A character that is neither a hero nor a villain, a perfect outlaw and the most divisive of all characters in the DC Universe Red Hood takes a grey area. He is the one who most willingly breaks the rules as he uses his skills to fight crime. No matter whether you like him or not one can never deny that he is the most interesting character of the DC Universe.
Who is Red Hood and What is his Backstory?
Jason Todd, who was the second Robin of Batman is now known as Red Hood. He is considered the black sheep of the DC Bat family mainly because of the differences in ideologies with Batman and the others of the family on issues of killing. Red Hood has always been much more willing to use lethal force, unlike other members who tried to live up to Batman’s “no killing” policy.
He is a vigilante anti-hero who protects Gotham City with the use of his dual pistols and pent-up rage. In the DC Comic Canon, Red Hood holds a long history that dates back to decades. Similar to what happens to any comic, it has also been through several revisions, updates and retcons to the main story over the years.
After Dick Grayson, the first Robin of Batman flew the Nest Batman appointed Jason Todd to be the next Robin after he caught him stealing the wheels of the Batmobile.
That Jason too, might resemble Dick was quite evident. While Dick appeared with a smile on his face, Jason always looked angsty, bull-headed and brash which eventually led him down the tragic and dark path.
In his quest to find his long-lost mother, Jason was captured by Joker who tortured and seemingly killed Robin 2.0 by beating him with a crowbar and leaving him with a timed bomb to end the game. Batman was late to save his poor boy and losing him became the greatest failure of the Caped Crusader’s life.
But death in this comic is like a revolving door and Jason is revived years later with the resurrecting power of Lazarus Pit. All thanks to Talia al Ghul and it was not too long before Jason learnt that Joker was alive and he was mad at Batman for not seeking revenge on the villain who killed his sidekick.
It was due to his belief that Batman’s way of justice was mild and ineffective that he took the garb of Red Hood to punish the evildoers with his sense of brutal justice.
It was the red hood helmet worn by the Joker himself before he turned into the laughing maniac. He took the moniker so that he owns what the Joker did to him and can use this to bring the Joker’s destruction.
Now, that is how the Red Hood turns into the bitter, brooding anti-hero who unlike the others of the Bat Family crosses the line to offer justice. He uses the guns that Batman has sworn to be the enemy’s weapon.
But Jason doesn’t execute the bad guy like Marvel’s punisher. We even see him spare the Joker’s life when a chance of revenge finally arrives which is enough evidence to show that he still keeps himself aligned to the good side.
Who is in His Team?
In the DC Comics Red Hood matches to boast of its own. However, he has not stopped from making his team with the other DC heroes. The team of Red Hood includes red hood and the outlaws, Challengers From Beyond, the Outlaws, Teen Titans, and Young Justice.
What are Red Hood Powers, Abilities and Weapons?
He is said to have no superpowers but possesses a huge array of talents for being trained under the master, Batman. He is the batman under the red hood in his skills.
With world-class strength, stamina, athleticism and acrobatic skills he is trained in combat strategy and detective jobs. Hood is an expert at hand-to-hand fighting along with all manners of high-tech gadgets.
While Jason as a Robin was trained at using non-lethal weapons like Batarangs, under the red hood he took training by the world’s greatest marksmen so that he could kill any target thus making him a master of firearms.
A pair of handguns are his signature weapons along with the dagger that he keeps on him for close-combats. The helmet is not a concealer of his identity but an armour to protect his head and also has a radio transmitter.
What New Turns Will the Character Take?
The current and the most definitive attempt in the DC Comic will be the shifting away of Jason’s character from lethal actions and that cannot be done without an attempt to soften Red Hood.
It is also taking a radical step to disarm Red Hood with his guns which are forbidden in the Bag family. Bruce Wayne is supposed to go to great extents in helping Jason as he will use the brainwashing technique.
Bruce rewrites his mind to alter his abilities so that whenever Jason is about to attempt something dangerous like killing someone, he will experience paralysing fear that would shut down his abilities. This Batman would rob Jason of his ability to act as a lethal vigilante.
