The Flying Graysons are fictional characters appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

s published by

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

. They are a family of

trapeze artists A trapeze is a short horizontal bar hung by ropes, metal straps, or chains, from a ceiling support. It is an aerial apparatus commonly found in circus performances. Trapeze acts may be static, spinning (rigged from a single point), swinging or ...

, whose child Dick is adopted by

Bruce Wayne (Batman) Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...

and becomes Robin after their deaths. The Flying Graysons have been featured in several media adaptions outside of comics, commonly as part of Robin's

origin story In fiction, an origin story is an account or backstory revealing how a character or group of people become a protagonist or antagonist. In American comic books, it also refers to how characters gained their superpowers and/or the circumstances ...

Fictional team history

The Flying Graysons are a group of trapeze artists at Haly's Circus, consisting of father John, mother Mary, and son Dick Grayson. Crime boss

Tony Zucco Anthony Zucco is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. First appearing in ''Detective Comics'' #38 (April 1940), Zucco is a mobster responsible for murdering the parents of Dick Grayson, which leads to Gra ...

murders the Graysons after the circus' owner Jack Haly refuses to pay him protection money. Following this, Bruce Wayne adopts Dick, who becomes his sidekick Robin. In ''

Blackest Night "Blackest Night" is a 2009–10 American comic book Fictional crossover, crossover storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous central miniseries, written by Geoff Johns and penciled by Ivan Reis, along with a number of tie-in i ...

'', the Graysons are temporarily resurrected as

Black Lanterns The Black Lantern Corps is a fictional organization of corporeal revenants (resembling intelligent zombies or jiangshi) appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, related to the emotional spectrum. The group is composed of deceased fictiona ...

.''Blackest Night: Batman'' #1. DC Comics. ''

Nightwing Nightwing is a superhero alias used by multiple characters in American comic books published by DC Comics. The most prominent bearer is Dick Grayson, the original Robin, who adopts the Nightwing identity to assert his independence from Batman. ...

'' (vol. 4) reveals that, prior to marrying Mary, John had a daughter named Melinda from a brief relationship with Tony Zucco's wife Meili.

Other versions

* In

Frank Miller Frank Miller (born January 27, 1957) is an American comic book artist, comic book writer, and screenwriter known for his comic book stories and graphic novels such as his run on ''Daredevil'', for which he created the character Elektra, and ...

's '' All Star Batman & Robin, the Boy Wonder'' on

Earth-31 The DC Multiverse is a fictional continuity construct used in numerous DC Comics publications. The Multiverse has undergone numerous changes since its introduction and has included various universes, listed below between the original Multiverse a ...

, they appear in the first issue. * An alternate timeline version of the Flying Graysons appears in '' Flashpoint''. * An

Earth-37 The Multiverse (DC Comics), DC Multiverse is a fictional continuity construct used in numerous DC Comics publications. The Multiverse has undergone numerous changes since its introduction and has included various universes, listed below between t ...

'' Thrillkiller'' version of John, Mary and Dick Grayson are Johan Graustark, Petra Graustark and Rickart Graustark. * The Flying Graysons appears in ''Lil Gotham''.

In other media

Television

* The Flying Graysons appear in the '' Batman: The Animated Series'' two-part episode " Robin's Reckoning", with John and Mary Grayson respectively voiced by Thomas F. Wilson and

Diane Pershing Diane Pershing is an American voice actress, film critic, and novelist. She began her singing career as a back-up singer for Johnny Mathis and went on to appear in the show group, The Establishment, on tour and on TV. She also voiced Poison Ivy ...

. * The Flying Graysons appear in a flashback in the ''

Teen Titans The Teen Titans are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, frequently in eponymous monthly series. As the group's name indicates, the members are teenage superheroes, many of whom have acted as sidekicks to DC ...

'' episode "Haunted". ** A poster of the Flying Graysons appears in ''

Teen Titans Go! ''Teen Titans Go!'' is an American animated television series developed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic for Cartoon Network. It premiered on April 23, 2013, and is based on DC Comics' fictional superhero team the Teen Titans. The series ...

