Aggressive PSA About Dick Grayson

I’m going to address the two ton elephant in the fandom: the fan interpretation of Dick Grayson.

Dick Grayson is not an eternally happy-go-lucky, trusting, or friendly guy. There, I said it. Dick has flaws. Bring on the pitchforks, fandom, I’ll fight you to the death. I’m glad that Dick Grayson is such a popular character, but the fact that so many people characterize him wrong drives me crazy.

—–

** Edit: so this post was written in 2014. It was my very first meta and pretty sloppily done (yes I probably sound like an ass hole), but it’s what accidentally got this blog off the ground. At the time, this post was just a self-righteous, aggressively written opinion slash rant. I never expected it to get more than 20 notes from my 50 followers, and I definitely didn’t expect it to turn this into a meta blog with thousands of followers. If I knew this post would explode, I would have (a) tried to not sound like an ass hole and (b) have tried to not sound like an ass hole. If anyone’s interested in my more recent stuff where I don’t sound like an ass hole, [this post] fleshes out Fanon Vs Canon for the entire Batfamily. There’s also [this post] on Dick and Damian (my personal favorite) which I think fleshes out Dick’s personality nicely. Finally, there’s [this post] that offers a more organized and balanced look at Dick’s flaws while [this one] focuses on his strengths.

Or you can stubbornly read this old ass post anyway and probably think to yourself “wow this person sounds like an ass hole”.



**

—–

You’ve probably seen Fanon!Dick running around. He’s a real nice guy, always mother henning the other Robins, “Jayjay” included. He’s a major dork who sings, chuckles and hums a lot. He’s also a pushover because he wants everyone to be happy and get along.

You know what he sounds like? He sounds like a Mary Sue.

Guys, I hate to break it to you, but this isn’t even close to who Dick Grayson is. Dick is a complex, multifaceted character who has as much dark as he has light. He takes most aspects of his life seriously and still manages to have fun on the job. He’s rigid, uptight, and it’s “his way or the highway, pal,” yet he’s respected by several generations of heroes and even villains. Dick is a pragmatic, logical thinker; he’s not good at expressing his feelings, yet he holds a lot of compassion. This barely scrapes the surface of who he is.

People defend Fanon!Dick as the “lighthearted” version of Dick that existed before the darkening of DC, but you know what? No. He was dark in the 80’s too. Dick was actually more serious in the 80’s. He wasn’t happy-go-lucky in the 70’s either. I have absolutely no clue where Fanon!Dick comes from. Even his TV show appearances are nothing like it. Look at Batman: The Animated Series, Teen Titans, The Batman, Young Justice! Guys! Please stop! Check out these screens if you don’t believe me.

Let’s start with Teen Titans: Year One. This comic is a continuation of the 60’s title where we get a look at Dick’s subconscious. Notice how creepy it is. Bare, dead or dying trees. Gravestones. Gloomy fog. “You’re very disturbed, Robin.” This is Dick’s inner mind. Multiple times in the comics, Dick has been described by other characters as “sad.” As friendly as Dick is with people, there’s a part of him that’s distant and hard for others to reach.

Dick is affected by his lifestyle. He’s affected by the loss of his parents. He’s affected by how emotionally distant Bruce is. This stuff doesn’t just bounce off of him like he’s a glowing ray of sunshine.

This is from The Black Mirror, one of the last arcs before the New 52 while Dick was Batman. When he’s wound up he looks for anything that doesn’t have people in it. Sometimes Dick avoids people. He doesn’t run off to socialize with whoever he can or blindly love humanity. Dick struggles with this sometimes. He’s seen some screwed up shit, and he internalizes everything, which means he needs to spend a lot of time on his own to get his thoughts straight. Yes, Dick’s an extrovert. No, that does not mean he has to socialize 24/7 or spend all his time hugging his brothers. In fact, he’s a workaholic and barely has time for it. Dick has lots of friends and he relies on them, but this guy can go weeks without talking to them.

He hardly has time for a movie. {Titans Vol 1 #3}

Here’s another time Dick settles down for a movie. Notice the lack of expression on his face. Barbara is watching the movie. Dick is thinking about a case. Even when he settles down to relax he’s working.

Now the Titans are watching their movie {Titans Vol 1 #3}, and what’s Dick doing? He’s analyzing it like a detective. I see this misrepresented a lot in the fandom, but Dick is smart. He’s a logical thinker, and this is an example of the serious side to his personality. The rest of the group is enjoying the movie while Dick is picking it apart, looking at the clues, assessing motive and trying to solve it.

Sure, there’s that. Now let’s look at cases of Dick being a dick.

I did mention the 80’s, so here’s Dick after a falling out with Kory.

