10 Things You Didnt Know About Nightwing
2. Superman Gave Him The Idea For His Name
As much as we've always associated Nightwing with Batman, it was none other than the Man of Steel who helped him establish his own identity.
In Superman #158, The Man of Steel and his pal Jimmy Olsen visited the Kryptonian City of Kandor - the last remnants of Krypton kept alive by Braniac. Because the Kandorians believed Superman was holding them prisoner instead of Braniac, he and Jimmy had to establish new superhero identities they could trust. They chose "Nightwing" and "Flamebird" to pay homage to Batman and Robin as Kandor did not have any bats or robins native to it. With Dick remembering his time adventuring with the two, he ultimately decided to go with the name "Nightwing".
However, this was slightly altered in Nightwing: Year One. Instead of Superman creating the idea of Nightwing, Clark told Dick the story of a Kryptonian legend who used the name centuries before he did. This pre-Kryptonian Nightwing's claim to fame was that he was cast away from his family but sought to help those who couldn't help themselves. He used this mantra in an attempt to prove he was more than what his family gave him credit for, which is ultimately what inspired Dick to take the name for himself.