After 20 Years, Red Hood Finally Clears Up His Biggest Misconception

Red Hood is tired of everyone getting one major thing wrong about him, and he’s putting his foot down. To say that Jason Todd has had a rough life is putting things lightly. He was the second Robin who had a tough time living up to the example set by Dick Grayson. Then, as comic fans know, his young life was tragically cut short after being savagely beaten and locked in an exploding building. Jason did manage to come back to the land of the living, but for the past few years, he’s had a major chip on his shoulder.

While Jason coming back to life was odd (thanks, Superboy-Prime!), what was even more odd was Todd’s new choice for a superhero persona. He chose the Red Hood moniker, an identity that once belonged to the Joker, the same man who took Jason’s life so many years ago. But even if he was doing it for theatrics, why in the world would Jason ever want to take the Joker’s legacy and make it his own? Well, thanks to Red Hood’s latest confrontation with the Joker, Jason has the chance to clear up something everyone has misunderstood about him.

Red Hood isn’t a Joker Legacy (And He Never Was)

The final round in DC K.O.’s All Fight Month takes place in Red Hood vs. the Joker #1 by Scott Snyder, Joshua Williamson, Giuseppe Camuncoli, and Dustin Nguyen. Jason knows he has to stop Joker from going any further in the tournament, and goes hard at the clown with everything Jason has. All the while, Jason thinks about how much the Joker has defined his life. Unfortunately, the Joker manages to win the first round after knocking Jason Todd into a vat of chemicals similar to the one that created the Joker.

Jason gets a chance to pick a new form and ends up as the last time he was Robin before dying. Jason contemplates how much of his life has been defined by Batman and how much Jason has held back out of not wanting to disappoint Batman. But after realizing that he doesn’t have to be defined by Joker or Batman, Jason lets loose and manages to kill the Joker. The third round begins, and as Jason contemplates what form to take, he thinks about what being the Red Hood actually means to him.

Jason recognizes that Joker was Red Hood, but remembers that the ‘Red Hood’ is a Gotham urban legend that dates back decades. A bogeyman-like figure who lurks in the shadows and strikes when people least expect it. Jason even remembers that when he was a boy, he used to play as the Red Hood with his friends, and even drew himself as the shadowy figure. While Jason succumbs to his injuries in the final fight, he finds comfort in the fact that he’s not Joker’s legacy, but rather, his own person who became the hero he wanted to be.

The Red Hood Retcon Makes Jason’s Choice So Much More Understandable

While I’m not the biggest Red Hood fan, I do like him. But I’ll admit, I’ve never understood why Jason would want to go by an identity he knows is associated with the one person he hates more than anything. I mean, I get incorporating it into the narrative for the “Under the Hood” storyline. But I always found it odd that Jason would be willing to continue going by that moniker. Hell, Joker’s even called him out a few times, and if he even finds it odd, certainly Jason would too, right?

But this revelation gives us insight into Jason’s choices. He doesn’t see the Red Hood as something that is inherently the Joker’s. Jason knows about the Red Hood legend and its history in Gotham. It’s something that reminds him of his home and a concept that struck a chord with him even when he was a kid. Similar to how Zorro inspired a young Bruce Wayne, Jason wanted to be someone like the Red Hood. So when he got a fresh start at life, Jason decided, consciously or otherwise, to become the hero he always wanted to be.

Being the Red Hood isn’t meant as a reclamation of the identity, and it’s not a middle finger to the Joker. Jason’s choice to become the Red Hood was meant as a turning point where Jason took control of his life. Rather than let anyone tell him who he was or let the world shape him, Jason looked back at his past and decided to become the legend he idolized as a child. Joker may have been Red Hood once, but that identity is and always has been Jason Todd’s more.

What do you think about this twist to the Red Hood’s past? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts on the ComicBook Forum!

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