“Then get on with it. I’ve wanted off this ship and away from you people for weeks now. Hurry it up.” {New Teen Titans Vol 2 #18}

Whoaaaa, that wasn’t very friendly was it?

One of Dick’s most overlooked flaws is his tendency to lash out at people when he’s upset.

Dick does this a lot. It’s his go-to response. In brief, it’s because he thinks through a situation with logic instead of feelings. Dick usually doesn’t take into account the emotions of people in a situation, so he’s liable to say or do things without tact. This isn’t because he doesn’t care or because he’s an emotionally unhealthy guy. It’s that he’s direct, to the point and will tell someone something without mincing words.

Dick arrives home and then this happens:

“And you’re afraid if people find out you’re not perfect, everything good in your life will go away. You don’t mind telling me all my faults. But, Donna, how come you don’t like hearing yours? You’re not as open as you pretend. You’re just like all of us, Donna… complete with warts and all. So don't dare tell me how I should live my life, and I won’t tell you how to live yours.” {NTT Vol 2 #19}

This moment was a big deal. Dick and Donna are practically soul mates in that they’re so comfortable around each other they could be two halves of the same person. [There’s a meta on their relationship here; click, click.] This is the first time they’ve ever really fought, and it went on for about three to four pages and got physical. Later Dick remarks in his inner monologue that he knew “just what to say to hurt her and did just that." This is how Dick lashes out. He doesn’t like dealing with his problems through talking. Dick is not touchy-feely and he’s not about to hold hands and sing Kumbaya around a campfire. When Donna arrived, the first thing Dick did was tell her to leave.

When Dick "killed” the Joker in The Last Laugh, he locked himself in his flat with the drapes drawn. Barbara came over to talk to him and he shut her out too, going as far as saying, “Don’t make me regret having an elevator installed." Ouch.

When Donna died, Dick locked himself in his room and refused to answer the phone despite Roy’s many calls and messages.

Then came The Outsiders Vol 3.

"Your greatest fear in life, the thing that eats at you - is that you're terrified of becoming Batman! A cold, detached, emotionless loner. I’ve got news for you. That's exactly what you are. You've become the man you raised you.” {Outsiders Vol 3 #16}

So this is post-Donna’s death. Dick was in a very dark place at this time. I see a lot of people write this title off as OOC for Dick, and yes he was an ass hole throughout the entire thing, but no, he wasn’t OOC. Donna was Dick’s best friend since the age of 13. She was a constant in his life after his parent’s died, and as close as a sister to him. Dick gave Donna away at her wedding at her request. They openly said they loved each other while being in serious relationships with other people. Donna’s death hit Dick hard, and his reaction was to distance himself from humanity. Dick avoided forming personal ties, commuted to the Outsiders as if it was a job, and spoke to everyone professionally. He even pushed Tim away. He was accused of not caring about the team and his leadership was questioned multiple times. Dick has been “cold, detached and emotionless” multiple times, but this is the first time he made it his default personality. He was trying to protect himself from being hurt by a loss again.

Did it work out? No, and he eventually learned that. But this is an inherent part of who Dick is. Dick has always channeled parts of Bruce.

“Nightwing manipulates people all the time, man. It’s a bat thing.” {Titans Vol 1 #13}



Dick manipulates people. Here’s Gar ragging on Dick in the 80’s.

Dick’s uptight and serious when he leads the Titans, and he’s known for it. {NTT Vol 2 #22}

{Titans Vol 1 #14}

Look at that, the mission always comes first {NTT Vol 2 #32}. Here, check this out. Back when Dick was Robin, he refused to enter a relationship with Kory because it wasn’t professional {NTT Vol 1 #16}.

“Not the way you think.” Alright, now look at this next screen.

Dick is jealous of Kory dating someone because he does like her. He’s repressing his feelings to stay true to his work. Remember how I said Dick isn’t good with his emotions? This is a prime example. He doesn’t run off the handle or immediately follow his heart. He’s a logical thinker and chooses what he considers the best pragmatic next move. While we’re on the subject of Dick’s love life. Dick is not a manslut.

“I gotta be honest, Roy - I couldn’t make love to someone I didn’t really love.” {Action Comics Weekly #614}

Dick does not do casual sex. Once he did a one-night stand with Huntress and he felt bad after. Dick actually tried to get into a relationship with her the morning after despite barely knowing Helena because he “didn’t do that sort of thing.” Dick is uncomfortable with casual sex.

Dick felt strange living with his girlfriend because they weren’t married {NTT Vol 2 #48}.

