Warning! Contains spoilers for Nightwing #117!

Summary

• Dick Grayson's parents were never meant to die - Tony Zucco wanted to kill Dick instead.
• This shocking revelation changes Dick's origin story and gives him new guilt and anger towards Tony Zucco.
• The twist affects Nightwing's history, giving him a stronger reason to hate Zucco and altering his understanding of his past.

A shocking revelation is shaking Nightwing to his core, as DC has revealed that Nightwing's parents were never originally meant to die — but Dick Grayson was. One of the major reasons that Batman took in a young Dick Grayson was because of the similar tragedy they shared with the death of their parents. Now that history is changed in a shocking twist to decades-old Batman lore.

DC just revealed the bombshell truth of Dick Grayson's origin in Nightwing #117 by Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo. This story explores the root of Nightwing's fear of jumping, and it's absolutely heartbreaking. The big reveal is that the night his parents died, things weren't as they seemed — Dick was supposed to jump before his parents, meaning that Tony Zucco had always intended to kill Dick Grayson and not his parents.

The tragic night in Haly's Circus saw Nightwing's parents fall to their deaths right in front of him after their lines had been cut, but this was never supposed to happen, as Dick himself explains in a confrontation with Tony Zucco. The intended murder victim was none other than Dick Grayson himself.

Dick Grayson Was Meant to Be Murdered - Not His Parents

Batman History Changes Forever

Before Dick Grayson ever met Bruce Wayne, Haly's Circus had gotten into some financial trouble when it visited Gotham City. Mobster Tony Zucco threatened the circus to pay for protection money. Naturally, the circus refused, and to prove a point, Tony Zucco orchestrated an accident. This resulted in the deaths of John and Mary Grayson and left their young son Dick completely traumatized. From here, Dick Grayson became Robin and eventually grew up to be Nightwing. But Dick Grayson has just unearthed a long-buried memory that completely changes the context of this night.

Created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson, Dick Grayson debuted as the first Robin — in the same story that established the tragic deaths of his parents — in 1940's Detective Comics #38.

Dick Grayson ed that, to start off their family trapeze act, Dick was planning to jump first. He always jumped first. This simple fact means that John and Mary Grayson weren't supposed to die that night, as Dick was supposed to be the first one to use the cut line. They had changed the routine and gone first, causing them to plunge to their deaths. This actually solves an inconsistency with Dick Grayson's backstory. If Zucco wanted the circus to pay up, there was little good in killing the main act. Instead, Zucco intended to kill Dick, the least important member of the act, purely to spur the circus into paying that protection money.

This Reveal Changes Everything About Nightwing

How Will This Twist Affect Nightwing Going Forward?

Dick Grayson's own memories just got so much worse. Originally, he believed that his parents were killed just to get back at the circus — that it was a brutal act of violence from an evil criminal. Now he knows it's much worse. It wasn't just a brutal act of violence, but it was one intended for him. Dick Grayson may end up with significantly more guilt issues, as he could now directly blame himself for his parents' deaths. Even if he doesn't fall into that trap, Nightwing now has a much stronger reason to hate Tony Zucco.

Nightwing #117 is available now from DC Comics!