Yesterday we ran an interview with Geoff Johns and David Finch about Forever Evil #1 and what it means for the DC Universe. While that interview was generally spoiler-free, we also didn't want to miss the chance to discuss what was easily the biggest surprise development in that first issue.

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We're referring, of course, to Nightwing's identity reveal. Dick Grayson happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time as Forever Evil opened, getting himself captured by the Crime Syndicate within the halls of Arkham Asylum. As if apparently killing the Justice Leagues wasn't enough to establish their reputation among the world's villains, the Crime Syndicate unmasked Nightwing before dozens of villains. Not only that, but they posted his detailed personal information and history on the Internet.We asked Johns why he chose to make Nightwing off all characters the first tangible victim of this dark event comic. For Johns, it was all about Dick's premiere status within the superhero community. He said, "For me, he's the leader of the next generation." He continued, "In a vacuum where the Justice Leagues are gone, Nightwing was the top guy. Just like when the Outsider wanted to take down the Justice League originally, who's the hero he wanted to break faith in? Well, that's Superman. He's top of the food chain. But with them gone, Nightwing is top of the food chain in my eyes."But Johns also hinted at a more direct tie between Dick and one Syndicate member in particular. "The Crime Syndicate are going to make an example out of him, but also Nightwing has a very personal story that I'll be telling with Owlman throughout Forever Evil that connects with Dick Grayson." This tie was alluded to in the first issue as Owlman reflected on Earth-3's (apparently deceased) version of Dick Grayson.One of the first questions to arise from this plot development is how the rest of the Batman family will be affected. If Dick Grayson is outed, will it be much of a stretch for DC's villains to track down Barbara Gordon or Tim Drake or even Bruce Wayne? Johns was reluctant to reveal much about the future course of Forever Evil, and he noted that it may be a while before this development trickles out into the individual Batman books. "You'll have to read Forever Evil to find that out. Forever Evil runs for seven issues, and then the rest of the DC Universe that's not tied into it will catch up with Forever Evil."Finally, we noted that there were certain similarities between this twist and the climax of Civil War #2 at Marvel, which saw Spider-Man publicly reveal his secret identity to the world. But while that twist immediately impacted the Spider-Man franchise via the "Back in Black" storyline, it was ultimately undone when Peter made a deal with Mephisto in the controversial story "One More Day." We asked Johns if readers could expect this identity crisis to have more lasting consequences. He said, "I don't want to spoil where the story goes, but it definitely is going to affect Dick Grayson for quite a while."Stay tuned to IGN Comics as we continue our ongoing coverage of Villains Month, Forever Evil, and all things pertaining to DC's most villainous characters in the months ahead.

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