WARNING: Spoilers for Teen Titans Academy #8 ahead!
The past few months for “DCs Favorite Love Triangle” have been complicated and confusing, with Nightwing seemingly engaging in romantic relationships with both Starfire and Batgirl, but in Teen Titans Academy #8 the record is finally set straight on whether or not Dick is cheating. Nightwing’s love life has been featured in many storylines over the past few decades, and fans are incredibly divided on whether they think Dick should end up with Kory or Barbara, but the one thing no one wants is to find out that Nightwing is actually a cheating scumbag.
Nightwing and his Teen Titans teammate Starfire, the Tamaranian Princess Koriand’r, are one of the best examples of a “will they or won’t they” couple in the DC Omniverse. The two have not formally dated in comics for almost two decades, ever since their intimate relationship was erased as part of The New 52, but with DC’s new Infinite Frontier era making all prior main continuity events canon, Nightwing and Starfire have re-entered into a romantic relationship as of Teen Titans Academy #2, where they are seen sleeping in bed together. Simultaneously, in Dick’s self-titled Nightwing series it is clear that he is romantically interested in, and actively pursing, his other long-time love interest Barbara Gordon (otherwise known as the Bat Family’s resident Batgirl).
Frustratingly, it appeared for the first several issues of Teen Titans Academy and Nightwing that neither of them would reference the events of the other, which has led many people to believe that Dick is keeping his two lives secret and disgustingly cheating on Starfire with Batgirl. However, in Teen Titans Academy #8 – illustrated by Mike Norton and Hi-Fi with writing by Tim Sheridan – Wally West asks Kory about the whereabouts of Dick, which she doesn’t know. When Flash asks, “Trouble in paradise?” Starfire responds with, “Paradise was a long time ago, Wally… We are together—As friends and colleagues—which is how I want it,” confirming that Dick and Kory are no longer an item.
Clearly something has happened to Dick and Kory off-panel between Teen Titans Academy issues that has led to the two ending their romantic relationship but still remaining friends. The likeliest answer to this is that Nightwing has decided to formally stay in Blüdhaven as its protector, and DC wants Dick to end up with Barbara over in the Nightwing series. This seems like a major detail to so hastily shove into a random scene in Teen Titans Academy, which begs the question, “Did DC originally want Nightwing to end up with Starfire, before deciding he should end up with Batgirl in Nightwing?” Nightwing and Batgirl finally kissed in Nightwing #86, which debuted after Teen Titans Academy #8, meaning that for a full week readers thought Nightwing had kissed Batgirl before getting confirmation that he and Starfire had broken up.
Thankfully, this interaction between Kory and Wally seems to be DC revealing that no, Dick Grayson is not a cheater, and that his and Kory’s relationship was over before Nightwing and Batgirl ever formally started dating. Dick flirting with Barbara over in Nightwing is still kind of gross behavior, seeing as he was also romantically linked to Kory, but at least he is not the downright villain of Teen Titans Academy. Starfire and Batgirl are both incredibly strong, independent women, and it is clear that neither of them would have put up with Nightwing stringing them both along. Hopefully, moving forward, Nightwing will be able to enter into a loving romantic relationship with Batgirl while still maintaining his positive work and friend relationship with Starfire.
