Of all of Batman’s partners, the Red Hood has most often walked the line between hero and villain. Unlike the man who raised him, Jason Todd is willing to take a life if he thinks it means saving others.
Most fans wouldn’t expect Jason to have killed before his rebirth as the Red Hood. But the latest issue of Batman: Urban Legends by Chip Zdarsky, Eddy Barrows, Marcus To, and more from DC Comics reveals that he took his first life much earlier.
**SPOILER WARNING FOR BATMAN: URBAN LEGENDS #2**
Jason can’t help but remember his past as he’s reeling from the events of the last issue of the DC Comics anthology. After executing an abusive father in cold blood, he takes it upon himself to take care of the son. With the boy’s mother in the hospital due to an overdose, Jason’s mind wanders back to his own troubled childhood.
In the flashback sequence, Jason is hastily sent out by his mother as she waits for her dealer. As the man passes Jason in the hall, he threatens the future Robin when Jason mouths off to him. Hours later, the dealer leaves the apartment, mocking Jason as the boy waits outside his home. The boy snaps, and when the dealer turns his back on him, Jason pushes him down the stairs—seemingly to his death.
This wouldn’t be the last life Jason took, but it is the most formative. In this issue, Jason says the life he was born into never gave him a chance to be anything else.
After seeing what he did to that dealer, it’s hard to disagree with him.
Have you read Batman: Urban Legends #2? Do you think Jason Todd could’ve turned out different? And who is your favorite of the Robins? Let us know in the comments below!
