Frank Miller's credibility took a chip of a hitting with both Night Knight Strikes Again and All-Star Batman & Robin, both of them taking his gritty atmosphere to absurd levels and making Batman into a rather unlikable grapheme. Worse than that was his portrayal of Dick Grayson, who had any shred of his canon character stripped abroad.

All-Star was made to fill u.s. in as to why Dick would ever get the abomination he was in Strikes Again. In that sense, it does its job as Dick develops a lot from that book, giving yous a amend view of why he became monstrous character he did.

10 He Became A Villain

Because how awful Batman was every bit a mentor in All-Star Batman & Robin, in comparison to his canon self, information technology'due south most understandable why. Batman treats him with no intendance whatever, honing him into more of a weapon of war than a true sidekick. He's forced to forage for nutrient, but allowed to swallow rats or bats in the cave. This, in plow, leads him to get more than and more violent, eventually leading to the villain seen in The Nighttime Knight Strikes Again.

nine Using The Joker's Guise

Non simply had Dick Grayson becoming a villain, but he took on the guise of Batman's greatest foe—The Joker. He even went as far as labeling himself the new joker as a way of lashing out at his erstwhile mentor. Because his unhinged nature at this point, he's not far off from the real matter, pulling off stunts just as savage as the real clown prince of crime. He lacked the flair for the dramatic, however, only focused on harming heroes to prove some wayward point.

eight Healing Factor

When he's first introduced in his assault of Question and Martian Manhunter, it's billed that he can't experience pain and invulnerable to injury. It lets him easily dispatch the pair, forth with fellow heroes, The Creeper and The Guardian, who were both retired at the time of their deaths.

The healing gene helps him exist an even more effective killing machine, priming him for his inevitable disharmonize with Batman later in the book. It took a chasm of lava to finally kill him for good.

7 Shape-Shifting

Healing wasn't the only thing Dick gained from the radical gene therapy he underwent, he also was granted the ability to shape-shift, even if he rarely e'er used the ability. The fact he was willing to sink to such depths shows how crazed he became after his fourth dimension with the Dark Knight, willing to push his body as far equally it could go to become ameliorate than his former mentor. Information technology set up an interesting story, even if it was a horribly executed 1.

6 Fired From Being Robin

It's difficult to put the pieces together betwixt the two series equally Batman and Dick were finally commencement to bond towards the cease of All-star Batman & Robin, grieving at his parent'southward gravesite. Something happened between so, and Night Knight Strikes Over again because Dick was supposedly fired for his incompetence, helping to push him down his path of becoming a villain. Considering the rigors that Dick was forced to go through, that had to experience similar a slap in the confront.

5 Hating The Title Of Robin

Most of this hatred was directed towards Carrie Kelly, the newest Robin who, for some reason, became Catgirl in Dark Knight Strikes Again. In whatsoever event, Dick purposely targeted her, seeming to hate the girl even more than he disliked Bruce.

The reason for this is likely that he felt she got off easy in comparing to everything he had to practise to earn the title. It's yet interesting that he grew to detest his erstwhile role as much every bit he did, giving off very big Jason Todd tendencies.

4 Loving Batman

Many of Frank Miller'south decisions can exist written off as satire or merely his gritty style merely having Dick Grayson be in honey with Bruce Wayne merely felt weird. It didn't serve any story purpose in Dark Knight Strikes Again and is made even more than peculiar when you lot see how Dick was treated in All-Star Batman & Robin. At that place's nothing about what they do that screams dearest, nor should in that location be considering the age gap betwixt the two of them. Regardless, Dick developed feelings that go across but mentorship.

3 Urge To Kill Heroes

While Dick is clearly a villain in the books, information technology seems like the merely ones who are the target of his ire are heroes. Information technology'south a wonder why that is considering Batman's preparation led him to come to blows with the Green Lantern in an all-yellow room and well-nigh led to the young boy killing the hero right there. Batman stepped in to berate him, merely Dick had already been attack a path to hate and despise the very aforementioned people that Batman once fought alongside.

2 Wildly Different Advent

Some of this is due to storyline purposes as Dick Grayson had been experimented on, thus irreversibly altering his appearance into i that inappreciably looked similar the boy he once was. Most of it is on the awful art hat is on display, however. In comparing to the eye processed that is Jim Lee'southward usual stellar work, the job done in Dark Knight Strikes Over again is childish looking. Proportions are so off that in a lot of panels, Dick looks as if he'd had his Deoxyribonucleic acid spliced with Gorilla Grodd.

1 Airs

Throughout All-Star Batman and Robin, Batman is incredibly arrogant, to an absurd degree. He frequently refers to himself every bit the "goddam Batman" and has little regard for his foes or friends. He'due south always correct, and that's all at that place is to it. That carries over to Dick in Dark Knight Strikes Once again as he often toys with his quarry, most notably Guardian. He taunts them after stabbing them in the back, interim as if he is forever superior to them. Information technology's a trait that his mentor however very much has in spades inside the book, ruining what could have been a fun fight.

NEXT: Batman: Every Villain Who Successfully Took Over Gotham

Next 10 Things You Didn't Know About Batman Inc.

About The Author

Anthony Mazzuca (589 Articles Published)

Anthony Mazzuca is an gorging gamer, anime watcher, and all-around nerd for nigh his entire life. Escaping the life of retail, he'due south able to express his passion to others through CBR. When not writing for CBR, he's toiling away on a novel or streaming on Twitch. He'south also a wrestling fanatic, who tin can't await for shows to be filled with fans again. You can connect with him on <a href="https://facebook.com/anthony.mazzuca.9/"

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