Warning! Spoilers for From the DC Vault: Death in the Family: Robin Lives! #4!The Bat-Family has seen tons of trauma and tragedy, but the person who has suffered the most has always beenRed Hood, also known as Jason Todd. Jason never seems to get a good ending, but DC showed that one small change could’ve given Jason the support and life that he needed to overcome his trauma.
While almost every comic fan knows about Jason’s death in the pages ofBatman:Death in the Familyby Jim Starlin and Jim Aparo,DC decided to explore an alternate history inFrom theDC Vault: Death in the Family: Robin Lives!,which concludes with issue #4 by J.M. DeMatteis, Rick Leonardi, Rico Renzi, and Taylor Esposito. In this story,Jason survives his fateful encounter with the Joker, leaving Jason with significant trauma - but at least he wasn’t dead.
This new story showsBatman trying to get Jason the help he needs to overcome his trauma, sending him to a therapist and doing his best to support Jason as he tries to recover. While it’s certainly not easy for anyone, the story’s climax shows hope for the future, and it shows a way that Batman might have been able to save Jason that he never got to do in the original timeline - despite the ultimately tragic ending to the series.
Jason Todd’s Original History as Batman’s Robin Is Much Darker Than This Retelling
Panels fromBatman: Death in the Familyby Jim Starlin and Jim Aparo
Jason Todd’s history in the main DC timeline is absolutely heartbreaking. Born to Catherine and Willis Todd,Jason never really had a chance in life. His mother died due to a drug overdose, and his father was a career criminal who was never in his life and then was murdered by Two-Face. Jason eventually wound up homeless and had to steal just to survive, which brought him into contact with Batman. Not knowing what to do with the wayward boy, Batman dumps Jason at Ma Gunn’s school for orphaned children, which turned out to be a training facility for criminals run by the villainous Ma Gunn.
Jason Todd was a ray of sunshine in Wayne Manor and a cheerful, happy kid.
After Jason helps expose Ma Gunn’s schemes, Batman decides there’s no other choice but to take Jason in as the second Robin. From here, Jason’s life improves dramatically.He was a ray of sunshine in Wayne Manor and a cheerful, happy kid, regardless of the retcons that DC has tried to make to his original childhood personality. Eventually, Jason realizes that Catherine wasn’t his biological mother, and when he sets out to find his birth mom, everything falls apart. He finds his mother being forced to work with the Joker, and when he tries to save her, she betrays him, resulting in them both being killed by the Clown Prince of Crime.
Batman and Red Hood Were Vicious Enemies for Many Years
Batman#635 by Judd Winick, Doug Mahnke, Tom Nguyen, Alex Sinclair, and Pat Brosseau
Years later,Jason Todd returns as the Red HoodinBatman#635 by Judd Winick and Doug Mahnke. Jason had been dead for years - since 1988 - and when he returned to see that the Joker was still very much alive and going on rampages across Gotham regularly, he was infuriated at the idea of Batman not only allowing the Joker to live but replacing him with a new Robin. And so the Red Hood was born:Jason decides to set out as a villain to destroy Batman’s life and kill the Joker.Batman’s reaction to Red Hood’s quest is what ultimately seals Jason’s story as a tragedy.
Red Hood’s return to Gotham received a fan-favorite animated adaptation in the movieBatman: Under the Red Hood, which is available to stream on Max.
Batman’s biggest rule is about not killing. Anytime someone kills, it’s almost an immediate way to become Batman’s enemy. When Jason returned as the Red Hood, it was under the belief that Batman’s way of fighting crime fundamentally did not work. Jason resorted to using lethal force when dealing with criminals. He beganslaughtering the biggest gang leaders and bringing their soldiers under his controlso that he could control crime instead of trying to stop it. Unfortunately, this made Batman consider him an enemy more than anything else.
InRobin Lives!, Jason Todd Finally Succeeds in Killing His Ultimate Foe, the Joker
And It Nearly Leads to Jason’s Best Possible Ending
WhenBatman realized that Jason Todd was Red Hood, he was much more shocked than relieved. Seeing that Jason had been killing criminals and was trying to kill the Joker firmly placed Jason as an enemy in Batman’s mind. Saving Jason was secondary to stopping him. This tragedy of circumstance permanently damaged Batman and Jason’s relationship, and they never really recovered from it. ButFrom the DC Vault: Death in the Family: Robin Lives!shows what might have happened if Jason had actually been given the love and support he needed all along.
Looking for a more recent and in-continuity Red Hood story? Check outTask Force Zby Matthew Rosenberg and Eddy Barrows, available now both digitally and in collected editions from DC Comics.
InFrom the DC Vault: Death in the Family: Robin Lives, after surviving the Joker’s attack, Jason manages to shoot and kill the Joker, but there’s a major difference here. Instead of Jason coming back to life as a criminal and killing dozens of people before Batman realized who he was, in this story, the wounds are still fresh.Jason kills the Jokeronly a few months after his near-death experience with the Joker. This series of events completely changes things for Batman. While Bruce still isn’t happy about the Joker’s death,he can see why Jason was driven to do it after what he went through.
All Jason Todd Needed to Make It in Gotham Was Someone Who Truly Cared
Love Could Have Changed Jason Todd’s Fate
In the original timeline, Batman and Jason Todd came to blows and ended up as enemies for years because of how Batman handled Jason’s anger, resentment, and vigilante style. But in this new story, Bruce responds with compassion.Instead of berating and abandoning Jason for killing the Joker,Batman embraces Jason in a hug, along with Nightwing.He understands what Jason did was bad, but he also recognizes that it’s far from unforgivable, resulting in Jason finally getting what he needed all along: compassion.
Robin’s Most Brutal Test Recreates The Death of Jason Todd, With 1 Crucial Difference
Jason Todd has been through a significant amount of trauma in his life, but one terrifying event just showed one line that he will never cross.
When Jason came back to life in the mian timeline, he felt completely abandoned. Batman had seemingly moved on and even allowed the Joker to continue living after what he had done. This state of affairs would be traumatic for anyone, and due to the amount of time that had passed, and Batman’s own trauma, it led to a major conflict between the two.
If Batman had simply responded with compassion and actually talked to Jason inUnder the Red Hood, everything could have been different. Even though Jason still didn’t get a happy ending inRobin Lives!, it’s the closest DC has ever shown toRed Hoodfinally getting what he needed from his family.
From the DC Vault: Death in the Family: Robin Lives!#4is available now from DC Comics.
Red Hood
Jason Todd is a complex figure known for his tumultuous journey as Batman’s second Robin. Initially impulsive and rebellious, he’s resurrected after a tragic death, becoming the vigilante Red Hood. Armed with intense combat skills and a moral ambiguity, he challenges Batman’s methods, navigating a path between heroism and anti-heroism in Gotham’s unforgiving streets.
