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Jason Todd is best known as the second Robin, but like most of the other Robins, he later became a standalone superhero under the name Red Hood. The history of the Red Hood is very closely connected to The Joker, as many fans will know, and aside from Batman, the Crown Prince of Crime is the character who influenced Todd’s story the most.
We are going to recount the tale of why the two of them are so closely connected, but this report will be about a new story from the world of DC Comics, a comic book storyline that actually provides us with a new take on this relationship, and while it is not part of the main canon, it is certainly very interesting.
Namely, in this storyline, Jason Todd finally manages to get his revenge on the Joker in a brutal fashion that goes against everything that Batman and the Bat-Family stand for. What happened? Well, keep reading to find out!
The story of Jason Todd and the Joker is, as you probably know, a very long one and the crucial moment dates back to the 1988 story “A Death in the Family”, which featured the Joker killing Jason Todd with a crowbar and a bomb.
It was a controversial moment, as the fans actually decided Jason’s fate – a survey was organized for the fans, who could cast their votes as to whether Jason would die or not. By a margin of just 72(!) votes, the readers decided to kill off Jason Todd, and it became clear which of the two planned panels was going to be used:
As you can see, the left panel was drawn – but never colored – in case readers opted for Todd’s survival, but the right panel was the one that was ultimately published.
This was a pivotal moment for DC and a pivotal moment for Todd’s storyline. There are numerous reasons why his character ended up like he did, but that is – perhaps – a topic for a different article.
Of course, we know that Jason Todd was later resurrected by Ra’s al-Ghul, as revealed in the Hush comic book, and he even got his epic return as the Red Hood in Under the Hood. Since then, he has improved his relationship with Batman and his allies, and while he is still a bit on the wild side, he is their firm ally.
And while Jason wanted to kill the Joker in order to get his revenge, this never happened in the main DC universe. On the other hand, the From the DC Vault: Death in the Family – Robin Lives! #4 comic book by J.M. DeMatteis, Rick Leonardi, Rico Renzi, and Taylor Esposito provides us with a different tale.
This alternative universe story has Jason Todd going after the Joker, having been unable to shake off the trauma. He manages to find him, but there is a twist.
Namely, after he finds him, Joker manages to manipulate Todd and brainwash him into becoming his sidekick, which is a horrible turn of events. Eventually, though, Jason manages to free himself from the brainwashing and in a quick turn of events, shoots the Joker in the head, killing him, as a shocked Batman watches.
The good news? This is not a canon storyline, so the Joker will be back, which means that readers needn’t worry. The bad news? This is not a canon storyline, so the actual impact of this great trauma story will be irrelevant.
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