Nightwing
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- This article is about the DC Comics' characters that have, at some moment, used the name of Nightwing. For the DC Comics' hero and former sidekick of Batman, see Dick Grayson.
Nightwing is a name used by a number of superheroes (and one organization) in comic books published by DC Comics, and is connected strongly to both the Batman and Superman families.
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Character History
Pre-Crisis Superman
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In the Pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths storyline of Superman (Vol.1) #158 (Jan. 1963), Nightwing was an alias used by Superman in adventures shared with Jimmy Olsen in the city of Kandor, a Kryptonian city that had been shrunken and preserved in a bottle. In Kandor, Superman had no powers and was branded an outlaw due to a misunderstanding. To protect themselves, Superman and Jimmy created vigilante identities inspired by Batman and Robin; however, as neither bats nor robins existed on Krypton, Superman chose the names of two native avian species: Nightwing (for himself) and Flamebird (for Jimmy).
Van-Zee
In a 1977 comic book, Superman's second cousin and doppelganger Van-Zee took up the cape of Nightwing and a number of adventures of Nightwing and Flamebird were published.
Dick Grayson
After Superman's departure, the identities were assumed by two Kandorians named Van-Zee and Ak-Var. Both Nightwing and Flamebird teams met with their inspirations, Batman and Robin, for an adventure in Kandor which would prove especially important to the young Boy Wonder. Eventually, the maturing Dick Grayson grew weary of his role as Batman's young sidekick. Recalling his adventure on Kandor, he renamed himself Nightwing.
The rebooting of the DC continuity connected with Crisis on Infinite Earths robbed Superman of Kandor, but he remembered now Nightwing as an urban legend of Krypton instead, a story he shared with Dick Grayson, who would take up the identity.
Post-Crisis Superman
Image:Flamebird&Nightwing01.jpg The direct association between Superman and the role of Nightwing was restored in 2001's Superman: The Man of Steel #111, wherein Superman and Lois Lane travel to the Kryptonian past to assume the names of Nightwing and Flamebird themselves.
Jason Todd
Template:Main Currently, the resurrected Jason Todd is using the costume and name of Dick's Nightwing. Both men fight crime in New York City.
Power Girl
Template:Main In the 2006's Supergirl #6, Kara (Power Girl) and Supergirl assume the identities of Nightwing and Flamebird as the dynamic duo of the Post-Crisis Kandor.
Nightwing in other media
Nightwing Restorations
Marvel has its own Nightwing detectives, Misty Knight and Colleen Wing. Their PI-service is named Nightwing Restorations, but they are better known as the Daughters of the Dragon.