Nightwing is one of the most wholesome heroes in American comic books who never gives up and always has a witty, biting remark. He is also quite the ladies' man, having romanced some of DC's most popular heroines. However, his most important love stories have been with Batgirl and Starfire.
Indeed, Dick, Barbara, and Kori form one of the most notorious love triangles in comic books. Throughout the years, Nightwing has gone back and forth between the two women, but he's never been able to settle down with any of them. And while most fans have a preference between Kori and Barbara, there are enough compelling arguments for both of them to be Dick's true love.
Starfire: The Titans Connection
Dick Grayson and Kori first meet when they form the New Teen Titans. Still in his Robin persona, Grayson was a founding member of the original Titans and acted as the new team's leader, quickly bonding with Kori. However, the two didn't start a relationship right away, preferring to stay platonic for the team's benefit.
Together, Dick and Kori go through some of the Titans' most emblematic storylines, including The Judas Contract. They even try to marry at one point. Dick and Kori experienced the thrill of a formal and mature relationship and became adults together; Dick even adopts the Nightwing persona while in a relationship with her. These experiences cemented their bond for years to come.
Batgirl: The Bat-Family Connection
Every fan knows that Bruce Wayne adopts Dick Grayson as his ward, beginning a fruitful and meaningful partnership. They eventually welcome other important members into their ever-growing "Bat-Family," among them Barbara Gordon.
Most Dick/Babs shippers prefer the continuity presented in Robin: Year One, which depicts Dick as having an instant crush on Barbara from the first moment they meet and gives their relationship a "playground love" vibe. Despite the dubious origins of their affair, their love for each other is undeniable. They hold a privileged place in each other's hearts, measuring every romance in their lives against the connection they share.
Starfire: Opposites Attract
Starfire and Dick Grayson couldn't be more different. In most iterations, she is a spirited, cheerful, and overly emotional young woman, oblivious to human traditions. However, she's also a fierce and highly sensual warrior, in touch with her Tamaran roots.
Dick is DC's most wholesome superhero, but he is not naive or unassuming. He endured severe trauma, making him a realist with an unbreakable sense of hope. In most modern adaptations, Dick is patient and understanding with Starfire, who is absurdly loving in return. Their dynamic is chaotic in the best way possible, making them the poster child for the "opposites attract" trope.
Batgirl: Their Relationship Is Always Complicated
Tragic or overly complicated relationships are always a hit with mainstream audiences. From Katie and Hubbell in The Way We Were to Ross and Rachel in Friends, will-they-won't-they affairs are always fan-favorites. Dick and Babs share one of the most convoluted storylines in the comics, making their connection even richer.
It says a lot about this couple that they haven't been together since 2006, yet they still inspire passionate devotion from legions of fans. After their break-up in Nightwing #87, Dick and Babs have remained separated. However, they often wonder "what if," and that lingering question is enough to launch a million AO3 fanfics and cement their place as one of DC's most enduring couples.
Starfire: Mainstream Recognition
In most modern adaptations of Dick's character, he is in a relationship with Starfire or feels strongly attracted to her. The wildly popular Teen Titans Go! cartoon featured one of the best versions of their romance, placing them as teenagers discovering love with each other. The series only hints at their romance, but their attraction is obvious. In the current DCUAOM, Dick and Kori even live together, forming one of the few stable couples in the main storyline.
Mainstream audiences are thus used to seeing Dick with Kori. It also helps that both projects do a near-perfect job portraying their relationship, particularly Teen Titans. If the DCEU ever makes a Teen Titans movie, then Dick and Kori's romance will surely translate to the big screen.
Batgirl: Similar Lifestyles
Once a Bat-Family member, always a Bat-Family member. The Caped Crusader's lessons run deep, and even if Dick and Barbara eventually form their own opinion of the world, they still stick to Batman's teachings. Both Nightwing and Batgirl are committed to street crime-fighting life. Their personal lives always take a backseat to their superhero duties, which becomes apparent when Barbara chooses to become Oracle after Joker shoots her in one of Batgirl's best comic book storylines. Furthermore, Dick and Barbara share a passion for heroics. Unlike other heroes who feel like they have to fight crime, Nightwing and Oracle do it because they want to.
Starfire: They Have Explosive Chemistry
Comic book artists often draw superheroes as impossibly good-looking. However, in Dick and Kori's case, they might be the single most attractive couple in American comics. Dick and Kori share an intense physical attraction. They are passionate about each other and aren't afraid to show or act on said passion; most of the time, they can't keep their hands off each other.
Their encounters, particularly in the 1980s, were often steamy. Who can forget the now infamous comic book panel that showed them in bed together, launching a thousand complaints and making more than one fan clutch their invisible pearls? These two share an intense chemistry that few comic book couples possess.
Batgirl: They Have A Legendary First Date
Every fan knows that Barbara Gordon develops paraplegia after the Joker shoots her. She then assumes the identity of Oracle, becoming a valuable ally to many superheroes, acting as a technical advisor and information broker. However, she also understandably misses her life as a crime fighter.
For their first official date, Dick takes Barbara to the circus. The two then climb on the trapeze, and Barbara gets to experience the sensation of "flying" again. It's a tender and unbelievably romantic moment for the characters and one of the sweetest things Dick ever did. It is one of the characters' most famous storylines and a defining moment in their relationship.
Starfire: They Took The Time To Know Each Other
Most people believe Dick and Kori had a whirlwind romance, but that isn't true. In fact, the two took the time to get to know each other before dating. They were teammates before they were lovers, something that established their emotional connection before their physical even began.
Their dynamic was also very chaotic but highly entertaining, with Dick often playing the straight man to Kori's antics. However, the two balanced each other out perfectly. She brought out his emotional side, and he kept her grounded and provided an antidote to her overwhelming passion. The two were the perfect pair, a real dynamic duo, so to speak.
Batgirl: Childhood Love
Depending on the writer, Dick and Babs are either each other's first love or a love affair born out of chance and circumstance. For obvious reasons, their shippers prefer the former. Nightwing #1 depicts Dick as having a crush on Barbara from the moment he met her. Because the series retcons their ages, the gap is no longer so noticeable.
In this continuity, Dick and Barbara are each other's first loves. It's a feeling that never entirely goes away, and it's particularly true in this case. Dick even hints that his feelings for Babs never ended, not even while he was dating Kori. Dick Grayson isn't currently with Babs or Kori, but these three will be tied together forever, and it's clear their storyline is far from over.