Flamebird is bright in his memories, because it was a story his mother used to tell him before bed.
But what makes this a better idea u might ask? Add to the equation: isolated Batfam. Dick has never personally interacted with any of the Justice League members. There were a few run ins when he was still Robin, still fluttering around the edges of Batman’s cape and making snotty quips at any potential enemies, but Batman always made sure Robin stayed distant from any other so-called heroes. He didn’t trust them. He especially didn’t trust them not to hurt his young protege.
So now Dick is 19 and he’s living in Blüdhaven. Bruce is already on his fourth Robin, after Dick spent his first year as a legal adult raising and training Damian while Bruce was lost in time. Jason has already died and come back as Red Hood.
Dick stopped being Robin at 15 after a blow out fight with Bruce after Joker shot him. Two years after that, Jason was killed by the Joker when he was also 15. And instead of taking that as a sign to stop bringing kids into this life, a 13 year old Tim was Robin for nearly a full year before Bruce was thought dead, until the 10 year old Damian showed up and Dick passed the mantle of Robin onto him. Because he saw so much of himself in Damian, and he knew Tim would understand once he was able to actually talk to him about it without Tim insisting that Bruce was still alive.
Except joke was on Dick, because Tim did manage to bring Bruce back alive from wherever the hell he was. And then Bruce demands custody of Damian be switched back over to him, it doesn’t matter that Dick loved him like his own son, that Damian thought Dick was the only person who really understood him, that Dick was Damian’s Batman, that Damian was Dick’s little Robin, that Dick adopted him.
And that led to another fight, which is why Dick has been completely solo in Blüdhaven ever since. So now he’s 19-going-on-20, and he’s approached by Wonder Woman, Green Arrow, and a hero he’s been trying to avoid his whole life – Superman.
Because Dick knows that’s his little brother. He knows that’s his Kal-El. And he’d never told Bruce about being Kryptonian, he’d been so vigilant about keeping his powers under wraps, he hides them well. He’s had a few slip ups, but nothing he couldn’t explain away. He has tight control over his abilities.
But now his brother is standing in front of him, chatting with him, and Dick’s heart is beating so hard in his chest despite trying his best to calm himself down.
“I have to ask, the name Nightwing – how did you come up with it?” Superman asks.
Dick blinks behind his mask, his eyes shifting to the symbol of the House of El on Kal-El’s chest, and he does his best to remain as nonchalant as possible.
“It’s from a story my mother used to tell me,” he says, his voice soft. “He was a god.”
“And this god, did he have a partner?”
Dick knows where this is going. He knows what’s going to happen. He knows Bruce would kill him if he were here, trusting these Justice League fools.
“Flamebird,” Dick whispers.
And Superman’s breath is caught in his throat. It’s clear Superman relayed his suspicions about Nightwing to his colleagues, because they look merely curious at what’s being discussed, but they don’t seem confused.
“Are you–” Superman can’t quite finish his question, so Dick smiles at him.
“The symbol on your chest,” he says, motioning towards it. Dick’s own voice is a bit shaky, but he swallows down any nerves before he chickens out. This is what he’s always wanted. This is what he’s been longing to do since he first saw the picture of Superman on a newspaper in the Graysons’ trailer. “The House of El.”
Superman nods, and Dick sends him a nervous little grin.
“I’m – I was…” his tongue feels like sandpaper in his mouth, so he spits out the next words quickly in a jumbled mess, “my name is Kod-El.”
And it seems like the world around them stops. Superman is in front of him in the blink of an eye, holding his face in his hands, cradling him gently, staring at every line of his face.
“That’s not possible,” Kal-El whispers, as if it’s only for Kod-El’s ears. “He was older than me. You can’t be older than me, you’re so young.”
“Excellent genetics, maybe?” Kod-El teases. But then he moves his hands up to hover over Kal-El’s, until he works up the courage to tuck his fingers around the edge of Kal-El’s. “I got stuck. In the Phantom Zone. I don’t know how long I was there. It felt like forever and nothing at the same time.”
They’re both quiet for a moment, drinking in each other’s features, making sure this whole thing is even real. But then Kod-El lets out a wet laugh, and Kal-El’s face crumbles.
“You were just a baby when we left,” Kod-El says, his words thick. “But then after I landed, I saw a newspaper with you on it. And you had our House symbol on your chest, and I knew it was you, but you were all grown up, and I didn’t know what to do.”
And that’s how Superman ends up cradling Nightwing close to his chest on a Blüdhaven rooftop. Nightwing keeps insisting in a broken voice everything I do is wrong, I mess everything up, nothing is ever right but Superman is insisting that’s not true, that can’t be true, you were only a child. Superman is telling him you have me now, I’m here now, I’ll make sure everything is right for you now, we’ll make it right together.
And there’s no way Superman could have known how much Nightwing needed to hear those words, but soothe something inside him that he didn’t know was broken. Because being kicked out by Bruce more than once has left several scars that Dick has tried to hide, not to mention the other, more physical scars Bruce has left him with over the years. The Batman is a harsh teacher, and his lessons always come at a cost, and Dick hasn’t always had super powers that made him invulnerable.
Plus, Batman kept a healthy dose of Kryptonite around the cave in case he ever needed it. One of his many contingency plans for all the other heroes they knew about. And the near constant exposure whenever Dick was in the cave had weakened his powers. He’s better now that he’s been away for a while, but the psychological damage is still there.
So Nightwing joins the Justice League after being given what may as well be a golden invitation. He joins without a second guess, without consulting Bruce, without even revealing that Nightwing is affiliated with Batman. The Gotham vigilantes are kept under wraps outside of Gotham, no one knows how many there really are or what they’re called. No one knew Nightwing was once the Batman’s first bird.
Idk where I’m going with this but I love this idea I want more of it. I’m also thinking Dick spends a few months after first being kicked out at 15 as Deathstroke’s apprentice. Whether he goes willingly or not is yet to be determined. Whether Bruce and the rest of the Batfam know about it is also not decided yet.
