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August 24, 2024:
Thirty-six years ago this month, Batman fans voted to kill off the character of Jason Todd, the second Robin. But how did Batman's sidekick end up as a supervillain called Red Hood — and later a valued member of the Batman Family — years after his death? Jason’s story is one of the strangest — and most intriguing — in comic book history and one I’ve been following since the late 1980s. This unprecedented story is what made me such a lifelong Batman fan.
Before you continue reading, please note that this feature contains numerous spoilers. But if you're intrigued to learn more, it also contains numerous links to DC books that detail Jason’s story!
So... to explain Jason, we must start with another Robin entirely.
August 24, 2024:
Thirty-six years ago this month, Batman fans voted to kill off the character of Jason Todd, the second Robin. But how did Batman's sidekick end up as a supervillain called Red Hood — and later a valued member of the Batman Family — years after his death? Jason’s story is one of the strangest — and most intriguing — in comic book history and one I’ve been following since the late 1980s. This unprecedented story is what made me such a lifelong Batman fan.
Before you continue reading, please note that this feature contains numerous spoilers. But if you're intrigued to learn more, it also contains numerous links to DC books that detail Jason’s story!
So... to explain Jason, we must start with another Robin entirely.
Introduced, Disliked, Reinvented, Disliked Again
Detective Comics #38
The introduction of Jason Todd to the Batman universe essentially began with the success of Dick Grayson, a.k.a. the original Robin, The Boy Wonder. Hailed as the first (or at least one of the first) superhero sidekicks, Grayson was introduced in Detective Comics #38 in April 1940, just one year after Batman / Bruce Wayne had made his debut.
Providing an adolescent partner changed Batman’s story arc as Grayson had a softening effect on the stories. He was often the voice of reason who tamed Bruce’s darker impulses, and he introduced a sense of humor to storylines that might have otherwise been very grim. The Dark Knight gave up using guns (yes, he did in his early years) and adopted his now famous “no-kill” edict. His approach to crime-fighting — perhaps to set a (better) example for his young ward and comic book readers of a similar age — was less pulp fiction-style violence and deadly retribution, and more detective work to protect the innocent and the exploited. Grayson became a popular character with a fanbase of his own. Eventually, as Grayson’s character matured, he left home and became a superhero in his own right, first as Robin with the Teen Titans and eventually as Nightwing.
Leaving Batman partnerless did not fly with fans, who considered the Dynamic Duo incomplete without a Robin. It’s here that Jason Todd entered the picture.
Providing an adolescent partner changed Batman’s story arc as Grayson had a softening effect on the stories. He was often the voice of reason who tamed Bruce’s darker impulses, and he introduced a sense of humor to storylines that might have otherwise been very grim. The Dark Knight gave up using guns (yes, he did in his early years) and adopted his now famous “no-kill” edict. His approach to crime-fighting — perhaps to set a (better) example for his young ward and comic book readers of a similar age — was less pulp fiction-style violence and deadly retribution, and more detective work to protect the innocent and the exploited. Grayson became a popular character with a fanbase of his own. Eventually, as Grayson’s character matured, he left home and became a superhero in his own right, first as Robin with the Teen Titans and eventually as Nightwing.
Leaving Batman partnerless did not fly with fans, who considered the Dynamic Duo incomplete without a Robin. It’s here that Jason Todd entered the picture.
Jason "The Grayson Clone" makes his entrance as Robin in Batman #357 — wearing Dick Grayson's old costume!
It’s important to note that Jason had three essential incarnations, which I will refer to as “The Grayson Clone”, “The Street Kid” and “Red Hood.”
The Grayson Clone was introduced in Batman #357 (March 1983), although Todd didn’t formally take up the mantle of Robin until December of that same year. Like Grayson, this first Todd was an orphaned boy from a circus background who excelled at acrobatics. This was lazy storytelling at best, and the fans didn’t care for it. After all, Jason’s backstory presumed that Dick Grayson was no longer an essential personality in the DC universe and could be replaced with a knock-off. By 1985, the Batman editors completely revamped Todd’s character as part of the Crisis on Infinite Earths, a storyline that provided better continuity to the entire DC Comics franchise. Todd, the unpopular Grayson Clone, was replaced with a troubled yet driven “Street Kid.”
The Street Kid is first introduced to readers when Batman famously catches him stealing the Batmobile’s tires and hubcaps. Rather than being intimidated by the Dark Knight, by boy smacks him in the stomach with his tire iron, calls him a “big boob” and scampers off. Thus begins their very contentious relationship.
Intrigued by Todd's guts and ingenuity, Batman tracks him down to the dingy apartment he shares with his drug-addicted mother, Catherine Todd. When Catherine later dies of an overdose, Bruce adopts Todd as he had done with Dick Grayson before him, eventually training him to be the new Robin. There’s been a lot written about Bruce Wayne’s psychology in trying to replace the now adult and independent Dick Grayson with a new Boy Wonder. Grayson even expresses concern over how quickly he was replaced — partly because Todd's too unstable to be given such power.
