37 Years Later, DC Is Finally Going to Avenge Batman’s Biggest Mistake

DC’s biggest event of the year is finally here. DC K.O. is a fighting tournament where thirty-two of the universe’s best heroes and worst villains are competing for a chance to become the next King Omega and take down Darkseid. The full roster of participating characters was announced some time ago alongside the first round matchups, and fans have been speculating who would beat whom ever since. However, once the event started, DC revealed that they played everyone for fools and changed one spot on the roster. Instead of Batman participating, the Joker stole his spot and killed the Dark Knight.

Now, death in the game is only stated to last until the tournament’s end, but the Joker still managed to claim Batman’s life and his spot in the tournament. This means that the Clown Prince of Crime will be taking the Dark Knight’s spot in the first round, going up against Star Sapphire. If he manages to win, and given how big a twist this is, I doubt he would ever lose, Joker will be set up to fight one of the people he’s wronged more than anyone. Jason Todd finally has a chance to take on the Joker and actually kill him.

A Death in the Batman Family

Jason was the second Robin, and the first to die in the line of duty. The “Death in the Family” storyline saw the Joker lure Jason to Lebanon, where he savagely beat the Boy Wonder with a crowbar. Jason gave his life in a final attempt to save his mother, covering a bomb with his body, but in the end, he was killed. Jason, of course, eventually returned and took on the name Red Hood to enact bloody vengeance on the Joker and Batman. Despite his many attempts, Red Hood was never able to actually take out the Joker. Canonically, at least. A huge part of that is the fact that Joker is popular, so Jason killing him goes against DC’s goal as a company to make money. 

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Now, Jason finally has the perfect opportunity to enact his vengeance. He’s in a tournament where you advance by gathering Omega Energy, which is generated through cruelty and hate. Obviously, Jason has an awful lot of hate for the villain who once killed him. On top of that, Red Hood recently returned to his anti-hero murderous tendencies, depicted during the controversial “H2SH” storyline. A huge part of that as-of-yet unfinished storyline follows Jason’s current attempt at revenge against the Joker for the pain he put him through. He has decades of hate built up, and here and now, there’s almost nothing standing in the way between him and revenge.

DC KO Promises A Final Chapter to This Rivalry

Red Hood has set his sights on the Joker a few times, but for the first time, none of the usual roadblocks are stopping him. Batman has already been taken out, at the Joker’s hands no less. While the powers of sales and popularity have kept the Joker safe from Red Hood for years, death is already temporary here, so Red Hood can murder the clown to his heart’s content. Of course, if he wants to get to Joker, both of them will need to win their round one matches, and neither has an easy time ahead of them.

Jason will have to beat his younger brother Damian, who is at least as good a fighter as he is. Robin is likely far better by this point. And of course, Joker will have to somehow bring down a Lantern in Star Sapphire, which he normally lacks the firepower to do. However, the tournament is far more than normal tests of strength, and the next issue promises to gift the participants with some of the strongest powers and tools in the DC Universe. Any of these can easily help the two get to the second round and set up their final, decisive battle.

Will Red Hood finally have his revenge on the Joker, or will the clown beat Jason to death once again? What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

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