Jason Todd is an anomaly in comics. For a time, he was the most hated Batman sidekick ever created. He was so hated that he became the poster child for death. Eventually, however, everything changed and Jason rose through the ranks of DC Comics to become one of the most loved and followed characters. As the Red Hood, Jason was able to turn over a new leaf and become something that nobody could have ever predicted.
With a history as long as the Nile, things are often forgotten or misinterpreted about Jason Todd. Don’t fret though. That’s what we are here for.
Here are 5 Things That Everyone Gets Wrong About Jason Todd.
He was the only Red Hood
Jason Todd is the current Red Hood but he’s far from the first to be the Red Hood. In truth, he may not even be the most famous of all the Red Hood’s. That distinction goes to Jack Napier or, as you may commonly know him as, The Joker.
In Alan Moore’s masterpiece, The Killing Joke, we learn how The Joker fell from husband and expectant father to the Clown Prince of Crime. The novel takes the reader on a whirlwind ride that leaves them breathless and questioning what just happened. In it, we see The Joker begin his life of crime as, well, the Red Hood.
Ironically, after his death at the hands of the Joker, Jason Todd adorns the hood and becomes, arguably, the best Red Hood in DC Comics. In his short time as the character, Jason brings a sense of tragedy, anger, and hate that only a man hell-bent on revenge can bring.
He may not have been the first Red Hood but as far as I’m concerned, he is the best Red Hood.
His death was an executive decision
Of all the things everyone gets wrong about Jason Todd, none are more misinterpreted than the way he died.
Before his time as Red Hood the most famous things Jason Todd was known for was stealing the tires off the Batmobile and being murdered via a hotline.
That’s right. Aside from stealing the tires off the Batmobile, Jason Todd will go down as a character who was hated so much that those who read his books had him killed.
During the famous Death in the Family story, readers were left wondering if Jason Todd would live or die. At the conclusion of Batman #427 Jason had been captured by the Joker and was severely beaten. In an attempt to drum up business for themselves, DC created a hotline that readers could call into and decide if Jason would live or die.
And call in they did.
As many as 10,000 people called in to decide his fate. Once the votes were counted, Jason, by a slim margin, was killed off. The stunt worked and the watchful eye of the media turned to the comic company. Sales jumped and issues were sold. Publicity stunt or not, at the end of the day Jason Todd was dead and it would be years before he would return.
The Red Hood marked his return
Very few things in comics are as sacred as the death of Jason Todd. Just like Gwen Stacy, Uncle Ben, and Bucky, Jason Todd was dead and remained that way. His death didn’t just signify the readers distaste for the character. No. His death became Batman’s greatest failure.
That why for years DC did not bring him back. Hell, they barely toyed with the idea. However, eventually, like Gwen Stacy, Uncle Ben, and Bucky, DC gave in and brought him back…but it wasn’t in a traditional way.
During Jeph Leob and Jim Lee’s brilliant Hush story Jason is actually teased to have returned. Tim Drake, Jason’s replacement, had been taken hostage by an unknown individual. As the story continued and tensions rose the kidnapper is revealed to be none other than Jason Todd.
Or was it?
It wasn’t and this winds up being too good to be true. Instead of the kidnappe being Jason, it was actually Clayface disguised as Jason.
It was a smart move by DC as it undoubtedly helped them gauge reader interest in the character. As far as things everyone gets wrong about Jason Todd, his reappearance definitely makes the cut.
He has never appeared in film
It would be an absolute atrocity if the Red Hood has not appeared in film. So it’s a good thing that he has.
While his Silver Screen debut has yet to happen, the Red Hood has found his way to the small screen. In 2010, DC and Warner Bros. released the hallmark of animated Batman movies. Under The Red Hood saw Jason’s return and followed the comic of the same name. It became an instant classic.
It sees Jason Todd return from the dead and begin to push his justice upon the criminals of Gotham City. The movie is brilliantly done. It allows the viewer a glimpse into the psyche of Jason. Who he is. Why he is. What he is.
Jason Todd, the boy who Batman let die. Jason Todd, the man who returns to right all who have wronged him. And Jason Todd, the anti-hero who cleans up Gotham in a way that Batman never could.
The movie has a who’s who cast of characters.
- Batman
- Red Hood
- Black Mask
- Nightwing
- Joker
- R’as al Ghul
But it doesn’t mess it up. It’s hard to balance a cast like this but the movie does it perfectly. It could’ve become one of the worst animated movies of all time but it didn’t. Instead, it became a benchmark of animation.
He is superhero
The Red Hood is many things, but a superhero he is not. In truth, Red Hood is an anti-hero who wants nothing more than to punish those who do wrong to others. Or, at the very minimum, those who have done wrong to him. These include Batman, the Joker, drug lords, thieves, and every other form of scum imaginable.
What makes the character so good is that he was raised by Batman. As we all know, Batman lives by a code to never kill anyone. The irony is that the Red Hood does not live by that code. Instead, he utilizes a variety of methods that often involve murder and death.
For example, in the widely popular animated movie, Under The Red Hood, he makes his spectacular debut by letting the most well-known drug lords know that he has decapitated each of their lieutenants in two hours.
Death and the Red Hood go hand-in-hand. He is the perfect mixture of Batman and The Joker. Batman for his sense of morality to the innocent and the Joker for his volatility. It’s this combination that has propelled him to heights that he could not have achieved as Batman’s sidekick.
Yes, know that of all the things everyone gets wrong about Jason Todd, he is no superhero. The Red Hood is an anti-hero and vigilante out to improve the world through his brand of justice. And DC is better for it.
And that’s it.
5 Things Everyone Gets Wrong About Jason Todd. We hope you’ve learned something and that you pass it along to your friends. Agree? Disagree? What do you consider to be things everyone gets wrong about Jason Todd?
Cheers,
Joel
