After 87 Years, Batman's True Successor Is Finally Clear

Published Oct 31, 2026, 9:51 PM EDT

Mark has been a comic book journalist for over 15 years and has interviewed comic book creators like Gail Simone and Caspar Wijngaard. And when he's not writing, he's working on beating his record of 1,200 comics read in a year.

There are a lot of things that can be said about Damian Wayne. He’s rude, arrogant, and doesn’t have the patience for most people. However, it can also be said that he’s caring, skilled, and more observant than most. The latter are traits that he learned while being Batman’s Robin. Not just Bruce Wayne’s. A lot of his life lessons came from working with Dick Grayson while he was Gotham City’s Dark Knight.

It’s been years since Dick and Damian were the Dynamic Duo, but during the Batman: Bad Seeds tie-in in Nightwing, the two didn’t miss a beat. They moved in unison and defeated Scarface and his goons with ease. When it was all said and done, the two took a few minutes to breathe fresh air before jumping back in to protect people in Gotham from being overrun by sentient plant life.

It wasn’t Dick Grayson’s idea to take the time to rest. It was Damian’s. Robin knew that they'd be needed at their best, and that required some rest. This wasn’t the first time during this issue that he had to call out his brother.

After stopping a truck from exploding, Robin immediately noticed that something was off about Grayson and made sure that he knew about it. Sure, it came off bratty, but he wasn’t wrong, and Nightwing knew it. This, and a few other moments in this issue, proved that Damian will eventually surpass his big brother, and that’s great news for Batman fans.

Damian Wayne Will One Day Be The Best

Nightwing No. 143; Writer: Dan Watters; Artist: David Lapham; Colorist: Francesco Segala

Dick Grayson hasn’t slept much since he got into an accident that killed a bunch of people in Nightwing No. 136. He was aware that it wasn’t his fault, but a Bludhaven prosecutor named Emily Eastborne didn’t believe a ghost caused the accident. Even if she did, it seemed like she was using this opportunity to further her own goals.

All of this, plus the rise of violent crimes, has thrown Nightwing off his game. Granted, the former Boy Wonder at 50% is still better than most at 100%. Nevertheless, the wrong move can ruin someone’s life. In this case, he's lucky Damian was around to make sure that didn’t happen.

Dick Grayson saw one of Scarface’s goons turn into a plant and was ready to attack him. Damian stopped him by noticing that he was asking for a doctor. Robin gives him something to counteract the transformation, and the heroes leave.

Soon after that, Dick Grayson mentions that he went for the Batarang while Damian went for meds. Robin said that he’d been volunteering in hospitals to help find better ways to help people. Clearly, this is working because it helped stop someone from being in more pain than necessary, but it shows something else. Dick Grayson needs to get his life together.

Damian Wayne Has Come A Long Way

Damian Wayne isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. To be honest, the way he was represented during Injustice didn’t help. It made him look more like an annoying, self-entitled brat than before. Since then, Damian has evolved into more than just a terrific Robin. He’s become a fantastic character. Writer Dan Watters highlights a couple of ways.

First, even though Damian was raised by the League of Assassins and Batman, it’s easy to forget that he's a teenager with a lot to learn. More importantly, Watters showed that he’s intelligent and savvy beyond his years. For example, mentioning that he volunteered at a hospital to further help people isn’t something that Robin would have done five years ago. Now, it isn’t shocking because of the growth readers have seen in titles like Batman and Robin. It’s only a matter of time before he surpasses his father as a better hero.

Nightwing Needs A Nap, Or Things Will Get Worse

Dan Watters took the smile away from the happiest character in DC Comics, and it’s made Nightwing an interesting series. Readers are seeing that even the best heroes can have more than a few bad days, and how it can affect them. So far, the lack of sleep and feeling guilty have left Dick sloppy, irritable, and irrational. It also doesn’t help that he doesn’t have Barbara Gordon to talk to (she’s currently in prison in Barbara Gordon: Breakout).

Eventually, Grayson will have to get some rest. If he doesn’t, he could end up hurting himself or others worse than he means to. If that happens, the downward spiral of guilt and regret will continue. The last thing the Bat Family needs is their beacon of hope and happiness becoming grimmer than the Dark Knight.