vidick

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villagers of stardew valley pt 2

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Dynamic duo. Just like the old days.

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guys Bruce "I wonder if he regrets it, I think I ruined his life" Wayne and Richard "I wouldn't trade this life for my own biological parents but I don't think I can tell him that" Grayson

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Do you think Dick has a favourite brother?

I LOVE THIS QUESTION. I'M GOING TO ANSWER IT AT UNNECESSARY LENGTH.

But for the tl;dr crowd: yes, 1000000%. It's Damian. Dick would not admit this under pain of death, even to himself, but it's Damian.

THE LONG VERSION:

So Dick and Jason are not close and never have been. I always sort of blink in bewilderment when people say they are, or were when Jason was Robin, because they are demonstrably not, and that's what's interesting and tragic about them.

The fact of the matter is that Dick simply wasn't around very much when Jason was Robin. The Doyleist reason for this is that he wasn't really being treated like a Bat character: he was a Titans character, appearing in Titans books, with only the occasional cameo in Batbooks. He and Jason get along very well in Jason's first origin story (when Jason was a circus acrobat and his parents were eaten by crocodiles); in fact, Dick tells Bruce he wants to adopt Jason and Bruce is like "Not if I adopt him first!" But after that, Dick simply...wasn't there very often.

If you need a Watsonian reason for this, it's pretty easy to extrapolate one. Dick and Bruce were not getting along well during this period, so of course Dick would avoid Bruce and Gotham. And yeah, I think it's fair to assume Dick felt some kind of complicated feelings about Bruce having a new Robin, especially post-Crisis when Bruce made Jason Robin without Dick having any say or even a warning that it was going to happen. I tend to headcanon that he resented Jason a little, but was mature enough to know that it wasn't actually Jason's fault, and partially decided to stay away so that he didn't take that out on Jason. But Jason, a smart and sensitive kid, interpreted this as Dick avoiding him because he didn't like him.

And then Jason died.

Dick took that hard, and I think it was less "my brother who I had a close relationship with died" and more "this child followed in my footsteps and it killed him and I wasn't even there for him when I had the chance." To me, that absolutely forms the subtext of the relationship he develops with Tim.

Not at the start. At the start, once "A Lonely Place of Dying" is over, he's as checked out with Tim as he was with Jason. The Doyleist reason is the same - Dick literally just wasn't supposed to be in Batbooks too much - but the way it plays out is sometimes really funny in an awful way. Like in and just after Knightfall, when Bruce gets his back broken by Bane and is like "I've known Jean-Paul Valley for two weeks and he barely has any training, most of it done by my extremely new 13-year-old Robin...I think I'll make him Batman." And then Tim's dad and Tim's dad's doctor, Shondra Kinsolving, get kidnapped, and since Bruce has been aggressively romantically pursuing Shondra to the point of it being uncomfortable and inappropriate, he's like "Okay going to rescue Shondra! I mean, your dad! I'm taking Alfred with me! Tim, you're in charge of Gotham and Jean-Paul byeeeeee!" And then JPV immediately gets unhinged and violent and tries to kill Tim and Tim keeps calling Alfred like "Um can you please come back and help" and Alfred's like "No" and Tim's like "Okay well did you at least rescue my dad?" and Alfred's like "Also no." Anyway Dick finally comes to Gotham and Tim is like "THANK GOD, HELP, BRUCE MADE AZRAEL BATMAN AND HE'S TRYING TO KILL EVERYONE, I NEED AN ADULT" and Dick is like "He made someone who isn't me Batman??? 😡😡😡" and then just...fucks off back to New York and leaves Tim to deal with it. Very out of character, VERY funny.

BUT ANYWAY. Then we get to around 1996 and 1. Dick is no longer on the Titans which has a whole new lineup and 2. there's an editorial shift emphasizing the Batfamily. This is where the line really expands: Robin (started in 1993, but still pretty new), Nightwing, Birds of Prey, Azrael, eventually Gotham Knights in 1999 and Batgirl in 2000. Dick moves to Bludhaven and spends way more time in Gotham.

