Nightwing Just Destroyed Iron Man With One Sentence

Warning! Spoilers ahead for Nightwing #83!

In Nightwing #83, Dick Grayson just obliterated super-rich heroes like Iron Man in a single sentence. Dick Grayson grew up first with a traveling circus, then in Bruce Wayne’s household, going from few creature comforts to being able to have anything he could imagine. While the Joker War cost Batman his billions, leaving him as merely rich rather than one of the wealthiest men in the world, Nightwing has more money than ever thanks to the will of Alfred Pennyworth, the Bat-Family’s faithful butler.

But while Nightwing might now be one of DC’s richest superheroes, he’s got little intention of holding onto the money. In fact, Dick has an extensive plan to use his new fortune to transform his adopted city of Bludhaven, acting as the safety net for everyone this notoriously corrupt city would otherwise allow to fall. But before he enacts that plan, he talks to Superman to get another perspective, and makes it clear that if he knew Tony Stark, the two of them would be unlikely to get along.

In Nightwing #83 by Tom Taylor, Bruno Redondo, and Adriano Lucas, Nightwing delivers a brutal dig to all rich heroes. The former Robin states, “I don’t think there’s anything heroic about being a billionaire.” Dick makes it clear that unlike Batman and Iron Man, his plan isn’t just to use his money to be a more effective hero while maintaining his fortune, and that he specifically intends to no longer be a billionaire by the time his plan is done. While this is a slam on any billionaire hero like Batman or Iron Man, it’s a particularly damning indictment of Tony Stark, who often defines himself through his fortune – after all, he is a “genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropist.”

Nightwing’s argument isn’t based on the idea that rich heroes like Iron Man aren’t using their resources for good, but that holding so much in reserve is hard to justify when it could be spent on worthwhile projects. Sitting on resources that could be valuable to the world is something Dick presents as immoral, hence the ambition of his plans. It’s pretty clear that Nightwing is going to use the wealth that Alfred left behind for something good, to the extent that he’s really just been entrusted to distribute it as effectively as possible, not to keep it in his possession.

Many characters (and readers) have brought up that Batman could and perhaps should have done the same thing, but Nightwing understands that Bruce is inherently cautious and would never want to be without whatever resources could address the next emergency, even worrying his mentor will talk him out of his plans. In contrast, Iron Man has always enjoyed using his wealth for personal whims and a lavish lifestyle, even as he also funds the Avengers and establishes entire charitable organizations. Now, Nightwing has the chance to prove the merits of a more radical use of wealth than Bruce Wayne’s endless Batmobiles and Iron Man’s hobby of designing and building advanced suits for every conceivable occasion. Nightwing #83is available in comic book stores and on digital platforms now, and begins to explore whether Dick is right to disdain billionaire superheroes like Iron Man, or if he’s bitten off more than he can chew.

About The Author

Ben Rolph
(344 Articles Published)

Ben Rolph is a Comics features writer for Screen Rant. Based out of London, United Kingdom, Ben owns and runs an Arrowverse YouTube channel called ‘TheDCTVshow’, as well as being a film critic at DiscussingFilm. He is also a Tomatometer-approved critic and studies film at the University of Westminster.

Ben has a passion for the Arrowverse shows, especially The Flash and Supergirl, which he has watched and analysed for years.

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