just need to clarify bc ppl cant look at pictures bc i've seen some discourse surrounding this but
Bruce NEVER aimed at Jason or intended to hurt him in the "batarang incident"
in the panel you can clearly see that the Batarang was thrown at the wall behind Jason and then it rebounded back
Bruce NEVER intended it to hit Jason.
now before you come at me with the "Bruce is Batman and Batman can never miss" bs, please understand that Bruce is not a god. He is no meta. He has no powers whatsoever. He is a human being.
In the end of the day, behind the skills, behind the symbol, behind the mission, behind the cowl, there is only a man.
A man who, at this moment, was very much distressed and was definitely going thru it™
not to mention that only a few pages before this scene, Bruce and Jason just watched Bludhaven gets destroyed. Keep in mind that Bruce has no clue whether or not Dick is alive or not rn.
Ofc jason is pretty shaken too at first (look at the baby's face sjfdsd thats his big brother oh my goshhh 😭💔) but he quickly shoves it under and starts to taunt Bruce
You guys have to realize that Bruce can become very suicidal and emotionally distressed when it comes to his kids, ESPECIALLY when it comes to Dick.
(like thats his first baby what do u expect?? also Jason bringing up his own death (something that was VERY traumatizing for Bruce) and using it to jab at Bruce was a very low blow.)
Bruce immediately wants to call off the fight and leave but Jason doesn't let him, fighting back harder than ever, and Bruce, left with no choice, has to play along.
And Bruce finally gets the upperhand and instead of using the moment to apprehend Jason, he tries to talk. Tries to address the guilt that has been laying heavy in him for years.
Jason is quick to say that it was not the case and that the real reason as to why hes upset is bc he feels like his death meant nothing. (which... is complete baloney. Jason had been haunting both Bruce and the narrative for a looong time lol.)
and then he presents the Joker and gives Bruce an option of either killing the Joker or killing him (to which Bruce vehemently says he would never do)
Bruce also goes on to say that his no-kill rule is something to prevent himself from being a killer BUT that is just his response.
I think the problem is that many comic readers don't know how to read comics...
In comics, you need to understand that just because a character says something, it doesnt mean its always true. This is one perfect example.
Yes this might be the reason Bruce believes is true, and while there is some level of truth behind it, its not the full picture. the real, more deeper reason behind his no-kill and no-gun rule is bc it's a trauma-response.
-Batman and Robin: Year One #8
Anywyas the reason I believe Bruce begged Jason not to kill the Joker wasn't because he wanted that man alive. Nopeeee. Bruce has tried to kill Joker manyyyyyy times before lol. He does not want that man alive I can tell you that.
The reason why he screamed "no" was because if Jason actually shot the Joker this would be the final nail in the coffin, the final proof that the Jason Bruce once knew was a thing of the past.
You need to understand that the Jason Bruce knew was a Jason who pulled his hand back and pleaded for the Joker's life.
So rn with the fear that his first kid is dead, the guilt of losing his second son, and seeing said son trying to do the very thing he stopped him from doing all those years ago... Bruce is in no proper headspace.
In distress (just look at the man's face) he throws a batarang at the wall, missing Jason completely.
And it was never meant to hit Jason.
we know this bc previously in the fight, Bruce threw two batarangs on purpose and still made sure it wasn't too fatal. Also that time Jason ducked to avoid getting hit.
So even if Bruce threw it on purpose here (which he didn't) it is safe to assume that Bruce thought Jason would duck once again which would make him drop the gun and the Joker... which is a win-win
Anyways the batarang hits the wall and rebounds back (completely unintentional btw) and it nicks Jason on the shoulder/neck. Jason, shocked, falls down clutching his neck while the Joker laughs.
AND before Jason or Bruce could react or fully process what happened, Joker blows them all up.
It’s implied that all three of them died in the explosion bc the next panel we see the universe colors showing up (they’re the same colors that was in the panel when Jason wakes up in his coffin after Superboy Prime’s punch)
Bruce NEVER intentionally meant to hurt Jason and he was too emotionally distraught to fully judge his aim which lead to his batarang accidentally hitting Jason.
