WARNING: contains spoilers for Nightwing 2021 Annual #1!

While Batman and Robin have long been known as the Dynamic Duo, Nightwing just proved that the title was always a lie, and it turns out that the truth is both more complex and more wholesome. While non-comic fans may think of Batman and Robin as a pair set in stone, Bruce Wayne has trained several young heroes under the Robin moniker, but he's never done it alone... at least not without the process ending in tragedy.

Nightwing Annual #1 by Tom Taylor, Cian Tormey, and Daniel HDR flashes back to the past and a time when Dick Grayson, the first Robin, was feuding with Bruce, even as the Dark Knight was training Jason Todd to fill his role.

Related: Nightwing Already Proved He Can Beat Batman in a Fair Fight

With Batman out of town and Jason effectively grounded for not following orders, Alfred calls Nightwing home from the Teen Titans to spend some quality time with his surrogate brother - without Batman’s knowledge or permission. After an eventful patrol where the young Robin pummels an already subdued kidnapper, the duo make their way back to the Batcave and have a meaningful heart-to-heart on what it means to be both heroes and brothers. And while the flashback plot deepens the relationship between the now-adult Nightwing and Red Hood, it also serves to shatter the mainstream idea of the Dynamic Duo.

Batman and Robin Nightwing Alfred batmobile comics

Even in Dick’s earliest days as Robin, it was never just him and Bruce. The two crimefighters always had the loyal Alfred Pennyworth to take care of them when they needed it, with Alfred acting as a second father to Dick. If anything, Batman and Alfred were the original Dynamic Duo, but ever since Dick Grayson somersaulted into their lives, the members of the Bat-Family have had a solid support structure.

This support system has only grown as time has passed. During Jason Todd’s tenure as Robin, he not only had Batman and Alfred, but by then Nightwing and Barbara Gordon were there to help train and guide him. The same is true of Tim Drake and Damian Wayne - who was actually Dick Grayson's Robin before he was Bruce's, since the Dark Knight was presumed dead at the time - with the addition of further Gotham heroes like Batwoman and Huntress to offer them guidance. Stephanie Brown's time as Robin saw her more isolated from the rest of the Bat-Family... and ended in her being fired after forty-eight days of active service, and subsequently being tortured close to death by Black Mask as she tried to win back Batman's approval.

Batman and Robin may sometimes fight crime as a Dynamic Duo, but from the very first days, they've never been alone, and the Bat-Family hasn't just supplemented Bruce's training, but helped each subsequent Robin cope with his demanding attitude. The idea that Batman raised and trained Robin alone is patently false, and in fact this and many other stories suggest he isn't capable of doing so. Batman and Robin are an iconic pair, but Nightwing proves that there have always been other influences in the background, and that an entire family of Caped Crusaders has been vital to raising each new iteration of the young hero.

Next: Red Hood is Better Than Captain America in One (Hugely Important) Way