Summary
- Red Hood’s journey is defined by his failures as both Robin and as a potential successor to the Joker, shaping him into the beloved anti-hero he is today.
- Jason Todd’s failure as Robin stemmed from his ruthless violence against criminals, breaking Batman’s “no killing” rule and ultimately leading to his death at the hands of the Joker.
- The Jokers believed that Red Hood wasn’t intelligent enough to be the next Joker, resulting in a failure on Jason’s part and preventing the possibility of him becoming the monster he feared most. These failures were driven by the unrealistic expectations placed on Red Hood in both roles.
Red Hood’s journey is marked by a double-edged failure: he didn’t merely fall short of being Robin, he also failed when the time came for him to become the next Joker. Both of these failures have resulted in the anti-hero that fans have come to know and love over the years.
Jason’s failure at being Robin started with his ruthlessness against criminals. In Batman #424 by Jim Starlin, Mark Bright, Steve Mitchell, and Adrienne Roy, the second Robin’s out-of-control violence comes to a peak when he allegedly pushes a criminal out of a window, thus breaking Batman’s “no killing” rule. This act of violence sets off a domino effect that eventually leads to the young vigilante’s death at the hands of the Joker in the renowned Batman story arc Death in the Family by Jim Starlin, Jim Aparo, Mike DeCarlo, and Adrienne Roy, which solidified Jason’s failure as Robin. However, this failure wasn’t the end of Jason Todd, nor was it his last.
Red Hood Wasn’t Smart Enough to Be the Next Joker
In Batman: Three Jokers #2 by Geoff Johns, Jason Fabok, Brad Anderson, and Rob Leigh, Jason Todd is kidnapped and brutalized by the Jokers, a scene that is eerily similar to Jason’s fatal encounter with the Joker in Death in the Family. During his torture, the Jokers confess that they thought Jason would be the ideal candidate in their plot to create another Joker. However, they decide against dipping Red Hood in their pool full of ACE chemicals, stating that he’s “just not bright enough” to be one of them. In the eyes of the Jokers, this was a failure on Jason’s part for not meeting their standards, which results in Jason “failing” at becoming the Joker.
If the Jokers hadn’t ultimately decided that Jason wasn’t fit to be a Joker, fans may have ended up with a Jokerized Red Hood. Not only would this have resulted in the complete rewriting of Jason’s character and storylines, but it also would have turned Red Hood into the thing he feared the most: the monster who brutalized and killed him. However, an even more daunting outcome for fans would have been the possible (second) death of Jason Todd. Prior to Jason’s kidnapping, all the clowns’ Jokerized test subjects eventually died because of their dip in the toxic chemical baths, making it highly probable that the same fate would have awaited the second Robin.
The Second Death of Jason Todd
Despite the negative stigma often associated with failure, in Jason’s case, fans wouldn’t have it any other way. Had Jason not faced his tragic demise as Robin, Gotham would never been introduced to its foul-mouthed anti-hero, Red Hood. Conversely, had the Jokers succeeded in Jokerizing Jason, we would have lost Red Hood entirely. Jason’s shortcomings in both the roles of Robin and the Joker stem from others’ expectations. Bruce wanted Jason to emulate himself and Dick Grayson, the original Boy Wonder, during his time as Robin, while the Jokers aimed to mold Jason in their image. Ultimately, the unrealistic expectations placed on Red Hood are what led to his failure in both roles.
Check out Batman: Three Jokers #2, Batman #424, and Batman: Death in the Family, all available now from DC Comics!
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