There’s a common idea that Batman can defeat anybody, even DC’s strongest cosmic beings and gods, with prep time. While the validity of that statement can be hotly debated, what’s important right now is that Nightwing should hope that it’s true, and that the Dark Knight has passed on enough that he can use those skills to survive his newest villain. The Zanni is an otherworldly being that has haunted Nightwing since the beginning of Dan Watters’s run on Nightwing (2016), and has had his eyes on the Boy Wonder since his days as Robin. Now, he’s finally making his move.
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The Zanni wants to recruit Nightwing to be the ringleader for his extra-dimensional Cirque du Sin, and to that end, has manipulated events and people to turn Nightwing into the leader he needs him to be. He’s already shown his incredible power by keeping the dead Columbina alive for well over a decade, and forcibly transforming the fifth-dimensional imp Nite-Mite into a monstrous form that he has yet to recover from. We’ve seen the Zanni’s extreme power in action plenty already, but Nightwing #133 just confirmed exactly how strong he is, and he’s at a level not even Superman could hope to stop.
A Being of Pure Imagination
In previous issues, Columbina discussed the Zanni’s origin as something akin to the god of the circus. More specifically, she spoke of him as the living embodiment of the thrill of danger that the circus provides, the sense of strange otherworldliness. Issue #133 finally shed some light on the truth behind the Zanni’s power. The creature lured Blüdhaven’s children to his realm by playing circus music only they could hear, partly to bait Nightwing, and partly to stock his circus. While normal people couldn’t detect the Zanni’s presence infecting their city as anything more than a bad feeling, the powerful psychic Martian Manhunter could.
He scanned the city, locating the truth behind the Zanni’s power and location. After gathering his data, he took his findings to Nightwing, who had already figured out the situation. Nightwing deduced that the Zanni was a being of the fifth dimension. Not quite an impt like Nite-Mite or Mister Mxyzptlk, but something else born out of the raw imagination of the realm. Nightwing asked for Martian Manhunter’s help in getting to the Zanni’s realm, and the telepath provided. He gathered the minute perception every citizen had to form a portal directly to the Zanni’s circus tent within the fifth dimension.
Before they parted, Martian Manhunter cautioned Nightwing that he had to face the Zanni alone. He was a creature made of imagination, and so the more you know about him, the power he has. If Nightwing gathered more heroes together, it would only make the Zanni that much more powerful. Nightwing had to confront him on his home turf, alone, if he wanted to stand any chance of rescuing the lost children. This proves that not only is the Zanni powerful, but he might be the most powerful fifth-dimensional being we’ve ever seen.
A Superman-Tier Threat For a Street-Level Hero
Nightwing has been trained by Batman and has gone up against some of the deadliest beings in DC, up to and including the Great Darkness. He’s one of the best leaders in the entire universe, and while he’s certainly in the upper echelon of fighters and tacticians, he is only human at the end of the day. He can’t run faster than a speeding bullet or bend steel with his bare hands, and yet he’s going alone to fight a creature that would give the entire Justice League a tough battle. This only continues the trend of Batman and characters associated with him battling people way above their weight class, but it will not be a plot hole if and when Nightwing defeats the Zanni.
Although he is nigh all-powerful based on what we’ve seen, the key to defeating the Zanni is the same thing that gives him power. He is a being of imagination that draws strength from the thrill of the outcast and threat of death, meaning that the battle against him won’t be physical, but psychological. Nightwing has to defeat the Zanni with his mind, finding a way to demystify the being and make him known and mundane, which would rob him of his power. The Zanni is not unstoppable, as he wouldn’t require agents or a ringmaster if he were. Nightwing has a chance to stop him, and it all comes down to his biggest strengths: his heart and his mind.
Nightwing #133 is on sale now!
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