Contains spoilers for Batgirls #9!
While the Joker may effectively be Gotham's answer to the devil, the Clown Prince of Crime is currently traveling the world on a mission of his own, leaving the villain who shot Nightwing as the Bat-Family's most hated adversary. The attempted assassination of Nightwing quickly became one of his most controversial stories when he lost his memories and adopted the alternate identity of Ric Grayson, rejecting the Bat-Family and abandoning his former life. Now, nearly two years after Dick regained his memory, the Bat-Family is still taking revenge on the villain responsible for his injury.
When Bane set out to "break the Bat" by ruining Bruce Wayne emotionally, he hired the super-assassin Anatoli Knyazev, also known as KGBeast or simply the Beast, to shoot Nightwing in the head in Batman #55. This launched an arc in the Nightwing solo series that lasted from October 2018's Nightwing #50 to September 2020's Nightwing #74, and 'killed' the Dick Grayson fans knew and loved. Ric Grayson operated as a cab driver for some time in the Nightwing solo series, though eventually returned to life as a vigilante without adopting the Nightwing name. Ric Grayson's tenure in the DC universe was a tumultuous time for the character, with the cabbie getting involved with a whole gang of 'Nightwings,' the Court of Owls and even Joker himself before restoring his memory.
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Batgirls #9 - written by Becky Cloonan & Michael W. Conrad and drawn by Neil Googe - continues a pattern of DC's heroes taking revenge on KGBeast. The issue sees the duo of Spoiler and Orphan, assisted by Oracle taking out his equipment, beating up KGBeast and leaving him for law enforcement. Though KGBeast thought he was the one tracking the Batgirls, he is quickly defeated by the group, with Cassandra Cain stating, "This is for Nightwing!" as she lands the final blow in yet another stop on the villain's lengthy punishment tour.
The Batgirls clearly hold a grudge against Anatoli, as they actively seek him out in what narration bubbles describe as a night of fun for the gang. This is far from the first time an ally of Nightwing's has gotten revenge on KGBeast for his nearly fatal headshot. Quickly after the event unfolds in Gotham, Batman tracked the Beast to Russia and defeated him in a shockingly brutal confrontation, leaving him for dead in the snow. This is easily the most personal act of retribution taken against Knyazev, as Batman not only truly hates KGBeast, but his rage and depression at the time drove him about as close to murder as he's ever been. Several other members of the Bat-Family relished beating down KGBeast since Ric Grayson's debut, including Wally West's Flash, Damian Wayne's Robin and of course Nightwing himself.
At this point, there are few Nightwing-adjacent heroes who haven't taken down KGBeast, usually in a one-sided beating that's clearly punishment rather than a fair fight. KGBeast is a deadly killer, but he made a huge mistake shooting Nightwing, as he now has the Bat-Family's enraged attention in a way only Joker and Bane ever have before. With the Bat-Family still getting revenge on Anatoli four years after he shot Nightwing, it seems like the Beast will remain their new punching bag at least until Joker makes his next big move.
Batgirls #9 is available now from DC Comics.