Nite-Wing
Encyclopedia
Nite-Wing is a fictional character
appearing in the DC Comics
series Nightwing
.
and possesses a great deal of rage while being prone to loud outbursts, as well as frequently referring to himself in the third person. The similarities between his name and Nightwing
's has gotten him into trouble in the past, and has nearly led to him being murdered on two different occasions.
Having grown up an orphan
, the man who would become Nite-Wing never gained a legal name. Instead, he goes by the first name Tad — originally Tadpole
, the nickname he was given whilst in the orphanage because of his diminutive size. He later adopts the last name of Ryerstad, which is the name of a local beer
brand. Tad ran away from the orphanage at age 12, and was "forgotten" — further proof that Blüdhaven
is seeped in corruption and decay. He educated himself, devouring popular culture
by stealing paperbacks
and comic book
s and sneaking into countless movies. This inadequate and twisted education, combined with an unstable and loveless childhood, produced a sociopath who believes himself to be a hero.
Tad exercised, kept himself in good shape, and patrolled his neighborhood, doing "good". He beat people for minor offences, and performed acts of vigilantism
at its worst. One day, he met John Law
, the retired hero "Tarantula", and after hearing his stories, decided to become a superhero
. He had difficulty coming up with a name until he looked across the street from his apartment
at an all-night deli
specializing in chicken wings
. Thus, Nite-Wing was born.
Unfortunately, on his first night out, he ran into a gang that shot him repeatedly. Rushed off to an emergency room, Nightwing spent the whole night defending him from Blockbuster's men, who thought it was Nightwing who was in the hospital. Tad was released from the hospital and went back to take revenge on the gang who put him there, killing them.
Tad’s rampage continued, killing men who worked for Blockbuster, eventually even Ricky Noone, one of his major capos. One night, he was cornered by Dudley Soames, the former police inspector turned psychopath, who now called himself Torque
. Here, he finally met Nightwing. The two escaped Torque, and Nightwing agreed to help train Tad, not realizing how violent he could be.
Tad cornered Blüdhaven’s corrupt Police Chief Redhorn and got all the files he had pertaining to Blockbuster. Presenting them to Nightwing, the two began to attack Blockbuster’s powerbase. They were captured and separated. When Cisco Blaine, an undercover FBI agent, came to free Tad, Tad beat him to death. Upon discovering that he was not a villain, but a government agent, Tad fled. Nightwing eventually tracked him down, and he was imprisoned in Lockhaven Penitentiary.
When Torque was captured by Nightwing, he was made Tad’s cellmate. Torque had a plan to escape, and he made Tad a part of it. They drugged the food of Aaron Helzinger, the prison guard who was the reformed villain Amygdala
, and when he went berserk, the two escaped. Tad killed Soames after his escape, and was implicated in the murder of Chief Redhorn. However, Tad was innocent of that crime, set up by Blockbuster and the new Tarantula, and he contacted Nightwing to help clear himself. Tad was arrested again, along with Tarantula, and resides again in Lockhaven, serving his time for the murders of Cisco Blaine and Torque.
Soon, he began to resent his father, who earned money through the sale of stolen goods. Believing firmly in the world of comic books, Tad performs an act he believes to be heroic: the framing of his father. Tad informed his father's crack-dealer of an employer and accused his father of being a snitch
. As a result, his father was murdered and his mother sent to jail.
After being sent to live with foster parents, he ran away and began to live on his own. Due to his lack of a job, he was usually a vagrant
, and could afford to feed himself only through stealing from criminals.
Following his capture at the hands of Nightwing and subsequent arrest for the murder of Cisco Blaine, he was revealed to have been left on a Blüdhaven
bus on Christmas Eve
.
. Often, he carries many billiard balls taped to his back and uses a modified three-foot pool stick as a weapon.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
appearing in the DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
series Nightwing
Nightwing
Nightwing is a name that has been used by several fictional characters in the DC Comics Universe. It was conceived as a Kryptonian analogue to the character of Batman, with Nightwing's frequent partner Flamebird based on Robin...
.
Fictional character biography
Tad Ryerstad is a sociopathPsychopathy
Psychopathy is a mental disorder characterized primarily by a lack of empathy and remorse, shallow emotions, egocentricity, and deceptiveness. Psychopaths are highly prone to antisocial behavior and abusive treatment of others, and are very disproportionately responsible for violent crime...
and possesses a great deal of rage while being prone to loud outbursts, as well as frequently referring to himself in the third person. The similarities between his name and Nightwing
Dick Grayson
Dick Grayson is a fictional superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger and illustrator Jerry Robinson, he first appeared in Detective Comics #38 in April 1940....
's has gotten him into trouble in the past, and has nearly led to him being murdered on two different occasions.
Having grown up an orphan
Orphan
An orphan is a child permanently bereaved of or abandoned by his or her parents. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents is called an orphan...
, the man who would become Nite-Wing never gained a legal name. Instead, he goes by the first name Tad — originally Tadpole
Tadpole
A tadpole or polliwog is the wholly aquatic larval stage in the life cycle of an amphibian, particularly that of a frog or toad.- Appellation :...
, the nickname he was given whilst in the orphanage because of his diminutive size. He later adopts the last name of Ryerstad, which is the name of a local beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
brand. Tad ran away from the orphanage at age 12, and was "forgotten" — further proof that Blüdhaven
Blüdhaven
Blüdhaven is a fictional city in the . Created by Chuck Dixon and Scott McDaniel in 1996, it was originally intended to serve as a backdrop for the Nightwing comics series.-Fictional geography:...
is seeped in corruption and decay. He educated himself, devouring popular culture
Popular culture
Popular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global mainstream of the...
by stealing paperbacks
Trade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
and comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
s and sneaking into countless movies. This inadequate and twisted education, combined with an unstable and loveless childhood, produced a sociopath who believes himself to be a hero.
