By [ad_1]
At a glance, Jason Todd might not seem like he’s much more than human, despite his careers as the second Robin and the Red Hood. Especially next to characters like Wonder Woman or Superman, Todd might not seem especially impressive By comparison, Red Hood is just someone in peak human condition with a gun.
But since he debuted in Gerry Conway and Don Newton’s Batman #357, Todd has consistently defied the odds, and he’s not as simple as he appears to be at a cursory glance. Now, we’re taking a deep dive into his past to uncover some of the most surprising, disturbing and downright heartbreaking facts about Red Hood’s body.
1) How Did Red Hood Die?
The story that Jason Todd is most famous for is also what makes him such a tragic character: his return from the dead. During the events of Jim Starlin and Jim Aparo’s Batman: A Death in the Family, Jason Todd tracked down his biological mother, only to then be captured and killed by the Joker via explosion. This event was one of Batman’s greatest failures and tragedies, but Jason would not stay dead for long. In Marv Wolfman and Dan Jurgens’ Infinite Crisis Secret Files 2006, Superboy-Prime manages to punch reality so hard that the impact of that punch reverberated across the universe, killing many and reviving others, including Jason Todd.
During this time, Jason was essentially brain-damaged, but his good luck continued when he was discovered by Talia al Ghul, daughter of Ra’s al Ghul. Talia tried to heal Jason over time but eventually ran out of patience and decided to through him into one of her father’s Lazarus Pits. This act brought Jason back to his full mental faculties. Unfortunately, Jason decided to later seek revenge under the new moniker Red Hood. After the New 52 rewrote DC history, Jason’s rebirth was simply attributed to the restorative power of a Lazarus Pit. Regardless of how he came back though, the fact is that Red Hood came back from the dead with a vengeance.
2) Can Red Hood Use Magic?
As a member of the Bat-Family, it would be easy to assume that the Red Hood’s superhero talents stem solely from an incredible amount of training. However, he has some mild aptitude with mystic forces too. Red Hood was tasked with hunting down a dangerous organization called the Untitled, immortals who seek to corrupt the world, later revealed to be led by Ra’s al Ghul. In James Tynion IV and Jeremy Haun’s Red Hood and the Outlaws #25, a flashback revealed that Jason learned a technique from Talia that could only be performed by someone with “a force of true good is capable of delivering.” Talia was incapable of performing this technique, but Red Hood was not and during Red Hood and the Outlaws #27, he would later utilize this ability to its full effect during his battle with Ra’s.
Counting on his love for his friends, Arsenal and Starfire, Red Hood used this technique to summon magical weapons and finally to dispel the dark power corrupting Ra’s, saving the world in the process. Red Hood has never demonstrated this ability since that battle, but he could only access it when the world depended on it, so that might not be a bad thing.
3) What Else Has Joker Done to Red Hood?
Red Hood is a resilient character. He has been broken physically, emotionally and even mentally, which makes this particular trial all the more impressive and horrifying. In Scott Lobdell, Ken Lashley, Robson Rocha and Adrian Syaf’s Red Hood and the Outlaws #17, Red Hood took some time to reflect about what he wanted to do next after the Joker’s latest attack on Gotham. As he was placing his helmet on and preparing to leave Wayne Manor though, a hologram of the Joker appeared, claiming that Red Hood has played a “joke” on him by not staying dead, the Joker decided to give him a “clean slate” to have his second chance at life. With that, Red Hood’s helmet released acid onto his face. Batman managed to get it off of him, but Red Hood was still severely injured.
Lobdell and Tyler Kirkham’s Red Hood and the Outlaws #18 detailed Red Hood’s journey through his nightmares to wake up from his coma following the acid attack. Eventually, Red Hood managed to wake up and reconcile with Batman after letting go of his feelings of failure. The scars would disappear completely as time passed, but this was still one of the most harrowing ordeals Red Hood has been through.
4) Does Red Hood Have His Memories?
Dick Grayson isn’t the only former Robin to lose his memories. In Tynion IV and Julius Gopez’s Red Hood and the Outlaws #19, a traumatized Red Hood sought out S’Aru, a member of the All Caste, a group of warriors that trained Red Hood after he was brought back to life. Ostensibly wishing to forget his pain, Red Hood asked S’Aru to wipe his memories away so that he could no longer remember the Joker, Batman, his friends or even himself. The memory wipe seemed to work as Red Hood completely forgot his skills and even the people he killed during his career.
Later though, it was revealed that the memory wipe was a plan Red Hood agreed to so that he could protect himself from the corrupting influence of the Untitled, until he was ready to remember and use the mystical powers that were hidden within him. The plan worked and Red Hood regained his memories, his abilities and his powers. This came at an excellent time too, as his return to full capacity allowed him to devastate the League of Assassins and save the world from Ra’s al Ghul’s madness.
5) Why Does Red Hood Have White Hair?
Although it may not look that impressive, Red Hood’s hair is a testament to his past and the difficulties of his life. In Grant Morrison and Phillip Tan’s Batman and Robin #5, Jason Todd told his protege, Scarlet, that his hair was still red, as it was in his early appearances. He said that he dyed it to better look like Dick Grayson when he was Robin. Although he was excited to fill the role then, Red Hood now looked back on it as a bitter memory of how he was little more than a replacement for Batman’s first Robin.
Todd’s hair also has a distinctive white streak, which was technically first introduced in Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee’s seminal Batman storyline “Hush” when Clayface pretended to be Jason Todd. Later, it became a permanent mark of his time in the Lazarus Pit and his return from the dead. Considering all of the history his hair brings up, it’s not that surprising that Jason chooses to hide it in a helmet.
About The Author
[ad_2]
