Is Scott Lobdell setting up Jason Todd to become a Crime Lord? **SPOILERS**
The future of Jason Todd is currently up in the air, as future solicitations hint at him turning to a life of crime. In the upcoming Teen Titans Annual # 1 (release date Jan 30), Damian vows vengeance against Jason after he is betrayed by the Red Hood.
In Red Hood # 31 (release date Feb 13) Red Hood will make a decision that will shake the streets of Gotham City…forever?.
In Detective Comics 1000 (release date Mar 13), the Arkham Knight will make his appearance in Gotham City; and in Red Hood # 32 (release date Mar 13), Jason will attempt a hostile takeover of Penguin’s Iceberg Lounge and Casino (not as Red Hood but as a businessman). Jason’s return to Gotham will coincide with the appearance of the Arkham Knight.
Even with these solicitations hinting at a dark turn for Jason, I was still not convinced until the end of Red Hood # 30. Since the Red Hood and the Outlaws Annual # 2, Jason has been investigating the Underlife. At the end of Red Hood # 30, it was revealed that the mastermind behind the organization is Jason’s father Willis Todd.
This explains why Jason would return to Gotham to once again seek vengeance against Penguin. Jason learned in Red Hood # 23 through letters that Penguin was directly responsible for Willis’ incarceration in Arkham, and indirectly responsible for his supposed death.
Issue # 23 is also where Jason learned that his Dad started working as a henchman to pay for medicine and therapy for Jason, who was a sick baby. In this issue, Willis called Jason the Damned Prince of Gotham. While Jason’s Father was abusive in his childhood, his letters quelled some of the ill-will Jason harbored for his Father.
While I would be extremely disappointed, I would not be surprised if Jason joined his Father’s side at the end of Red Hood # 31. Everything Willis did was to lead Jason to him. When Jason first encountered Wingman in issue 30, he appealed for Jason to return to Gotham because everyone did not agree with Batman’s methods.
Wingman called Jason a Prince who would lead them out of the darkness; harkening back to his Dad calling him a Prince in the letters.
It seems that Lobdell is trying to push the Prince narrative for Jason, which correlates with a Knight. The Arkham Knight arc in Detective 1000 will be written by Tomasi and will introduce a new version of the character. I know some will argue that he’s the Red Hood, but Jason even stated in issue # 30 that he is not good at names, which is why he called himself Red Hood in the first place. The arc is literally called Even Endings Have Beginnings.
Could this be the end of Red Hood and the beginning of the Arkham Knight? I’m open to Jason becoming the Knight but I hope he does it sans his Father.
While this is all conjecture, all signs point to Jason taking a new path moving forward. Do you want to see Jason join his Father’s side or do you think he can walk this new path alone (until Bizarro & Artemis returns)?
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