The Bat-Family’s Tribute to Jason Todd Was an Accidental Insult

Batman and the Bat-Family’s monument to Jason Todd and his tragic end was intended to honor his life, but Red Hood‘searly experiences make it more of an insult. Jason has forever been compared to both Batman and the first Robin (and current Nightwing), Dick Grayson, giving a secret meaning to the decision to display his costume in the Batcave.

As an unhoused child. Jason met Batman while the future Red Hood was trying to steal the tires off the Batmobile. Slowly, the two formed a relationship, culminating in Jason taking on the mantle of Robin. Jason did his best to live up to the legacy of Robin created by his predecessor but was ultimately a more aggressive and reckless sidekick to the Dark Knight. His time as Robin ended in tragedy when the Joker killed Jason before Batman could rescue him. However, this wasn’t the end for Jason, who was resurrected in the Lazarus pits and took on the mantle of the Red Hood, a brutal outlaw vigilante struggling to find his place in the world.

When Jason died, Bruce displayed his costume as a constant reminder of the partner he failed, always reminding his allies of the risks they take on. However, Jason confronts the first Robin’s uniform on display in the Batcave in 2016’s Red Hood and the Outlaws #3 by Scott Lobdell and Dexter Soy. Jason reveals he hated the suit in the case because it was a constant reminder he wasn’t living up to his predecessor Dick Grayson. Having his own costume displayed in the same way – but for the opposite reason – stands as a cruel reflection of the failure Jason is often seen to be by others. That Dick’s costume was a celebration of his abilities and Jason’s a reminder of his death saw the second Robin’s fear writ large, as he was remembered as someone defined to by their death rather than their life.

This is often the case for Jason as a character, whose relationship with the rest of the Bat-Family constantly comes back to his death. Since his return in 2005’s Batman #638, Jason has struggled with his place in the DC Universe as more than the ‘bad’ Bat-Family member. In the same issue of Red Hood and the Outlaws, after watching Bizarro’s strange birth, Red Hood reflects “Not everyone wants to be alive,” showing the pain Jason has carried beneath the titular red hood since his return. Recent stories like Nightwing 2021 Annual and ‘Cheer’ in Batman Urban Legends have explored Red Hood outside the simple ideas of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ heroes, and his relationship with the Bat-Family, but Jason is often left feeling like the dark spot in Batman’s history. His tribute in the Batcave only reflects the idea that he represents the opposite of the true favorite son, Dick Grayson.

Red Hood’s life as a Robin, villain, vigilante, and outlaw is visualized in the pair of monuments. The success he could never achieve is on display with his predecessor’s costume, and his own, which stands as more of a representation of Batman’s failure than a celebration of Jason’s life, represents his greatest mistake. While the Bat-Family never wanted to forget Jason Todd, the way in which they remembered the future Red Hood accidentally made his childhood fears of never measuring up an undeniable reality.