Red Hood’s Time As Robin Stopped Him From Becoming a Major Villain

Warning: contains spoilers for Robins #1!

Jason Todd, AKA the Red Hood’s, time as Robin was marred with controversy, up until his death and eventual resurrection years later. Harder edged than his predecessor Dick Grayson, he came from the streets, from a life of crime. Now, years later, Red Hood believes his time as Robin kept him from going further down this dark path, to the point where he would possibly have become a Batman villain himself. Robins #1 is on sale now at all digital outlets.

Fans’ resentment toward Jason Todd began with his first appearance in 1983’s Batman #357. Todd’s initial origin was similar to his predecessor’s, but after 1985’s Crisis on Infinite Earths wiped the slate clean, his origin was retooled extensively. Capitalizing on the existing hatred towards the character, Todd was retconned to have been a street kid. In the new origin, Batman caught Todd trying to rip tires off the Batmobile. Impressed by Todd’s skill and sheer audacity, Batman took him in as the second Robin. The remainder of Todd’s tenure saw Batman struggle to control Jason and temper his violent tendencies. Todd’s run as Robin culminated in 1988’s Batman #428, where he was beaten to death by the Joker. It would be 17 years before he would return in 2005’s Batman #638 as the Red Hood. Since his return, Red Hood has had a tense relationship with Batman and his allies, one that softened in recent years.

Now, in Robins #1, written by Tim Seeley, with art by Baldemar Rivas, colors by Romulo Fajardo Jr, and letters by Steve Wands, Red Hood has come together with other previous Robins, including Nightwing, Spoiler, Tim Drake, and Damian Wayne to have a frank discussion about their stints as Robin. The group takes turns, and when it comes to Jason, the table gets tense—a fact he notes. Red Hood recounts how Batman “drafted” a street kid into the war against crime, going on to say that if Batman had not taken him in, he may have continued his life of crime, working his way up to a kingpin— one that Batman would then have to fight himself.

Red Hood was being (mostly) flippant when talking about his past, and where he may have ended up, but there was also some truth to what he was saying. He did start as a street kid, committing petty crimes. Red Hood had ambition, evidenced by his attempt to rip the tires off the Batmobile. If Batman had not intervened, Red Hood would have graduated to bigger crimes, crimes that would have eventually put him on Batman’s radar. Red Hood may not have wound up a major villain such as the Joker or the Riddler, but he would have still been a force to contend with. Red Hood’s combination of ruthlessness, ambition, and intelligence would have set him apart in Gotham’s underworld.

Red Hood has a reputation as a brutal vigilante who stretches Batman’s code to its limits. The Dark Knight struggled to help him move past his anger and rage, and for the longest time it looked as if Batman had failed this former Robin. However, now Red Hood admits that if not for Batman, he would have become a proper villain.

About The Author

Shaun Corley
(1379 Articles Published)

Shaun Corley is a pop culture enthusiast living in the Pacific Northwest. After stints in both customer service and academia, he’s turned his attention to writing about comic books–his lifelong passion. He is a graduate of Radford University, with a degree in English. When not reading comics, he enjoys spending time with his fiance and their dog.

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