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Despite his rocky history with the Titans and tension with his teammates, Jason Todd’s Red Hood officially rejoined the latest iteration of the team.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Titans United #1, on sale now from DC Comics.
While a new generation of aspiring superheroes train at Teen Titans Academy, the veteran heroes continue to defend the DC Universe in the new comic book miniseries Titans United. Featuring a mix of the original Teen Titans lineup along with subsequent generations of the young super-team from across DCU history, Titans United also marks the return of one hero whose initial tenure was cut tragically short: Jason Todd.
And sporting his usual antihero persona as the Red Hood, Jason has already begun to clash with some of the more established members of the Titans in his typical, brusque way.
When Jason first succeeded Dick Grayson as Robin, when the original Boy Wonder created the superhero mantle of Nightwing, he was given de facto membership to the Teen Titans — though his primary responsibilities fell to serving as Batman’s new partner. Before Jason could go on any substantial adventures with the Titans, he was brutally murdered by the Joker and resurrected by the Lazarus Pit, moving on to become the lethal vigilante the Red Hood. Jason was annoyed that Titans Tower’s memorial to fallen team members did not include a tribute to him, despite his brief tenure as part of the team and his time menacing the current Robin Tim Drake before undergoing a path of redemption with the Bat-Family. And in Titans United #1 by Cavan Scott, Jose Luis, Jonas Trinidade, Rex Lokus and Carlos M. Mangual, Jason’s inclusion on the team is not without its vocal critics.
As a new metahuman explosively surfaces in San Francisco, the Titans leap into action to contain the situation and mitigate collateral damage. Leading the charge is Superboy, even though Conner Kent has had visible trouble maintaining his powers since he joined the latest iteration of Young Justice. Though the day is saved, the effort is far more complicated than it initially appeared to be, leading to some minor injuries on the team. Back at Titans Tower, Jason relentlessly rebukes Superboy for being unreliable on the field, provoking Conner to punch him in the jaw, underscoring just how dysfunctional the addition of Jason has made the new Titans roster.
Interestingly, Nightwing is a prominent member of this Titans lineup, marking the first time Dick and Jason have been on the Titans together since Jason’s death. While the circumstances of Jason’s recruitment onto this Titans’ lineup is currently unknown, it is likely that Nightwing advocated for Jason to join the team, perhaps as a means to continue to work closely with the former Robin and ensure he stays on the straight and narrow moral path. And while Jason has managed to go one whole mission without shooting anyone, the majority of the Titans certainly don’t appear thrilled to have Red Hood on the team.
Over the course of his costumed career, Jason Todd has gone from a member of the Teen Titans to a formidable enemy and right back to a tentative member of its latest incarnation. And while the Red Hood has come a long way from the vengeful vigilante just as prone to fight against superheroes as common criminals, he is still a prickly figure to deal with. The Red Hood may be counted among the heroes again, but he is still the Bat Family’s resident bad boy.
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