Summary

• Get ready for a new and edgier Dick Grayson in Batman: Dark Age #4, as he works for mob boss Carmine Falcone.
• This version of Dick Grayson takes a darker turn, subverting his usual Robin origin story and changing his dynamic with Batman.
• Bruce Wayne faces challenges in helping the troubled Dick Grayson heal, setting the stage for a tense father-son relationship.

Warning: contains spoilers for Batman: Dark Age #4!Nightwing has a new origin that changes his relationship with Batman and takes him in a bold direction unfamiliar to longtime fans of Dick Grayson. In the preview for Batman: Dark Age #4, it's revealed that this reality's Dick Grayson is a criminal who works for none other than Gotham mob boss Carmine Falcone.

Batman: Dark Age by Mark Russell and Mike Allred is a retelling of Batman's origin beginning in the 1960s and taking place in real time, with Bruce aging decade by decade. It takes advantage of this historical backdrop to provide a new yet old-school take on Bruce Wayne's beginnings as the Dark Knight. The story now offers a new take on Dick Grayson, which subverts his origin story by offering a version of Robin who aligns himself with Gotham City's criminal element, potentially changing the trajectory of his relationship with Batman.

Last issue, Batman discovered Dick Grayson working for the False Face Gang. Having taken the youth down alongside Green Arrow, he decided to take him home rather than hand him over to the authorities. Thanks to the framing device of Bruce writing his memoirs in his old age, readers already know that Dick Grayson will die, however the exact details of when and how it will happen are still to be discovered.

Nightwing's New Origin Presents A Bold New Take On The Character

Dick Grayson Works for Falcone in This Real-Time Take on Batman's Career

In the preview for the issue of Batman: Dark Age, Bruce and Alfred attempt to help Dick heal after his mishaps as a criminal. Bruce wants to help him, but before he can, Dick flees the scene in true acrobatic fashion before anyone can stop him. This differs from the usual story of Dick and Bruce's first encounter and presents a Dick Grayson who is rougher around the edges and less receptive to Batman due to their moral opposition. As such, this version of the Dynamic Duo find themselves at odds.

Nightwing's usual origin story has him lose his parents after their circus act is sabotaged, after which Batman finds him and takes him in as his ward. From there, Dick Grayson originates the Robin mantle and fights alongside Batman in his crime-fighting crusade. Dick and Bruce go on to form a father-son relationship that only strengthens with time. Even after Dick left home to forge his own path and become Nightwing, he and Bruce have retained a close bond through thick and thin. However, Dark Age gives the Dynamic Duo a far darker origin.

Falcone's Key Role Sets This Dick Grayson Apart

In this version of Dick Grayson's origin, he turns to Falcone. However, the mob boss has other plans for him. Rather than helping Dick, Falcone believes the Boy Wonder to be a liability and arranges to have him killed by his men. In DC's mainstream timeline, Dick is one of the world's most liked and respected heroes, with countless allies. Here, Dick has no one to trust. With the older Bruce calling Dick "My ward. The dead one," this opens up the potential for a very dark take on the first Robin. This begs the question of what led the future Nightwing down this criminal path, and how it will impact his relationship with Batman.

Batman: Dark Age #4 is available on July 24 from DC Comics.