'' #47. * The Flying Graysons appear in '' The Batman'' episode "A Matter of Family", with John voiced by

Kevin Conroy Kevin Conroy (November 30, 1955 – November 10, 2022) was an American actor. He appeared in a variety of stage performances, television series, and television films. Conroy earned fame for voicing the DC Comics superhero Batman in various anim ...

and Mary voiced by

Grey DeLisle Grey DeLisle (; born Erin Grey Van Oosbree; August 24, 1973), sometimes credited as Grey Griffin, is an American voice actress and singer-songwriter. DeLisle is known for various roles in animated productions and video games. On September 27, ...

. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. *A poster of The Flying Graysons appears in The D & D Vortex S12 E16 of The Big Bang Theory. It is hanging on the wall of Wil Wheatons home. * A poster of the Flying Graysons appears in the ''

Young Justice Young Justice is a fictional DC Comics superhero team consisting of teenaged heroes. The team was formed in 1998 when DC's usual teen hero group, the Teen Titans, had become adults and changed their name to the Titans. Like the original ''Teen T ...

'' episode "Performance". ** The Flying Graysons appear in a flashback in issue #6 of the tie-in comic. This version of the group also consisted of Richard "Rick" Grayson (John's brother), Rick's wife Karla, and their son John II. While John, Mary, Karla, and John II were killed in the trapeze accident caused by Tony Zucco, Rick survived and was paralyzed from the fall. * The Flying Graysons appear in the '' Gotham'' episode "The Blind Fortune Teller" with John Grayson portrayed by Rob Gorrie and Mary by Abbi Snee. * The Flying Graysons appear in the ''

'' episode "Rad Dudes with Bad Tudes", with John voiced by

Greg Cipes Gregory Michael Cipes (born January 4, 1980) is an American actor. He is best known for his voice roles as Beast Boy in ''Teen Titans'', ''Teen Titans Go!,'' '' Young Justice'', and ''Beast Boy: Lone Wolf''; Michelangelo in ''Teenage Mutant Nin ...

and Mary by

Tara Strong Tara Lyn Strong (; born February 12, 1973) is a Canadian and American actress. She is known for her voice work in animation, websites, and video games. Strong's voice roles include animated series such as '' The Powerpuff Girls'', '' The Fair ...

. * The ancestors of John Grayson appear in the ''

Legends of Tomorrow ''DC's Legends of Tomorrow'', or simply ''Legends of Tomorrow'', is an American Time travel in fiction, time travel superhero fiction, superhero television series developed by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg, and Phil Klemmer, ...

'' episode "Freakshow" as members of

P. T. Barnum Phineas Taylor Barnum (July 5, 1810 – April 7, 1891) was an American showman, businessman, and politician remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes and founding with James Anthony Bailey the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. He was ...

's traveling circus. * The Flying Graysons appear in flashbacks in ''

Titans In Greek mythology, the Titans ( ; ) were the pre-Twelve Olympians, Olympian gods. According to the ''Theogony'' of Hesiod, they were the twelve children of the primordial parents Uranus (mythology), Uranus (Sky) and Gaia (Earth). The six male ...

'', with Mary portrayed by April Chodkowski and John by Randolf Hobbs.

Film

The Flying Graysons appear in ''

Batman Forever ''Batman Forever'' is a 1995 American superhero film based on the DC Comics character Batman by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. It is the third installment of the ''Batman'' film series, acting as a standalone sequel to ''Batman Returns''. Directe ...

'', with John Grayson portrayed by Larry A. Lee and Mary Grayson by Glory Fioramonti. This version of the group also consisted of Dick's brother Mitch (portrayed by

Mitch Gaylord Mitchell Jay Gaylord (born March 10, 1961) is an American gymnast, actor, and 1984 Los Angeles Olympic gold medalist in gymnastics. He was a member of the United States men's national artistic gymnastics team. Early life and education Gaylord w ...

), who was killed by

Two-Face Two-Face is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Bob Kane, and first appeared in ''Detective Comics'' #66 (August 1942). He has become one of the superhero Batman's most enduring e ...

alongside his parents.

Video games

Flying Graysons posters appear in the '' Batman: Arkham'' series.

References

External links

* {{Dick Grayson Characters created by Bill Finger Characters created by Bob Kane Comics characters introduced in 1940 DC Comics film characters Dick Grayson Fictional families Fictional murdered people Fictional trapeze artists