Spoilers for Nightwing #95!
In DC Comics, the Justice League is an iconic super group made up of some of the top heroes in all of comics, but with the League all of a sudden dead and gone (for now), they’ll need a new leader to put them back together, and the one-time Boy Wonder, Nightwing, fits that bill perfectly!
Proving to be an invaluable asset for team Justice League not only in Nightwing #95, by Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo, but also in the issues since the untimely death of the Bat-Family patriarch, Alfred Pennyworth, Nightwing has had a lot on his superhero plate lately; something that luckily hasn’t slowed down his vigilante escapades one bit. Doing his best to help his city of Bludhaven put its best foot forward, Nightwing has been dealing with an old foe of his, the criminal kingpin, Blockbuster, as he attempts to stop him from continuing his evil plans.
Finding out that more than a few nefarious deeds are about to go down in his city at once, Nightwing insists that “We have an opportunity to carry out the single biggest strike against organized crime this city has ever seen,” and decides to take steps to ensure these “corrupt, violent men” pay for their crimes. Meeting up with his version of Commissioner Gordon to lay out a plan to accomplish just that, it’s here where the first reason for Nightwing’s Justice League leadership role reveals itself.
Ready to fight for Nightwing’s righteous cause is the entire roster of the Titans, Beast Boy, Cyborg, Starfire, Donna Troy, and Raven, along with Dreamer, and most of the Bat-Family in Tim Drake’s Robin, Signal, the Batgirls, Oracle, Batwoman, and surprisingly, The Dark Knight himself! Furthermore, Nightwing calls on Wally West’s Flash for help as well, and as his mission begins, acts as the de facto leader for everyone present, with even Batman not saying a word about it and obeying Nightwing’s orders without fuss; something that’s near impossible for Batman to do with practically anyone else.
It’s been said before that Nightwing is one of the most inspiring heroes in DC Comics, but when taking into account his wrangling of basically every major character not just in the Bat-Family, but from across the DC Universe, says a lot about a guy who started off wearing short shorts and bright colors on the streets of Gotham. Able to convene all of these heroes is an impressive feat, to be sure, but when matched up with the fact that he’s been a consistent mentor for Jon Kent’s Superman after his dad, the OG Superman, left Earth, has trained and taught a slew of upcoming heroes at Titans Academy, has led the Titans before, and finally, has the money to bankroll the League now that he’s a billionaire (thanks, Alfred!), Nightwing being the next leader of the Justice League should be a no-brainer, especially now that they’re temporarily out of the picture.
So while Nightwing has flirted with the idea of leading teams other than the Titans in the past, there’s no time like the present for Dick to take the reins of DC’s premier super group and really show them what he’s all about. The Justice League is already in the midst of a crisis-level shakeup, but when they inevitably find a way to save the day, Dick needs to be their new leader, with no “ifs” “ands” or finely sculpted Nightwing-butts about it.