Ultimately, the decision to make Todd the second Robin led to tragedy.
The Grayson Clone was introduced in Batman #357 (March 1983), although Todd didn’t formally take up the mantle of Robin until December of that same year. Like Grayson, this first Todd was an orphaned boy from a circus background who excelled at acrobatics. This was lazy storytelling at best, and the fans didn’t care for it. After all, Jason’s backstory presumed that Dick Grayson was no longer an essential personality in the DC universe and could be replaced with a knock-off. By 1985, the Batman editors completely revamped Todd’s character as part of the Crisis on Infinite Earths, a storyline that provided better continuity to the entire DC Comics franchise. Todd, the unpopular Grayson Clone, was replaced with a troubled yet driven “Street Kid.”
The Street Kid is first introduced to readers when Batman famously catches him stealing the Batmobile’s tires and hubcaps. Rather than being intimidated by the Dark Knight, by boy smacks him in the stomach with his tire iron, calls him a “big boob” and scampers off. Thus begins their very contentious relationship.
Intrigued by Todd's guts and ingenuity, Batman tracks him down to the dingy apartment he shares with his drug-addicted mother, Catherine Todd. When Catherine later dies of an overdose, Bruce adopts Todd as he had done with Dick Grayson before him, eventually training him to be the new Robin. There’s been a lot written about Bruce Wayne’s psychology in trying to replace the now adult and independent Dick Grayson with a new Boy Wonder. Grayson even expresses concern over how quickly he was replaced — partly because Todd's too unstable to be given such power.
Ultimately, the decision to make Todd the second Robin led to tragedy.
Crossing the Line: Was Jason Todd a Murderer?
Did he fall? Or was he pushed? Batman doesn't seem to buy Jason's explanation in Batman #424.
As it turned out, The Street Kid was no more popular than The Grayson Clone — and in fact, he was considerably more disturbing. Although physically and intellectually capable, Jason’s temperament constantly got in the way. Bruce now struggled to rein in a partner who was continually angry, frequently rash, and certainly willing to engage in brutality. Although I preferred Todd's second incarnation, partly because of his gritty realism, I can understand why other Batman fans had issues with him. After all, the Boy Wonder was not supposed to be an anti-hero who spent more time fighting with Bruce Wayne than helping him.
In Batman # 424, Jason finally crosses Batman’s “no-kill” line when he either pushes or fails to save a serial abuser named Felipe Garzonas from falling to his death. Jason’s guilt was left intentionally ambiguous, but the message was clear — Todd was no Dick Grayson, and a gloomy, defiant, and possibly murderous Robin was too much to ask fans to accept.
In Batman # 424, Jason finally crosses Batman’s “no-kill” line when he either pushes or fails to save a serial abuser named Felipe Garzonas from falling to his death. Jason’s guilt was left intentionally ambiguous, but the message was clear — Todd was no Dick Grayson, and a gloomy, defiant, and possibly murderous Robin was too much to ask fans to accept.
The Death of Jason Todd
Batman #428, October 1988
By 1988, Todd was living on a precipice, and Batman’s writers decided to give the disgruntled readers a say in his fate. This culminated in an infamous four-part storyline called A Death in the Family in which Todd discovers that the woman who raised him was not his biological mother. After considerable detective work, the young man finds his birth mother, Dr. Sheila Haywood, in Ethiopia, where she works in a refugee camp. Although on poor terms with Bruce, Todd begrudgingly accepts his adoptive father’s help uncovering his true family history. In the process, they discover that Dr. Haywood’s relief mission is a front for a terrorist operation spearheaded by The Joker. When Todd sets off alone to save his mother from The Joker’s compound, she betrays him, and the Clown Prince of Crime savagely beats the boy with a crowbar. Issue #427 ends with Batman racing to save mother and son, only to see the warehouse where they are trapped explode in a ball of fire.
But Todd's fate was still unclear. In the back of #427 was a black-and-white ad that offered readers a choice: Call one 1-900 number, and Robin lives. Call the other, and he dies. And Batman fans chose, by a thin margin, to end the unpopular second Robin once and for all.
I have no memory of voting in this phone poll in 1988, but I was shocked that Todd was killed. And I mean really killed—not saved at the last minute, as often happens in comic books. In Batman #428, Bruce and Alfred bury Todd and Sheila side by side, and the boy’s death passes into legend as Batman’s greatest failure.
But Todd's fate was still unclear. In the back of #427 was a black-and-white ad that offered readers a choice: Call one 1-900 number, and Robin lives. Call the other, and he dies. And Batman fans chose, by a thin margin, to end the unpopular second Robin once and for all.
