Jason Todd

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Jason Todd's history shifted dramatically after the 1985 Crisis on Infinite Earths reboot. Originally the son of circus acrobats killed by criminals (specifically Killer Croc), he was reimagined as a street kid found trying to steal Batmobile tires. Writer Jim Starlin, taking over after Max Allan Collins's revamping in Batman #408–411, wrote Jason as increasingly aggressive and reckless. This dissatisfaction led editor Dennis O'Neil to propose the 1988 "A Death in the Family" storyline, utilizing a 1-900 telephone poll to determine if Jason should die. The vote ended with a slim margin of 5,343 votes for death against 5,271 for survival—a difference O'Neil later suspected was influenced by a single person using a computer to dial repeatedly. Following his death in Batman #428, the character remained dead until writer Judd Winick brought him back in the 2005 "Under the Hood" arc as the Red Hood. In current New 52/DC Rebirth continuity, Jason exists as a nuanced antihero with a partially mended relationship with Batman.

In Their Own Story

The defining moment of Jason Todd's existence occurred during the four-part story "A Death in the Family," published in Batman #426–429. At the end of issue #427, the Joker beat Jason and left him to die in an explosion while readers called 1-900 numbers to vote on his survival. The results came down to a 72-vote margin, with the "death" option winning. In the subsequent issue, Batman #428, Jason's death was confirmed, sparking a wave of hate mail and criticism from creators like Frank Miller, who called it the "ugliest thing I've seen in comics." Years later, in 2005, Judd Winick resurrected him as the Red Hood. The mystery of his identity was teased during the "Hush" storyline with a fake-out reveal by Clayface before being confirmed in Batman #638. In 2015's video game Batman: Arkham Knight, he was reimagined as the Arkham Knight after years of torture by the Joker before assuming the Red Hood identity again near the end.

Reader's Guide

To understand Jason Todd, one must look at his transition from a replacement for Dick Grayson to an independent figure. Editor Len Wein created him in 1982 because Batman needed a sounding board without Dick, who had moved to lead the Teen Titans. He debuted in costume as Robin in Batman #366 (December 1983). Post-Crisis, his origin changed to that of a thief adopted by Bruce Wayne. His aggressive nature led writer Jim Starlin to write him into a fatal confrontation with the Joker. The decision to kill him via reader poll remains unique in comic history, though Dennis O'Neil later noted uncertainty about the vote's honesty due to potential computer dialing. After his resurrection as Red Hood, he became a murderous villain before evolving into an antihero in the New 52/DC Rebirth eras. He has also appeared as the Arkham Knight in video games and has been accepted as a full member of the Batman family despite past conflicts.

Did You Know?

• The decision to kill Jason Todd was determined by a telephone poll where the 'death' vote won by only 72 votes out of 10,614 total.
• Editor Dennis O'Neil later claimed he heard that a single lawyer in California used a computer to dial the death line every couple of minutes, potentially swinging the result.
• Frank Miller called the killing of Robin "the ugliest thing I've seen in comics" and described it as cynical.
• Jason Todd's identity as the Red Hood was initially faked by Clayface under the direction of Riddler and Hush before being revealed as real in Batman #638.
• In the 2015 game Batman: Arkham Knight, Jason resurfaces as the Arkham Knight after being conditioned by the Joker to despise his former mentor.