Nightwing's Supervillain Redesign Redefined His Rejection of Batman
When Nightwing temporarily becomes a supervillain, his new costume redefines his rejection of his former mentor, Batman. Dick Grayson famously went his own separate way after he left the Robin persona behind, but he’s veered even farther from the path before.
There have been a handful of times when Dick has allegedly turned to the dark side. However, when he breaks bad as an undercover persona in Nightwing #111, he proves his potential as a supervillain. If he chose to go that route, he might even be a greater threat than Jason Todd’s Red Hood was initially. As a means to infiltrate Deathstroke’s Secret Society, Dick takes on a new costume and a different name, “Renegade,” as seen in Nightwing #114. The persona comes as a result of Ravager pushing him to create a new identity. The series was written by Devin Grayson with art by Cliff Chiang and colors by Ande Parks, Gregory Wright, Phil Hester. The issue echoes the animated Teen Titans in which Robin homages Deathstroke and wears an alternate orange and black costume, emulating Slade.
Related: Nightwing's Alex Ross Redesign Is DC's Best Unused Costume
When Dick becomes Renegade and speaks with Deathstroke about the reason he has turned into a villain, he retorts that he has crossed a line. After permitting the brutal death of the hulking Blockbuster, he denounces any connection to the Dark Knight, saying,«From this point on, none of this has anything to do with Batman.» In the moment, it seemed like a very real interaction, as Dick vented to Slade. Later on in Nightwing #117, Batman confronts Dick, saying, «You’ve been trying to kill yourself for the past six months.» After Nightwing failed to prevent Blockbuster’s demise, Dick fell into the darkest state he has ever
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