I have no memory of voting in this phone poll in 1988, but I was shocked that Todd was killed. And I mean really killed—not saved at the last minute, as often happens in comic books. In Batman #428, Bruce and Alfred bury Todd and Sheila side by side, and the boy’s death passes into legend as Batman’s greatest failure.
DC Retcons Jason's Death
As a curious side note to all this, earlier this summer DC released From the DC Vault: Death in the Family - Robin Lives!, a reimagining of the original Death storyline had the fans voted to keep Todd alive.
“Continuing this classic, and controversial, story and following in the footsteps of Jim Starlin and Jim Aparo, two creators I greatly admire, has been both a challenge and a joy,” said writer J.M. DeMatteis is quoted on the DC website.
“This is a great opportunity to tell a story that’s big on action, but also takes a very deep dive into the heads of our main characters as we ponder what would have happened if Jason Todd had survived The Joker’s brutal attack. And having a master like Rick Leonardi bringing it to life visually? I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
The first part of the limited series was released in July 2024.
“Continuing this classic, and controversial, story and following in the footsteps of Jim Starlin and Jim Aparo, two creators I greatly admire, has been both a challenge and a joy,” said writer J.M. DeMatteis is quoted on the DC website.
“This is a great opportunity to tell a story that’s big on action, but also takes a very deep dive into the heads of our main characters as we ponder what would have happened if Jason Todd had survived The Joker’s brutal attack. And having a master like Rick Leonardi bringing it to life visually? I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
The first part of the limited series was released in July 2024.
The Resurrection(s) of Jason Todd
The consequences of Todd's death lingered for a while after the events in #428. Enraged by the murder, Batman sets out to capture The Joker, who now has political immunity after Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini made him the Iranian ambassador to the United Nations. If this seems like a nonsensical plot development, well, it was. In 1988, however, the Islamic Republic of Iran was the United States' real-life boogeyman — and I guess Batman's writers figured the Islamic regime was the perfect way to tie in politics at the height of Ronald Reagan's America. Ultimately, Superman had to intervene to keep Bruce from causing a major political crisis in his quest for justice.
Fortunately, this bizarre conceit didn't last but a few issues. In the end, The Joker disappears after a helicopter accident while trying to escape from an unsanctioned poison gas attack on the United Nations.
"That's the way things always end with The Joker and me," Batman mused. "Unresolved."
While The Joker's fate remained unknown, Todd's was a fait accompli, and the emotional impact of his death lingered.
In 1989, DC examined the grief resulting from Todd’s murder in a crossover event between the Batman and New Titans comics called A Lonely Place of Dying. Batman — now a solo act — is a shadow of himself. He can still do his job but suffers from nightmares, fever, and general apathy.
Enter Tim Drake, the Third Robin.
Drake, who has a genius-level IQ, has figured out that Bruce Wayne is Batman and the second Robin is dead. Anxious to assist, he seeks out Dick Grayson, who has temporarily rejoined the Haly Circus. Convincing Grayson of Batman's distress, the two return to Gotham, where Drake argues that Batman is not Batman without a Robin. And he wants the job.
Also grieving Todd's death, Grayson is initially reluctant to help. "When Jason died, he took Robin with him," he scolds a tearful Drake.
But Drake's talents and restraint are undeniable, and eventually, the First Robin helps convince Batman that a Third Robin is a good idea. Now, not only is Todd dead and buried... he's also been replaced.
For over a decade, Todd rests in peace.
Fortunately, this bizarre conceit didn't last but a few issues. In the end, The Joker disappears after a helicopter accident while trying to escape from an unsanctioned poison gas attack on the United Nations.
"That's the way things always end with The Joker and me," Batman mused. "Unresolved."
While The Joker's fate remained unknown, Todd's was a fait accompli, and the emotional impact of his death lingered.
In 1989, DC examined the grief resulting from Todd’s murder in a crossover event between the Batman and New Titans comics called A Lonely Place of Dying. Batman — now a solo act — is a shadow of himself. He can still do his job but suffers from nightmares, fever, and general apathy.
Enter Tim Drake, the Third Robin.
Drake, who has a genius-level IQ, has figured out that Bruce Wayne is Batman and the second Robin is dead. Anxious to assist, he seeks out Dick Grayson, who has temporarily rejoined the Haly Circus. Convincing Grayson of Batman's distress, the two return to Gotham, where Drake argues that Batman is not Batman without a Robin. And he wants the job.
Also grieving Todd's death, Grayson is initially reluctant to help. "When Jason died, he took Robin with him," he scolds a tearful Drake.
But Drake's talents and restraint are undeniable, and eventually, the First Robin helps convince Batman that a Third Robin is a good idea. Now, not only is Todd dead and buried... he's also been replaced.
For over a decade, Todd rests in peace.
Clayface impersonating Jason Todd in Hush.