This is when Dick looks at Tim, says "Is anyone gonna big brother that?" and doesn't wait for an answer. All of a sudden he's behaving in a way that suddenly feels in character for him (although the idea of Dick as a big brother/mentor...really wasn't a thing for him prior to this era, so it's more of a new development that feels correct in retrospect). He's training Tim, he's giving him advice, he's teasing him about girls, he's coming up with inside jokes, he's giving him noogies. It's like he watched a bunch of 80s sitcoms to learn how to be a big brother and applied his research accordingly.

And Tim? Tim absolutely blossoms under the attention. Tim, who has been adultified by every other adult in his life since he was, like, eight, is getting treated like a kid. Tim, whose parents are never around, and don't pay attention when they are around, has an adult he looks up to who wants to spend time with him, for fun. Tim, who has hero worshipped Dick Grayson since he was...well, according to the math, he was one (1) year old so let's ignore the math, but he was small, is now basking in the full force of Dick Grayson's off-the-charts charisma. This is the best thing that has ever happened to Tim. This is the dream.

I want to be clear here: I think Dick's extreme reversal here is a delayed reaction to Jason's death, but I don't want to imply that he doesn't care about Tim as an individual. He loves Tim as much as Tim loves him. Tim's good opinion is incredibly important to him. This relationship goes both ways.

Annnnd then both of their lives fall apart extremely rapidly, and Damian shows up, and Bruce dies. And Dick tries to get out of it, but ultimately it ends how it has to: with him accepting the mantle of Batman, and responsibility for Damian.

The relationship Dick has with Damian is nothing like the relationship Dick has with Tim. Tim is his little bro. Damian is his baby. He's fourteen years older than Damian and as much of a parent figure as a sibling figure. And Damian is difficult and exhausting but Dick slowly, slowly coaxes a degree of trust and affection out of him that even Bruce will never achieve. And he can only do that by making Damian Robin, which means Tim has to stop being Robin.

This is where Dick and Tim fall apart, because what they need in this very vulnerable moment is so diametrically opposed, and neither of them are wrong. To Dick, asking Tim to step down - or up, from Dick's perspective - from being Robin is a compliment. Dick fought to free himself from Bruce, to become his own man with his own name, and so asking Tim to do the same thing is a show of faith in Tim, in his skills and experience.

Whereas Tim's hero-worship has always been for Robin, not Batman, and every glimpse he has had of a future beyond Robin has always been a dystopia. But more importantly, Tim has just lost his father, his stepmother, his mentor, his girlfriend, and his two best friends. He desperately needs to be able to lean on Dick, the grown-up he admires the most, and instead, Dick is kicking him out of the nest.

In other words: Dick is saying, with all the love and trust in his heart, "I need you to help me by being a fellow adult." And Tim is saying, with all the love and trust in his heart, "But I need you to be my adult." And they both get a no.

This is water under the bridge now, and they've healed even though they've never really talked it through because Bats don't do that (although what I wouldn't give for a Nightwing/Red Robin miniseries where they do everything but talk about it). But I do think Tim looks at the closeness and affection between Dick and Damian and feels some kind of way about it to this day, because it's so clear to everyone that Damian is Dick's favorite...but Tim remembers when he was Dick's favorite. And what Tim doesn't see is that Dick values him as a genuine partner in a way he will never quite achieve with Damian, because to him, Damian will always be his baby, even more so than he is Bruce's. (Dick is Bruce's baby, actually, not Damian. In this essay I will...)

(I could see a really interesting dynamic developing between Jason and Tim here, as the ones on the outside of that mutual appreciation society, but sadly the comics have never gone there. Alas.)

Finally, I think the relationship between Dick and Duke is very much "I just work here." Like, Dick is grown, he's out of the house, he's largely matured past the Bat-drama. He likes Duke but he doesn't feel the compulsion to brother him the way he did with Tim, and Duke doesn't need the mother henning Damian did.

IN CONCLUSION, and hooboy, sorry anon, most of this wasn't at all the question you asked:

Duke and Dick get along fine but aren't particularly close.

Damian is Dick's precious baby and always will be, even when Damian is an adult and annoyed by this treatment (but privately kind of loves it because he is a princess at heart).

Tim is Dick's buddy, his pal, his equal. If Dick were ever going to talk something through with a sibling, it would be Tim. (But that would require Dick admitting that everything isn't perfect or asking for help, so it'll never happen.)

