Contains Spoilers for Nightwing #122!Nightwing is fighting a war on multiple fronts, but it’s now been revealed that his true foe might be a literal god akin to Loki. This revelation adds a level of mysticism to Nightwing’s circus upbringing and suggests that his newest status quo might not be as street-level as it initially appeared.

Nightwing #122 by Dan Watters and Dexter Soy has revealed the name of the mysterious villain behind Nightwing’s new circus-themed foes, the Cirque Du Sin, and it suggests that Dick Grayson might be taking on a literal god.

This issue flashes back to Dick’s first encounter as Robin with the Cirque Du Sin, introducing the Zanni, the giant otherworldly clown watching over everything. Dick assumes that he’s been drugged, but readers know from the series’ narration that the Zanni is very real, and another foe, Colombina, suggests that only those who grew up in a circus can see him.

Nightwing's New Villain, the Zanni, Might Be a God

Nightwing #122 and #119 by Dan Watters, Dexter Soy, Veronica Gandini, and Wes Abbott

Like fellow Cirque Du Sin member Colombina, the Zanni is a clown archetype of the commedia dell'arte, an Italian clowning tradition. One of the Zanni’s traditional roles is that of the trickster, which makes sense in this comic-book context. In trickster god akin to Marvel’s classic Loki or Anansi.

The question is how the Zanni is influencing Nightwing’s current adventure. Dick is trying to stop a gang war that’s being deliberately exacerbated by the forces of the militarized police replacement, Spheric Industries. Dick already knows one connection between Spheric and the circus, having realized that Spheric’s CEO, Olivia Pearce, is Colombina, but he has no idea that the Zanni is anything more than a hallucination. Nightwing is well-equipped to fight a group-level war, but if actual magic begins to factor in, then he may have to call on some allies with more experience in that realm.

Is Nightwing's New Mystic Villain, the Zanni, Manipulating a Gang War?

Mystic Meets Mundane in Nightwing's City

This divide between the mundane and the mystical is one of the most interesting parts of Watters and Soy’s run on Nightwing so far. Dick is fighting a street-level war, and readers only have a few pages to indicate that there’s something actually mystical happening. It's hard not to question why a potentially god-like being is playing on such a small scale. The actions of gods are notoriously hard to rationalize in stories, so maybe it’s trickery for trickery’s sake. If not, Nightwing’s going to have to figure out the bigger picture soon if he wants any hope at defeating his new divine foe, who makes Loki look boring.

Nightwing #122 is available now from DC Comics.