Titans have since its inception promised Dick Grayson’s (Brenton Thwaites) evolution from Robin to becoming Nightwing, and with the upcoming season finale titled after Dick’s new identity, viewers have gotten their first official look at his new Nightwing suit and it’s phenomenal. Back when Titans was first being developed for DC Universe, one of the main storylines was to show how Dick would leave his life as the Boy Wonder behind. In order to step out of Batman’s (Iain Glen) shadows, Dick would pursue a new identity as a hero. While Dick has appeared in other media in both TV and film, fans haven’t gotten to see a live-action Nightwing until now. Season 1 explored Dick’s struggle with closing the Robin chapter as he distanced himself from Bruce.
As Dick began finding new allies such as Starfire (Anna Diop), Raven (Teagan Croft), and Beast Boy (Ryan Potter), things were starting to shift for the former sidekick. With season 2 revealing the history of the Titans, it became Dick’s mission to launch the second generation of the iconic superhero team. But before he could take the next steps to become the iconic hero, Dick had to overcome an inner darkness back from his Robin days. During season 2, it was revealed that Dick played a part in accidentally getting Deathstroke’s (Esai Morales) son Jericho (Chella Man) killed. Jericho died when he tried to protect Robin from being executed by his father. Once Dick confessed to his fellow members what had happened, it became the quick (temporary) end of Titans 2.0.
The following episodes then began to follow Dick trying to punish himself for what happened to Jericho. He purposely got himself locked up in prison where the origin story of Nightwing kicked off. In episode 10, “Fallen”, the series changed the backstory from the comics of how he’ll take on the Nightwing name down the line. As he eventually breaks out of jail, Dick moves on to officially get a new super-suit before he takes on Deathstroke. Despite that it had already been made for Dick, fans got their first look the day before episode 11, “Faux-Hawk”, was released. While fans had to be patient for more than two years, the wait for it was worth it in several regards. Designed by Laura Jean Shannon (Black Lightning, Doom Patrol, Stargirl) and built by Creative Character Engineering, the Nightwing suit makes a historical impact for DC live-action costumes.
Not only does Titans become the first live-action property to feature Dick’s iconic suit, but it’s a showcase of how far the super-costumes have gotten for DC. Smallville and the Arrowverse have seen fairly authentic adaptations of the costumes for the respective heroes and villains on The CW. While a majority of them have a big presence of leather, Titans is where it was taken to the next level by Shannon. Black Lightning, which Shannon designed several of the super-suits, is where it started breaking out of The CW look, but not on the Titans level. With the arrival of the Nightwing costume, it’s not only an accurate depiction but also setting a new bar for costume production. Based on the press event where the suit was revealed along with Titans season 2 finale trailer, it has already proven its great look in motion.
The way that they included the iconic Nightwing symbol on the chest plate makes the suit impossible to miss. The addition of allowing the blue streaks to go down on the arms is an appreciated touch that honors the many versions from the comics. An interesting takeaway with the mask that was mentioned in "Faux-Hawk" is that it has starlite night-vision lenses. This could possibly mean that fans will occasionally get to see Nightwing’s mask with the white eyes every now and then. Even though Titans tested their viewers’ patience incredibly long, what the team was able to deliver through their hard work was definitely worth the wait as Nightwing arrives in the Titans season 2 finale.