The latest confrontation between Nightwing and a deadly Bat-villain cements them as Dick Grayson’s most personal modern foe.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Nightwing #90, now on sale from DC Comics
Nightwing might not have the massive personal rogues gallery that his mentor Batman boasts, though the young hero has also gained a notable handful of villains to deal with over the years. But there’s one that’s only really been highlighted over the last half-decade that could make a case for becoming one of Nightwing’s most consistent foes.
KGBeast’s latest confrontation with Nightwing in Nightwing #90 by Tom Taylor, Geraldo Borges, Adriano Lucas, and Wes Abbott helps solidify the idea that the C-list villain might actually be a perfect personal antagonist for the original Robin.
Debuting in the Post-Crisis DC Universe, KGBeast has endured as a vicious mercenary character to bedevil any number of heroes over the years. Anatoli Knyazev found renewed importance in the modern DC Universe, however, particularly after the events of DC Rebirth. During Tom King’s run on Batman, KGBeast was recruited by Bane to participate in a new plan to break Batman. For his part, the KGBeast was able to lie in wait for Batman and Nightwing to arrive at the Bat-Signal and then shoot the latter in the head. The injury almost killed Dick Grayson and left him with advanced amnesia for an extended period (setting off his Ric Grayson storyline). Since then, the extended Bat-Family and other heroes have harbored deep-seated hate for the KGBeast.
Notably, he’s also come up against Nightwing repeatedly in short order — facing off with Nightwing shortly after the latter recovered his memory, and now threatening Grayson’s secret identity directly in Bludhaven in Nightwing #90. It’s all been quietly positioning KGBeast as perhaps Nightwing’s most personal antagonist. Over the years, the original Robin has had a handful of notable enemies; earning very deep personal animosities for villains like Two-Face, Deathstroke, and Blockbuster. But KGBeast provides an interesting contrast to Nightwing as a heroic character that makes him stand out as a dedicated enemy for the original Robin and is something DC should continue to play with.
Both Nightwing and KGBeast are regular humans in a world of ridiculous powers, forcing them to rely on skills, tactics, and weapons to survive. Both have been highly-trained in combat but, while Nightwing is a hero who never kills, KGBeast is a blunt murderer who doesn’t care about collateral damage. KGBeast is a brutal killer, while Nightwing is one of the most heroic members of the Bat-Family. As such, Nightwing never uses firearms — contrasted against KGBeast, who has affixed weaponry to his severed limbs and has a literal firearm. While Nightwing doesn’t allow the judgment of others to define his actions, the mockery KGBeast faced for failing to kill Nightwing resulted in the furious killer confronting him again.
In essence, KGBeast’s casual attitude towards mayhem and murder highlights Nightwing’s innate heroism and importance among the rest of the hero community — as KGBeast largely works alone or just with minions in his attacks, Dick Grayson’s allies have increasingly dropped anything to help their friend. Even when facing off with one another, Nightwing makes sure to save KGBeast’s life when he’s fatally wounded in the conflict. KGBeast being a frequent foe for Nightwing is a great concept and one that should continue to be a factor for Nightwing as he continues to reestablish himself in Bludhaven. KGBeast might seem like a silly concept in theory, but he might have found the perfect role going forward as Nightwing’s primary costumed enemy.
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