Jason and Dick can't be in a room together for five minutes without fighting and Dick finds him wildly frustrating, but they will throw down for each other. When they aren't punching each other.

(And to answer the corollary: Damian's favorite brother is Dick. Tim's favorite brother is also Dick. Duke's favorite brother is Tim by default, since he doesn't know Dick very well and Jason and Damian are both too annoying, but really he's closest with Cass. Jason's favorite brother is Ace and he has communicated that often and loudly (but really it's probably also Dick).)

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RED DEAD REDEMPTION II ᨖ

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Thinkin bout the underexplored dynamic between Dick and Jason where Dick resents Jason but NOT because Jason replaced him as Robin. Dick saw first hand what Jason's death did to Bruce(who, is indisputably the most important person breathing or otherwise to Dick). He literally never recovered. The Bruce that raised Dick is still buried in the coffin that Jason crawled out of. And yet, when Jason comes back he tries to force Bruce to sacrifice another part of himself. Less golden boy and despised usurper, it's played to death and was never accurate, more 'you killed my father in every way a person can be killed while continuing to draw breath and it still wasn't enough for you'.

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They made the city feel like… the sun would rise the next morning…

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Y'all. Dick is not a people pleaser. Idk where that came from when reading Dick's comics is basically an exercise in watching his eyes glaze over as someone begs him not to do something crazy because in his mind he's already done it. Like, yes, Dick is very empathetic loves helping others but in the same way your dentist does. If they think it's the right move they're going to stick that long ass needle in your gums and drill into your teeth. Whether or not your happy about it is irrelevant.

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dick grayson , eternally stepping in front of a bullet for bruce wayne.

panels from: the brave and the bold #83 // batman and robin #7 // batman/nightwing: bloodborne // robin #13 // grayson #5 // infinite crisis #7.

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Mary Oliver / Ethel Cain / Tony Kushner / Reyna N.A. / Frank Bidart / First Reformed / avainblue

Religious trauma collection

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don’t you think it must be crazy insane to make a role just for you, for you and the memory of your mother and first father, and you leave it behind, but then there’s another boy in the role. and you were never asked. and it was yours, nothing about it was impersonal, you don’t know what made him think it could be transfered when it meant everything to you. when it Was you. you don’t understand. you don’t understand. how could he do this to you? how could you not see it coming? how could you see it coming? and then there’s tim and tim understands that it’s yours. tim, and this is not to say you have any problems with the boy that died in the suit that was yours-yours-yours because you would rather have died in his place a million times over, but tim tells you you are the only one who can be robin. you’re the first, the best, the guiding light. you are everything. you do not feel vindicated, you can’t, but...tim tells you he needs you and you go. and tim understands what robin is to you. tim understands. which is why you give it to him, which is why you choose him, which is why you make sure he does this time, because tim understands. tim knows. tim knows it’s yours and you are letting him try it and tim knows it’s not just a suit or a name. tim makes sure you know that as well.

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Batman & Robin: Year One (2024) #10 variant cover by Dan Mora

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something something u have my heart in ur hand and u know exactly how to make me bleed so i must trust that u won’t use it to hurt me something something

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they make me so deeply insane. i miss this relationship so bad. they’re both so stupid. they both care too much. they both have absolute faith in the other. they’re both passively suicidal. they both make terrible puns. they both have fraught relationships with bruce wayne. they should kiss (again)

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dick grayson & roy harper + thinking of each other unprompted

outsiders (2003) #6 // arsenal (1998) #2 // action comics (1938) #615 // justice league of america (2006) #2 // green arrow (2001) #32 // batman plus arsenal (1996) // titans (2008) #38 // arsenal (1998) #2, 4 // justice league of america (2006) #11 // nightwing (2016) #26

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Hello, I love your blog and I had a question that I felt you and might be able to help shed some light on for me. When Dick's friends died (ex: Wally, Donna, etc) did any one ever comfort him or was it ever shown how he coped with it? Was it ever explored at all or brushed off after an issue? I just want to know because Dick is usually there for his friends when they lose someone but have anyone been there for him when he lost someone? I'm curious...

Sure! I can think of three times in particular where people really stepped up for Dick to help him out when he was grieving. 

