As Batman, Dick Grayson faced off against Professor Pyg, a twisted villain with a similar past, who should return as Nightwing’s personal Joker.
With Dick Grayson proving himself equal to Batman in Blüdhaven, it’s time for his personal Joker, Profesor Pyg, to return as a Nightwing villain. Introduced as a sadistic foil for Nightwing after the events of Final Crisis, Professor Pyg proves that Dick Grayson’s Batman villains are scarier than Bruce’s.
First appearing in Prime Earth continuity in Batman & Robin #1 by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely, Professor Pyg became a regular antagonist for Dick Grayson’s Batman throughout the series. Oddly enough, Dick Grayson and Professor Pyg shared many traits in common. Like Dick, Pyg claimed to have been created by an emotionally distant parent. He leads a gang called the Circus of Strange, mirroring Dick’s past with Haly’s Circus. However, the similarities between the two ran deeper than just their past. Pyg was a villain that thrived on transformation, famously kidnapping people and turning them into Dollotrons that obeyed his will. At the same time, Dick was mentoring Damian Wayne as Robin, influencing his morals and hoping to distance him from his League of Assassins training.
Eventually, Bruce came back from the dead, and Dick returned to being Nightwing. Unfortunately, due to the villain’s introduction during Dick’s time as Batman, Pyg has become just another member of Bruce’s rogues gallery. However, Professor Pyg has the potential to be Nightwing’s true nemesis, because he provides a dark counter to Dick’s most popular aspects. In comparison to Bruce’s Batman, Nightwing is known for being a gentler, more approachable vigilante, whose amenable personality and good looks make him perfect in the eyes of many. In contrast, Pyg doles out gruesome violence as he seeks to achieve “perfection” by mutilating the faces of innocent people.
Although he still retains his twisted nature, Professor Pyg does not have the same tension with Bruce that he had with Dick’s Batman. Nighting may be Batman’s equal, but this does not mean their villains are interchangeable. Bruce’s counterpart is the Joker, and when paired with Bruce’s Batman, Pyg loses his terrifying similarities to the hero and instead seems like an attempt at creating a replacement Joker. Against Dick Grayson’s compassion and humor, Pyg’s insanity is all the more jarring. For this reason, Professor Pyg does not work as a member of Bruce’s rogue gallery and should instead be part of Nightwing’s.
Given their history and similarities, Professor Pyg just makes more sense as Nightwing’s personal Joker. It’s time for the villain to leave Batman’s rogue gallery and return to his roots as Dick Grayson’s dark foil. Nightwing has proven he deserves to regain his perfect nemesis.
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