Even though he's been Batman's partner for years, Nightwing is confirmed to be Superman's legacy after all. An insightful piece from Lois Lane sheds insight on how Dick Grayson is carrying on the spirit of the Man of Steel.
Dick is, of course, one of Batman's oldest crime-fighting allies. Early into Bruce Wayne's vigilante career, he crossed paths with a certain young circus performer in Haley's Circus. After a tragedy robbed Dick of his parents, Bruce took the boy in and trained him to be Batman's colorful sidekick, Robin. Though he would serve as the Boy Wonder for years, Dick Grayson left the role behind to forge a path of his own. Leaving the red and green uniform behind for good, Dick donned a new blue and black outfit and began going by Nightwing. While Grayson finally got the independence he craved, he remained a consistent member of the Bat-Family.
However, just because Dick is still part of Batman's social circle doesn't mean that he's honoring the Dark Knight with his superhero work. In Action Comics #887, one intrepid reporter monitors an ongoing situation that could put the entire world at risk. Jax-Ur, a Kryptonian mad scientist has created a clone of Krypton’s sun god, Rao, and has unleashed his abomination onto the world. With Superman off-world, the only heroes capable of stopping the false Rao are the Kryptonian heroes Nightwing and Flamebird. Documenting the entire event is Lois Lane, who follows the duo's attempts to stop the rampaging deity. All the while, Lois works on a story to regain the public trust of Kryptonian heroes. In her report Lois, mentions that the names 'Nightwing' and 'Flamebird' have appeared on Earth before and that this is evidence of Superman's greatest power: his ability to inspire.
It’s not so much a secret that Nightwing is a Superman fan. Ever since he was the Boy Wonder, Dick has looked up to the Man of Steel and wanted to emulate him. In fact, it's because of Superman's stories of the Kryptonian legend that Dick decided to make his first independent superhero identity Nightwing. Clearly, Lois hit the nail on the head when she says that Superman's ability to inspire people is his greatest asset.
Now does this mean that Dick is ungrateful to the efforts Batman spent to helping him become a crime-fighter? Of course not. However, it’s pretty obvious that Dick doesn’t have the same darkness that drives Batman. Bruce Wayne gave Dick the skills, but Clark showed him that heroism doesn't have to be about putting fear into criminals. Dick's greatest success as a hero is that he grew up to be a hero that, like Superman, is able to inspire hope. The name 'Nightwing' is a reminder that no matter what ties he has to Batman, the type of hero Dick is inside is much more like Superman.