Summary

• Nightwing #116 sees Dick Grayson adopt the alias Robbie Malone to evade law enforcement.
• Dick's Robbie Malone was inspired by Batman's Matches Malone.
• Dick's use of the Malone persona has more appearances in fan-created works than canon appearances.

WARNING: Contains Potential Spoilers for Nightwing #116!Robin, Ric, Agent 37, Talon, and more. But through it all, he could always count on his given name, Dick Grayson. However, his latest adversary has stripped the Original Boy Wonder of this identity by framing him as the supervillain serial killer, Heartless. This has forced Dick to resurrect one of his most fan-loved aliases—Robbie Malone.

Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo’s Nightwing #116 picks up with Dick Grayson on the run after escaping police custody. In the previous issue, Shelton “Heartless” Lyle succeeded in framing Dick as Heartless, turning the Original Boy Wonder’s own city against him.

Now, determined to conquer his fear of heights so he can confront his adversary, Dick travels across Europe and Asia in search of Boston “Dean” Brand, the man who originally helped him overcome this fear when he was a child. However, as a wanted man, Dick adopts a fan-favorite alias to evade law enforcement—Robert “Robbie” Malone.

Robbie Malone: Nightwing’s OTHER Secret Identity That Was Inspired by Batman’s Matches Malone

Robbie Malone is technically a canon alias of Dick’s, dating back as early as 1999. However, over the past decade, it has gained significant popularity in Nightwing fandom culture, largely due to its association with Matches Malone—Batman’s infamous criminal alter ego. Before becoming one of Bruce’s numerous aliases, Matches Malone was the identity of a New Jersey gangster and notorious arsonist in the DC Universe. After Malone’s demise, Bruce adopted his persona to infiltrate the criminal underworld, leveraging Malone’s established street credibility. This allowed Batman to gather crucial intelligence on criminal organizations that he otherwise couldn’t access, making the Matches persona pivotal in his mission to safeguard Gotham.

Matches Malone first appeared in Batman #242 (1972) by Dennis O'Neil and Irv Novick, becoming a recurring alias for Bruce Wayne. In contrast, the debut of Robbie Malone is less documented, given Dick Grayson's less frequent use of the alias in comics. Nevertheless, Tom Taylor is revitalizing this alter ego in his Nightwing series. Whether Taylor drew inspiration from the alias's popularity in fanfiction and fanart or its obscure canon origins remains unclear. It will be intriguing to see if Dick continues to employ the Malone persona throughout the remaining issues of the Fallen Grayson story arc.

The Malone Family Is Alive and Well in Fanon (& Needs to Make an Official Debut in Canon)

As mentioned, Robbie Malone is more popular in fanon than in canon, thanks to fan-created works that depict the ‘Malone Family’—alter egos for the Bat-Family within a crime family context. While Bruce, Dick, and Damian (as Lil’ Matches) have canonical Malone alter egos, the fandom has expanded this concept to include Tim Drake and Stephanie Brown as Jackie and Minnie Malone, Barbara Gordon as Ally Malone, and Jason Todd as Pete Malone, Robbie’s cousin. The Malone Family is a beloved part of Bat-Family fandom and could seamlessly transition into canon, particularly now with Nightwing’s Robbie Malone making a return.

Nightwing #116 is available now from DC Comics!