{ First of all, this screen has a typo. Kory actually married Karras. Ryand'r is her brother. NTT Vol 2 #31 } The point is, Dick later refuses to stay in a relationship with Kory because she participated in a state marriage for the sake of peace on her planet. Her Tamaranean husband didn’t want to marry either and they respectfully split ways after with Kory returning to Earth. Despite that, Dick couldn’t handle being in a relationship with her because it felt wrong to him.

Guys, I can’t emphasize it enough. Intimacy is private and personal to Dick Grayson. He takes his relationships seriously. He doesn’t womanize. He doesn’t flirt around. He doesn’t think of himself in terms of how attractive he is. Seriously, guys, that’s a fandom thing. We know how attractive Dick is and we talk about it on tumblr a lot, but Dick does not think of himself that way. In fact, he’s flat out uncomfortable when people point out his ass or how attractive he is.



There’s a lot of panels along these lines, so I’ll stop here. Notice how Dick doesn’t smile, he responds awkwardly. And pay extra special attention to that last panel {NTT Vol 2 #44}. Kory, his years long girlfriend who he’s been dating since he was Robin, just complimented his assets. And Dick said, “Er, thanks…” Dick is sexually harassed often and he doesn’t appreciate the attention. He’s confident with his appearance, but he likes to be thought of in terms of his personality, not how attractive he is. Intellectually, Dick knows he’s attractive. That’s not the point.

(I said I was going to stop, but let’s do one more.)

I see the fandom make headcanons about Dick taking selfies all the time and annoying people to death sending them. It’s an oddly common headcanon, but it’s not something Dick would do in canon. Dick is modest and humble about his appearance and doesn’t like drawing attention to it. Maybe he’d take selfies occasionally, like - “Hey, there’s the Statue of Liberty!” But that’s about the extent of it. Dick is attractive. We all know that. But it isn’t in Dick’s personality to make a big deal out of it. In fact, sometimes he’s flat out insecure.

I personally feel that Dick would be insecure about all the scars on his body if anything. Sooo let’s touch back on Dick being a dick a few more times.

It happens. The Titans are like family, but they blow up at each other {Flash Vol 2 #245}.

Throughout this whole conversation Dick was blunt and to the point. In another meeting, he said, “Do I get a kiss? It’s just I like a kiss when I’m getting screwed.” {Titans/Young Justice Graduation #1}

Dick doesn’t take other people’s bull shit, and he knows when someone’s trying to manipulate him. Dick does not roll over for other people; friends, strangers, or otherwise. Dick even stands up to Batman, which is why he gets punched so often. Dick does not shy away from conflict. This is another Thinker trait and another example of Dick not caring to cater to the emotions of a situation. He looks at the facts and acts. The fan interpretation of Dick shows him always trying to maintain the peace because he’s a big softie and can’t stand seeing people fight. No. Sometimes Dick is the one throwing the first punch. When Dick thinks you’re wrong, he'll tell you you’re wrong and he won’t mince words.

Have I mentioned Dick has no tact? A normal person might say, “Um, can I help you?” Nope. Dick jumps straight to the point and gets aggressive. He doesn’t even know Joey at this point. Dick isn’t as instantly friendly as the fandom makes him out to be. {The Judas Contract}

Dick’s uptight when he’s leading a team. He’s highly respected, but he’s serious and in more control than usual. This is a very important point. When Dick is working solo or with the Batfamily, he tends to be more laid back. When he’s leading a team, he’s colder and sticks to business.

The reasoning behind this is pretty simple. Around the Batfamily, he’s at ease because he knows how well-trained they are and doesn’t have to worry as much. He can rely on them, and they can rely on him. The expectations are clear and defined. With the Titans, Justice League, Outsiders, etc, that guarantee isn’t as clear because other heroes weren’t trained to be as cautious or detail-oriented.

Because of that, Dick channels Bruce in situations where other heroes don’t execute that same caution. (Not to be an ass hole, but to ensure the safety of everyone around them and prevent collateral damage.)

That’s an order, everyone.

This is why Dick is so serious as a leader. He’s worried about them. He has the responsibility of their lives on his hands, and he doesn’t skimp on that. Dick cares about people a lot, it’s what drives him.

“… Always being in charge isn’t easy for him.” So now it’s confirmed by Kory. Dick becomes uptight and stressed out when he’s in charge, which is why he starts to channel Bruce’s personality.

And here’s the thing. Dick is phenomenal at leading, but he doesn’t always like doing it. He steps up to the plate because he’s the most qualified. This is just further evidence that he’s stressed out by it.

… And when Dick’s stressed, this is more or less how he deals with it. He internalizes, brushes it aside or immerses himself in work. Dick’s a private person. He’ll act as the levity to a situation, but most people don’t realize sometimes this is his way of deflecting what’s going on inside or hiding that something’s bothering him.

