In DC Comics,Nightwinghas had his fair share of romantic relationships, with his feelings for the Bat-Family’sBatgirland the Titans’Starfireforming a love triangle that has become a fan-favorite topic of debate. But unfortunately for one of these iconic female heroes, Nightwing has already answered the question of which he considers to be his true love.
In the years since Dick Grayson first burst onto the scene as Robin in 1940, Nightwing has really only had two serious relationships in between his many flings and flirts, withBarbara Gordon aka Batgirland Koriand’r aka Starfire standing out as people he consistently gets weak in the knees for.
Keeping fans in suspense for decades thanks to Dick and the girls' always-present “will they/won’t they” dynamic, 2009’sBatman: The Widening Gyre #1saw Nightwing officially admit which iconic DC Comics hero is the one for him, withDick confirming that Batgirl,notStarfire, is his one true love.
Nightwing Has Outright Admitted That Batgirl Is His One True Love Over Starfire
Batman: The Widening Gyre #1- 2009 (Kevin Smith and Walt Flanagan)
A six-issue miniseries that follows Batman as he crosses paths with a mysterious new character named Baphomet, the first issue ofBatman: The Widening Gyreopens with a flashback that shows Batman and a twelve-year-old Dick Grayson in his prime as Robin fighting the Nazi-loving villain called Baron Blitzkrieg.
After taking Blitzkrieg down in the distant past, Robin remarks to Batman how, “If this redneck Nazi blows my head off, tell Barbara she was wrong about me and Kori,” with the next panel transitioning to present-day Nightwing saying,“Tell Babs it was always her above any of them!”point-blank telling fans that he loves Batgirl over Starfire.
Starting his relationship with Batgirl in a less than ideal way —Dick treated Batgirl almost like a jokeand was highly condescending towards her in her first appearance in 1967’sDetective Comics #359— Dick and Barbara slowly but surely grew closer over the years, with their relationship stepping into its own in the 1990s and 2000s.
Nightwing and Batgirl got married at the end ofDark Nights: Death Metal, but continuity was reset afterward, nullifying it.
Outside of Dick’s ’80s romance with Starfire as well as some New 52 sparks between the two that eventually died out, Starfire and Nightwingalsobecame closer over the years, not as lovers but as close friends, with the strong respect they have for one another and unbreakable bond they share being something that has defined their characters for decades.
Nightwing and Batgirl Deserve To Be Together in the DC Universe
Nightwing Will Always Have Love for Starfire, However
Coming into Dick’s life at different formative points in his superhero career — Barbara as he was still learning the ropes asBatman’s first sidekickand Kori as Dick began to grow into his own hero —these women will always hold a special place in Dick’s heart, regardless of who he ultimately ends up being with.
Though Dick has been through much with Batgirl and Starfire, Dick choosing Barbara over Kori is a no-brainer, as not only has Nightwing and Batgirl gone through hell as founding members of the Bat-Family, but since they’ve known each other for so long, their bond has grown in ways that Starfire can’t compete with.
Currently,Nightwing and Batgirl are an item in the comic space, with Dick still teaming up with Starfire whenever the Titans go out on a mission. Yet with DC constantly rebooting, relaunching, and reimagining itself every few years, fans shipping a Nightwing andStarfireromance rather than aNightwingandBatgirlone may still get what they want!
