Despite his popularity among the fandom, it’s no exaggeration to say that former Robin Dick Grayson, better known as Nightwing, has been put through the wringer over the years in the pages of DC Comics. Case in point, back in 2018 the character was shot in the head by the Russian assassin KGBeast. Although he survived the encounter, it resulted in severe amnesia leading to character to abandon the supheroics completely and become a taxi driver known as “Ric Grayson.”
This being comics, it didn’t come as a surprise when the original status quo was eventually restored setting the way for comic creators Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo to take over the ongoing Nightwing book with one of the most acclaimed runs on the title. Nightwing has certainly faced his fair share of misfortunes over the last two decades, coming close to death’s door several times. These creative decisions are generally attributed to former DC publisher Dan DiDio who made his disdain for Dick Grayson no secret. Needless to say, the Ric Grayson era is seen a nadir for the beloved superhero. While some refuse to acknowledge altogether, it’s become a joke among the fandom. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Teen Titans Go!, the animated series known for lampooning the DC Universe, didn’t hold back in the
In the most recent episode “Elseworlds,” the team is banished to a world filled with non-canon versions of various DC superheroes. Before returning to the main DC Universe, they are shown their comic book canon fate referencing various events from various comic book storylines. These include Raven’s despised New 52 redesign, Starfire joining Darkseid as seen in the pages of Justice League Odyssey, and Beast Boy becoming a space starfish known as Garro as depicted in the “Titans: Beast World” storyline. However, it’s Robin who’s the most horrified to learn that he is fated to become Ric Grayson losing his memory and most importantly his hair in the process. In a brilliant moment of meta commentary, Robin is told that as Ric Grayson, “people can’t stand you.”
It’s tempting to assume that the premise of this episode was inspired by DC Studios co-head James Gunn‘s “Gods and Monsters” announcement video from 2023 where he labeled any project taking place outside the main DCU continuity as Elseworlds, specifically mentioning the Teen Titans Go! animated series as an example.
Expect even more hijinks with upcoming new episodes set to feature major DC characters like the Monitor and Amanda Waller, and even the musical guest of The Bacon Brothers. I have a strong feeling that James Gunn will be most interested in watching an episode the music of Kevin Bacon. Here’s hoping Gunn finds the time in his schedule to make a cameo in some future episode.
