Red Hood
I'm the one who'll pull the trigger.
Abilities
- •Trained by Batman — possesses all of the Dark Knight's combat and detective skills
- •Further trained by the League of Assassins, the All-Caste, and other lethal organizations after resurrection
- •Expert marksman — unlike Batman, Red Hood uses firearms and lethal force
- •Master hand-to-hand combatant — combines Batman's martial arts with assassin techniques
- •Wields dual pistols, a crowbar (symbolic), and various military-grade weapons
- •Enhanced strength and resilience from Lazarus Pit resurrection
- •Red Hood helmet provides tactical data, comms, and protection
- •Trained by the All-Caste in mystical combat — can generate magical blades
- •The Robin who died and came back — his trauma and rage make him the most unpredictable member of the Bat-Family
Powers & Abilities
Biography
Jason Todd was the second Robin — a street orphan from Crime Alley who stole the Batmobile's tires and was taken in by Bruce Wayne. He was angrier and more reckless than Dick Grayson, and in 1988, readers voted to kill him. The Joker beat him with a crowbar and left him in a warehouse rigged to explode. Batman arrived too late. Jason Todd died in his arms. The guilt destroyed Bruce Wayne in ways no villain ever could.
But Jason didn't stay dead. Superboy-Prime's reality-altering punch during Infinite Crisis brought him back to life — brain-damaged and feral, clawing out of his own grave. Talia al Ghul found him, restored his mind in the Lazarus Pit, and trained him with the League of Assassins. Jason returned to Gotham in Batman #635 (2005) as the Red Hood — a masked vigilante who killed criminals, controlled the drug trade, and challenged everything Batman believed. Judd Winick's Under the Hood is the defining Red Hood story.
Jason's question to Bruce — “Why didn't you kill the Joker?” — is the most devastating question in Batman history. The Joker murdered Robin. Batman did nothing. Jason can never forgive that, and Bruce can never answer it satisfactorily. Their relationship is built on love, guilt, rage, and a fundamental disagreement about whether killing is ever justified.
Scott Lobdell's Red Hood and the Outlaws gave Jason his own team — first with Starfire and Arsenal, then with Artemis and Bizarro in the “Dark Trinity.” Jason became a leader of outcasts, building a family from people the world rejected — just as Bruce once did for him. The Red Hood is the Robin who proved that Batman's greatest failure could become his most complex legacy — a hero who crosses lines Bruce never will, who carries a gun because a crowbar taught him that mercy has limits, and who fights not because he forgave the world, but because he refuses to let what happened to him happen to anyone else.
Jason Todd — The Second Robin
Batman #357
1983First appearance of Jason Todd — the second Robin debuts as a circus acrobat similar to Dick Grayson. Gerry Conway introduces Bruce Wayne's new partner. Later reimagined post-Crisis as a street orphan.
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Batman #366
1983Jason Todd becomes Robin — he officially takes the mantle. The second Boy Wonder begins his short, tragic tenure as Batman's partner.
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Batman #408
1987Post-Crisis Jason Todd — Max Allan Collins reimagines Jason as a street orphan who stole the Batmobile's tires. This grittier, angrier version is the one readers will vote to kill.
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Batman #409
1987Jason becomes Robin post-Crisis — Bruce takes in the street kid and trains him. Jason's anger and recklessness are evident from the start.
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A Death in the Family
Batman #426
1988A Death in the Family begins — Jason Todd searches for his biological mother. The Joker is involved. Jim Starlin writes the most controversial Batman story ever told. DC holds a phone-in vote to decide Robin's fate.
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Batman #427
1988The Joker captures Jason — he beats Robin with a crowbar in a warehouse. The most brutal scene in Batman history. Readers call a 1-900 number to vote: should Robin live or die?
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Batman #428
1988Jason Todd dies — by a margin of 72 votes, readers chose death. The warehouse explodes. Batman holds Robin's body. The iconic cover. The death that haunts Bruce Wayne forever.
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Batman #429
1988A Death in the Family concludes — Batman confronts the Joker. Jason is buried. Bruce's guilt over his partner's death becomes his defining trauma alongside his parents' murder.
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Under the Hood — Red Hood Is Born
Batman #635
2005First appearance of Red Hood (Jason Todd) — a mysterious masked vigilante appears in Gotham, killing criminals. Judd Winick writes. Doug Mahnke draws. The dead Robin returns as a lethal anti-hero. A major modern Batman key.
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Batman #636
2005Red Hood escalates — he takes control of Gotham's drug trade, not to profit but to regulate it. He kills dealers who sell to children. Winick writes a villain with rules.
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Batman #638
2005Red Hood revealed as Jason Todd — the helmet comes off. Bruce Wayne discovers his dead Robin is alive. The most emotional Batman reveal of the 2000s.
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Batman #641
2005Jason confronts Batman — "Why didn't you kill the Joker?" Jason asks the question that defines their broken relationship. Bruce failed him. Jason will never forgive it.
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Batman #650
2006Under the Hood concludes — Jason gives Batman an ultimatum: kill the Joker or Jason will. Bruce refuses. The father and son split permanently. Winick delivers a devastating conclusion.
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Red Hood's Resurrection
Batman Annual #25
2006Jason Todd's resurrection explained — Superboy-Prime punched reality during Infinite Crisis, altering the timeline and bringing Jason back to life. He clawed out of his own grave. Talia al Ghul found him and restored his mind in the Lazarus Pit.
