Summary
- Jason Todd took Batman’s teachings to heart, internalizing his methods and seeking revenge on Joker and Batman for their actions.
- Like Batman, Jason traveled the world to learn from the best killers, showcasing his meticulous planning and methodical attacks.
- Despite their antagonistic relationship, Jason’s devotion to Batman’s methods shows that he understands Batman more than any other Robin.
Batman has recruited many allies in his war on crime over the years, with the most famous being the series of sidekicks who have gone by the name Robin: Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, and Damian Wayne. Despite the traumas he has suffered, and the moral disagreements he has often had with his mentor, the one Robin who truly took Batman’s teachings to heart was Jason Todd.
Batman has trained some of the DC Universe’s most skilled fighters – but not all of them fully embrace the Caped Crusader’s teachings. Batman demands perfection from his Robins, and he comes across as harsh at times. Some of Batman’s students, such as first Robin Dick Grayson, now Nightwing, reject his teachings. If Batman has one true successor, it is the second Robin, Jason Todd, now the Red Hood.
Jason Todd Took Batman’s Teachings To Heart
Red Hood: Lost Days – by the creative team of Judd Winick, Pablo Raimondi, Cliff Richards, and Brian Reber – shows the extent to which Jason Todd has internalized Bruce’s teachings. After Joker killed Jason Todd, Jason came back to life and sought revenge on Joker, and on Batman for allowing Joker to live. In order to prepare to confront Batman directly, Jason took a page out of Batman’s book and traveled the world. When Batman’s parents were killed, he left Gotham City and sought to learn from the best warriors in the world, so he could one day return and fight crime. After Jason’s return, he did the same.
Jason Learns To Kill
As depicted in Red Hood: Lost Days, Jason Todd spanned the globe, just like his mentor, studying the art of killing from the greatest killers he could find, in a dark twist on Batman’s own journey around the world. What it makes clear is that even after his death and resurrection, even through all the pain, and with his desire to hold Bruce accountable for refusing to kill the Joker, Jason still modeled his behavior after Bruce. When he returned to Gotham, his attacks on Batman were methodical, showing the same level of planning and care that the Dark Knight puts into all of his plans.
Jason’s first attack on Batman was a bomb, planted under the gas line of the Batmobile. This took a great deal of patient planning; Jason had to be able to manipulate Bruce’s position, and sneak up on the Batmobile –but it all worked. The only reason Jason didn’t kill Bruce in the attempt was because he wanted Bruce to know it was him. Despite the more antagonistic dynamic between the two following Jason’s return as the Red Hood, it is clear his training and his skill are the result of his devotion to Batman’s methods, if not his cause. As a result, Jason Todd understands Batman more than any other Robin.