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N I G H T W I N G N O C T U R N A N O RT H W I N D
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B L Ü D H AV E N ’ S F I N E S T
FIRST APPEARANCE DETECTIVE COMICS # 529 (August 1983) FIRST APPEARANCE ALL-STAR SQUADRON #25 (September 1983)
DC

STATUS Villain (missing) REAL NAME Natalia Knight STATUS Hero REAL NAME Norda Cantrell
FIRST APPEARANCE TALES OF THE TEEN TITANS #43 (July 1984) NIGHTWING IS DICK GRAYSON, the very first ROBIN now OCCUPATION Astronomer BASE England OCCUPATION Vigilante BASE Mobile
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STATUS Hero REAL NAME Richard “Dick” Grayson grown to manhood. Dick realized the need to leave the HEIGHT 5ft 10in WEIGHT 140 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Black HEIGHT 6ft WEIGHT 195 lbs
O M I C S

OCCUPATION Police officer; crime fighter BASE Blüdhaven shadow of his mentor BATMAN and establish his own SPECIAL POWERS/ABILITIES Natalia was a brilliant astronomer but EYES Brown HAIR Golden feathers
HEIGHT 5ft 10in WEIGHT 175 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Black heroic presence.The Dark Knight accelerated Dick’s unskilled at hand-to-hand combat. SPECIAL POWERS/ABILITIES Flight, enhanced stamina and
SPECIAL POWERS/ABILITIES Second only to Batman in fighting skills strength, and the ability to communicate with birds,
decision by firing the young hero, who had just
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and detective abilities; utility belt includes regurgitant gas though not with human beings
joined the TEEN TITANS, from his role as teen
N C Y C L O P E D I A

