Written by: Morgana Ghastly
Jason Todd was one of those characters from first reading about him that kind of just stood out to me. He was this young kid filled with hopes, dreams, and mischief. He had big shoes to fill after Dick Grayson left the role of Robin behind. He spent whatever time he had as Robin trying to fill them and trying to impress his mentor. It was on one fateful day things would drastically change for him.
On a hunch he decides to follow a trail that would lead him to the Joker. It wasn't until later we find out (reading) that his own mother gave him up. The Joker then turned the chase on Todd and will the rest is his character's history. A brutal fight ensued and Joker laughed as he diminished the spirit of the young ward. In the end he has the last laugh. This storyline is harsh and his fate was determined by the readers of the time. So, you see in a way Jason Todd never really stood a chance. Then the inevitable happened.
A lazurus pit will see him return. Todd isn't done just yet. OH NO! He remember's everything that happened and he is now reborn with a fueled rage. Justly so. He returns to find that the Joker is well enough alive. He expected his mentor the Bat to cross the one line he promised he never would. Angry now, he leaves his days with the Bat behind and another Robin is down.
Now he is reborn as the Red Hood a vigilante unafraid to cross any boundaries to make criminals pay and his target is set on the Clown Prince of Crime. What proceeds is an ultimate test for Batman and he is left to choose who matters more is it the Joker or Todd?
In further readings of the Red Hood we have more pieces connected to his persona. He's this somewhat anti-hero. That persona is one I tend to gravitate towards. There is something truly human about characters like Jason Todd. Something very human where they have flaws in a way there are times we aren't meant to root for them but we kind of do. He's this bitter youth hellbent on crossing any boundaries to make the world a better place in his eyes. He's unafraid to break Batman's rule and he builds a notoriety around this. He is feared and no one will think twice to mess with him. This is the story and plan he has.
I really love his character. The more I read about him the more I empathize. How would his story be if things have gone a little different that fateful story so long ago? Would he have stayed a better Robin? Would he have eventually filled those big shoes Grayson left behind? Would he be this bitter individual?
Jason Todd is an interesting character and I always look forward to see what happens next. There are story arcs in his canon that I'm not too fond of because he's so far gone but I do understand it. I understand the anger, resentment, and darkness he has. How can Batman let Joker get away with what he did? This is what fuels his darkness. How can Batman let him win? In the end the Joker does win. He lives to see Todd ferment in anger.
There's this sadness that Jason Todd has and to me it's undeniable. You see it in his story arc. This sadness and loneliness he carries and it's his own to carry on. The loneliness that is shadowed in disappointment. Never to be resolved eternally. I really empathize with his character. I really do.
-Morgana Ghastly
**Art credit: Belongs to DC and the respected artists. I found this online if you know who to give proper credit please let me know so I can cite the artist to give them credit. **
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