Tad exercised, kept himself in good shape, and patrolled his neighborhood, doing "good". He beat people for minor offences, and performed acts of vigilantism
Vigilante
A vigilante is a private individual who legally or illegally punishes an alleged lawbreaker, or participates in a group which metes out extralegal punishment to an alleged lawbreaker....
at its worst. One day, he met John Law
Tarantula (DC Comics)
The Tarantula is the name of two fictional comic book characters owned by DC Comics that exist in that company's DC Universe.-John Law:The original Tarantula was a character prominent in the 1940s named John Law...
, the retired hero "Tarantula", and after hearing his stories, decided to become a superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
. He had difficulty coming up with a name until he looked across the street from his apartment
Apartment
An apartment or flat is a self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building...
at an all-night deli
Delicatessen
Delicatessen is a term meaning "delicacies" or "fine foods". The word entered English via German,with the old German spelling , plural of Delikatesse "delicacy", ultimately from Latin delicatus....
specializing in chicken wings
Chicken Wings
Chicken Wings can refer to:*A type of food, a serving of the wing sections of a chicken, deep fried wings coated in sauce are also known as Buffalo wings*Chicken Wings , an aviation related comic by Michael and Stefan Strasser...
. Thus, Nite-Wing was born.
Unfortunately, on his first night out, he ran into a gang that shot him repeatedly. Rushed off to an emergency room, Nightwing spent the whole night defending him from Blockbuster's men, who thought it was Nightwing who was in the hospital. Tad was released from the hospital and went back to take revenge on the gang who put him there, killing them.
Tad’s rampage continued, killing men who worked for Blockbuster, eventually even Ricky Noone, one of his major capos. One night, he was cornered by Dudley Soames, the former police inspector turned psychopath, who now called himself Torque
Torque (comics)
Torque is a supervillain in the DC Comics Universe, and an enemy of Nightwing. Created by writer Chuck Dixon and artist Scott McDaniel, he first appeared in Nightwing v2, #1 .-Fictional character biography:...
. Here, he finally met Nightwing. The two escaped Torque, and Nightwing agreed to help train Tad, not realizing how violent he could be.
Tad cornered Blüdhaven’s corrupt Police Chief Redhorn and got all the files he had pertaining to Blockbuster. Presenting them to Nightwing, the two began to attack Blockbuster’s powerbase. They were captured and separated. When Cisco Blaine, an undercover FBI agent, came to free Tad, Tad beat him to death. Upon discovering that he was not a villain, but a government agent, Tad fled. Nightwing eventually tracked him down, and he was imprisoned in Lockhaven Penitentiary.
When Torque was captured by Nightwing, he was made Tad’s cellmate. Torque had a plan to escape, and he made Tad a part of it. They drugged the food of Aaron Helzinger, the prison guard who was the reformed villain Amygdala
Amygdala (comics)
Amygdala is the alias of DC Comics character Aaron Helzinger, who is a sometime opponent of Batman. He has reduced mental capacity, is prone to outbursts of violence and has super-strength due to medical experimentation on his brain, chiefly the removal of his amygdala.As demonstrated in...
, and when he went berserk, the two escaped. Tad killed Soames after his escape, and was implicated in the murder of Chief Redhorn. However, Tad was innocent of that crime, set up by Blockbuster and the new Tarantula, and he contacted Nightwing to help clear himself. Tad was arrested again, along with Tarantula, and resides again in Lockhaven, serving his time for the murders of Cisco Blaine and Torque.
True origins
In Nightwing #51, "Tad's Story" revealed the detailed history of Tad, but contradicted the previous claim of him being abandoned. Instead, the story showed both of his parents alive; his father Randy as an abusive alcoholic and his mother perpetually using the phone and smoking. Due to his lack of parental involvement, Tad began to read comic books as a means of escapist fantasy.Soon, he began to resent his father, who earned money through the sale of stolen goods. Believing firmly in the world of comic books, Tad performs an act he believes to be heroic: the framing of his father. Tad informed his father's crack-dealer of an employer and accused his father of being a snitch
Informant
An informant is a person who provides privileged information about a person or organization to an agency. The term is usually used within the law enforcement world, where they are officially known as confidential or criminal informants , and can often refer pejoratively to the supply of information...
. As a result, his father was murdered and his mother sent to jail.
After being sent to live with foster parents, he ran away and began to live on his own. Due to his lack of a job, he was usually a vagrant
Vagrancy (people)
A vagrant is a person in poverty, who wanders from place to place without a home or regular employment or income.-Definition:A vagrant is "a person without a settled home or regular work who wanders from place to place and lives by begging;" vagrancy is the condition of such persons.-History:In...
, and could afford to feed himself only through stealing from criminals.
Following his capture at the hands of Nightwing and subsequent arrest for the murder of Cisco Blaine, he was revealed to have been left on a Blüdhaven
Blüdhaven
Blüdhaven is a fictional city in the . Created by Chuck Dixon and Scott McDaniel in 1996, it was originally intended to serve as a backdrop for the Nightwing comics series.-Fictional geography:...
bus on Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...
.
Modus operandi
Nite-Wing saw himself as a hero, and he sought to bring justice to the world, but his methods were very flawed; he had killed a number of people, including an undercover FBI agent. Tad does not appear to understand the consequences of his actions, merely shrugging off any regret or responsibility by stating that he is a "good guy".Powers and abilities
Tad has no superpowers, however he is a capable and ruthless street fighterStreet fighting
Street fighting is a colloquial term used to denote unsanctioned, illegal in some countries, hand-to-hand fighting in public places, between individuals or groups of people....
. Often, he carries many billiard balls taped to his back and uses a modified three-foot pool stick as a weapon.