Donna’s Death 

When Donna died (saving him), Dick was devastated. Their relationship is often overlooked in more recent comics, but these two were incredibly close. They were so candid in loving and supporting each other, and there really wasn’t anyone quite like Donna in Dick’s life. Platonic soulmates. So Donna’s death really hit him hard. He disbanded the Titans. 

Titans/Young Justice Graduation Day #3

And spent several weeks in mourning. He completely isolated from his friends and family in his apartment in Bludhaven. 

Outsiders Secret Files

He was seriously depressed. I’d say Roy was the person that kept Dick going during this time. I mean, you can already see in these panels...Roy reached out over and over to make sure that Dick didn’t suffer through this all alone. And when nothing seemed to get through to him, Roy formed the Outsiders and pushed Dick into joining, to try and draw him out of his own head. 

One thing I like about this period of time is that Roy lets Dick grieve. Even when Dick is unpleasant and angry and sad, Roy stays by his side. He lets Dick be less than perfect, which is nice. 

And I think it’s very telling that even as Dick tries to push everyone away, the one connection that he allows himself (or can’t help but allow himself) is his bond with Roy. Some of the only times Dick even smiles during this period of time are because of Roy being cheesy and joking around to cheer him up. 

Outsiders #1

And Dick seems most like himself in those moments where they are together. 

Outsiders #11

But, even when Dick’s joined the group, he isn’t magically better. Throughout his time as an Outsider, you can tell he’s really struggling. He’s harsher, his temper’s shorter, and he generally isn’t fun to be around. Dick is still in so much pain over Donna’s death that he thinks cutting himself off from everyone will protect him from that pain in the future...

...but his “never become close to another human again” plan is clearly unreasonable, and backfires right in his face over and over. Comics (especially recently) rarely allow death to have such an impact, but Dick was really allowed to struggle with Donna’s passing for an extended period of time. 

The Return of Donna Troy #2

He really only recovers once Donna returns from the dead. 

Jason’s Death

Jason’s death was also something Dick really struggled with. He felt a lot of guilt for allowing Jason to be Robin and not being there to prevent his death. 

New Teen Titans (1988) #55

When he went to Batman, so that they could support each other in their grief, Bruce really only added to his distress...punching him and exiling him from the manor. So, Dick’s main source of support was the Titans, particularly Starfire. 

Dick felt comfortable enough with Kory that he could open up and talk about how Jason’s death effected him. Starfire in turn did her best to support and reassure him. All his friends really banded together to be there for him best they could. 

Dick also went to therapy in the aftermath of Jason’s death. He tried to talk through some of his grief and guilt. While there, he once again cites Kory’s forthrightness with her emotions as helping him come to terms with his own feelings. 

New Teen Titans #57 

But even with his friends support, Jason’s death is something that really stuck with Dick for a long time...there are several times over the years that he talks about his guilt surrounding the event. Jason remained a common element of many of Dick’s nightmares, even years later when he was solo in Bludhaven. I think because Bruce and Dick never talked about things, it was harder for either of them to move past things. Dick did make peace with Jason’s death over time. 

Secret Origins Annual #3

Nightwing Secret Files

Batman #691

Like how he made peace with his parents deaths...Dick moved forward and tried to remember the positives, rather than treat Jason’s death like a burden like Bruce. Though there were certainly relapses, like how he beat the Joker to death for Jason’s sake for example. Grief is complicated. 

Bruce’s death 

Bruce’s death was of course...a very big deal. I’d say that Alfred was Dick’s main source of support in the aftermath. 

Batman #687

Dick had to be strong, for Gotham and his brothers and the League. To prove that he could be Batman. But Alfred was the one who Dick was able to grieve with. In a lot of ways, they really supported each other. And Alfred’s help and advice eased Dick’s transition from Nightwing to Batman. 

Batman #687

Batman and Robin #2

I am very much of the belief that Dick would not have been able to handle being Batman without Alfred’s support. They were really thick as thieves during this time. The rest of the family, and even a lot of the wider superhero community, was not giving Dick an easy time lmao. I also think that the work (and Damian) kept Dick very busy, and helped him keep a lot of his grief at bay. 

That’s all I got. 

I’m sure you can kind of get a sense of this, but the Titans were a huge part of Dick’s support system in a lot of ways? It’s part of why I feel their absence so keenly in recent comics...

Nightwing Secret Files 

Missing them hours again.