For over a decade, Todd rests in peace. There is only one time when the Batman comics seem to give him a reprieve from the grave: the villain Clayface impersonates him to kidnap Tim Drake in Batman: Hush (2002-03).
Of course, the ruse was discovered, but Todd was later resurrected for real when Superboy Prime punched reality. The shockwave of this action caused many DC characters' timelines to reset in Infinite Crisis: Secret Files and Origins #1 (2006).
This deus ex machina was not one of DC Comic's proudest literary moments, as it was little more than a convenient device for explaining all the franchise’s inconsistencies. Regardless, it brought Todd back—and this time, it looked like he was here to stay.
Of course, the ruse was discovered, but Todd was later resurrected for real when Superboy Prime punched reality. The shockwave of this action caused many DC characters' timelines to reset in Infinite Crisis: Secret Files and Origins #1 (2006).
This deus ex machina was not one of DC Comic's proudest literary moments, as it was little more than a convenient device for explaining all the franchise’s inconsistencies. Regardless, it brought Todd back—and this time, it looked like he was here to stay.
The Rise and Redemption of Red Hood
To understand Todd's return from the dead, one must read two essential books: Batman: Under the Red Hood (2005) and Red Hood: The Lost Days.
Under the Red Hood details Todd's resurrection and return to Gotham. It's a fascinating look at the young man's psychology—which, we can assume, is already a jigsaw puzzle of neurosis, considering he woke up in a coffin and had to dig his way out of his own grave! Central to this detective-mystery-meets-revenge-story are The Joker and Bruce Wayne. After all, the first killed Todd, and the second never bothered to avenge him. Under the Red Hood sets up not only Todd’s recurring mental health issues but also his complicated relationships with Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, and Tim Drake.
Under the Red Hood details Todd's resurrection and return to Gotham. It's a fascinating look at the young man's psychology—which, we can assume, is already a jigsaw puzzle of neurosis, considering he woke up in a coffin and had to dig his way out of his own grave! Central to this detective-mystery-meets-revenge-story are The Joker and Bruce Wayne. After all, the first killed Todd, and the second never bothered to avenge him. Under the Red Hood sets up not only Todd’s recurring mental health issues but also his complicated relationships with Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, and Tim Drake.
Red Hood: The Lost Days addresses the overlooked timeframe between Todd’s resurrection and the start of his criminal career, as depicted in Under the Red Hood. After spending a year in a coma, then wandering the streets as a vagrant with no memory of his former life, he is finally identified by Talia Head, daughter of Batman’s nemesis Ra’s al Ghul. Talia uses her father’s Lazareth Pit to restore Todd’s memories and health, inadvertently unlocking his need for vengeance.
The Lost Days gives Todd’s character some vital complexity, demonstrating that he has a moral code—it's just a lot more fluid than Batman's. We see that he also retains some of his pet peeves from his Robin days, in particular, a murderous annoyance for men who abuse women and children.
The Lost Days gives Todd’s character some vital complexity, demonstrating that he has a moral code—it's just a lot more fluid than Batman's. We see that he also retains some of his pet peeves from his Robin days, in particular, a murderous annoyance for men who abuse women and children.
By 2010, Todd was beginning to get his own storylines rather than being a foil (and occasional ally) to Batman, Dick Grayson, Tim Drake and the Teen Titans. While continuing to rack up an impressive body count among Gotham’s criminals, reformation was on the horizon. His reconciliation with Batman and the larger Bat Family really began when he joined The Outlaws, a team comprised of some of DC’s more morally ambiguous superheroes. It is in this capacity that Todd begins to repair his relationships with Grayson and Drake… and it’s more difficult for him to reconcile with Bruce Wayne.
Still, the young man famous for his resurrections had one more to perform by becoming the dark horse of the Batman Family. He is currently portrayed more as a crime-fighting ally than a murderous vigilante. In the popular webtoon series Batman: Wayne Family Adventures, Todd is a prominent character, often shown interacting with his adopted brothers, sisters, and Wayne in a friendly, even loving manner. To its credit, Wayne Family Adventures does not gloss over Todd’s past and has included some touching chapters where he struggles with the post-traumatic stress of his peculiar life story.
Where Todd goes from here remains to be seen, but considering his history, anything is possible.
Still, the young man famous for his resurrections had one more to perform by becoming the dark horse of the Batman Family. He is currently portrayed more as a crime-fighting ally than a murderous vigilante. In the popular webtoon series Batman: Wayne Family Adventures, Todd is a prominent character, often shown interacting with his adopted brothers, sisters, and Wayne in a friendly, even loving manner. To its credit, Wayne Family Adventures does not gloss over Todd’s past and has included some touching chapters where he struggles with the post-traumatic stress of his peculiar life story.
Where Todd goes from here remains to be seen, but considering his history, anything is possible.
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