DC has recently revisited Dick Grayson’s origins asRobinin a new series by Mark Waid, but it’s long past time that DC gave the ‘Year One’ treatment to one ofBatman’sother proteges–Jason “Red Hood” Todd. While the publisher has long been using the ‘Year One’ subtitle to retell origin stories and the earliest days of many of its iconic characters, Red Hood needs the origin revamp more than most.
His past as Robin is notably inconsistent in how he’s depicted, resulting in two takes on Jason that feel incompatible.
The broad strokes of Jason Todd’s origin story—his childhood in Crime Alley, his time as Robin, his untimely murder, resurrection, and eventualtransformation into the Red Hood—have remained consistent. However, the details of his past, particularly his time as Robin and his characterization as Batman’s sidekick, have been written in vastly different ways.
As a result,reading his original stories as Robin alongside modern flashbacks can feel inconsistent, almost as though there are two distinct versions of Jason Todd.
Jason Todd’s Inconsistent Robin Characterization: A Case for His Own"Year One"
Exploring the Divergence: Early Acts of Compassion vs. Later Depictions of Rage in Jason Todd’s Robin Years
ThoughJason has the reputation of being a bad Robin, this couldn’t be further from the truth. 1987’sBatman #411by Max Allan Collins, with art by Dave Cockrum, features Jason Todd fighting Two-Face after learning that the latter was responsible for his father’s death. Though his initial response is born of anger,he also ends the issue by making the choice to save Harvey’s life of his own accord.In the same vein, 1986’sDetective Comics #570by Mike W. Barr and Alan Davis shows Jason stopping Batman from killing the Joker. These early examples demonstrate Jason’s compassion and heroism.
If DC Wants to Fix Red Hood, It Needs to Take Jason Todd In a New Direction
Jason Todd has been stuck in a perpetual push-and-pull at DC, and it’s time to let Red Hood find his own way forward without the shadow of his past.
Most of the modern flashbacks to Jason’s time as Robin, however, heavily focus on his rage and anger issues. 2003’sBatman: Gotham Knights #43by Scott Beatty and Roger Robinson features a flashback to Jason working with Barbara, showing himshooting a spear gun through someone’s hand.The 2021 storyCheer, published in issues 1-6 ofBatman: Urban Legendsby Chip Zdarsky with art by Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira, and Marcus To, heavily emphasized Jason’s angry and violent nature as Robin. Other flashbacks to Jason’s time as Robin feature similar beats, playing up his anger and ignoring his other traits.
Consequently, these takes on Jason Todd’s time as Robin, the ones written before his death and the ones written after, contradict one another in terms of characterization. While the fact that nearly every comic book character has had multiple different writers across their history means that very few characters have ever had completely consistent characterization,Jason stands out as a particularly egregious case due to how greatly these takes on his character differ. It can be hard to believe that theseversions of Jason Todd are meant to be the same characterdue to these substantial differences in characterization.
Jason Todd DESERVES the ‘Year One’ Treatment From DC Comics
A ‘Year One’ Series for Jason Would Be a Perfect Opportunity to Address Inconsistencies
A ‘Year One’ series focusing onJason Todd’s time as Robinwould be the perfect way to address the inconsistencies in the way his days as Robin have been depicted.Instead of being forced to pick between these two differing characteristics, DC could meld them, casting Jason as someone who is aware of his anger issues but is also trying to keep a lid on them to be the best Robin he can be. This, in turn, creates a more nuanced take on Jason’s character as Robin, blending both his positive and negative traits.
I Just Realized the Whole Premise for Jason Todd’s Red Hood Is Built on a Lie
One of the biggest problems Red Hood has with Batman is Batman’s refusal to kill the Joker, but this is based on a complete misunderstanding.
Jason’s current role as Red Hood is, of course, an important part of the character. However, his past as Robin is just as significant.A ‘Year One’ story for Jason could bring his time as Batman’s sidekick back to the spotlight, showing how important it was not just for the character’s history, but also for Jason himself. Because Jason was Robin and, therefore, a part of Batman’s world, it set in motion everything that would happen to him in the future.
Fans can check outBatman & Robin: Year Oneby Mark Waid and Chris Samnee to explore the origins of the dynamic duo of Dick Grayson and Bruce Wayne.
Jason Todd’s ‘Year One’: Tragic Foreshadowing for the Red Hood
Rewriting Robin’s Past to Set the Stage for His Inevitable Future
Additionally, a ‘Year One’ for Jason Todd could add something new to the character: tragic foreshadowing.Jason Todd’s original stories as Robin weren’t written with the foresight that he would be murdered by the Jokeror that he would become the Red Hood. The aspects ofJason’s character that are now seen as foundationalto his modern depiction as an anti-hero weren’t even considered as possibilities when he was Robin, simply because those stories weren’t written with the intent that Jason’s future would involve his death.
By retelling Jason’s Robin stories from a modern lens and knowing exactly how his time as Batman’s sidekick will come to an end,DC can use Jason’s past to build up and lead into his future.The readers may know how Jason’s origin will end, but the characters don’t. No matter how badly these characters in the present wish things turned out differently, and no matter how much readers could wish for Jason’s future to turn out differently, there’s nothing they can do because his fate as Red Hood is sealed.
Watch Out, Batman: Red Hood’s Daddy Issues Are Back and Deadlier Than Ever
DC appears to be teasing the resurgence of Red Hood’s revenge-fueled daddy issues with Batman—and this time, they’re deadlier than ever.
Jason Todd is in dire need of a ‘Year One’ reboot from DC Comics. His past as Robin is notably inconsistent in how he’s depicted, resulting in two takes on Jason that feel incompatible. A new take on his days as Robin could synthesize his characterization while also adding a new layer of foreshadowing due to his fate already being known. As DC Comics continues to revisit the pasts of their most iconic heroes, hopefully, it’ll breathe new life intoRed Hood’s.
