Jensen Ackles’ Secret DC Project Is Red Hood – Evidence & Theory Explained

Jensen Ackles’ recently confirmed secret project involving a DC Comics property could be a Red Hood series. If this theory proves accurate it would be a dream come true for many fans, who have long wanted to see Ackles play Jason Todd in live-action. It would also be an ideal project for Ackles, who has long expressed an affinity for the bad boy of Batman’s sidekicks.

Speculation began following an episode of Smallville star Michael Rosenbaum’s podcast, where the host asked Ackles what Marvel or DC Comics projects he would most like to be a part of as an actor. Surprisingly, Ackles revealed that he was already developing a DC Comics property at Warner Bros. with unnamed partners, but was not at liberty to discuss the details or elaborate any further.

This admission led to a number of fan theories regarding just what Ackles’ secret DC Comics project might be. Certainly, there are a number of productions already in the works at Warner Bros. which Ackles might be involved in as an actor, producer or director. However, his long-working relationship with the CW network—where he is currently producing a Supernatural prequel series titled Winchester—coupled with other recent developments suggest the way may be paved for a Red Hood series set in the Arrowverse.

Arrowverse Boss Greg Berlanti Is Tied To Jensen Ackles’ DC Comics Project

One month after Ackles’ announcement that he was at work on a secret DC Comics project, one of his unnamed partners was named in an official listing for the 2022 SXSW event, where Ackles has a panel scheduled. The panel description, which described Ackles’ past and current projects, confirmed that he was “also developing an Untitled DC Project with Greg Berlanti.” Berlanti is one of the most successful producers in television today, best known as the architect of the Arrowverse line of superhero shows.

The idea of Ackles and Berlanti working on a project together would seem to hint at a television series set in the Arrowverse. However, it is worth noting that Berlanti’s connection to DC Comics is not limited to the Arrowverse and that he is also the producer of several HBO Max series including Titans, Doom Patrol and the upcoming Green Lantern series. This widens the range of possibilities for their collaboration, though an Arrowverse series still seems the most likely vehicle, given their mutual history with the CW network.

Jensen Ackles Has A History With Red Hood

Jensen Ackles has worked with DC Comics before, having almost won the role of Clark Kent in Smallville before going on to play Lana Lang’s boyfriend, Jason Teague, in Smallville season 4. However, Ackles is best known for having voiced the Red Hood, Jason Todd, in the 2010 animated movie Batman: Under The Red Hood. Since then, Ackles has expressed an interest in playing the role in live-action and even assembled a high-quality Red Hood cosplay for Halloween in 2018. The photos of Ackles in costume fueled further speculation that he might be trying to build the fan demand for a Red Hood project, in much the same way that Ryan Reynolds built the hype for a Deadpool movie.

Batwoman Hinted At Jason Todd’s Existence In The Arrowverse

Shortly after the confirmation that Ackles and Berlanti were working together on a DC Comics project, the CW Batwoman series began dropping subtle hints regarding Jason Todd’s life and death in the Arrowverse. This was notable as Batwoman has largely kept the details regarding the Bat family—and which heroes might have been protecting Gotham City before Kate Kane and Ryan Wilder—deliberately vague. For instance, it is known that Batman worked with at least one Robin, but nothing has ever been said about there being multiple Robins.

The Batwoman season 3 episode “Broken Toys” introduced an original character named Kiki Roulette, who was said to have been the Joker’s personal toymaker in the Arrowverse. Beyond confirming the existence of Harley Quinn in the post-Crisis Arrowverse, Kiki also teased Jason Todd’s death from the comics, telling Alice about how she helped Joker beat Robin to death with a crowbar. A bloody crowbar was also visible in a glass case in the background of Kiki’s workshop.

This would seem to confirm the existence of the Jason Todd Robin in the Arrowverse, despite his name not being mentioned. However, there is no evidence that Jason Todd was resurrected after his death, as he was in the comics (and on Titans). If that is the case, then there might not be a Jason Todd still alive who can become the Red Hood on Earth-Prime. Indeed, the greatest evidence that there isn’t a Red Hood is the fact that he didn’t emerge to defend a Gotham City without Batman.

This point raises another interesting problem in regards to adapting Under The Red Hood for the Arrowverse. Jason Todd’s motivations for becoming the Red Hood were based on his disbelief that Batman wouldn’t avenge his death by killing Joker. Given that the Arrowverse Batman reportedly did kill Joker, this would leave a resurrected Jason Todd with no motivation to adopt Joker’s former Red Hood identity as his own and become a murderous agent of justice. However, the question of how that storyline might be adapted to fit the Earth-Prime setting and explain why Red Hood was operating in secret, far away from Gotham City, opens endless avenues of exploration for a Red Hood series that would intrigue fans of the character and be true to the spirit of Jason Todd without rehashing stories from the comics.

Theory: Jensen Ackles Is Playing Red Hood

Given all the available evidence, it seems likely that Jensen Ackles’ secret DC Comics project involves the Red Hood in some capacity, possibly in one of the many upcoming DC Comics productions already announced. One possibility is that Ackles might be playing an older Jason Todd in the upcoming Gotham Knights show, based around the murder of Bruce Wayne. It’s also possible that he’s working on a Red Hood series set in the Arrowverse. While this latter option would be more difficult to work into the current continuity of Earth-Prime, it would not be impossible and the story changes required could allow Ackles to do something unique with the character.

About The Author

Matt Morrison
(1835 Articles Published)

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Matt Morrison has been writing about comics since before the word
“blogging” was coined. He got his start writing for the
legendary DC Comics digital fanzine Fanzing,
before receiving his own column, The Mount. Since then he has gone on
to write for over a dozen websites, including 411
Mania, Comics
Nexus and The Cult of Nobody. He holds both an MS in Information
Science from the University of North Texas and a BFA from the
University of Texas at Arlington. Known as a font of comic book
history trivia, he has delivered lectures on the history of American
Comic Books, Japanese Manga, Doctor Who, and Cosplay at over a dozen conventions
and served as an Expert In-Residence for a course on Graphic Novels
for Librarians at the University of North Texas. In addition to his
work for Screen Rant, Matt is currently the Editor In Chief of
Kabooooom.com and writes reviews for No
Flying, No Tights – a graphic literature and anime review site
aimed at teachers and librarians. He also maintains a personal blog –
My Geeky Geeky Ways –
which hosts his extensive episode guide for the television series
making up The Arrowverse as well as his
comedic Let’s Play videos. What little spare time he has is
devoted towards acting, role-playing, movie-riffing and sarcasm. You
can follow his adventures on Twitter, @GeekyGeekyWays.

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