Warning: contains spoilers for Batman/Catwoman #6 and Nightwing #83!
While Batman has trained many proteges in his long career - from his biological son Damian Wayne to Justice League leader in training the Signal - it turns out that he nevertheless considers Nightwing his greatest triumph. The first Robin, Dick Grayson eventually left Batman's side to find his own identity, becoming the acrobatic protector of Blüdhaven. But what truly sets Dick apart is the close bonds he's built throughout the hero community, forming independent friendships with big-name heroes like Superman and becoming the beating heart of the Teen Titans. One of DC's most well-adjusted heroes, Nightwing is seen by many as Batman's greatest accomplishment, and it turns out the Dark Knight agrees.
Readers recently found this out in Tom King and Clay Mann's Batman/Catwoman #6, which takes place soon after Bruce Wayne's death, revealing the fate of Gotham after his passing. While the series is only one possible future for the DC Universe, writer Tom King has revealed it's the ending he envisioned for his acclaimed mainstream Batman run, and the characters' relationships and stories remain as readers have seen them so far. The series itself sees Selina Kyle taking deadly vengeance on Batman's enemies after his passing, with Helena Wayne (the daughter of Selina and Bruce) becoming the new Batwoman, working with Commissioner Dick Grayson, who has taken over for James Gordon at the head of Gotham's police force.
Joining her daughter to patrol Gotham, Selina and Helena answer Dick's Bat-Signal summons, and the old allies greet each other warmly. With Bruce only recently dead, Selina takes the opportunity to share with Nightwing how much his mentor loved him, saying, "You know, he considered you, your optimism, to be his greatest triumph. That he could give you what he didn't have. I think in his dark moments, that was his guiding light. You're a good kid, and he was proud of you." It's a heartwarming and truly kind sentiment to pass on, and one that speaks to Batman's longtime admiration for who Dick Grayson became as a hero, even before the time jump to this possible future.
Of course, readers of Tom Taylor, Bruno Redondo, and Cian Tormey's Nightwing #83 won't be surprised to hear Bruce felt this way. After the recent death of Alfred Pennyworth - the Bat-Family's butler, and a man Nightwing considers his second father - Dick Grayson has come into a staggering inheritance. Immediately, he's set about an ambitious plan to pass his newfound wealth onto Blüdhaven through the Alfred Pennyworth Foundation. It's an act that shows Dick as an ambitious, optimistic, and committed hero, and one that earns him a phone call from Batman, who tells him in no uncertain terms that he has honored Alfred, thanking him for doing so.
Nightwing was Batman's first partner, and also the one who has grown the most since. The second Robin Jason Todd remains a deeply troubled vigilante as the Red Hood - only recently abandoning lethal force - while the third Robin Tim Drake, current Oracle Barbara Gordon, and Batwing Lucas Fox are as inspired by other heroic influences as by Bruce. Stephanie Brown, Cassandra Cain, and Duke Thomas are still growing into their own as heroes under Batman's tutelage, while Damian Wayne has renounced his father's legacy, choosing to go it alone after witnessing Alfred's murder. Bruce has helped many young people find their way from trauma to heroism, but Nightwing was the first, one of the most personal, and has flown the highest in his life after Gotham, helping Batman to keep fighting even when confronted by failure.
While the Dark Knight isn't much for expressing his feelings, fans should be in no doubt that he considers Dick Grayson his greatest triumph. In Infinite Crisis, Batman was confronted by a version of Superman from another reality who claimed his world was better, and the Dark Knight's first argument back was that Dick Grayson couldn't possibly be a better man in any alternate world - a point the rival Superman conceded. Batman has done a lot of things as Gotham's protector, but it's clear that he's fully aware his most important accomplishment was helping Nightwing to reach his full potential.
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