This was during the Black Lantern arc. Blockbuster comes back to haunt Dick. (For those who don’t know, Dick blames himself for Blockbuster’s death back in the infamous Nightwing #93.) Blockbuster is taunting Dick, and it’s working. He says he can “feel Dick’s agitation as his words bite deep.” And what does Dick say? “Here’s hoping!” Dick is light-hearted about it. This is a remarkable example of his ability to deflect in a situation. Remember how I said Dick is “sad” and people can see it? This is how he deals with the tragedies in his life - by brushing them aside with levity.

Dick ranges from serious to laid back, but he does have deep seeded issues. His levity is just a defense mechanism that works for him. Since Dick doesn’t like talking about his problems, he can keep his friends close without being nagged about his personal issues this way.

“Lady, every morning when I drift to sleep, I hear the screams of loved ones I didn’t save. Don’t you dare lecture me on what I know.”

So this is just a reminder that Dick has a lot of dark thoughts swirling beneath the surface. This also touches on another flaw he has - self-beration and self-blaming. Dick holds himself to extremely high standards, in no small part because of who his mentor is, so he has a tendency to hold himself responsible for things out of his control. It’s a self-destructive habit.

Once again, Dick isn’t a glowing ray of sunshine. He’s willing to punch this guy’s already shattered nose. {Nightwing #145}

Ignoring that Dick can fit that giant shield in his belt (Dear Lord, the 80s), Cyborg says, “I never know when you’re jokin’ or not.” Just a reminder that Dick is perceived as serious. (You remember TT animated Robin, right? SLADE!)

Dick punches a civilian. Even if it’s the media and he’s annoyed, it's inappropriate.

“You stupid little jerk. God, I can’t believe how idiotic you are! I thought it was just because you were a kid - but you’re really just plain dumb! … No, get back, Kory. I can’t keep listening to this moron thinking life’s just another statistic. Not when he nearly fell apart when it was his own blood that spilled. Listen - this is real life. Not some James Bond spy story where the villains get blown away and the good guys always live.”

Once again, Dick lashes out at people when he’s upset, and he doesn’t shy away from conflict.

“Alfred… mind your own damn business.”

Yes, even to Alfred. No one is off-limits when Dick lashes out. No one.

Dick agrees with Batman a lot.

Dick is compared to Batman a lot. {Nightwing #152}

Not only does Dick agree with Batman and get compared to Batman, but he acts like Batman. The important thing to note here is Dick doesn’t trust Vic, and he’s keeping an eye on him. The fandom thinks Dick is a super trusting guy, and sorry, but he’s not. He carries the same Bat paranoia as Bruce, he’s just good at being social about it.

A good moment that defines this is in The Black Mirror when Dick plants a subcutaneous tracer through a handshake and later remarks, “I am a softy and I do try to see the best in people, but that doesn’t mean I’m stupid.” Dick is constantly giving people the benefit of the doubt, especially with how he interacts with them, but beneath the surface he’s analyzing what’s going on and paying attention. In more cases than not, people probably end up being genuine, so his paranoia could have existed without ever being known.

When Bruce created detailed plans to take down the entire Justice League in case of emergency, Dick sided with him. Near the end of the Red Robin arc, Tim created similar contingency plans and Dick understood why he did it. Dick isn’t so untrusting that he’d be proactive to that extent. It’s just a Batfam thing that’s woven into his training.

This emphasizes that Bruce taught Dick not to trust people. He finally opened up to the Titans, his closest friends, but Dick still doesn’t fully trust new members.

And again.

And again.

And again.

Despite his good nature, Dick is definitely cautious when it comes to trust.



I could keep going, but I won’t. Dick struggles with his light and dark halves and the light half tends to win, which is why he’s such a loved character. The fact that Dick has seen and experienced as much as he has and can still see the positive aspects of life and be there for other people makes him the hero he is. This is who Dick Grayson is. I’ve used screens from the past four decades, so you can’t tell me Dick was “recently darkened” or that “a 75 year old character can’t have a real personality.” No. This is who Dick Grayson is. He’s more lighthearted than Batman, but he’s still serious about what he does. Dick’s not an air head who runs around dancing and singing, texting people nonstop and hugging everyone he sees, no matter what the fan interpretation is.

Dick is still a friendly, genuine, and morally upstanding guy. He just has some flaws to go with it. All I’m doing is highlighting a side to him that isn’t given attention to often.

Dick Grayson’s a character we love, and he should get the fully fleshed out respect he deserves.

Thanks for listening, please enjoy this picture of Dick being a dork