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Red Hood: The Lost Days #1
2010Lost Days — Judd Winick fills in the gaps. Jason's journey from resurrection to Red Hood: his time with Talia, his training with the League of Assassins, and his descent into lethal vigilantism.
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Red Hood: The Lost Days #6
2010Lost Days concludes — Jason returns to Gotham as the Red Hood. Winick completes the bridge between death and rebirth. Every step of Jason's transformation is accounted for.
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Red Hood and the Outlaws
Red Hood and the Outlaws #1
2011Red Hood and the Outlaws launches — Scott Lobdell writes Jason leading a team with Starfire and Arsenal. Kenneth Rocafort art. Jason steps out of Batman's shadow as a team leader.
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Red Hood and the Outlaws #17
2013Death of the Family tie-in — the Joker returns and targets Jason specifically. The man who killed Robin torments the man Robin became.
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Red Hood and the Outlaws #25
2013Zero Year tie-in — Lobdell explores Jason's past in Gotham before becoming Robin. His street life, his survival, and his first encounter with Batman.
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Red Hood and the Outlaws vol. 2 #1
2016Rebirth Red Hood — Lobdell relaunches with Jason leading Artemis and Bizarro: the Dark Trinity. A mirror of Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman made of outcasts. Dexter Soy art.
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Red Hood and the Outlaws vol. 2 #25
2018Red Hood vs. Batman — Jason's methods finally push Bruce too far. Father and son fight. The most brutal confrontation in their relationship since Under the Hood.
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Red Hood vs. The Joker
Batman #427
1988The crowbar — the Joker beats Jason Todd to death. The defining trauma that creates the Red Hood. Every time Jason sees the Joker, he sees that warehouse.
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Batman #641
2005Why didn't you kill him? — Jason confronts Bruce about leaving the Joker alive. The question that defines the Red Hood: why does Batman's code matter more than Jason's life?
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Batman #650
2006The ultimatum — Jason forces Batman to choose: kill the Joker or lose Jason forever. Bruce chooses his code. Jason chooses violence.
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Red Hood and the Outlaws #17
2013Death of the Family — the Joker returns to torment the Robin he killed. Lobdell writes the horror of Jason facing his murderer again.
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Three Jokers #1
2020Three Jokers — Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok explore Jason's relationship with the Joker across three versions of the Clown Prince. Jason's trauma is the emotional core.
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Red Hood & the Bat-Family
Batman #416
1988Jason meets Dick — the two Robins interact. Dick resents being replaced. Jason resents being compared. The complicated sibling dynamic begins.
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Batman #635
2005Red Hood vs. Batman — Jason returns to challenge everything Bruce believes. The son who died punishes the father who failed him.
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Batman and Robin vol. 2 #20
2013Bruce and Jason reconcile — Peter Tomasi writes a fragile truce. Jason is allowed back into the family, conditionally. The healing begins.
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Red Hood: Outlaw #50
2020Milestone issue — Jason's solo series reaches 50. He has evolved from pure vengeance to something more complex. Still lethal. Still angry. But family.
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Task Force Z #1
2021Jason leads Task Force Z — Matthew Rosenberg writes Jason commanding a team of resurrected villains. His experience with death makes him the perfect leader for the undead.
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The All-Caste & Mystical Training
Red Hood and the Outlaws #1
2011The All-Caste introduced — Jason was trained by a mystical order called the All-Caste. He can generate magical All-Blades that only harm the truly evil.
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Red Hood and the Outlaws #3
2011The All-Caste explored — Lobdell reveals Jason's mystical training. He isn't just a gun-wielding vigilante — he has powers Batman doesn't.
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Red Hood and the Outlaws #8
2012All-Blades in action — Jason generates the mystical blades against the Untitled, ancient beings of evil. His unique combat style combines guns, martial arts, and magic.
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Red Hood's Defining Moments
Batman #428
1988Death — Jason Todd is beaten to death by the Joker. Readers voted to kill Robin. The moment that creates the Red Hood.
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Batman #635
2005Rebirth — the Red Hood appears in Gotham. The dead Robin returns as a killer. The most shocking resurrection in DC history.
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Batman #638
2005The reveal — the helmet comes off. Bruce sees Jason's face. The son he failed is alive and furious.
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Batman #650
2006The ultimatum — kill the Joker or lose me. Bruce chooses his code. Jason chooses his own path.
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Red Hood and the Outlaws #1 (2016)
2016The Dark Trinity — Jason leads Artemis and Bizarro. He builds his own family from broken people. The outcast becomes a leader.
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Collector Highlights
Batman #357
1983First Jason Todd — the boy who would become Red Hood. A significant early 80s Batman key.
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Batman #426-428
1988A Death in the Family — the complete arc. Jason dies. The most controversial Batman story. Essential collecting.
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Batman #635
2005First Red Hood (Jason Todd) — the dead Robin returns. A major modern Batman key that defines the character.
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Batman #638
2005Red Hood revealed — the helmet comes off. The most emotional Batman reveal of the 2000s.
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Red Hood and the Outlaws #1 (2011)
2011First Outlaws ongoing — Jason leads his own team. A significant New 52 key.
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Three Jokers #1
2020Johns and Fabok — Jason's trauma explored. Premium format modern key.
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