How Jason Todd Became the Most Interesting Batman Character

Savas Abadsidis August 4, 2022

For a character intended to replace Dick Grayson, whose original origin lazily plagiarized Dick Grayson’s and then suddenly pivoted and changed with no explanation and then killed off in one of the biggest gimmicks ever, Jason Todd aka the Red Hood aka the second Robin emerged and is arguably the most popular character of the Batman family.

From fangirls who love his emo bad boy return from the grave depth to others who love his moral ambiguity and ability to break Batman’s normally infallible resolve with doubt.

Above: Jason Todd Workout cover by @ArtofNickRobles

So how what makes Jason Todd so captivating to fans, artists, and writers?

Many things but rarely talked about is how he is a revelatory character in the Batman mythos. He’s homeless and poor when we meet him. As a matter of fact, he’s found by Bruce Wayne trying to steal the tires off of the Batmobile in Crime Alley, the very place that his parents were murdered.

He is a modern day Robin Hood, not afraid of redistributing wealth.

He’s the only non-villain from the lower class.

The central Todd mythos are often bookended by two stories, A Death in the Family, which is where he is killed by the Joker while seeking to find his mother and Under the Red Hood written by Judd Winick and particularly the animated movie directed by Brandon Vietti.

Family holds something of a sacred spot in the line-up of classic Batman stories. It was the moment that Batman failed – and he failed monumentally. The image of Batman cradling a bloody and bruised Robin in his arms is almost iconic, recognizable to any pop culture aficionado. However, the story itself really isn’t anything too spectacular – it’s as if writer Jim Starlin was trying to combine the adventurous take on Batman from the seventies with the more grim-and-gritty crusader of the late eighties, with a frankly inexplicable desire to dabble in global politics. Frankly, despite the power of the rich imagery provided by Jim Aparo, the story is more than just a little bit weak, and certainly not strong enough to support the label of “classic” that is applied so frequently to the story.

The Movie Bl0g:

I suppose that it had to happen eventually. Batman had to lose a Robin. As Batman’s world got increasingly dark in the eighties and into the nineties, the yellow and red and green of his child sidekick stood in even greater contrast to the shadows falling over the comic book. If you were going to make the Caped Crusader’s world an edgier and more dangerous one, the teenage sidekick seems obviously out of place. If Batman is truly fighting an unending “war on crime”, as some of the darker portrayals claim, then doesn’t that make Robin a child soldier rather than a faithful companion?
Furthermore, asking a kid to dress up and fight crime with you isn’t exactly a particularly responsible decision from a heroic character – there are any number of horrible consequences which may come down the line. The bright and cheerful narratives of the sixties protected Batman from ever having to worry about that, but by the time Reagan had come to power, it was time to question these assumptions. Batman puts children into the line of fire every day. What happens if – even only once – he makes the wrong decision? What if one dies? Surely it’s his fault, then?

When Grayson left the role of Robin to strike out on his own – becoming the hero Nightwing and moving slightly away from the Batman family – editors at DC comics were quick to replace him. It was the eighties, so the replacement was called upon to be quite a bit different from he pleasant Grayson. Jason Todd was a rebellious teenage ruffian who was introduced stealing the wheels off the Batmobile. Rather than growing up in a loving and idyllic environment like Dick (who grew up in a circus), Jason was a product of Crime Alley – the same location that had claimed Bruce’s parents all those years ago. When Todd became Robin, he was arrogant and headstrong, never afraid to make his own decisions or question authority. You couldn’t have asked for a sharper contrast with his direct predecessor.

Perhaps that is why Todd never caught on as Robin. Fans took an immediate dislike to the character. Perhaps prompted by a panel in Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns, which implies that Jason’s death led to Bruce’s retirement, the powers that be decided that Robin would be killed off. In fact, in a move which was probably quite ahead of its time (for better or worse) DC asked audience members to “vote” via telephone on whether Todd would live or die.

From Robin To Red Hood

IGN:

Years later Jason Todd was brought back to life thanks to Talia al Ghul restoring him with the resurrecting power of the Lazarus Pit. It wasn’t long before Jason learned that the Joker was still alive, and so he cursed Batman’s name for not killing the villain who took the life of his sidekick.

Believing Batman’s methods for delivering justice were too soft and ineffective, Jason decided to take up the mantle of the Red Hood so he could punish evildoers with his own brutal sense of justice.

@nxsty.editz Jason Todd🔥#batman #redhood #gothamknights #dccomics #editaudio #undertheredhood #spiderman #nxstyeditz #LENOVOJUSTBEYOU #10MillionAdoptions ♬ original sound – 𝓝𝔁𝓼𝓽𝔂

The Red Hood was originally a disguise worn by the Joker before he was transformed into a laughing maniac. Jason chose to take over the moniker so he could own what the Joker did to him and use it to become the Joker’s destruction.

This set the Red Hood on a path to become a brooding, bitter anti-hero who often crosses lines that others in the Bat-family won’t. The mere fact that he uses guns is a big middle finger to Batman, who has sworn them off as the tool of the enemy. That said, Jason doesn’t execute bad guys willy nilly like Marvel’s Punisher; he usually digs down deep to find the restraint not to become an executioner. He even spared the Joker’s life when he finally got the chance to take his revenge, showing that despite the tragedy he’s suffered, there’s still a spark of light within him that keeps him aligned with the side of good. (Although, given the ever-changing nature of comics, a recent development has seen Red Hood go darker than ever before.)

Todd is both a victim and villain, and a change agent.

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His willingness to kill and use firearms is a huge difference from Batman.

Todd offers up a different kind of former sexy sidekick.

His live action debut on HBO Max’s Titans played by actor Curran Walters cemented his status with fans.

Walters brought a petulant bitchy melancholy that resonated with fans.

For all these reasons, Todd developed into a character who you actually anything could happen to… comic book characters are often static.

Jason is not.

He also often says what’s on readers minds.

json todd wrote this https://t.co/qXpIRyjBkl
— del (@hexjojo) November 11, 2021

He is the fallen angel.

jason todd the fallen angel pic.twitter.com/0SdkdCJF9q
— 🐒 lily (@munkaei) July 28, 2022

He is victim of multiple trauma and not afraid to talk about it.

jason todd coming back to life pic.twitter.com/3WXl1nstC8
— bruce wayne lover (@jayrisu) July 28, 2022

He’s no goody two shoes.

Jason Todd beating ass and drinking beer. pic.twitter.com/NgHajKiGDn
— Ashley|TheBatFamily 🦇 (@TheBat_Family) August 4, 2022

Much like Gen Z he is lost and had any promise of a future taken from him.

Funny thing about Jason Todd is that he really doesn’t have a generation.
He’s vaguely younger than the original Teen Titans, but he doesn’t have his own set of characters that match him in age. pic.twitter.com/seLOXNg7Lb
— Clark (@VegetaIV) July 29, 2022

And he’s the one Robin who you know is always DTF and an object of desire.