They Just Killed Nightwing’s Best Villain (& Made A Huge DC Problem Even Worse)

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Nightwing is quickly becoming one of DC’s most popular heroes. While Dick Grayson, formerly known as Robin, has always been well-liked, his Nightwing persona has recently gained a huge following. He was on the verge of becoming a major DC character, and he’s now firmly established himself as a leading figure. He’s proven he can rally the entire superhero community – even when the Justice League struggles – and guide them through tough times. Although Nightwing is poised to become a top-tier hero, he currently faces a significant challenge: his enemies. And things have just gotten worse, as his most prominent adversary has been defeated.

I first encountered Olivia Pearce back in Nightwing #119 (2016), and she instantly came across as someone you had to take seriously. As the head of Spheric Solutions, she basically strong-armed the whole city of Blüdhaven into giving her control, so she could unleash her killer robots. Honestly, she felt a lot like Dick Grayson’s version of Lex Luthor – especially with how much she despised him and her connection to his history. It turns out he’d actually met her before, when he was still Robin, but back then she was going by Columbina, working as a servant to the Zanni. She had this great combination of hatred, charisma, and a really intriguing backstory, which made her feel like a villain who could stick around for a while. Sadly, Nightwing #132 killed her off, and if anything, it’s actually created more problems for Nightwing in terms of finding good villains.

A Child Turned Villain Lost Too Soon

In issue #132, Nightwing became furious when his new partner, Nightwing-Prime, was injured by Kryptonite. Seeing Bryce, a child, harmed pushed Nightwing to directly confront Pearce, also known as Columbina. However, she was prepared for him. Columbina was wearing a specialized suit – the same one Nightwing used against Nite-Mite – that analyzed his fighting style and allowed her to perfectly mimic his moves. Their battle moved to the rooftop, where Nightwing demanded answers about what Columbina and the Zanni were doing with the children who had disappeared from Blüdhaven.

Columbina reminded Nightwing that she hadn’t always been this way, implying she once needed saving too, but no one ever came for her. After meeting Robin, she deliberately created a dangerous trap, hoping he would rescue her. She believed heroes always protected those in need, especially children, so she rigged a guillotine above her chair and waited. Robin never arrived. Olivia Pearce died that night, but the Zanni kept her ‘alive,’ preserving her body until he could finally confront Nightwing.

Olivia removed her mask, revealing her zombified appearance to Nightwing. Simultaneously, the Zanni announced to the Boy Wonder that the children were located at the Cirque du Sin. As a helicopter flew above them, the Zanni brandished a slapstick, and Columbina warned that the circus birds were an omen of death. Nightwing charged forward, but at the same moment, the Zanni decapitated Olivia, making it appear to the city that Nightwing was the killer. Olivia’s eyes closed, and life left her.

The Best Villain of the Sad Bunch

Nightwing has quickly become a popular DC hero, but he’s struggled to develop a truly memorable group of villains. Compared to Batman, who has some of the most iconic enemies in comics, Nightwing’s rogues gallery is relatively weak. While characters like Blockbuster, Brutale, and Raptor have shown promise, none have become consistently recurring threats. Blockbuster has even been killed off twice in different storylines. Brutale has largely been forgotten and now appears as a minor villain for other heroes, like Blue Beetle. Raptor was created for a single story arc and defeating him again wouldn’t feel impactful.

A recurring issue with Nightwing’s enemies is that they either aren’t memorable or are quickly removed from the story to serve the plot. A good example is Columbina – her storyline, especially surrounding Olivia’s death, was compelling, but she was always meant to be temporary. This leaves Nightwing with a consistently weak group of villains. With Nightwing becoming a more central character in DC Comics, his stories are now often part of larger, ongoing sagas rather than individual issue-based adventures. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with this approach, it tends to give villains complete story arcs that end, making it difficult to create a lasting group of recurring enemies.

Nightwing is a major DC hero, but his villains aren’t nearly as popular or well-known as those of characters like Wonder Woman. He deserves a compelling group of enemies that fans love as much as they love Nightwing himself. Great villains challenge a hero, bringing out their strengths and weaknesses, which ultimately creates more interesting stories. While the Zanni family of villains exists, it remains to be seen if Nightwing will gain any truly standout new villains in future comics.

Nightwing #132 is on sale now!

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2025-11-22 00:12