While Nightwing's romantic tension with allies like Starfire and Batgirl is part of what fans love about him, his more platonic bond with Wonder Girl deserves way more modern exploration. Dick Grayson’s attitude towards his fellow Teen Titan Donna Troy establishes that she is a hugely important person in his life who he once saw as a sister, but one who tends to go ignored in modern stories in favor of close friends like Wally West and Jon Kent.
Wonder Girl shares one of Wonder Woman’s more controversial origin stories, where she was sculpted of clay and magically brought to life. However, instead of Hippolyta, Donna Troy's creator was a villainous Amazonian sorceress named Derinoe, who wanted her new construct to destroy Diana. The Amazons intervened in this plot, rescuing the girl but needing to wipe her memory so that she believed herself to be just one of the many people who were saved by Wonder Woman. Nonetheless, she was taken to Themyscira and raised with the skills and knowledge needed to become a superhero. As a founding member of the Teen Titans, Donna literally grew up alongside Dick Grayson and the two of them formed one of the strongest bonds on the team. They are a natural intersection of the extensive Bat-Family and the Wonder-Family, which deserves greater recognition.
Nightwing poetically described the platonic nature of his friendship with Wonder Girl in Nightwing: Secret Files & Origins' 'Orange You Glad I Didn't Say Banana' by Devin Grayson and Brian Stelfreeze. Here, while discussing past loves, Dick says that Donna is “someone I somehow always knew rather than someone I discovered. She never made my breath catch so much as... well, she almost makes it easier to breathe.” He confirms that he loves her, but that they have a sibling-like bond rather than a romantic connection. This is a strong endorsement of a team member, showing that they are a pair who are completely at ease operating side by side.
Though everyone deserves romance, there are many times where it seems that Dick Grayson is overly focused on what smolders between him and Batgirl and Starfire - or the pursuit of more fleeting female companionship. Dick has a well-established history as a Lothario which tends to play a big part in his female friendships. In an extreme example, his 1995 Nightwing miniseries begins with him tracking down a mugging victim in hospital, having found her attractive when her glasses were knocked off. While the character has changed with time and attitudes, Dick still tends to lack for female friends who aren't also love interests.
It would be healthy to see Nightwing prove that he can have friends of the opposite sex who are not old flames and who are not presented as possible romantic prospects. With his complete faith in working alongside Donna Troy, she is an ideal candidate for adventures where Dick’s myriad romantic pursuits don’t take center stage. When someone is so confident in their work partner’s skills, instincts, and leadership, it makes sense to pair Nightwing with Wonder Girl, who is the consummate team player, as often as possible. Nightwing's current era has seen him looking up old friends and allies, so allowing his friendship with Wonder Girl the same focus as his bond with heroes like Flash would be a great way to emphasize the sibling-like relationship the two enjoy.
Nightwing's ladies' man reputation means he doesn't have many purely platonic female friendships, but one figure from his past fits the bill.Joshua Perttunen