The Poorly Disguised Pilot Nightwing #30 has Dick facing Bruce in a brutal one-on-one cave brawl, and winning.
With very limited food and water, Dick manages to last ten days walking in a desert while taking care of a baby. He even manages to outlast the superhuman Midnighter. And he may have unwittingly inspired the next Superman (well, Superwoman).
Tim is the better detective, Damian is the better fighter, but Dick has the same superpower as his adoptive father: He never gives up
Dick uses the Hypnos kill switch to defeat Midnighter. For those keeping count, that's the third time that Dick has gotten the upper hand on what is considered a darker and superhuman analogue of Batman.
Mister Minos blowing away the head of the Fist of Cain just as he was about to strangle Helena. It's implied that the Fist killing someone he loved was the reason he became "Mister Minos" in the first place. Minos may be a shady, faceless bastard but he cares for his agents.
Dick and Agent 1 taking down the reassembled Paragon using Dick's experience as a superhero.
Grayson's final issue gives us a glorious double spread of all versions of Dick Grayson in his entire life—including his hypothetical Talon identity! They all then proceed to kick Doctor Daedalus's butt.
The last panel of Grayson features a loving Shout-Out to Superman, where we see Dick embarking on the next chapter of his life: a black-and-blue Nightwing.
The Fan Film
Thr entire film qualifies. For context, the film was released in 2002. The most recent film in the Batman universe at that time was the execrable Batman and Robin released five years earlier and it would be another three years before The Dark Knight would reinvigorate the franchise on the big screen. To this day many fans still lament that the full length film will never be made. It’s unsurprising that DC clamped down on fan films after the release of Grayson as it was undoubtedly embarrassing as hell to have an amateur director with a minimal budget produce something far better than their most recent attempt.
Brian C. Bethel does an outstanding job portraying The Joker, especially considering this was his sole screen credit before his untimely death in 2010 at the age of just 40.
