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In Task Force Z #3, a member of the Bat-Family gets revenge in a brutal and sadistic way that may cement their road toward darkness.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Task Force Z #3, on sale now from DC Comics.
Jason Todd, aka the Red Hood, has walked one of the darkest paths of any former Robin. He’s transitioned from a villain to a dark anti-hero, even seeming to reaffirm his heroic elements in recent years. But all of that might be in jeopardy, due to a sudden and brutal decision he just made.
Task Force Z #3 (by Matthew Rosenberg, Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira, Adriano Lucas, and Rob Leigh) sees Red Hood get the chance to conduct absolutely brutal revenge against a villain, and suggests that Jason Todd’s redemption might be more complicated than it appeared.
Task Force Z has primarily been centered on Red Hood. After being recruited to the mysterious new organization, Jason Todd was given command of a small band of zombified DC villains, each brought back to life by a limited supply of the Lazarus Drug. This placed the former Robin alongside one of the single most dangerous villains in Batman’s entire rogue’s gallery: Bane. Killed on A-Day, Bane has been somewhat revived by the drug, restoring him to an undead state that lacks his mind and personality but allows Red Hood to direct his impressive strength. This dynamic changes in Task Force Z #3, when Jason is outmatched in a confrontation with Cheshire.
The deadly mercenary wounds Jason with a poisoned blade, leaving him struggling to even keep up with her. However, Jason is able to give enough of the Lazarus Pills to Bane to restore him to a state of lucidity. After allowing Bane to pound Cheshire into unconsciousness and taking a pill himself, Jason speaks with Bane, who has enough of his mind and memories restored to thank Jason. But after ensuring his memories are back, Jason attacks Bane and seriously injures him, sadistically demanding that Bane admit why he has been attacked. Bane acknowledges that it is because of Alfred Pennyworth, the Wayne family butler who the villain murdered during “City of Bane.”
With that, Jason kicks Bane off the side of the building they’re on, leaving him to fall to a second death. Jason appears momentarily shaken by his decision, but quickly dons his helmet and reports that “Bane is gone.” It’s a vicious act of revenge that’s perfectly in tune with the frequently dark motivations of Red Hood. However, it’s also an act that goes against his recent developments. Jason has been trying to reaffirm his connection with the Bat-Family, and has been largely successful. He and Bruce seemed to find peace during their work together to stop the stem of Cheerdrops across Gotham, and Jason has also recently worked well with the rest of the Robins. Part of this development saw Jason seemingly turning his back on killing, with him telling Batman personally that he had given up using guns in his fight against crime.
While this change has carried over to Task Force Z (with Red Hood primarily utilizing a pair of crowbars as his primary weapon) it seems he’s made an exception to his more merciful approach to fighting. What makes it worse is the possibility that Bane is not really dead, and is now free to roam the streets of Gotham. Jason’s passion and rage have long been among his greatest weaknesses, allowing others to get the drop on him when necessary. His recent actions as a member of Task Force Z might have pushed him further away from the Bat-Family he’s tried to so hard to reconnect with, and his attack on Bane might be a sign that reconciliation isn’t a viable option for Red Hood yet.
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