pellets, smoke capsules, acetylene torch, flexi-cuffs, Natalia was a child of the streets
Batarangs, and shuriken-like Wing-Dings; bulletproof sidekick. Batman thought Robin would until the criminal Charles Knight
and fire-resistant costume is insulated and wired as return to his side, but Dick accepted the took her in. She grew up with The hybrid child of a human father
single-shot taser to incapacitate attackers; right decision and left the Batcave. Not long Knight’s natural son, Anton, (anthropologist Fred Cantrell) and a
gauntlet carries hand-held 100,000-volt stun eventually falling in love with him. mother from a race of bird-people
after, he ceded the role of Robin to orphan Jason
gun; preferred weapons are twin An accident with laser radiation called the Feitherans, Norda Cantrell
shatterproof polymer Escrima sticks, Todd. For Dick Grayson, there would be no turning drained Natalia Knight’s skin of all grew up in the hidden city of Feithera in
held in spring-loaded pouches in back. After much soul-searching, he adopted a new guise pigment and rendered her sensitive northern Greenland.
the back of costume for swift inspired by two of his childhood heroes.To remain a creature to sunlight, an accident not entirely The godson of HAWKMAN Carter Hall,
deployment in close- FLYING GRAYSON Having learned unfortunate for an astronomer Norda encountered jealousy from Hawkman’s
of the night like the Dark Knight, Dick became Nightwing. acrobatic skills from his parents, Dick
quarters fighting. romantically drawn to twilight. From true son Hector Hall (later the Silver Scarab
The name was recommended by Superman, a role model for is a gifted aerialist, perhaps surpassing dusk till dawn, Natalia and Anton’s alter and DOCTOR FATE). As a young adult, Norda left
Dick, after a mysterious hero of Kryptonian legend. even Batman in agility. egos of Nocturna and Night-Slayer Feithera to join INFINITY, INC. under the name
engaged in thievery to enjoy the of Northwind. He served with the team until
NIGHTWING TAKES FLIGHT witching hour’s luxuries. BATMAN Hector Hall’s death, after which he returned to his people
Nightwing flew into action for the first time to save his fellow Teen Titans brought Night-Slayer to justice to help them rebuild their civilization in the city of New
from DEATHSTROKE the Terminator and the criminal consortium known as and Nocturna then began a romance Feithera.
H.I.V.E (Hierarchy of International Vengeance and Extermination). He with Sturges Hellstrom, a minor Northwind has recently undergone a full
continued to lead the Titans thereafter, eventually reconciling with his former Gotham criminal. Enraged, Night-Slayer escaped prison metamorphosis into a giant bird-like creature, improving
mentor Batman and reclaiming his status as the Dark Knight’s closest and most and murdered Hellstrom, only to be slain by his former his flying abilities, but unfortunately losing the ability to
N YO L A
trusted ally.When the Titans disbanded, Nightwing resumed solo lover. She escaped from Batman in a hot-air balloon, never speak in the process. In his new form he has joined with FIRST APPEARANCE ALL-STAR COMICS # 2 (Fall 1940)
crimefighting. to be seen again. ROBIN and SPOILER have since BLACK ADAM, ATOM-SMASHER, and BRAINWAVE II to form STATUS Villain REAL NAME Nyola
At Batman’s behest, Nightwing left Gotham—his home since the deaths of encountered a former astronomer named Natalie a “zero-tolerance” super-hero team committed to ending OCCUPATION Priestess BASE Unknown
his parents, the Flying Graysons—and moved to neighboring Blüdhaven, a Metternich (alias Natalia Mitternacht). Like Nocturna, violence by executing super-villains. Northwind and the HEIGHT 5ft 4in WEIGHT 115 lbs EYES Brown HAIR Red-brown
crime-ridden port city desperately in need of its own defender.With Metternich is pale and loves the night. It is unknown others have so far killed the terrorist KOBRA, among SPECIAL POWERS/ABILITIES She has magical control over the weather,
Blüdhaven mired in corruption, Dick made law enforcement his day job also, whether these similarities are just coincidence. RG others. DW and can project bolts of lightning.
enrolling in the city’s police academy and eventually graduating to become a
rookie cop with the B.P.D. Nightwing used his nocturnal hours to undermine
mob boss Roland Desmond (BLOCKBUSTER) and the city’s feuding gang lords. N U C L E A R F A M I LY
Nyola was an Aztec priestess who gained elemental
Nightwing even found time to join a fourth lineup of Titans before the group Mom Biff
Dad FIRST APPEARANCE THE OUTSIDERS #1 (November 1985) powers through her worship of the rain god Tlaloc.
suffered the deaths of two longtime members. Soon after, STATUS Android villains (destroyed) BASE California Haughty, arrogant Nyola was originally an enemy of
Nightwing helped to establish a new team of heroes, MEMBERS AND P OWERS HAWKMAN and HAWKGIRL, tackling the winged wonders
dubbed the OUTSIDERS after a defunct cadre of Dad Could emit vast amounts of nuclear radiation. in early 1942 during one of their archaeological
clandestine crime fighters Batman himself had Mom Could emit potetnially fatal electromagnetic pulse. excursions in Central America.
once led. Rather than simply react to villainy, Biff Could emit thermal pulse of immense heat. Nyola returned as leader of the first MONSTER
HALLEY‘S CIRCUS Before the Outsiders under Nightwing’s leadership Sis Could emit immensely destructive blast wave. SOCIETY OF EVIL.The evil sorceress
Dick’s aerialist parents took a proactive approach to rooting out evil, Brat and dog Could emit radioactive fallout. invaded the JUSTICE SOCIETY OF
were murdered by gangsters hunting the world’s Most Wanted and AMERICA’s New York City
they were a major circus act. bringing them to justice.The Dark Knight’s headquarters, fighting HAWKGIRL,
former squire continues to fight the good The OUTSIDERS had declared their HOURMAN, and Sandy, the
KEY STORYLINES
fight and make his mentor proud of both the independence from BATMAN’s leadership original SANDMAN’s sidekick.
• TALES OF THE TEEN TITANS #41–44, ANNUAL #3 (
man and the hero that he has become. SB and relocated from Gotham City to Santa Along with the Monster
APRIL–JULY 1984): Deathstroke hunts the Teen COMBAT MASTER Not even a posse of trained Monica, California. No sooner had they Society’s RAMULUS, Dummy,
Titans, leaving the all-new Nightwing the last killers can subdue lightning-quick Nightwing! settled into their new digs, than they MISTER WHO, and
Titan standing and the team’s only hope! received word of trouble at the Oom, Nyola was
• BATMAN #440-442, NEW TITANS #60-61 Esperanza Canyon nuclear power plant. soundly defeated
(OCTOBER–DECEMBER 1989): In “A Lonely There, the team discovered a family of by the FLASH
Place of Dying,” Nightwing meets his androids, named Dad, Mom, Biff, Sis, and GREEN
successor as Boy Wonder, Tim Drake, and fights Brat, and Dog. LANTERN. PJ
alongside Batman to defeat Two-Face! These eerie creations were the
• NIGHTWING #1 (1988): At Batman’s behest, brainchildren of the deranged Dr. Eric
Nightwing makes Blüdhaven his new home and Shanner.The doctor had been a victim of
brings costumed justice to the crime-ridden seaport. radiation poisoning and had created the
family he would never have himself.
Working with the Outsider’s old opponent,
Professor Wye, Shanner intended to use the
TROIA’S DEATH THE OUTSIDER Nightwing opening of the plant to detonate a nuclear
Nightwing’s Titans found an important role as explosion, sharing his radiation death with as
teammate and closest leader of the Outsiders many Californians as possible.The Outsiders
friend, died in his arms. vigilante team, organized Sis Brat confronted the powerful androids and fought them to
Despite strong feelings on by Batman to track down a standstill until Wye turned on Shanner.This provided
both sides, the two were criminals who were the Outsiders with an opportunity to stop the Nuclear
never romantically linked. beyond the law’s reach. Family and do so before Shanner and the androids died in a
controlled explosion. RG