Nightwing, aka Dick Grayson, was the first ever Robin and thus one of the first ever superhero sidekicks when it comes to the comics. He’s the guy that Batman kept around to watch his six and mentored throughout his younger years. He was often impetuous and hot-tempered as most of the Robin’s were, if not all of them to be honest, but he’s also the biggest success story out of them all as well. As Nightwing he’s no less tortured than his mentor, Batman, but he also doesn’t have time to wallow in his past or take the time to bemoan his place in life since the enemies he’s made along the way don’t often see fit to let him do such a thing. If they’re not actively attacking him they’re doing wrong in some way that Nightwing just has to avenge. Seeing as how he hasn’t showed up yet on the big screen there are a lot of possibilities that could be dredged up to serve as his main enemy for a film.
Here are just a few enemies that might make for an entertaining movie.
5. Lady Vic
Getting past the impractical and not at all tactical way that comics dress their villains and heroes, Lady Vic is for the most part a mercenary that comes from a long line of exceptional fighters and is therefore expected to be something on par with some of the greatest fighters in the world. Nightwing has defeated her in the past but on the movie screen it would be a great fight to see since she’s so highly skilled that his superb fighting techniques would be put to the test. Anyone that can bring a superhero that’s trained in multiple fighting styles to the limit is someone that’s worth considering for a movie role.
4. Tarantula
This was a rather messed up situation in which Tarantula, the second to have that name, became more of a villain largely because she forced herself on Dick Grayson in a moment of weakness than anything else. That’s right, a female vigilante raped Nightwing. Whether or not that would be shown in a movie is hard to tell since superhero movies are still largely geared towards kids and the desire to keep them clean is very hard to subvert. But Tarantula has crossed the line between good and evil more than once so it’s not hard to think that she’d do it again for a movie on the big screen, if only to keep Nightwing interesting.
3. Jason Todd/Red Hood
It’d almost be Robin vs. Robin since they’ve both held the mantle, and while Jason Todd isn’t exactly the worst person in the world since he does try to mete out justice to the wicked, his methods are very different from those he allies with and aren’t generally accepted. But being killed by the Joker could possibly mess with a person’s head in a big way, and this could be why Jason is one of the most screwed up individuals in the DC universe. Seeing Jason and Dick go at it over philosophical differences would be an intense battle since they’re both highly trained and both have as good a chance of beating each other senseless.
2. Killer Croc
It’s been seen that since Killer Croc came to the Suicide Squad movie that people aren’t really pleased with how he turned out. This highly dangerous and huge villain isn’t exactly the biggest challenge that Nightwing could face but he is something that wouldn’t just up and run away when the battle wasn’t going his way. Physical strength aside Nightwing could no doubt find a way to keep Killer Croc down, but it would be a vicious fight no doubt that would require him to rely upon his superior intelligence and agility rather than going toe to toe with someone that would likely see him as a tasty snack if he faltered.
1. Deathstroke
Deathstroke is one of those villains that, if given any kind of superpower, would be a seriously unbalanced character. He’s tough, fast, strong, heals quickly, is super intelligent, and has has the type of endurance that could help him outlast just about anyone. But he is still human and as such does have the weaknesses of just about everyone else. The only thing he doesn’t seem to have at all times is a conscience, and going up against Nightwing it seems that this would be an uphill battle for Dick since Slade is the kind of guy that will watch the world burn so long as he gets his target. This would be an awesome fight though and would come down to how the writers spin it, and that’s the truth.
Having been trained and mentored by Batman, Nightwing is the kind of hero that might allow his feelings or sense of justice to get in the way, but only after the fight is over. Until then it’s time to kick butt and take names.
