For more than 80 years Dick Grayson has had amazing costumes. While he started as Batman’s first Robin, for the last 40 years he’s been his own hero, Nightwing, and the great outfits have continued even as he’s struck out on his own. The sky’s the limit when it comes to his Nightwing outfits. While some changes have been slight and others have been drastic, the overall Nightwing costume has always been classic, but there are some that are just better than others.
No matter how you feel about how he looks on his backside, it’s hard to deny he’s he doesn’t always look incredible. With enough butt jokes to fill a canyon, here are his best costumes. To be clear this isn’t a ranking per se — these are just the best of the best when it comes to Nightwing’s style.
1) Classic Black and Blue
It’s hard to beat Dick’s classic black and blue costume. Retaining it since the 90s, there’s no wonder why he hasn’t really changed it. The mid length hair, domino mask, and the dark colors all make for the perfect costume. It has the perfect combination of his roots as Robin while also showing where he’s gone since then.
He’s made some slight changes with the shade of blue in the costume and the logo over the years, which keeps it fresh, but overall most of the design elements remain the same, save for a few flourishes here an there based on which artist takes him on. It’s a classic for a reason.
2) Redondo Redesign
While not a whole lot different from the classic black and blue, the costume in the Tom Taylor run by Bruno Redondo is a fan favorite. On the surface it’s not super different but it pops off the page more than most. Adding more blue down the arms and on the inside of the hands. Making the mask itself blue as opposed to black and changing the shade of blue we’re brilliant new choices. It’s just striking enough to its own thing and we love it.
It’s what you’d want from a costume update that doesn’t take everything away from the original but still is new and fresh. The look has stayed into Dan Watters run as well. All you need sometimes is a simple change and this exemplifies that perfectly.
3) Discowing
The one that started it all. Aptly named “Discowing” by fans, the original suit is good but extremely dated. It is very clearly a product of its time. That said, the mishmashed shades of blue with the gold trim makes for a striking look, one that certainly set the stage for future looks Nightwing would have down the line. Some newer fans don’t have the same love for Discowing but it’s a fantastic look to start off Dick on his solo hero journey.
4) Red Suit
Easily the most divisive Nightwing costume is his New 52 suit. Going with the trend of all the Robins at the time, Nightwing switched from blue to red. It was a nice concept and showed unity for the family but it still feels weird. Some fans despise this suit with a passion when it’s undeserved. Thankfully it didn’t stick forever but it holds a special place for some.
The ridged gauntlets and boots are a nice touch but the red eyes are too much if anything. With comparisons of Phoenix Force Cyclops and Red Hood, this suit definitely has some mixed feelings for fans. It will be very interesting to see how it ages as new fans discover it over the years.
5) Gold Trim
The second “Discowing” suit (that’s right, there’s two of them) is an improvement upon the original but not without its issues. Keeping the one shade of blue with more gold trim was a more streamlined idea. The mask may be a bit too big but this was when Nightwing was still finding himself. It’s an over the top 90’s design but that doesn’t mean it’s bad either. It, like the other “Discowing” suit, is really a product of its time.
The big difference with this suit is that it also had the much-hated ponytail. That particular choice has never sat particularly well with fans, though honestly, was it really that bad? We think not.
What’s your favorite Nightwing look? Let us know down in the comments.
The post Nightwing’s 5 Best Costumes appeared first on ComicBook.com.