DC Comics Is Debuting A Brand-New Dynamic Duo (And Batman’s Not Invited)

Published Sep 22, 2026, 9:00 PM EDT

Jared is a writer, editor, and Communications Studies graduate who loves popular nerd culture (almost anything to do with Marvel, DC, Star Wars, or The Lord of the Rings) and the interactive storytelling medium. Jared's first console was the PS1, wherein he fell for Spider-Man, Spyro the Dragon, and Crash Bandicoot.

Naturally, routinely and religiously reading any Prime Earth DC character’s story may be doubly rewarding if you’re also partaking in others, as you’ll often see one bleed into another. For example, anyone who’s been reading Matt Fraction’s Batman run and Dan Watters’ Nightwing run simultaneously will have enjoyed their crossover in Nightwing’s “Blüdhaven Lore” arc.

Meanwhile, Batman and Tom Taylor’s Detective Comics run concurrently tell stories about the same Batman, though readers aren’t necessarily required to read one to be able to follow the other; that said, you’ll be missing out on quite a lot, like Batman blowing up Gotham City Police Commissioner Vandal Savage, if you aren’t hopping back and forth between them during the major DC Comics crossover event Batman: Bad Seeds. If you’re a fan of Damian Wayne’s Robin, you won’t want to miss out on Nightwing.

Robin Is Being Taken Under A New Wing This Holiday Season

Jorge Fornés’ sublime cover for Nightwing #145 features a subway train that is whooshing by, graffitied with colorful onomatopoeia like “KAPOW,” “WHACK,” “KRUNCH,” and “POOM,” and filled with people who are unfortunate enough to find themselves brawling with Robin and Dick Grayson’s Nightwing. If it wasn’t obvious based on this cover (covers aren’t always aboveboard about what or who is featured in an issue’s pages, to be fair), Robin will be crossing over from Batman and in Nightwing this December. Of course, Robin will first be appearing in Nightwing a lot sooner, in issue #143, which is scheduled to be released on October 21, 2026, and serves as a Batman: Bad Seeds tie-in.

Nightwing #143 could’ve simply been a crossover tie-in issue that gives Damian something to do while Batman is busy tackling TUCO squad mobs, defeating Gotham City Police Commissioner Vandal Savage, and seeking the help of Mister Freeze in order to combat Poison Ivy’s ancient flora. Instead, Watters has confirmed via Twitter/X that Nightwing and Robin will be something of a budding dynamic duo in the current Nightwing arc, and it’d be neat to see them as a dedicated crime-fighting pair going forward.

What Will Become Of Bruce Wayne’s Son?

What’s interesting about Robin and Nightwing having all this time together is what it implies about Damian’s livelihood. Immediately after Batman: Bad Seeds’ conclusion, Batman’s upcoming storyline will apparently be about Batman solving Bruce Wayne’s assassination. Bruce won’t actually be dead, but is not eager to reveal that to the public, either, and Damian might be uprooted as a result.

Batman’s Verity Pennyworth, the Wayne family’s new majordomo, would surely be the most logically viable guardian, considering that Bruce was raised by a faithful Pennyworth steward when his parents were murdered. This Batman run has also made an effort to demonstrate how much Damian and Verity get along recently, and perhaps he does get legally turned over to her for however long Bruce plays dead, but chooses to go back to Blüdhaven and help Dick out again in the meantime.

Otherwise, there’s always the possibility that Damian could go to live with his mother, Talia al Ghul. All we know with any certainty is that Damian and Dick will be spending a lot more time together.

Until Bruce’s ‘assassination’ has been resolved, it’ll be neat to see what DC has in store for Robin. The solicitation for Nightwing #145 reads as follows:

THE WITCH OF BLÜDHAVEN UNLEASHED! Months after causing the deadly car crash that’s haunted Nightwing’s dreams, she’s taken an entire subway train hostage. Can Nightwing prevent another mass tragedy? If only another Boy Wonder was in town to help...

Nightwing #145 is scheduled to be released on December 16, 2026.

Nightwing is the superhero moniker taken up by Dick Grayson, upon his aging out of the Robin role and becoming a superhero of his own. Inspired by the original Kryptonian hero of the same name, Grayson has risen to comic book immortality with the identity, earning respect as one of the greatest leaders in the DC Universe.