Stop ruining this scene with stupid hcs and fanon slop just to woobify Jason and evilize Bruce.
Even if Bruce is not your fav, understand that he was not in the right mind frame rn (he literally thinks Dick is dead atm) and made a mistake (throwing the batarang without aiming) which accidentally hurt Jason. and NO, he did not leave Jason to bled out on the floor--all three of them freaking died.
And later scenes both Jason and Bruce are completely fine with no wounds or scars (there is no "batarang scar" it was healed by the universe)
So yeah. I beg of you all... please stop spreading misinformation just bc u want angst and actual read the comic. There is plenty of angst in the comics btw.
Anyways. You are in a comic book fandom talking about comic characters. Read the freaking comics. Its not that hard to look at pictures. Bruce never aimed at Jason.
And remember... fanon ≠ canon.
Just bc you see it in your favorite fanfic doesnt mean it happened in the comic. Stop spreading misinformation and please actually engage in the source material. UTRH Jason was not a hero and THATS OKAY. You guys need to understand that a character can be in the wrong and its still okay to like them. (recommend clicking on underlined text btw)
Like seriously i swear that so many Jason fans need to get the same attitude of Superboy Prime fans which is "yeah he did that shit and i still love him"
Characters can be complex and just bc theyve done some stuff doesnt mean you need to agree with it. They can still bc your blorbo and if you meet irl you would slap them--these things can coexist.
Like you do not need to defend the man. Jason did some pretty bad stuff in his early RH years and its okay to admit it. He was in no way shape or form a hero when he came back--he didnt even take over the crime underground with good intentions. He didnt come back to make Gotham better, like fanfics like to say, he came back to control it (using the threat of death, mind you. His options was “either you do what I say or I kill you just like I did these eight men”)
Jason did not just kill rapists, he killed anyone that got in his way or whoever he deemed was necessary to fuel the city’s fear towards him.
And sure it worked in making Gotham a bit safer by lowering crime, but it wasn’t a good or safe place to be. Jason created a dystopian world, one he ruled with fear. Did it help? A little, sure. But a world ruled by fear and a world where freewill is smothered out is a world that is not good.
Say whatever you want to say, but thats not a very good thing for a hero to do lol. And yknow what?? Thats completely okay.
He wasn’t originally meant to be a hero. The tragedy of the character of Red Hood is because he’s almost everything Robin!Jason would despise.
You guys need to understand that just because he looked hot doing it doesn’t mean it's not messed up lol.
Be like a Superboy Prime fan and learn to develop the attitude of “yeah my man did that shit but i love him regardless” and if ppl don’t like Jason bc of his early years of RH? Their loss. He’s such a fun, complex character but to understand him, you need to approach his character with that complexity in mind.
But yeah. Just because Jason is your fav doesn’t mean you have to twist the narrative and create stuff that never happened (ex: Bruce ‘choosing’ Joker over Jason… like wth is that take 😭) to defend him. He’s not in the right here and that's okay. Now are we saying that we have to like Jason as evil? Uh no??? BUT just because you would like a more PG-rated, batfam-friendly, WFA-style Jason doesn’t mean you’re allowed to rewrite canon, invent motivations, or straight-up lie about other characters.
And if you're not gonna read the comics, at least take this post and understand that Bruce never aimed at Jason and Jason was in NO way in the right in this moment. (this all is coming from me, Jason's biggest fan: just look at my handle lol)
So yeah. If anyone ever gives a stupid take abt #that scene in UTRH, you got this post to shove their faces into 👍/lh
All panels, unless mentioned otherwise, are from Batman: Under The Red Hood
EDIT: just feel like I need to add this bc my tone's being misunderstood but this is NOT a pro-Bruce anti-Jason post. This is just a full explanation of what happened in this scene.
Both are in the wrong. (Jason pushing Bruce too far and Bruce throwing the batarang)
Both made mistakes and both do not deserve to be villainized bc of it.
ALSO pls dont take this as a reason to not write fanfics. You're allowed to write whatever you want and are allowed to let your imagination roam. All my post is saying is that you all don't take canon and replace it with fanon
